NHL power rankings: It’s not always sunny in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Flyers center Travis Konecny.

Credit: @ Kyle Ross

You know that the season is starting to settle down a little bit when one team is making a home for themselves in the top spot. That’s right, the Jets are back there this week (although it’s not like they’re giving us much of a choice), and beneath them, we’re starting to see where a lot of the other teams stand. We aren’t at that infamous American Thanksgiving threshold, but we certainly seem to have an idea as to what to expect from this year.

Hunter Crowther and I continue to navigate through the results so far this season 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, Hunter goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.

1. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 14-1-0, +36
Last Week: 1st (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Hunter: Scott, I’m grateful for the chance to help with these power rankings. The time spent writing them has been some of the most fun I’ve had covering the game. But it’s been a stressful week for a lot of people. I don’t know if you know this, but it’s raining in the forest. So let’s not overcomplicate things: the Jets are the best team in hockey. Will their 102.63 PDO come crashing down? Sure, eventually. But Cole Perfetti looks every bit the first-round pick they spent on him four years ago. Connor Hellebuyck had two shutouts and gave up just one goal on 89 shots. And captain Adam Lowry hit Jamie Benn with a helluva right on Saturday. Things are buzzing in Winnipeg.

Scott: Middling underlying metrics go brrrrrr!

2. Florida Panthers

Record: 11-3-1, +12
Last Week: 2nd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: Seven straight wins! Sam Reinhart has been worth every cent of the $69 million he signed for July 1, and then some (don’t talk to me about how he looks in year six, we’re in the present). They were without Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov for a hot minute, and Anton Lundell decided now he’s a point-per-game player. Their goaltending has been less-than-stellar, with Sergei Bobrovsky posting a sub-.900 save percentage (SV%) through 11 games, but does it matter? This club reminds me of how the Golden Knights looked through the first chunk of last season. Florida fans are hoping it’s not the same result.

Scott: I’m actually going to challenge you on that last point. Last year’s Golden Knights got off to a hot start, but with middling underlying numbers that eventually caught up to them (along with injuries). This Panthers team is getting the results and playing like it too, and they look like the best team in the East by a mile right now.

Hunter: Always with the underlying numbers. Underlying numbers this, underlying numbers that, you know what you need to spell “underlying?” Lying. And that’s what you’re doing. You sir, are a liar.

Scott: So if I’m lying about the Panthers being good, doesn’t that mean that you’re lying too? Check and mate.

Hunter: Weavin’ Scott, always trying to change the topic. We’re talking about HOCKEY, not CHESS. You ain’t no Bobby Fisher!

3. Minnesota Wild

Record: 10-2-3, +14
Last Week: 3rd (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Scott: I know it’s still early, but what is up with this Wild squad? I expected them to bounce back from last season and compete for a playoff spot, but they’re looking like a version of this team that we’ve almost never seen from in their franchise’s history. I’m not going to call them Cup contenders just yet, but things are looking nice so far (although losing to the Blackhawks isn’t the greatest look for me here).

Hunter: I have no expectations of the Wild continuing to dominate like this, although I secretly hope Kirill Kaprizov continues playing like a Hart Trophy candidate. At any point during an NHL season, there’s only a handful of players who really make you change the channel and watch them if they’re playing. Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, the combo of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, and right now, Kaprizov is one of them.

4. New Jersey Devils

Record: 10-6-2, +13
Last Week: 8th (+4)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Hunter: Another dominant week for the Devils that would have ended perfectly if it weren’t for a 44-save performance from the Sharks’ Mackenzie Blackwood Sunday night. Nico Hischier is evolving from “very good” to “one of the most entertaining players in the league” before our eyes. Part of me second guessed myself after picking the Devils to win the Metropolitan Division ahead of the season, but so far they look the part. And hey, maybe Jake Allen should get another start or two?

Scott: After I talked about Jack Hughes’ slightly slow start, he has six points in three games (and one of those was Sunday’s shutout to the Sharks, so that was a stretch of six points in two games). If both Hughes and Hischier are clicking down the middle at the same time, they’re going to be scary.

5. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 10-3-0, +20
Last Week: 4th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Scott: Did you know that the Canes had an eight-game winning streak up until their loss to the Avs on Saturday? It certainly wasn’t talked about enough, although it’s just as likely that that’s because the Canes aren’t given the attention they deserve as it is because they’re overlooked because everyone expects this from them. And who saw 23 points in 13 games from Martin Necas?!? And nine goals in 13 from Jack Roslovic?!? I doubt either of those will last all season, but it’s nice to see that they’ve replaced some of the offense that they lost over the summer.

