NHL power rankings: Edmonton Oilers on a last-to-first mission

Credit: Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman (© Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s crazy how we’re this far into the season and we’re still seeing so much change in the power rankings. Those who followed along last year would know that the top four was basically the same all season, but this year we’ve got 12 teams that are interchangeable at the top, on top of the fact that the Edmonton Oilers are currently on a mission to go from almost-last to first.

Mike Gould and I continue to navigate through the results so far with another week of our co-op power rankings. I have my same old system in which I aggregate six 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) to come up with a list that eliminates my own biases, along with a rule that no team can be above a team that’s more than five points ahead of them in the standings, regardless of where the aggregate places them. On the other hand, Mike goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.

1. Boston Bruins

Record: 28-8-9, +38
Last Week: 1st (0)
Mike’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Scott: The Bruins continue to keep their heads above water at the top of the Atlantic Division, although it helps that the other contenders for that spot have either been hot but still far behind (Tampa Bay, Detroit), average (Toronto), or cold (Florida). And you know, they’ve won four in a row, so that helps keep the distance.

Mike: When was the last time we saw a rematch of a Stanley Cup Final we’ve seen before? Probably when Detroit and Pittsburgh faced off in back-to-back years? Well, I would love to see another iteration of Boston vs. Vancouver.

Scott: Actually we got a rematch more recently, with the Bruins and Blues recreating their historic rivalry from the 1970 Stanley Cup Final in 2019.

2. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 31-11-4, +57
Last Week: 5th (+3)
Mike’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Mike: I watched these Canucks in person this past week. They’re legit. It’s hard to fathom how they haven’t been a powerhouse for years with all these top-tier players. It absolutely isn’t a coincidence that they have five players and a coach going to Toronto for the All-Star Game. Quinn Hughes is looking better than I’ve ever seen him. This is a well-oiled machine that might just be one big addition down the middle (how about Elias Lindholm?) away from making a deep run.

Scott: I hope you aren’t still in Vancouver, Mike, because I’m pretty sure us having the Bruins beating the Canucks for the top spot in the league means they need to riot over there again.

Mike: Hey, that’s your doing, not mine. PSA, Canucks fans: Scott lives at — just kidding!

Scott: Like I would trust this weasel with my address.

3. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 30-14-3, +29
Last Week: 3rd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Scott: The Avs were a bit back and forth last week, dropping games to the Habs (bad) and the Bruins (acceptable), but also putting up a seven-spot on the Sens and Flyers (expected). Alexandar Georgiev has particularly struggled during this brief stretch, and it’s really pushing the urgency for the Avs to get another goalie like GM Chris MacFarland expressed on Frankly Speaking last week.

4. New York Rangers

Record: 29-15-2, +18
Last Week: 6th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Mike: The Rangers have won just four of their last 10 games, but they’ve beaten the teams they’ve needed to while mostly keeping it close against some of the league’s top clubs. I’m really not concerned at all. And with games against the Sharks and Senators coming up this week (plus a rematch against the Golden Knights, who blew them out on Thursday), the Rangers could be in line for a big stretch leading into the All-Star break.

5. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 30-10-4, +45
Last Week: 4th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Scott: It’s a good thing Mike didn’t dox me, because if Canucks fans weren’t mad enough, I think I probably angered Jets fans even more. Yes, they’ve won 10 of their last 11 games, and still haven’t allowed more than three goals in a game, but if you checked out my piece last week on overperforming teams, you would know that the Jets are right there, so they were bound not to do well in the aggregate.

6. Dallas Stars

Record: 27-13-6, +29
Last Week: 8th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Mike: It was a fine week in Dallas — not great, not terrible — but I have to dock them some points for that brutal loss to the Flyers on Thursday. There was a point in that game where the Stars were being outshot 27-3. When the shots on goal in a hockey game look like a football score, things are heading off the rails. The Stars did rebound with a win over New Jersey on Saturday before falling in overtime to Patrick Roy’s Islanders on Sunday.

7. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 27-14-5, +25
Last Week: 9th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Scott: The Golden Knights seemed to have figured things out again, taking all three games last week, and none of them was an easy matchup in the Preds, Rangers, and Pens. Vegas still hasn’t fully figured things out under the hood, but I’m willing to give the defending champs the benefit of the doubt to flip the switch come playoff time.

8. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 26-15-1, +27
Last Week: 11th (+3)
Mike’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Mike: As someone based in Calgary, my only counter to the run that these Oilers are currently on is … maybe they’re peaking too early? But, c’mon, let’s be real. This truly is something to behold: 13 consecutive wins! The Corey Perry signing is an interesting bet, though. First of all, it seems kinda weird that he’s coming back so soon after what went down in Chicago — but also, if you’re the Oilers, do you really want to tinker with things during a streak like this?

