Canucks regain top-five spot, Sens fall in NHL Power Ranking

The Los Angeles Kings have not only entered the conversation of elite teams in the NHL, but there’s a compelling argument to be made they should be leading the list.

Winners of five straight games, the Kings are the only team in the league to rank in the top three in goal differential, expected goal differential and points percentage. The Kings look every bit the kind of team built not only for regular season success, but playoff success, as well. Balanced scoring and a stifling defence have been a winning recipe for the Kings, whose recent results and strong underlying numbers have them sitting first in our Power Rankings. 

The Winnipeg Jets remain our top Canadian team, moving up from sixth to fourth spot on our list. The Jets finished last week with a 2-1-0 record, including wins over the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. While the Jets' underlying numbers suggest they may not continue to score at their current pace of 3.55 goals per game, seventh in the NHL, their defensive numbers are consistent with their results. Winnipeg is a good team and we expect them to remain in our top-10 for weeks to come.

Back into the top-10, the Vancouver Canucks climb from 11th to 5th this week. Vancouver went 2-2-0 last week but remains one point out of top spot in the Pacific Division. While the Canucks are seeing some of the regression we predicted earlier this season, they still rank 9th in expected goals and 12th in expected goals against. Vancouver is a solid team but it looks a step below the Golden Knights and Kings in their division. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs, down one sport from 14th to 15th, likely wish they were back in Stockholm right now. After winning both of their games in Sweden, the Leafs have dropped two straight in North America. The Maple Leafs have been closer to average than elite this season, ranking 16th in goal and expected goal differential. On the bright side, Toronto is home for all three games it plays this week, hosting the Panthers, Kraken and Bruins. 

Our model is starting to cool a little on the Ottawa Senators, who lost their only game last week after returning from Sweden. The Sens are down from 12th to 17th in our rankings. Ottawa ranks better in goal and expected goal differential but at some point, the process needs to start matching the results and as of today, Ottawa sits 20th in points percentage. The Sens have a lot of games to make up and will do so in December, playing 15 times. This month will go a long way in determining Ottawa’s fate this season. 

Finally, some good news for the Edmonton Oilers! Back-to-back wins by a combined score of 13-2 have the Oilers up four spots from 22nd to 18th this week. While fans in Edmonton are breathing a sigh of relief, they also know the team hasn’t fully turned the corner. Just a couple of weeks ago, Edmonton won back-to-back games but proceeded to lose its next three in regulation. Perhaps, the most encouraging sign for the Oilers is that Connor McDavid has nine points in his last two games, which is more than he scored in his previous eleven games!

A couple of hours south in Calgary, the Flames drop two spots from 20th to 22nd following a 2-2-0 week. The Flames have not won or lost consecutive games over their past six. The good news, after playing 14 of their first 21 games on the road, the Flames kick off a six-game homestead on Monday. The not-so-great news, it’s a tough schedule for Calgary which hosts Vegas, Dallas and Vancouver this week. 

Finally, the Montreal Canadiens moved up one spot from 29th to 28th following a 2-1-0 week. Three of Montreal’s six goals last week came from defencemen and scoring from the blue line has been a pleasant surprise for the Habs this season. No team has more goals from its blue line than the Canadiens who lead the league with 16.