Spooky season is finally over, and we are the midst of the Autumn season. Just 3 weeks away from American Thanksgiving and we are in the midst of one of the craziest seasons in the NHL, especially off the ice. Nikita Kucherov has now asked to be moved for whatever reason and things just continue to get interesting in Detroit with Dylan Larkin. The NHL has taken over the NBA in terms of drama for sure, for now. Although, the drama in the NBA is everyone is dying so that might be more interesting.
#16 Toronto Maple Leafs (8-6-2, 18 Points)
Previously #11
Okay you beat the snot out of the Oilers…and then what? You left everything out in Edmonton only to get beaten by the lowly Calgary Flames and middling Seattle Kraken? Goalie Bob needs to figure his game out or he will have a hell of time there in Toronto. Jim Hiller benches new guy McKenna yet again and that is stirring up drama. Let him find his wings against a team like the Canucks, that’s where you do it. Oh Leafs…you can’t have nice things for longer than 5 seconds.
#15 New York Islanders (7-5-2, 16 points)
Previously #16
The Islanders are playing so damn well defensively and its no surprise we are seeing Pete Deboer’s fingerprints on this team. This team just needs a forward who can generate chances. They desperately need offensive generation to work in tandem with their strong defensive game and consistent goaltending.
#14 Ottawa Senators (9-6-1, 19 Points)
Previously #12
Tough loss to the Ducks on Sunday night, where we might be seeing the real Senators start to emerge here. Their 5on5 goal share is starting to really decline, and the loss of William Eklund is really starting to show here. Too many passengers on the Senators right now. You can’t give up 6 goals unanswered in the final 40 minutes of the game after rifling off 3 goals in the first frame. The Senators season might be starting to falter.
#13 Buffalo Sabres (7-4-3, 17 Points)
Previously #8
The Sabres finally got the good week they deserved. California used to be a automatic sweep against, instead the Sabres swept all of them. Things seem to going their way now and getting back on track. The Sabres weren’t out of playoff contention for long which is good, the less they are having to scrape and claw their way back, the better. Keep things more stable and consistent.
#12 Utah Mammoth (9-6-0, 18 Points)
Previously #6
I think Utah’s path for fixing their goaltending this season ended the minute Hellebuyck was moved to New Jersey. It is their biggest blemish, for an otherwise very solid team. Utah is such a good puck possession team, and it shows in their strong 60% expected goal share. But you need to be able to able to convert and their 9 goals below expected 5on5 is a sign that you don’t have enough finish. They need to find a way to convert goals and quickly because the tending isn’t going to help the situation.
#11 Dallas Stars (8-5-1, 17 points)
Previously #5
I would think Dallas would be in the mix for Kucherov and if the time of Robertson on the Dallas Stars is imminently coming to an end, maybe that would fix that. The package would have to be huge I would think if it’s a sign and trade. Dallas is struggling to score and you would think that if they continue to sit in the wildcard for too long, they would be incentivized to make a move sooner rather than later.
#10 Vegas Golden Knights (9-5-1, 19 Points)
Previously #3
4 of their last 5 have been Ls. Can’t say I am sad to see that. Goaltending has been a major issue for this team and let me show you the data. Expected goal against data is middle of the pack if not slightly better. And 5on5, the save are coming. But look at this, a 69% PK% isn’t going to cut it. The trading of Logan Thompson could go down as the worst move that the Knights have made. Vegas is slowing drifting down the standings. Lucky for them, the 2nd spot seems nearly locked up as below them in their division is question marks all over the place.
#9 Boston Bruins (10-4-1, 21 Points)
Previously #4
Rougher week than most for the Bruins this season. We could be starting to see some of the depth issues of this team. We shall see if the generation can pick up past the likes of Pasta, McAvoy and Swayman. I think this team is better than it was last year but they may not be as good as their start indicates. Which is not a bad thing. One big trade and this team could be moved into contention status.