Scott: It’s kind of nuts that there’s a decent chance that the Oilers become the first team in the two years I’ve done this to climb from almost last in the rankings to first. They aren’t there yet, but that seems to be the projection, and if not for the five-point rule, I would have had them there. They’re legit now.

9. Florida Panthers

Record: 24-14-5, +17
Last Week: 2nd (-7)
Mike’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Scott: This result confused us when we saw it, but when a lot of the teams ahead of them right now have been average at worst and they’re on a four-game losing streak (and losing to fringe and non-playoff teams as well), it’s easy to see why this happened. To be fair, they would have still been in second if not for the five-point rule, which is where the losing streak really hurts them.

Mike: This year is weird. There are about 12 different teams that I have roughly on the same plane as contenders. Even with Boston and Vancouver at the very top, I don’t see one that I consider a true standout. Florida is in ninth but they just as well could be in fourth for all I care. This is a really, really good team in the midst of a rough patch.

Scott: See, I have four or five very clear contenders, it’s just that they aren’t having the regular season success to get them further up the list.

10. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 25-15-5, +15
Last Week: 7th (-3)
Mike’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Mike: I still think these Hurricanes have a deep run in them, even if this season hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. Andrei Svechnikov just can’t seem to stay healthy — he missed Sunday’s game against Minnesota with an upper-body injury — and the Spencer Martin acquisition is a pretty small band-aid on a big wound, but the Hurricanes keep hanging around near the top of the Metropolitan Division. They missed their chance to make up more ground with their 5-2 loss to the Wild, though.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 23-14-8, +13
Last Week: 14th (+3)
Mike’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Scott: The Leafs are so volatile right now, they might need J. Robert Oppenheimer to handle the situation. The fanbase is on the verge of calling for Sheldon Keefe’s job, and there already seems to be frustration with Brad Treliving taking a passive approach to the deadline, and some are even ready to call it quits with Brendan Shanahan. You wouldn’t think that those feelings are justifiable considering the fact that they just finished the Western Canada road trip with an average 2-2, but when isn’t it antsy in Leafland? Auston Matthews is back to doing Auston Matthews things at least, so that’s fun.

Mike: This is textbook Treliving. He had a Johnny Gaudreau/Matthew Tkachuk core in Calgary for six years and made exactly one big deadline deal. The mantra surrounding him for years with the Flames was “Always in it, never close.” He’ll inquire about every player on the trade block in the entire league but he very seldom pulls the trigger on a deal. Case in point: When the Flames were leading the Western Conference at the 2019 trade deadline, Treliving’s big acquisition was depth defenseman Oscar Fantenberg.

Scott: Okay, you know what, I’m on board. Fire Brad, bring back Kyle.

12. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 22-13-8, +26
Last Week: 10th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Mike: The Kings have had a horrible January, winning just two of 10 games and tumbling way down into fourth place in the Pacific Division. They’re now a mere five points up on the Flames and Kraken. Imagine saying that back in November. Pierre-Luc Dubois’ big eight-year deal with the Kings is already looking like one of the league’s worst — $8.5 million should buy a team much more than a 36-point pace — and that’s only exacerbated by how well Gabe Vilardi has performed in Winnipeg.

13. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 25-16-6, +9
Last Week: 12th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Scott: The Flyers have been less consistent these days and a lot streakier, as they got as far as a five-game winning streak last week before allowing seven goals to the Avs and blowing a 3-1 lead to the Sens over the weekend. It will be really fascinating to see what this team does at the deadline considering what they were planning to be this season and what they actually are.

Mike: I think they should strategically sell. See what teams will give up for the likes of Sean Walker, Cam Atkinson, and Nick Seeler while maintaining an open dialogue with 2025 UFA Travis Konecny. There’s a pathway for Philadelphia to hold their current spot in the standings while also setting themselves up nicely for the future.

Scott: The recent Jamie Drysdale acquisition and the couple of NHL-ready defense prospects in the AHL could mean that they can move on from Walker and Seeler without much of a hiccup.

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 21-16-6, +15
Last Week: 15th (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Mike: Sidney Crosby would still be my Hart pick if the season ended today — don’t @ me, my mentions are already a mess as is — and he’s doing what he can to elevate this Penguins team back into the fight in the logjammed Metropolitan Division. Sid is on pace for 50 goals and 90 points at age 36 on this Penguins team. It’s hard to fathom how we’ve gotten to the point where his overall skill level is underrated by a large segment of hockey fans, especially those who never got to see him at his flashiest in his early 20s.

15. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 24-18-5, +2
Last Week: 19th (+4)
Mike’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Scott: It says a lot about this Lightning team that they just saw a five-game winning streak come to an end and I don’t really know what to say about this team right now. Nikita Kucherov is still Nikita Kucherov despite not scoring in six games, Victor Hedman put up four points in a game on Thursday, and Andrei Vasilevskiy’s play continues to be slightly concerning. And hey, at least their loss to end the streak on Sunday wasn’t even the worst loss a Tampa Bay sports team suffered at the hands of Detroit that day.

16. Nashville Predators

Record: 25-20-1, +1
Last Week: 16th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Mike: Speaking as someone who watches a lot of the Coyotes, I can attest that the Predators just won’t go away. Entering their critical Central Division matchup against Arizona on Saturday, Nashville had won three of four to build up a six-point lead over the Coyotes in the standings. A big reason for that surge has been the play of Juuse Saros, who has been better in January after a so-so start to the season. He’s still far from his top form, however.

17. New Jersey Devils

Record: 23-18-3, -4
Last Week: 13th (-4)
Mike’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Scott: Woof. Five losses for the Devils in their last seven games and they still can’t seem to get some points together to really help their playoff case. This team really misses Jack Hughes right now. Timo Meier has two assists in three games since returning from his injury, and if there was ever a time for him to return to form and get back into the good graces of Devils fans, it’s now.

18. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 24-17-5, +11
Last Week: 20th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Mike: Sunday’s win over the Lightning was huge for a Red Wings team that needs every point it can get right now. That Atlantic Division race is a doozy, especially with Tampa Bay having won five in a row entering Sunday’s game in Detroit. Alex Lyon was a big factor in Florida’s second-half run to a playoff spot last year and he made 27 saves in that game against the Lightning; he’s now 11-5-1 on the year with a .924 save percentage.

19. Washington Capitals

Record: 22-16-6, -24
Last Week: 22nd (+3)
Mike’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Scott: There may be life in Alex Ovechkin just yet. The Great 8 was rocking a seven-game point streak before St. Louis put an end to it on Saturday, and while most of it is assists, it’s good to see him producing again. The Caps also locked up Aliaksei Protas long term, which feels like a weird signing but could be a solid gamble. I guess we’ll see there.

20. New York Islanders

Record: 20-15-11, -20
Last Week: 21st (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Mike: Patrick Roy, huh? I didn’t think this would ever happen, but Lou Lamoriello might’ve just gotten me to care about this year’s iteration of the Islanders. The new coach guided them to a fun little 3-2 overtime win over the Stars on Sunday, with Noah Dobson and Mat Barzal (surprise, surprise) leading the way with two assists each for an Islanders team that was outshot 42-28 in the game.

Scott: These are exactly the kind of Lamoriello shenanigans I’m here for. This might not blow up in their faces like Roy’s stint in Colorado, but you can bet it’s going to be entertaining. You have to wonder what Lou’s leash is like on Long Island with two coach firings in less than two years.

21. Arizona Coyotes

Record: 22-19-3, +2
Last Week: 18th (-3)
Mike’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Scott: The Coyotes have been struggling to get points when they need it the most, with just three wins in their last nine games at the moment, and that’s including Saturday’s win over the Preds. With the Oilers finally in a more comfortable position in the playoff picture, it’s starting to look like there’s only one spot up for grabs amongst the mediocre teams in the West, so they’re going to have to string together something to keep their hopes alive.

Mike: Dylan Guenther has been so, so good in his latest recall with the Coyotes. I’m starting to think he might not go back down to Tucson ever again. This AZ team could use six more of him.

22. Minnesota Wild

Record: 20-21-5, -17
Last Week: 27th (+5)
Mike’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Mike: You mean to tell me that the Wild — these Wild — beat the Panthers and Hurricanes in consecutive games to close out last week? That’s definitely a big about-face from last week, when they were coming off an embarrassing shutout loss to the Arizona Coyotes at our publication time. The Wild are still pretty off-kilter this year but it was good to see Kirill Kaprizov make a statement with a hat trick against Carolina on Sunday.

Scott: To be fair, they are healthy again now, or at least as healthy as can be with Jared Spurgeon out for the year. I wonder if they will take advantage of that cap space at the deadline?

