Red-hot Wild leap up TSN Power Rankings

By Sportlogiq Staff (@Sportlogiq)

For a second straight week, the Vegas Golden Knights sit atop our Power Rankings.

The Golden Knights are coming off a perfect 4-0-0 week, outscoring the opposition 18 to seven in the process. Vegas has won nine straight overall and has a four-point cushion on the Colorado Avalanche for the top spot in the West Division.

But the Avs do have two games in hand. Colorado played only two games last week, splitting wins with the Blues and dropping from second to third in our rankings. Circle Wednesday night on your calendar as Vegas and Colorado go head-to-head.

It’s no longer just a two-horse race for the top spot in the West as the Minnesota Wild have entered the chat. The Wild are up from 11th to fourth in our Power Rankings thanks to an active seven-game winning streak. Kirill Kaprizov continues to amaze, scoring highlight-reel goals and leading all rookies in scoring with 41 points.

The good news for Toronto Maple Leafs fans: The Leafs are still the top-rated Canadian team in our rankings. The bad news: Thanks to a 2-2-0 week, the Leafs drop from fifth to eight overall on our list.

Toronto threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Canucks but lost both games in Vancouver before taking two straight against the Winnipeg Jets. The Leafs rank eighth in goal differential but second in expected goal differential – only Colorado is better. Despite the drop, Toronto is still a team to be reckoned with.

The Edmonton Oilers are the only other Canadian team to crack the top 10. Edmonton split a pair of games against Montreal last week and now gets set for a couple of big games against the Winnipeg. The Oilers are currently one point behind the Jets for second place in the North with two games in hand.

Surprisingly, it’s not the Jets who are the next highest-ranked Canadian team on our list. It’s the Calgary Flames. Our model weighs recent results and the Flames have won two in a row while the Jets have lost three straight.

Calgary ranks 11th in expected goal differential while the Jets rank 22nd, but Winnipeg has star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who pretty much cancels out the negative impact of below-average defence. Calgary will look to keep its slim playoff hopes alive with a third-straight win over Montreal tonight.

A combination of a light schedule – just two games and a pair of losses to Toronto – dropped the Jets to No. 17 on our list. Don’t be surprised to see Winnipeg move up when next week's rankings come out.

The Montreal Canadiens check in at 18 on our list. The Habs have left the window open for the Flames when it comes to the final playoff spot in the North Division. Calgary needed a sweep of its three-game set against the Canadiens to have any hope and it has a chance to do just that.

The Vancouver Canucks are 3-1-0 since returning from a lengthy COVID-19 layoff. Vancouver shocked the hockey world by beating Toronto twice last week. Those games were a microcosm of the Canucks’ season in a sense. Vancouver ranks last in the NHL in expected goal differential but 22nd in actual goal differential. Goaltending has been a big key for the Canucks this season, as the Canucks rank 21st overall in points percentage.

The Ottawa Senators are still last among Canadian teams in our Power Rankings but they are gaining ground on the Canucks. Ottawa went 2-1-1 last week, which included a win over the Canucks. The Sens and Canucks play two more games against each other this week. A couple more wins for the Sens and they might push past Vancouver ahead of next week’s rankings.