Canucks ride a hot streak in latest NHL Power Ranking

By Sportlogiq Staff (@Sportlogiq)

In a very competitive top of the NHL, a pair of one-goal wins against low-ranked teams and a loss to the Lightning is enough to drop the Maple Leafs out of the top five of this week’s Power Rankings.

The Maple Leafs also lost the first spot in expected goal differential for the first time all year, an honour that now belongs to the Florida Panthers. Looking ahead, the schedule doesn't get much easier, with a three-game road trip out west awaiting the Leafs.

The Flames lost some of their fire after winning seven of eight in late November and early December, dropping four straight games and out of our top five. They’ll have to wait before getting back on track, as their next three games at least have been postponed after six players and a coach entered COVID protocol.

The Oilers have been reeling lately, with five straight losses. Their offence simply hasn’t shown up, scoring just five goals over their past four games. Edmonton barely holds on to a spot in the top half of these Power Rankings and sit five points back of first place in the Pacific.

On the bright side, they managed to get more expected goals than their opposition in four of the five losses and still own the sixth best xG differential in the NHL. No need to hit the panic button yet.

A 1-1-1 week for the Jets means no movement in our ranking, but the week ended on a sour note.

Not only did they lose in a shootout to the Canucks, but captain Blake Wheeler also went down with a lower-body injury. When asked about the injury, head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t very optimistic, saying: "I'm not a doctor, but it's going to be a while." Wheeler had just one goal this year, but also recorded 16 assists in 22 games.

In their first week since firing their head coach and general manager, the Vancouver Canucks went a perfect 4-0-0 and saw one of the biggest jumps in the rankings.

They capped off their strong week with a win against the powerhouse Hurricanes. The wins weren’t flukes either, with Vancouver generating more expected goals than their opposition in all four matchups. Just like the team, Brock Boeser finally unlocked his offensive potential with three goals in four games after scoring just four times in his first 22 contests.

The only other riser among Canadian teams this week is the Ottawa Senators. The Sens capped off a 2-1-0 week with a huge 4-0 upset over the reigning Stanley Cup champions, led by Brady Tkachuk’s first-career hat trick. They’ve now won four of their past five games. Keeping that momentum will be tough however, as they face the Panthers next before a rematch with the Lightning, both on the road.

It was another winless week for the Habs, who have now dropped their last six games. Montreal had one of the worst offensive performances in the NHL this season against the Blackhawks in Marc-André Fleury’s 500th win, generating only four slot shots. Only three teams have had a worse performance in the league this year.

To make matters worse, they will now be without Tyler Toffoli for the next eight weeks after the winger underwent wrist surgery.