23. Calgary Flames

Record: 21-20-5, -3
Last Week: 23rd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Scott: 2024 was starting to look a bit more promising for the Flames, but back-to-back losses to the Leafs and Oilers has them back in middling territory. They’ve lost Martin Pospisil for a couple weeks, which is particularly unfortunate because he’d really seemed to help get Nazem Kadri going. I’m sure Mike is happy that they’re losing again.

Mike: #TeamTank!

24. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 20-22-4, -12
Last Week: 24th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Mike: The Sabres played two games against very bad teams and one game against a decidedly meh team last week. Fittingly, they beat the very bad teams by identical 3-0 scores before falling 3-1 to the Lightning on Saturday. But at the very least, it was good to see these Sabres separate themselves from the likes of Chicago and San Jose with those wins over, uh, Chicago and San Jose. Just ask Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: There’s nothing quite like posting back-to-back shutouts (especially when your name also includes three instances of back-to-back K’s).

Scott: I forget who mentioned this, so this is just an acknowledgement that this isn’t an original idea, but someone pointed out that 50% of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s name is made up of U’s and K’s and I haven’t been the same since.

Mike: I’m surprised you haven’t changed your name to Scott Makkswell.

Scott: That’d be my last name if the tiny portion of my heritage that hails from the Nordic countries outweighed the Eastern European portion of it.

25. Seattle Kraken

Record: 19-18-9, -10
Last Week: 17th (-8)
Mike’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Scott: Well, the happy times in Seattle have seemed to slam to a halt. When we last left them, they had won nine straight and had points in 13 straight, and in the last week they’ve lost four straight. Not exactly ideal, but they still seem to be in the playoff race at the moment. At the very least, Joey Daccord has still been solid during the stretch, so it’s not like he’s regressed yet.

26. St. Louis Blues

Record: 22-20-2, -15
Last Week: 25th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Mike: The Blues faced the Capitals twice last week in the much-anticipated “Battle of Two Teams That Won the Stanley Cup in the Late 2010s and Are Now Extremely Mediocre”. Man, we really need to come up with a new name for that one. Anyhoo, the two teams split the series while both scoring exactly five goals over the two games, because if you’re going to be perfectly average, why not do it together?

Scott: Well it is almost election time in the States. Washington and the color blue will be brought up a lot over the next year.

27. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 19-20-7, -36
Last Week: 26th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Scott: What a roller coaster of a week in Montreal. They started off strong with surprising wins over the Avalanche and Devils and then were just walloped to finish it off against the Sens and Bruins, losing by a combined score of 15-6. It’s about time they saw a bit of struggles in net though, because as I pointed out in my aforementioned overperformers article, the Habs have been doing better than they should have (due to their goaltending) despite being this bad.

28. Ottawa Senators

Record: 17-24-1, -11
Last Week: 28th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Mike: Vladimir Tarasenko and Claude Giroux would’ve made an incredible duo in, like, 2014. They were both on EA NHL video game covers, they both scored a ton of goals, and they both won the Stanl — er, they both went to the Final. (Sorry, Claude). In any event, the two veterans have essentially been the only players on this year’s Senators to meet or exceed expectations. With new management and ownership in the fold, these Sens are on red alert to pull off a blockbuster hockey trade at some point in the next six months.

29. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 14-22-9, -34
Last Week: 29th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Scott: It was about as quiet and insignificant of a week as it comes in Columbus, playing just two games and splitting them. I’m sure they’re quite content with that after all the headlines they’ve made this season, as they’ve needed a break from being the league’s punching ba- oh hey, Tate McRae somehow made it to the NHL All-Star Game before Cole Sillinger. Ok, maybe next week Columbus.

30. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 15-30-1, -44
Last Week: 30th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Mike: What a nightmare first season Alex Killorn has had with the Ducks. He missed the start of the year to injury, scored just six goals in 34 games upon returning, and is now out long-term again after undergoing knee surgery. That signing looked suspect from Day 1, especially considering Killorn is 34 and under contract for three years after this one. Yikes! There’s a chance Cutter Gauthier could make Killorn redundant as soon as next season.

31. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 14-30-2, -62
Last Week: 31st (0)
Mike’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: The Blackhawks got two – that’s right, TWO – wins last week, which continues to feel like an accomplishment considering they are still icing a roster that might lose to some AHL teams. Seth Jones had a bit of a feel-good moment on Friday by scoring the overtime winner against the Islanders to finally get his first goal of the season, but his return also means that we probably aren’t going to see a hilariously bizarre replacement for Connor Bedard at the All-Star Game.

32. San Jose Sharks

Record: 11-31-4, -92
Last Week: 32nd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Mike: …
Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovere’d country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?

_____

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