#8 Tampa Bay Lightning (8-3-2, 18 Points)
Unchanged
The biggest surprise this season was the trade request by none other than Nikita Kucherov. This is a Mount Rushmore Russian hockey player, who’s won a lot of Cups and individual awards there in Tampa and now his time as a Bolt might be coming to end sooner than I would have ever expected. We don’t know why or what happened during initial negotiations but here we are. All eyes will be on Tampa over the next while here. They are a team that is always in the mix, but their window might finally be shutting. Lots of wear on them tires as they say. If Kucherov goes, does the Bolts team as we knew it going to end?
#7 Florida Panthers (8-4-2, 18 Points)
Previously #13
This was a week of goals for the Panthers who outscored their Jets opponents 10-3. A home and home against a different conference team is quite interesting to see but the Panthers may have exposed the Jets and Stu Skinner. They dominate the puck; they defend better than anyone and are just relentless to play against. They are this good defensively without Sasha Barkov. They struggle to generate chances at times but like I said before, they score in bunches.
#6 Montreal Canadiens (9-3-2, 20 Points)
Previously #10
Huge week for the Habs who are sitting with 4 straight wins, including wins against the Dallas Stars! Their 5on5 numbers suggest this team is playing the game the right way. Better yet, they are scoring above their expected and allowing less than expected. While those trends tend to turn over time, you can argue that if you’re owning the puck most nights, you will win games most nights. New guy Fowler seems like he is managing the net quite impressively, something that was an issue just weeks ago.
#5 Colorado Avalanche (8-5-1, 17 Points)
Previously #14
I think we might be seeing the return of the mighty Avalanche. Dominating Calgary is nothing to write home about but it’s a start. Their week this week makes you think they could really be on track. Offensively, their generation numbers are so fantastic. The problem has been their inconsistent goaltending. But the game Blackwood had against Calgary is the kind of game that rebuilds confidence. And sometimes that’s all you need.
#4 Edmonton Oilers (11-2-2, 24 Points)
Previously #9
I really hate that I am doing this. The fact that this writer is putting his favorite team this high up makes me look like a homer. However, lets look at what this team is. Last week they had were having a tough go on the defensive end and it came to a head when Toronto came to town. Since then, things have cleaned up quite impressively. The team in front has really locked down their game for most of the season, and the stats show that. Expected goals against are among the best in the league and the goaltending in Edmonton looks actually really good. Weird how that happens. Jarry is had back to back shutouts and new guy Matt Tomkins (4th stringer) earns his first win in his first start, allowing a single goal to the New York Rangers. Good teams have hiccups, but it’s how they respond that makes them great. I am not saying the Oilers are great yet, but this team just feels different than any other team we have seen in the last 5 years. Their offensive generation 5 on 5 is below league average by a margin, but is anyone really concerned about the Oilers ability to generate offense. I’ll wait…
#3 New Jersey Devils (9-5-0, 18 Points)
Previously #7
The Devils are a damn good hockey team and the injection of Connor Hellebuyck has been great. He already is playing and is already winning. However, I want to really credit the team in front of him. In his 2 starts, he’s seen 39 shots and only 3.69 expected goal against. That’s a pretty solid defensive and dominating effort by the team in front of him and maybe they unlocked a jump to their game since he came into the fray. All eyes will be on that Oilers/Devils game on Tuesday night.
#2 Minnesota Wild (10-3-3, 23 Points)
Unchanged
The Wild playing this well without Filip Gustavsson makes for an interesting situation. They actually might have a piece to move by the deadline to help really propel this team into the contender field. The run Kiril the Thrill is one is fantastic and the fact they just dominate the puck so well is awesome to see. They still have room to improve their finish and if they can do that, this team might be the team to beat in the Central.
#1 Carolina Hurricanes (12-2-2, 26 points)
Unchanged (probably forever)
My little text above says it all. The Hurricanes are just the class of the NHL. If there was ever a team that looked like it literally had not just won the hardest trophy in sports to win, its this team. They are always hungrier, faster, and all around better than anyone else they play. Maybe they were drinking NA beers over the summer. Gotta admit, those Michelob Zeros aren’t awful…