NHL Power Rankings: Boston Bruins end the Devils’ dynasty in the top spot

Credit: © Ron Chenoy

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This week’s rankings managed to keep a theme of quality over quantity with the changes, as aside from some exceptions, most of the movement consisted of a lot of teams making small changes of a couple spots as opposed to a few teams making drastic movements up and down the list.

As I’ve done so far this season, I’ll be ranking teams not just on their results in the standings, but also with how they’ve looked in several stats as well. Otherwise I’d just copy and paste the standings, right? No fun in that. The rankings are an aggregate of six different stats: points %, 5-on-5 goal differential, 5-on-5 xGF/60, 5-on-5 xGA/60, power play xGF/60, and shorthanded xGA/60, all coming courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. But, to ground the rankings a bit, no team can be above a team that’s more than five points ahead in the standings, regardless of the aggregate.

1. Boston Bruins

Record: 22-4-1 (.833%, 1st)
5v5 Goal Differential: +28 (2nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.82 (7th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.11 (3rd)
PP xGF/60: 9.49 (5th)
PK xGA/60: 5.85 (1st)
5v5 PDO: 103
Previous Week: 2nd (+1)

After several weeks of Devils dominance, we finally have ourselves a new team at the top of the power rankings. It’s still a familiar face, as we saw the Bruins appear here after the second week of the season, but it’s still a fresher face. It was a weird week for them to make their way up here, though, as they actually lost two games in a week for the first time all season, including a regulation loss to the last ranked Coyotes.

2. New Jersey Devils

Record: 21-5-1 (.796%, 2nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +31 (1st)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.26 (1st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.09 (2nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.56 (14th)
PK xGA/60: 7.11 (5th)
5v5 PDO: 101.9
Previous Week: 1st (-1)

The Devils drop a place for the first time in weeks, mostly due to the fact that their special teams performances have slipped enough to let other teams back into the conversation. Even though they only lost one game last week in a high-scoring 6-4 game with the Islanders, it was another thing that made them a bit more “human” and let an equally dominant Bruins team catch up.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 18-5-6 (.724%, 3rd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +19 (3rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.79 (8th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.41 (9th)
PP xGF/60: 9.31 (7th)
PK xGA/60: 6.83 (3rd)
5v5 PDO: 102.3
Previous Week: 4th (+1)

The Leafs move back up to the top three after sweeping all three of their games last week, improving their point streak to a whopping 14 games, now going more than a month without a regulation loss. They’ve still had their fare share of storylines though, with Pierre Engvall getting a suspension, Nick Robertson suffering an injury, and the team finally getting a defenseman back as T.J. Brodie returns from his injury. Oh, and Marner is still on his point streak, and Matt Murray also set an analytics record with the most goals saved above expected in a game with 5.97 against the Stars.

4. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 15-6-6 (.667%, 6th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +12 (t-6th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.01 (t-3rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.05 (1st)
PP xGF/60: 9.42 (6th)
PK xGA/60: 6.79 (2nd)
5v5 PDO: 99.5
Previous Week: 3rd (-1)

Carolina actually came out in second in the aggregate this week but falls behind both the Devils and Leafs mostly just due to not playing as many games. They only got into two last week, and losing one of them to the Ducks in overtime doesn’t help them keep up, but they bounced back with a 3-0 win over the Islanders.

It was a rough start to the week, as the Stars couldn’t beat Matt Murray in god mode in a 4-0 loss to the Leafs, but the Stars bounced back with wins over the Senators and Red Wings to jump up a spot in this week’s rankings. The shutout loss also meant that Jason Robertson’s point streak came to an end as well, so that really is a bleak point on an otherwise great week.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 16-8-4 (.643%, 10th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +13 (5th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.01 (t-3rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.45 (11th)
PP xGF/60: 8.62 (13th)
PK xGA/60: 7.61 (10th)
5v5 PDO: 101.7
Previous Week: 8th (+2)

The Penguins continue to be red hot as they won all three games to extend their winning streak to five games, beating the Blue Jackets to start the week before besting the Sabres in a home-and-home series. It was even more good news for the Penguins as Kris Letang managed to return just 12 days after suffering a stroke, so it’s nice to see him in good health after a scary situation.

7. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 20-9-1 (.683%, 5th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +7 (11th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.77 (9th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.37 (5th)
PP xGF/60: 8.42 (16th)
PK xGA/60: 7.84 (14th)
5v5 PDO: 100.8
Previous Week: 5th (-2)

Once a team like the Devils and Bruins off to a strong start, the Golden Knights have started to stutter a little bit, losing three of four games last week with the lone win coming in overtime over the lowly Flyers. Losing Jack Eichel for most of the week doesn’t help Vegas’ cause, but this team looks a lot different from the one we saw in the first month of the season.

