With teams coming up to the 20 game mark, the NHL has reached its quarter mark and the standings are finally starting to take shape. Some teams have gotten off to a surprisingly good start such as Buffalo who have been able to outperform their pre-season expectations. Other teams such as the Kings and Penguins are anxious and will be spending the rest of the season trying to catch up. So take a look at how each team stands up in the first installment of MSSA’s NHL Power Rankings.
1. Nashville
Last year’s President Trophy winners have picked up right where they left off The Preds are tied for the best goal differential in the league, at +21, and still have one of the best defensive cores in the league, leading the league with just 2.29 goals allowed per game, despite having Subban on the shelf. It is all about what they can do in the playoffs now.
2. Toronto
Even without Mathews and Nylander, the Leafs went on their California swing and took 6 out of 6 points outscoring the Californian teams 12-5 in that span. They then returned home and got an impressive come from behind victory against Columbus. If Freddie Andersen keeps up his play, leading the league with 12 wins and a top 3 save percentage of .935, the Leafs have a serious chance to finish the season as the Eastern Conference champions.
3. Tampa Bay
The Lightning are the highest scoring team in the league scoring 3.57 goals per game and are going to have to keep that up with starting goalie Vasilevskiy out 4-6 weeks with a broken foot. However, if players like Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov continue to score like they are, putting up 26 and 24 points respectively, they should have no problem contending for the Atlantic division.
4. Winnipeg
As one of the deepest teams in the league, the Jets are another team that has been able to pick up where they left off last year. They sport the number one power play in the league sitting at 32.1% which will help them contend in the strong Central division.
5. Buffalo
The soaring Sabres have gotten off to a surprisingly hot start. Being carried by a healthy Jack Eichel and new addition Jeff Skinner, the Sabres are in the midst of a 6 game winning streak. It is still relatively early but Buffalo is looking like the most improved team with a .619 winning percentage compared to their .305 winning percentage in the 2017-2018 season.
6. Minnesota
Death, taxes, and the Minnesota Wild competing in the Central division; at least that’s what it seems like. Another strong season from goaltender Devan Dubnyk who has a top 10 save percentage of .925 will help the Wild reach the playoffs.
7. Columbus
With superstars Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin set to become free agents at the end of the season, the Blue Jackets have one last strategy left to convince them to stay:win. So far, this strategy is working with the help of Pierre-Luc Dubois who has already reached the 10 goal mark, and is looking like a fantastic pick by general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen.
8. San Jose
It might have taken a little longer than he would have liked but Erik Karlsson finally got his first goal in a Sharks jersey. The Sharks shouldn’t have any trouble producing offense for the rest of the season sitting second in the league with 35.7 shots on goal per game. Their strong d-core has also helped achieve the second best penalty kill percentage in the league sitting at 89.2%.
9. Boston
The Bruins are in some serious injury trouble with both Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron set to miss significant time. It is up to their depth and their two superstars in David Pastrnak, who is leading the league with 17 goals, and Brad Marchand to keep their heads above water in a stacked Atlantic division. Even with injuries on the backend, the Bruins have been able to limit teams to only 2.45 goals against per game which is second best in the league.
10. Colorado
With two of the highest scorers in the league, the Avalanche have been able to continue their success from last season. Mikko Rantanen has emerged as a superstar, leading the league with 32 points and 24 assists, and Nathan Mackinnon has continued to build on his MVP calibre 2017-2018 season scoring 1.45 points per game.
11. Montreal
Marc Bergevin may have saved his job with the Max Domi trade as he is fitting in perfectly at centre and leading the team with 10 goals and 25 points. Another team that has thus far out performed pre season expectations as they find themselves sitting in the first wild card spot at the quarter of the season mark. Help is also not far off with their captain Shea Weber set to return by the end of the month to help a team that is allowing 3.33 goals per game.
12. Calgary
The Flames seem to have found their game coming off a big victory in the Battle of Alberta and then topping that with a 7-2 beatdown of the Vegas Golden Knights the following night. They might have also found a new starting goalie in David Rittich, who sports the second best GAA of 1.93 and the fourth best save percentage at .931.
13. Dallas
The Stars find themselves in the second wild card spot in the West at the quarter mark of the season. With the 27th SAT in the league at -142, the road to the playoffs will not be easy playing in the Central, the strongest division in the league.
14. Washington
The defending Stanley Cup champions have not been as dominant to start the season as they have been in the past but still sit in third in the Metropolitan division. Their power play continues to click operating at 29.7% which is fourth in the league. The return of suspended Tom Wilson could give the Capitals a positive spark.
