NHL Power Rankings: Week 4
What a whacky start to the season. Utah leads the Central, Chicago and Seattle are in playoff spots, the 3 up and comers in the Atlantic all lead the division (Montreal, Detroit, Ottawa), and Pittsburgh is in a playoff spots. The weird sports year continues. I am all for it, however now as we turn the page on the month, things will start to become real. We will really see which teams are real because we are just a month away from American Thanksgiving and teams are starting to get into mid-season form.
#16 Edmonton Oilers (4-4-2; 10 Points)
Previously #11
Connor scored but the team still has multiple kinks in the system. November and beyond can’t come soon enough. I just want to watch fun Oilers hockey again. Granted, I say this to all Oilers fans, they will make playoffs. Just enjoy the games, even the losses. We will be fine.
#15 Seattle Kraken (5-2-2; 12 Points)
Previously #13
Seattle is starting to show its true colors. Joey Daccord absolutely looked amazing against the Oilers and Jets this week. They are getting scoring up and down the lineup.
#14 Anaheim Ducks (4-3-1, 9 Points)
Previously #15
Ducks defense is bad. 21.4 expected goals against well above the league average and don’t lead in the possession and high danger chances numbers. They are scoring though and that’s been enough despite also being below in expected goals for relative to league average. Being able to finish matters a lot. I think Mrazek isn’t great, but I hadn’t looked at the underlying number until now, and it’s kinda damning. If they figure that out, they will be a hard team to beat.
#13 New York Rangers (3-5-2; 8 Points)
Previously #12
I think the Rangers are losing games they should, according to the underlying, should be winning. This suggests they are due for a huge breakthrough in wins and the record will start to show just how solid they are. You see this from time to time, when a team is losing games they should probably be winning, they go off on a nice run.
#12 Pittsburgh Penguins (6-2-1; 13 Points)
Previously Unranked
Despite the defensive struggles, the Penguins still are finding ways to win. Malkin and Crosby’s ability to produce at their ages is something to be studied. Unbelievable stuff.
#11 Ottawa Senators (4-4-1, 9 Points)
Previously Unranked
Ottawa turned their potential crappy season around already. The Senators are still producing well without Brady and as long as they tread water for the next couple months, they might be okay!
#10 Detroit Red Wings (6-3-0; 12 Points)
Previously Unranked
Red Wings had another up and down week but stormed back agains the Blues after being down by 4 with barely over a period remaining to win in regulation no less. They show their relentless nature and that is something we like to see.
#9 Florida Panthers (5-5-0; 10 Points)
Previously #14
I still worry about the Cats but damn they have depth and its showing through to make this team a playoff team at worst. Its crazy how deep they are.
#8 Montreal Canadiens (7-3-0; 14 Points)
Previously #7
Montreal leads the Atlantic. I told you they were going to be fun. They should have beaten the Oilers for sure, they were the better team that wasn’t able to kill undeserved penalties but alas. They look like a buzzsaw in their own right.
#7 Dallas Stars (5-3-1; 11 Points)
Previously #6
Dallas has another up and down week, and I think its to be expected when you’re a perennial contender. It’s hard to be fully dialed in the regular season game after game. All that matters is the post season.
#6 Washington Capitals (6-3-0; 12 Points)
Previously #5
Terrible games, like the one against the Sens, are largely forgiven when you have such a strong week and season otherwise. Does Ovi score his 900th this week?
#5 Vegas Golden Knights (5-1-3; 13 Points)
Previously #3
2 years for Carter Hart, a mediocre stat goaltender coming off a quite controversial suspension due to alleged sexual assault acts. I appreciate the judge’s feelings on the matter and the ruling is as such, just crazy to add this much noise onto your team. Also, surprise surprise, Mark Stone is on LTIR again. This time they won’t get the benefit of his cap hit in the playoffs so.
#4 Utah Mammoth (8-2-0; 16 Points)
Previously #9
Well, they stayed in the top 16, in fact I had no choice but to send them to the attic with the big dogs. The Mammoth don’t care who you are, they are a buzzsaw and play with that edge right now. They faced a hard test last week and now have to take on an October Oilers team? They should be ready to keep top spot in the Central this week.
#3 Carolina Hurricanes (6-2-0; 12 Points)
Previously #2
Carolina is one of the best teams in the league and its showing. They are human though as they lost to two juggernaut Western Teams. Aho scored in 4 of his last 5 and Freddie has been solid in net. The Canes are a force.
#2 New Jersey Devils (8-1-0; 16 Points)
Previously #4
8 straight for James’ hated team. This is the team I predicted we would see right out the gate. Before injuries and some underperformance we saw it last year but its even better this year. Jack Hughes is on pace to win the Hart and the goaltending has been fantastic. Connor Brown finding twine for some depth scoring too is awesome to see, I miss him. I said it before the season folks, the Devils might be the best in the Metro after all.
#1 Colorado Avalanche (5-1-4; 14 Points)
Unchanged
Is it crazy to keep the Avs in top spot despite 4 straight losses? Not really because 3 of them were OT losses and they have been largely firing across the entire depth chart. This team might be the 2022 reincarnate.