8. Seattle Kraken

Record: 16-8-3 (.648%, t-8th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +17 (4th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.62 (t-15th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.38 (6th)
PP xGF/60: 5.47 (30th)
PK xGA/60: 7.18 (6th)
5v5 PDO: 101.6
Previous Week: 10th (+2)

While it wasn’t the best week for the Kraken, losing two of their three games, but it was their defensive performance in both the win over the Panthers and even the loss to the Canadiens that keeps them in the good graces of these power rankings. There is some good news out of last week, and it’s that the Kraken finally got a goal from first-round pick Shane Wright after his AHL stint against the team that snubbed him in the draft.

9. New York Rangers

Record: 14-10-5 (.569%, 15th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +4 (t-12th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.68 (13th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.45 (11th)
PP xGF/60: 10.43 (2nd)
PK xGA/60: 8.03 (17th)
5v5 PDO: 99.7
Previous Week: 9th (0)

The Rangers seem to be beginning to get their groove back, as they currently sit on a three-game winning streak after beating the Blues, Golden Knights, and Avalanche. Igor Shesterkin is also starting to return to form, although his numbers are still a far cry from what he was doing last season. Thankfully, he has a much better Rangers team in front of him this time, so they don’t even need that version of him to begin with.

10. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 17-9-1 (.648%, t-8th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +4 (t-12th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.95 (5th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.62 (17th)
PP xGF/60: 8 (18th)
PK xGA/60: 7.81 (13th)
5v5 PDO: 100.2
Previous Week: 12th (+2)

It was a relatively normal week for the Lightning, going 2-1 by losing to the Red Wings and then beating the Predators and the Panthers to finish off the week, so they’ve seemed to settle down after a slow start. That said, Victor Hedman’s numbers still haven’t improved, and that’s starting to reach a level of concern for whether this is the new normal for the Lightning defenseman.

11. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 18-8-1 (.685%, 4th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +11 (t-8th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.6 (18th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.69 (18th)
PP xGF/60: 8.9 (10th)
PK xGA/60: 8.05 (19th)
5v5 PDO: 102.1
Previous Week: 11th (0)

The Jets started off last week well, winning their first three games, and even got a win in Paul Maurice’s return to Winnipeg after he stepped down from the role last season. Unfortunately that came to an end with a rather lopsided loss to the Caps on Sunday, giving a good example of what the team looks like when Connor Hellebuyck isn’t on his game.

12. Florida Panthers

Record: 13-12-4 (.517%, 22nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +11 (t-8th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.19 (2nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.47 (13th)
PP xGF/60: 8.8 (t-11th)
PK xGA/60: 7.56 (8th)
5v5 PDO: 99.7
Previous Week: 7th (-5)

After a big climb up the rankings last week, they drop right back down to the middle ground, as losing three of their four games put them at the mercy of the five-point rule with the Jets. They finally got Aleksander Barkov into the lineup, so this slump is bound to end soon, especially with the offensive underlying numbers the team keeps putting up.

13. Minnesota Wild

Record: 14-11-2 (.556%, 17th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -7 (t-22nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.43 (24th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.28 (4th)
PP xGF/60: 9.5 (4th)
PK xGA/60: 7.53 (7th)
5v5 PDO: 98.8
Previous Week: 13th (0)

The Wild find themselves back in the 13th spot for the second week in a row, as even after losing their first two games on their Western Canada road trip to the Flames and Oilers, they recovered with a win over the Canucks and have continued to play well even in their losses. Marc-Andre Fleury’s struggles continue in spite of the Wild’s record improving, but they’ve gotten good goaltending from Filip Gustavsson when he’s made appearances.

14. Calgary Flames

Record: 13-11-4 (.536%, 18th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +2 (t-14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.61 (17th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.38 (6th)
PP xGF/60: 7.84 (22nd)
PK xGA/60: 7.03 (4th)
5v5 PDO: 98.6
Previous Week: 16th (+2)

The Flames looked like they had something going for the first half of last week, as they extended their win streak to three games with victories over the Coyotes and Wild. However, their struggles for consistency continued, as they lost against former Flame Johnny Gaudreau and the Blue Jackets before finding themselves on the losing end of a chaotic 5-4 OT game against the Leafs.

15. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 15-11-5 (.565%, 16th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -1 (t-16th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.71 (t-11th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.38 (6th)
PP xGF/60: 7.49 (24th)
PK xGA/60: 8.04 (18th)
5v5 PDO: 98.5
Previous Week: 17th (+2)

The Kings keep sticking around in the middle of these rankings after having yet another week of inconsistent play. They got a couple of their easy wins by beating both the Senators and the Canadiens, but their goaltending issues resurfaced in their 5-0 blowout at the hands of the Leafs and a 6-5 OT loss to the Blue Jackets.

16. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 14-10-2 (.577%, 13th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -1 (t-16th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.51 (23rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.41 (9th)
PP xGF/60: 7.85 (21st)
PK xGA/60: 7.98 (16th)
5v5 PDO: 100
Previous Week: 14th (-2)

You may want to mentally prepare yourself to find the defending Stanley Cup champions down here for a little while, even if it’s not a bad sign for the team come playoff time. They lost three of their four games last week, but the bigger story is how injuries have decimated the team, with superstar Nathan MacKinnon being the most recent victim.

17. New York Islanders

Record: 17-12-0 (.586%, 12th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +9 (10th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.57 (20th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.97 (31st)
PP xGF/60: 8.8 (t-11th)
PK xGA/60: 8.14 (t-20th)
5v5 PDO: 101.5
Previous Week: 15th (-2)

The Islanders continue to slowly but surely slip down from their strong start to the season, with losses in two of their three games last week. Their offense that looked fantastic to start has started to return to the kind of offense that we expect from the Islanders, or at least what the metrics suggest should be the case under the surface.

18. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 16-12-0 (.571%, 14th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -4 (t-18th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.67 (14th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.81 (25th)
PP xGF/60: 9.54 (3rd)
PK xGA/60: 9.47 (30th)
5v5 PDO: 99.8
Previous Week: 19th (+1)

The Oilers finally move out of the 19th position they were stuck in for several weeks, climbing all the way up to… 18th! Baby steps! They started off with a rough loss to the Caps but followed it up with a blowout over the Coyotes and a win over the Wild, with Stuart Skinner playing great in all three and starting to take the Oilers crease as his own.

19. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 13-8-6 (.593%, 11th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -4 (t-18th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.23 (t-27th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.72 (22nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.49 (15th)
PK xGA/60: 8.14 (t-20th)
5v5 PDO: 100.7
Previous Week: 18th (-1)

The Red Wings continue to stumble down the rankings, as despite starting last week with a win over the Lightning, they dropped two in a row to the Panthers and Stars. They couldn’t even crack 40 percent of the expected goals in any of their three games, so as long as that keeps happening and they’re losing more than they are winning, they’re going to keep dropping down this list.

20. Washington Capitals

Record: 14-12-4 (.533%, 19th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -6 (t-20th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.53 (21st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.52 (14th)
PP xGF/60: 7.89 (20th)
PK xGA/60: 8.4 (23rd)
5v5 PDO: 99.4
Previous Week: 25th (+5)

The Caps are the high risers of this week’s rankings, and a lot of that is from riding on the back of a four-game winning streak (that also allowed the five-point rule to kick in with the two teams below them). They were still really good in all four games, something we haven’t really seen from this Caps team all year in a stretch like this, but it’s still a long road back to saving their season.

21. Ottawa Senators

Record: 11-14-2 (.444%, 26th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -7 (t-22nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.92 (6th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.71 (21st)
PP xGF/60: 9.18 (8th)
PK xGA/60: 9.05 (25th)
5v5 PDO: 98.6
Previous Week: 20th (-1)

The Sens just can’t seem to get a decent streak going, as a two-game winning streak they had going into last week was followed with two straight losses to the Kings and Stars, before they salvaged the week with a win over the Predators. A poor defensive unit took an even bigger hit last week as well, with Artem Zub looking to miss the next three to four weeks.

22. San Jose Sharks

Record: 9-16-5 (.383%, 30th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -12 (t-27th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.58 (19th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.52 (14th)
PP xGF/60: 9.13 (9th)
PK xGA/60: 7.59 (9th)
5v5 PDO: 98.9
Previous Week: 23rd (+1)

Getting three points on the week with a blowout 6-1 win over the Ducks and a 6-5 OT loss to the Canucks gives this 30th place team getting carried by Erik Karlsson enough points to not end up victimized by the five-point rule with the Canadiens and Canucks of the league. They also rocked the Ducks for 80.35 percent of the expected goals in that win, so that also really helps their numbers.

23. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 12-14-2 (.464%, 24th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +2 (t-14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.71 (t-11th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.7 (19th)
PP xGF/60: 6.71 (25th)
PK xGA/60: 8.91 (24th)
5v5 PDO: 100.2
Previous Week: 21st (-2)

The Sabres managed only one win on the week, but it was that 9-4 win over the Blue Jackets that took the league by storm, as Tage Thompson put up five goals and six points, including four goals and five points in just eight shifts in the first period. They then lost both games in a home-and-home with the Pens, so that keeps them sitting at the edge of the bottom 10 for now.

24. Nashville Predators

Record: 12-11-2 (.520%, 20th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -6 (t-20th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.62 (t-15th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.7 (19th)
PP xGF/60: 6.63 (26th)
PK xGA/60: 9.89 (32nd)
5v5 PDO: 99.6
Previous Week: 22nd (-2)

Is it just me, or do the Predators always seem to be playing two games every week? I guess starting the season in Europe and having maintenance issues with their arena probably created a few of those, but it still feels like they aren’t getting a ton of games in. Regardless, they did only play two games last week, losing both, so a lack of action and points drops them down a couple places.

25. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 12-13-3 (.482%, 23rd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -8 (t-25th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.37 (25th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.92 (28th)
PP xGF/60: 7.83 (23rd)
PK xGA/60: 7.96 (15th)
5v5 PDO: 99.9
Previous Week: 24th (-1)

The Canucks continue to creep towards .500 after taking two of their three games last week, with both wins being sloppy, high-scoring OT wins against the Canadiens and Sharks, so I’m not sure if that’s exactly a sign of good things for them. The Brock Boeser drama from last week also seems to have accelerated trade rumors for the winger, so it’ll be interesting to see how that unfolds as the season goes along.

26. St. Louis Blues

Record: 12-15-1 (.446%, 25th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -12 (t-27th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.52 (22nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.75 (24th)
PP xGF/60: 6.23 (28th)
PK xGA/60: 9.23 (27th)
5v5 PDO: 99
Previous Week: 27th (+1)

It’s starting to seem like the Blues’ fate is already set in stone, as dropping three of their four games last week has dug the team an even deeper hole. They’ve certainly come back from a slow start before in recent history, but it doesn’t seem like this team has that same kind of magic.

27. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 13-12-2 (.519%, 21st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -7 (t-22nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.34 (26th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.88 (27th)
PP xGF/60: 5.61 (29th)
PK xGA/60: 9.66 (31st)
5v5 PDO: 99.1
Previous Week: 26th (-1)

Blowing a 4-0 lead in the first period to go on to lose 7-6 in overtime isn’t an ideal way to start the week, but they did at least bounce back with a win over the Kraken before losing to the Kings to end last week. The Habs got some bad news earlier in the week as well, as the often-injured Sean Monahan got hurt again after a great start to his Habs career this season.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 10-15-2 (.407%, 29th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -23 (30th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.23 (t-27th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.85 (26th)
PP xGF/60: 7.94 (19th)
PK xGA/60: 8.35 (22nd)
5v5 PDO: 98.6
Previous Week: 28th (0)

The Blue Jackets didn’t start off last week too well after finding themselves on the other end of Tage Thompson’s attempt to break the single-game goal record, but they rebounded after beating Johnny Gaudreau’s old team in the Flames and outscoring the Kings in a 6-5 OT win. They almost moved up in the rankings as well, but unfortunately the five-point rule keeps them behind the Canadiens for the time being.

29. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 9-13-7 (.431%, 27th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -8 (t-25th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.21 (29th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.74 (23rd)
PP xGF/60: 5.3 (32nd)
PK xGA/60: 9.37 (29th)
5v5 PDO: 98.9
Previous Week: 30th (+1)

It looked like the Flyers had something going after they bested an injury-riddled Avalanche to start last week, but then they returned to normal by losing their next three games, although two OT losses allowed them to stay ahead of Chicago with the five -oint rule. In what was the least surprising news ever, John Tortorella scratched Tony DeAngelo. I wonder how that could have happened?

30. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 7-15-4 (.346%, 31st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -29 (31st)
5v5 xGF/60: 1.88 (32nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.94 (30th)
PP xGF/60: 6.37 (27th)
PK xGA/60: 7.75 (11th)
5v5 PDO: 98
Previous Week: 29th (-1)

Chicago had a quiet week with just two games against the Devils and Jets, and as you’d expect with a team in the bottom five facing off against teams in the top half of the league, they lost both games. That extends their losing streak to three games, as well as 11 of their last 12, but more interestingly is the fact that this current three-game slump has seen them score just one goal as well.

31. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 7-18-3 (.304%, 32nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -30 (32nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.15 (30th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.43 (32nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.15 (17th)
PK xGA/60: 9.35 (28th)
5v5 PDO: 98.2
Previous Week: 31st (0)

The Ducks also only got into two games last week, starting it off with a surprise win over the Hurricanes before returning to normal with a 6-1 loss to the Sharks. They managed to keep out of the bottom spot for another week, but that might change once the Coyotes catch up in games played.

32. Arizona Coyotes

Record: 9-13-4 (.423%, 28th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -17 (29th)
5v5 xGF/60: 1.89 (31st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.93 (29th)
PP xGF/60: 5.38 (31st)
PK xGA/60: 9.12 (26th)
5v5 PDO: 100
Previous Week: 32nd (0)

It wasn’t the best start to the week for the Desert Dogs, as they extended their losing streak to six games after losing to the Flames and Oilers, but they rebounded with an upset win over the top-ranked Bruins and an OT win against the Flyers. There’s a strong emphasis on upset with that Bruins win, because the Coyotes barely squeaked by in regulation while barely having 25% of the expected goals in the game.