15. NY Islanders
Life without John Tavares has not been as bad as expected for the Islanders. It has been scoring by committee for New York with 6 players already reaching double digits in points. They also have the third best shooting percentage in the league sitting at 11.7%. They will need to sustain that pace if Barry Trotz hopes to lead them into the playoffs.
16. NY Rangers
Another New York team out performing preseason expectations are the Rangers who sit in second place in their division with a winning percentage of .524. However, they do not have a single team stat in the top 10 and it will be difficult to fend of the Capitals and Islanders who are hot on their heels.
17. Carolina
Sebastian Aho leads the team with 23 points, and has quickly joined the list of star players who become restricted free agents this summer. The Hurricanes are also severely out shooting their opponents leading the league in both shots on goals and shots on goal allowed per game, 40.3 and 26.4 respectively. This should help them make a serious push for the playoffs.
18. Florida
After a slow start, the Panthers seem to have found their game lately. Led by the underrated Alexander Barkov, who has 17 points in 18 games, as well as their off-season acquisition Mike Hoffman, who leads the team with 19 points and is in the midst of a 16 game point streak, Florida should push for a playoff spot by the end of the season.
19. Ottawa
The Senators have not had quite as a disaster of a season post Erik Karlsson, however, they will probably find themselves outside of a playoff spot come the seasons end with a winning percentage of only .429. At least players like Thomas Chabot, who is second in the league in defensive scoring with 24 points, are giving fans hope for the future.
20. Arizona
The Coyotes are a good example of a young team trying to find their way. Although they will not be at the bottom of the standing like past years, it will still be difficult for them to make the playoffs. They have the best penalty kill in the league operating at 91.7% and have also scored 10 shorthanded goals on the season.
21. Philadelphia
In my opinion the Flyers are a team who are underperforming when you look at their roster, with just a .450 winning percentage. Sporting the 30th penalty kill in the league at 68.6%, will Dave Hakstol be the next coach to lose his job?
22. Chicago
The Blackhawks are a lackluster 2-5-3 in their last 10 games but are only sitting one spot out of the playoffs. Will they be able to make it back into the playoffs after missing out last season, or will this be the official end to the Blackhawks dynasty?
23. Vancouver
After a surprisingly good start, the Canucks have struggled as of late. Loser’s of 5 straight, Vancouver looks to be regressing back to what their preseason expectations were. However, the future looks bright with Elias Pettersson leading the way with 12 goals and 19 points as a rookie.
24. Anaheim
The Ducks have the second worst goal differential in the league, at -17, but have still found ways to get points. Sitting just 3 points outside of the playoffs, the Ducks will have to generate more shots per game in which they are last in the league at just 26.6 if they want to compete for one of the final playoff spots in the West.
25. Detroit
The Red Wings do not have the flashiest roster but have put together a nice stretch going 8-2 in their last 10 games. Although they probably won’t be in a playoff spot come year end, speedsters like Dylan Larkin, who has 19 points in 20 games, will give teams trouble throughout the year.
26. Pittsburgh
The Penguins find themselves in an unfamiliar place sitting at the bottom of the Eastern conference. Sporting the worst winning percentage in the conference of just .368, general manager Jim Rutherford has already made one move and is reportedly looking to make more. No matter what though, do not count out a team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who still have 46 points combined despite the losses.
27. St. Louis
Off-season acquisition Ryan O’Reilly has been a bright spot leading the team
with 23 points and helping the Blues achieve the second best faceoff percentage in the league at 54%. However, after a disappointing start to the season, the Blues parted ways with head coach Mike Yeo. Maybe a new voice will be able to spark this underperforming roster.
28. New Jersey
Sitting second last in the Eastern conference, the Devils will need Taylor Hall to have another MVP like season if they hope to contend for the playoffs for a second straight year. They also need goaltender Cory Schneider to return to his old self, who in just 5 games played this season has a save percentage of just .865.
29. Edmonton
The Oilers just can't figure it out. After missing the playoffs in 11 of the past 12 seasons, Edmonton finds themselves outside of the playoffs once again. Sitting in the bottom 10 of the league in both goals and goals allowed, let’s see if Ken Hitchcock can make any kind of difference in Oil country.
30. Vegas
The Golden Knights Cinderella inaugural season seems far away now. They have the second worst points per game in the league, of just .864, and are only ahead of the lowly Kings. With not a single player at the 20 point mark, they will spend the rest of the season trying to catch up to the rest of the league.
31. Los Angeles
The Kings find themselves at the bottom of the standings and simply cannot score. They have the worst goal differential in the league, at -20, and are dead last in the league in scoring with just 2 goals per game. It does not seem that an early season coaching change has helped at all.
stats taken from NHL.com and Naturalstattrick.com
By: Jacob Wickware and Khashayar Akbari
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