Hunter: Great point on how we never give Carolina their rightful attention but also just expect them to be one of the league’s top teams. There aren’t many weaknesses in this group, and even Pyotr Kochetkov has stepped up without Frederik Andersen (no, we don’t have to blame Spencer Martin for giving up five goals in Saturday’s loss to Colorado, his first start of the season).

6. Washington Capitals

Record: 10-4-0, +19
Last Week: 7th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Scott: The Caps fall into the same category as the Wild as teams that everyone expected to compete for the playoffs but no one expected to be this good. Washington is 2-2-0 in their last four games so the consistency isn’t exactly there right now, but they’re also without two of their top four defensemen so I can cut them some slack. Alex Ovechkin may have found the fountain of youth with eight goals in his last seven games.

Hunter: I don’t expect Washington and their PDO that sounds like a radio station – “You’re listening to nothing but classic rock on 104.6 The Hawk” – but I’m having fun. Connor McMichael is finding another gear, Tom Wilson looks more than a bottom-six feeder, and Ovechkin is playing like a man on a mission. I don’t know if he’ll break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record this season, but right now he’s playing like he expects The Great One to follow him around game-to-game like Gretzky made Gordie Howe do when he broke his goal record in 1994.

Scott: They’ll certainly take a step back, but I still like this year’s team a lot more than last year’s that made the playoffs.

7. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 9-4-3, +7
Last Week: 6th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Hunter: Some of those who follow the Kings thought that once Drew Doughty went down with an ankle injury, the team would struggle in his absence. I was one of those people. I was very wrong. Anze Kopitar is still a point-per-game player at 37 and their neutral-zone coverage and defensive structure rivals anyone’s in the league. Now if this team could find league-average goaltending, they’d be unstoppable.

8. New York Rangers

Record: 9-3-1, +19
Last Week: 5th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Scott: Ah yes, the Rangers are back in a place all too familiar to me. They’re getting the wins and appealing to the casual fan, but they don’t fool me, it’s the same old Rangers. Don’t get me wrong, Artemi Panarin has had another fantastic season so far, Alexis Lafreniere has taken another big step in his development, Adam Fox continues to be the two-way aficionado that we know and love, and Igor Shesterkin is still unbeatable. Even Mika Zibanejad has bounced back recently. But they continue to be plagued by the same underlying issue: they struggle to drive play at 5v5.

Hunter: Negative Scott, ordering Costco-sized packages of Haterade. I’ll concede that they’re riding a fantastic wave of power play production and maybe some unsustainable shooting percentages and save percentages from their group. But sometimes you can outscore and outsave your problems, and early on, that’s the vibe I get from this group. Don’t sleep on a 5-1-0 record on the road and some gritty wins in the last few weeks.

Scott: You can certainly outscore and out save your problems for stretches, but rarely do teams do it for a whole playoff run. There’s a reason they usually get bounced by the Conference Finals.

9. Dallas Stars

Record: 8-5-0, +7
Last Week: 9th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Scott: Remember at the beginning of the season where me ranking the Stars this low was blasphemy? I’m still not going to say that they’re this bad, but it’s certainly not outrageous to look at them as a team hovering around the #10 slot as opposed to #1. That said, they’ve played just four games in the last 15 days, so they haven’t exactly had the opportunity to change my mind yet either.

Hunter: I think losing both of their Finland contests to the Panthers left a sour taste in the mouths of the Stars, and not even a convincing win over the Blackhawks could prepare them for a grueling loss to the Jets on Saturday. Dallas has three games next week, including one against a desperate Bruins club and another against the talk of the town in Minnesota. This will be a good test to see if they’re closer to the top of the league or barely in the top 10.

10. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 9-5-2, +9
Last Week: 12th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Hunter: Only the Maple Leafs could be without a three-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy-winner and start to rack up the goals. Without Auston Matthews in all three of their games this week, Toronto outscored their opponents 11-2 and won all three of their games. We’re not entering “The Ewing Theory” territory quite yet, but seeing Mitch Marner produce at an elite level without Matthews is promising. Will Craig Berube keep them split when their captain returns to the lineup?

Scott: I think they should at least give it some more runway than they have in recent seasons. It sounds insane considering how often people talk about that cliche playmaker-to-sniper connection, but Marner can also score and Matthews can also pass. Perhaps playing away from each other means they use both skill sets instead of just the one they usually do with each other.

11. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 7-6-1, +4
Last Week: 11th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Scott: After a 7-3-0 start to the season, the Lightning have seen their struggles recently with their current four-game losing streak. The first two games came at the hands of my #1 team (the Wild) and Hunter’s #1 team (the Jets), but then their most recent losses came against two teams we ranked in the bottom five in the Blues and Flyers. It’s not the end of the world, but with Florida and Toronto already starting to pull away from the rest of the division, those are points they can’t afford to lose right now.

12. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 7-7-1, -8
Last Week: 14th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Hunter: Despite a tough loss to the Devils and an even more heartbreaking loss to the Golden Knights – both at home – the Oilers stormed back with a dominating 7-3 win on Hockey Night in Canada against the Canucks. Edmonton’s 98.13 PDO highlights their lack of secondary scoring and lackluster goaltending, and while I have confidence in Zach Hyman, Jeff Skinner and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finding their game, it’s time they go out and find a better goalie. Stuart Skinner may have gotten them to Game 7, but right now he might not get them to April.

Scott: I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they need a better goalie than Skinner, but they at least need a better one than Calvin Pickard. Skinner seems better suited for a 1A/1B tandem than getting 60 starts as a starter, and Pickard isn’t a 1B type of goalie. Give Skinner a capable tandem partner (you know, like what Jack Campbell was expected to be), and I think he’ll be capable of taking them back to the Finals.

Hunter: Then go out and find it! I feel like we were quick to anoint him as a starting goalie going into the season and I get the feeling he’s going to be the thing that sinks this club if somehow they’re bounced in the first round. Maybe that’s unfair, but for a team with this much talent in their prime, I can’t take that chance.

13. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 9-3-2, +18
Last Week: 10th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Scott: For some reason, my eyes wandered to the Golden Knights’ home and road records, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team with this drastic of a home/road split. At home, they’re undefeated with an 8-0-0 record. On the road, it’s a much bigger struggle with a 1-3-2 record. That doesn’t exactly mean anything, but I just found that really amusing.

Hunter: Did you know Jack Eichel has only scored more than 68 points in a season twice? Doesn’t that seem like a lie? Of course he’s dealt with injuries throughout his time in both Buffalo and Las Vegas, but only one 80-point campaign? I bring that up now because he’s got 22 through his first 14 games and looks like he wins every shift, every night. He may not reach the current pace of 129 points, but if he’s able to break the 100-point mark and help clinch home-ice advantage in Round 1, maybe Eichel gets some Hart Trophy love?

14. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 7-3-3, -1
Last Week: 13th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Scott: Speaking of teams with hilarious home and road splits, the Canucks are the opposite: 1-2-3 at home, 6-1-0 on the road. Credit to the Canucks though, they continue to grind away and stay afloat despite all the shenanigans going on. Thatcher Demko still isn’t back, Brock Boeser just got banged up pretty badly last week, and Elias Pettersson continues to look like a shell of his former self, and yet they’re still 7-3-3 and holding down a division spot.

15. New York Islanders

Record: 6-6-3, -7
Last Week: 16th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Scott: The Isles are another team with a plethora of injury problems, and you would think it would hurt them the most considering they lost a player of Mat Barzal’s caliber when they were already struggling to score. And yet, they have points in four of their last five games (three of those four being wins), and have averaged a solid 3.4 goals in that span. As an Ilya Sorokin owner in fantasy, it’s nice to see him get the run support.

16. Boston Bruins

Record: 7-7-2, -12
Last Week: 15th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Hunter: Is it too early to say it? It’s nearly U.S. Thanksgiving, so I think we can make the point: the Bruins aren’t good. Now, I didn’t say they were bad – there’s a difference. But they’re not good. Nikita Zadorov has looked brutal through his first month in Boston, while both he and Charlie McAvoy have mediocre possession numbers, a few points below 50 percent. After benching David Pastrnak for the upteenth time and constantly criticizing his players in the media, at what point do we start to ask if Jim Montgomery is on the hot seat?

17. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 7-8-0, -7
Last Week: 17th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Hunter: There’s no shame in losing to the “best team in the league” in the Jets and following it with a pair of nice wins against the Kraken and Hurricanes, snapping Carolina’s eight-game winning streak in the process. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and eight assists in the two victories this week, playing like a man possessed. Now when do we get this team a goalie? Wait a minute, that feels like a trend … what’s wrong with the goalies in this league?!

18. Calgary Flames

Record: 7-5-3, -4
Last Week: 20th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Hunter: I liked their effort in all four games this week, despite only coming away with one win against the lowly Canadiens. Jonathan Huberdeau has scored two points since Oct. 26, a span of eight games, yet somehow he’s still second in team scoring. The hot start was fun, but this team is struggling to produce, with a power play percentage below 16 percent and no forwards with double digits in points.

19. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 7-7-1, +4
Last Week: 27th (+8)
Hunter’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Hunter: Hey now! Three wins in a row, including a proverbial laying of the smacketh down on the candy asses of the Senators and Rangers, capped with a shootout win over the Flames. Don’t look now, but are the Sabres legit? Tage Thompson is on a heater and, do my eyes deceive me, but is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen looking suave in the crease? Maybe Buffalo isn’t so bad after all.

Scott: At this point we can just copy and paste our blurbs from two weeks prior for the Sabres based on how this season. Next week, they’ll lose all of their games and we’ll say it’s Joever, and then they’ll go on another hot streak that we’ll praise them for. My point? I guess we can’t count out this team just yet.

Hunter: Oh it’s far from Joever.

20. Utah Hockey Club

Record: 6-6-3, -10
Last Week: 19th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Scott: Every week we do these, I look at where we have Utah and just cringe inside at how much we hyped them up in the first couple of weeks. They’ve lost seven of their last nine games and are already back in the middling playoff position that they were last season. If there’s any consolation, injuries have played a much bigger role in that problem this year than last, but it really seemed like they might be this year’s surprise team. There’s still time though…

Hunter: Scott, do you have any interest in buying any Utah HC merchandise, or are you waiting for the team to find an official nickname? I’m still kicking myself for not grabbing any Washington Football Team sweaters or hats.

Scott: I’ll wait and see. Considering that “Utah HC” was a nickname that still had the potential of winning their tournament, the merch this year will either be a novelty or the start of a very terrible and boring name.

21. Ottawa Senators

Record: 7-7-0, +4
Last Week: 18th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Hunter: The Saturday win over the Bruins was tidy work on the Senators’ behalf, and that save from Linus Ullmark against his former club that led to Brady Tkachuk’s overtime winner was one of the best sequences of hockey we’ve seen this season. It was an important win for an Ottawa team that were beaten badly against the Sabres and Islanders earlier in the week. The Sens play their provincial rival this week in the Maple Leafs, and a convincing win could help spark a winning streak as we get further into November.

Scott: Here’s an absolutely wild stat from that Sens-Bruins game: the Bruins finished the game with just 16 shots in the game. Tkachuk had 12.

22. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 6-9-1, -8
Last Week: 21st (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Hunter: Not the best week for a team whose effort was infectious throughout the first month of the season. Yes, Connor Bedard has one goal since Oct. 25 and Seth Jones – yes, that Seth Jones – is second on the team in scoring. Teuvo Teravainen started off the season with lots of points and left fans wondering if they finally found the perfect top-six complementing forward for Bedard … well … with one goal and no assists in his last 11 games, this team is desperate for offense.

23. Nashville Predators

Record: 5-9-1, -13
Last Week: 24th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Hunter: I don’t know what to tell you guys, but this ain’t good. Maybe we need to put less stock in free agency, in teams spending a small nation’s GDP in new signings, and actually see them try to produce results. While the 4-0 win over Utah on Saturday was nice, the Predators will need to pick up some points as they begin a five-game road trip against the Avalanche, Kraken and three Canadian Pacific Division teams.

Also, can we put Andrew Brunette on the hot seat? I think he’s a fantastic coach and Conspiracy Theory Hunter thinks he could have taken that Panthers team he briefly coached in 2021-22 to a Stanley Cup if they kept him on. But the Predators have the second-worst record in the league, and don’t you dare bring up last season’s Oilers as an example of teams bouncing back, because that winning streak was generational. If this team doesn’t get their act together, Barry Trotz could end up back behind the bench.

Scott: Frank Seravalli alluded to this earlier in the season, but if there’s any GM in the league that isn’t going to have an itchy trigger finger for firing a head coach, it’s a former head coach who understands the highs and lows, as well as one who has 15 seasons with this same franchise.

Hunter: That may be true, but Bill Haslam, the Predators’ newest member of their ownership group, has said he expects this team to start winning, especially before he takes over the majority stake of the franchise next summer. If they continue struggling, it may not be Trotz’s decision to make.

24. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 6-8-2, -15
Last Week: 23rd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Scott: There’s a part of me that wants to start bringing back former power ranker Mike Gould’s famous bit “it’s the Islanders, who cares?” for the Penguins, but as long as they still have Sid, Geno, Letang and Karlsson, it’s hard to not care for them. That said, they are really just drifting around in no man’s land and making the viewing experience as boring as possible.

25. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 5-7-2, -5
Last Week: 22nd (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Hunter: Tough string of losses this week, bringing the winless streak to five games. If there’s one positive, the club picked up Dante Fabbro off waivers from the Predators on Sunday. The 2016 No. 17 overall pick couldn’t make it work in Nashville and now has an opportunity to find his game in Columbus, a team with no expectations and plenty of ice time to share.

26. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 6-7-1, -9
Last Week: 26th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Scott: The Wings continue to hover around .500 and keep themselves in the playoff hunt, but they haven’t quite looked like a team that can string several wins together like last year’s edition was. Of course, that’s because last year’s team needed a lot of luck to put those together, so that’s not exactly something you can just rely on all the time. This year’s team seems to be showing a bit more of that struggle, and you have to wonder how hot Derek Lalonde’s seat becomes if that continues.

27. Seattle Kraken

Record: 6-8-1, -4
Last Week: 30th (+3)
Hunter’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Scott: Okay, the Kraken aren’t as bad as I thought they were last week, but they still haven’t looked nearly as good as they probably should. They had a stretch that saw them lose seven of their previous eight games before Saturday’s win over the Golden Knights, and while they’ve had okay offensive numbers, their underlying numbers for their offense and special teams have been brutal, with their defense just being middling as opposed to terrible.

28. St. Louis Blues

Record: 7-8-0, -14
Last Week: 25th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Scott: Last week, I said that the Blues were only capable of beating the Maple Leafs recently, but actually, it turns out they’re just living up to their name. They only have three wins in their last nine games, and all three of those have come at the expense of teams that wear blue: the two aforementioned games against the Leafs, and then last week saw them only beat the Lightning. Oh, and they’ve allowed eight goals for the second time this season in that span, losing 8-1 to the Caps. Somehow Jordan Binnington made one of the saves of the season in a game where he allowed all eight goals, which is just so on brand for him.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 5-7-2, -12
Last Week: 29th (0)
Hunter’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Hunter: You may have noticed that I’ve been critiquing the lack of half-decent goaltending in my earlier comments. I can’t vouch for why these teams are struggling to stop pucks, but as someone who encourages more and more movement among teams, here’s a suggestion: John Gibson. I know, he’s dealt with injuries in the past and inconsistency through the years, but I’d argue his declining save percentage is largely thanks to the acceptance of bad hockey in Orange County. Get him out of there and put him on a team with a respectable top-four defensive corps, and you might have the next “that guy.”

Scott: You can’t really argue that Gibson’s poor play is due to the team in front of him when Lukas Dostal has been doing what he’s been doing for the past season.

Hunter: I thought you numbers guys always mentioned sample size! He’s played 11 games this season, and fewer than 80 in his career, and we think he’s Jean-Sebastian Gigeure? Besides, he’s allowed 14 goals in his last three starts, and Gibson only made his debut Sunday, stopping 38 of 40 shots in a 4-2 win. Let’s see if the 11-year veteran can boost his trade value for Anaheim.

Scott: Touche, but it can’t be denied that he hasn’t exactly been struggling like Gibson has over the better part of several seasons.

30. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 4-9-2, -23
Last Week: 28th (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Hunter: Last week I said the Kraken had a pair of sequences where they looked like an AHL-level club. That’s what I saw from the Canadiens this week. They haven’t won a game since Oct. 27, and in every game I’ve watched, it’s felt like a team that’s struggling to find motivation. Need motivation? Try playing in front of arguably the most passionate fanbase in North American sports. Is that not enough? Try playing for your next job.

31. San Jose Sharks

Record: 5-9-2, -19
Last Week: 32nd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Scott: The Sharks don’t look quite as hopeless as they did to start the season, as they have five wins in their last seven games, but their poor start still weighs them down over the rest of the competition in my eyes. That said, Macklin Celebrini hasn’t missed a beat since returning from his injury, and you can just tell that this Sharks team will be better with him in the lineup (although ironically, the only game he’s actually produced in since his return was the Sharks’ only loss of the three games).

32. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 5-8-2, -15
Last Week: 31st (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: Only this year’s Flyers team could finish in last place on our power rankings without either myself or Hunter actually putting them in last place. It’s very fitting for this team, which seems to have returned to their chaotic nature and always has something going on. Whenever their goaltending isn’t an issue, John Tortorella is making headlines again by scratching Matvei Michkov two games in a row or something of that ilk. Philly may have surprised us last season when many expected a true rebuild, but this year’s squad is definitely a better fit for Danny Briere’s long-term plans.

Hunter: I feel bad because there’s a lot of players I really like on the Flyers: Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Owen Tippett and Jamie Drysdale. There’s a healthy blend of veteran savvy and youthful talent in this lineup, but right now, they look horrendous. I said this last week, but I’m going to try and will Konecny’s spot on Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster into existence. I may fall short, but like a John Tortorella-coached team, I’ll go down swinging.

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