By Sportlogiq Staff (@Sportlogiq)
Toronto jumps back in the top three this week, partly due to the Carolina Hurricanes falling a couple of spots.
The Maple Leafs won two of their three matchups, only losing to the Coyotes as Arizona goaltender Karel Vejmelka did his best impression of a brick wall on Wednesday. Vejmelka saved 4.47 goals above expected in that game, a top 10 single-game performance in the NHL this season. It was just one of those nights for the Leafs.
One of three Canadian teams to play just a one game over the past week, the Jets came out on top of that single contest. They beat the Red Wings 3-0 and are now the second-best Canadian squad in our rankings. Winnipeg is now three points away from the last wild-card spot but have a massive five games in hand on the Sharks.
Winnipeg’s positive marks in both goal and expected goal differential are great signs for them. They will also get Nikolaj Ehlers back from COVID protocol this week.
Only one game for Calgary this week, but that’s enough for their slide to continue. A top-five team not too long ago, a 4-1 loss to the Senators dropped them all the way out of the top half of the NHL.
Calgary still has the seventh-best expected goal differential in the NHL, showing that the process is right for the Flames even when the results don’t come. They are currently on the outside of the top three in the division but have between four and seven games in hand on the teams above them in the Pacific. They could climb quickly if they maintain this level of play.
Edmonton had a very similar week to their provincial rivals. They blew a two-goal lead in the third period against the Senators to lose 6-4 in their only game. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid combined for a single point in that matchup, continuing their recent slump.
The two superstars have combined for 31 points in 29 games since Dec 1. That pace would be just fine for most superstars, but for the Oilers duo, that's significantly down from their 1.9 points per game combined pace in October and November. With the lack of secondary scoring in Edmonton, any slowing down from the last two Hart winners is a massive blow. Edmonton has a 3-10-2 record since Dec. 1.
With two upset wins over fellow Canadian teams, the Senators made the biggest jump of any team this week, moving up nine spots all the way to 22nd. While their underlying numbers aren’t very strong, they’ve won seven of their past 11 games.
Drake Batherson is also one of the most unheralded point-per-game players in the NHL this season. He has 30 points in 26 games, which places him on par with Patrice Bergeron and ahead of Alex Barkov this year. He is now just four points shy of last year's total, which he reached in 30 more games.
A gruelling slate of opponents this week was finally too much for the Canucks, who were handed their first regulation losses under Bruce Boudreau. Vancouver lost to the Panthers, Lightning, and Hurricanes, who are three of the top eight teams in our rankings.
They finished the week on a positive note with a 4-2 win over Washington. Elias Pettersson scored twice against the Capitals, putting an end to a seven-game goal drought.
Another winless week for Montreal keeps them solidly in the basement of the league. They also officially took over 32nd place in the standings from the Coyotes, who jumped them after beating Toronto.
Montreal does get some reinforcement back this week in the form of Josh Anderson. Despite missing 11 games, Anderson still leads the team in rush chances with 30, which nearly doubles the second-best Montreal player, Tyler Toffoli, with 18. Even then, the focus in Montreal is on the GM search and the deals that will happen between now and the trade deadline.