NHL Power Rankings: Minnesota Wild are back from the dead

Credit: © Matt Blewett

We are just days away from the trade deadline, and we’re already getting most of the action. While the incoming players won’t exactly show up in the results of the rankings since this takes on data from the whole season, it’s still good to get our last look at where these teams stand before they change up their rosters a bit – either to bolster up for a Cup run, or to strip away at the team for a run at the first overall pick.

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: 45-8-5 (.819%, 1st)
5v5 Goal Differential: +61 (1st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.78 (12th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.29 (t-2nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.64 (t-12th)
PK xGA/60: 6.19 (1st)
5v5 PDO: 103.5
Previous Week: 1st (0)

The Bruins keep their lead over the Hurricanes as they’ve now won six straight games, capped off with Linus Ullmark scoring a goalie goal on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. Oh, and they’re about to get much better, as they brought in Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 39-11-8 (.741%, 2nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +37 (3rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.29 (1st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.06 (1st)
PP xGF/60: 8.65 (t-12th)
PK xGA/60: 7.35 (7th)
5v5 PDO: 100.1
Previous Week: 2nd (0)

The fight for first is a tight one, and the standards are apparently very high between these two teams, as winning 12 of their last 14 games isn’t even enough for the Hurricanes to catch the Bruins. That said, their five-game winning streak came to an end with a loss to the Ducks of all teams, and they’ve now lost both of their games against the Ducks (see Leafs fans, it happens to other teams as well).

3. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 37-15-8 (.683%, 4th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +35 (4th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.9 (t-7th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.44 (7th)
PP xGF/60: 9.28 (6th)
PK xGA/60: 6.7 (2nd)
5v5 PDO: 101.5
Previous Week: 3rd (0)

The Leafs keep chugging away at the same pace they have been since their insane point streak from earlier in the season, with three straight wins and five in their last six. New addition Ryan O’Reilly has fit like a glove in their top six, scoring a hat trick last Tuesday – and against an old team of his in the Sabres.

4. New Jersey Devils

Record: 39-15-5 (.703%, 3rd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +41 (2nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.03 (3rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.43 (8th)
PP xGF/60: 9.14 (8th)
PK xGA/60: 7.67 (12th)
5v5 PDO: 101.1
Previous Week: 4th (0)

I’m sure a loss to the Canadiens isn’t exactly how the Devils wanted to start last week, but they bounced back with wins over the Kings and Flyers, giving them victories in four of their last five now. They also just made their big play of the deadline, bringing in Timo Meier, arguably the biggest name on the market (or at least since Bo Horvat was dealt).

It was a rough stretch for a Stars team fighting for that top spot in the Central Division, as they lost five games in a row until their 3-2 shootout win over the Golden Knights, and almost made it six in that game too, as it required a last-minute goal from Roope Hintz to tie the game in the first place. They did make their first deadline add on Sunday though, swapping Denis Gurianov for Evgenii Dadonov.

6. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 35-18-6 (.644%, 6th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +12 (11th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.69 (17th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.33 (t-4th)
PP xGF/60: 9.05 (9th)
PK xGA/60: 7.4 (8th)
5v5 PDO: 100.4
Previous Week: 6th (0)

Speaking of the Golden Knights, they show up next on the list as has been the usual lately, as even a nine-game point streak isn’t enough for them to catch up to the Stars just yet. They also made their first deadline move, bringing in Ivan Barbashev, and they still have plenty of room for more moves with Mark Stone out for the regular season.

7. New York Rangers

Record: 34-17-9 (.642%, 7th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +14 (t-9th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.57 (21st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.54 (10th)
PP xGF/60: 10.29 (1st)
PK xGA/60: 7.89 (14th)
5v5 PDO: 100.5
Previous Week: 7th (0)

The hot streak that started with the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko has flipped around, and suddenly the Rangers were losing four in a row until they managed to snap that with a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings. They didn’t make any big trades this week, but they did finally deal Vitali Kravtsov, and are the frontrunners to bring in Patrick Kane and add even more to their top six.

8. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 37-18-4 (.661%, 5th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +23 (t-6th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.95 (5th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.63 (17th)
PP xGF/60: 8.08 (17th)
PK xGA/60: 8.31 (t-19th)
5v5 PDO: 101.5
Previous Week: 8th (0)

The Lightning split their games last week, beating the Ducks and the Red Wings while losing to the Sabres and Penguins, even giving up five goals in just 4:27 against Pittsburgh on Sunday. They also made a big trade on Sunday, acquiring Tanner Jeannot for five draft picks and Cal Foote. That’s right, five draft picks. Can’t judge them too much though, it’s worked for the past three seasons.

9. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 32-20-8 (.600%, t-11th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +8 (t-14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.93 (6th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.53 (12th)
PP xGF/60: 10.1 (2nd)
PK xGA/60: 8.14 (18th)
5v5 PDO: 100
Previous Week: 9th (0)

The Oilers snapped their four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins in Pennsylvania over Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, before losing to the Blue Jackets on Saturday. While Connor McDavid does incredible things all the time, this week was notable for him as he became the fifth fastest player to hit 800 points.

10. Minnesota Wild

Record: 33-21-6 (.600%, t-11th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -7 (t-21st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.42 (24th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.35 (t-2nd)
PP xGF/60: 9.19 (7th)
PK xGA/60: 7.42 (9th)
5v5 PDO: 99.4
Previous Week: 14th (+4)

The Wild seem to have established a bit of a groove lately, having won five of their last six games, including wins over the Kings and the Blue Jackets (twice) this week, and they even have points in six straight as the lone loss came to the Leafs in overtime. They took a big hit to the lineup earlier last week though, as Jonas Brodin was placed on injured reserve.

11. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 33-20-8 (.607%, 10th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -6 (t-19th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.65 (t-18th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.43 (6th)
PP xGF/60: 7.98 (19th)
PK xGA/60: 7.25 (5th)
5v5 PDO: 98.1
Previous Week: 12th (+1)

The Kings also seem to have found themselves in a bit of a slump, dropping three of their four games last week with the lone win coming against the Islanders. They still managed to move up a spot, but a lot of that has to do with how many other teams in this middle section of the rankings have been struggling as well.

12. Calgary Flames

Record: 27-21-12 (.550%, 19th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +10 (13th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.9 (9th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.34 (t-4th)
PP xGF/60: 8.11 (16th)
PK xGA/60: 7.01 (3rd)
5v5 PDO: 98
Previous Week: 13th (+1)

The Flames continue to struggle to find any consistency, as they now haven’t strung back-to-back wins together in a month, with their lone win last week coming against the Coyotes. They still keep sticking around much higher in the rankings than they should be though, as their defensive numbers are holding them up a lot higher in the aggregate than where they are in the actual standings.

13. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 35-24-1 (.592%, 14th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +2 (17th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.71 (t-13th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.69 (19th)
PP xGF/60: 8.76 (11th)
PK xGA/60: 7.1 (4th)
5v5 PDO: 100.6
Previous Week: 10th (-3)

The Jets find themselves in another nosedive, as they’ve dropped four of their last five games, including two to the Islanders and one to the Avalanche last week. Maybe the new addition of Nino Niederreiter can give them some help, as they brought in the winger in exchange for a second round pick on Saturday.

14. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 33-19-5 (.623%, 9th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +11 (12th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.64 (20th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.47 (9th)
PP xGF/60: 8.12 (15th)
PK xGA/60: 8.47 (23rd)
5v5 PDO: 100.7
Previous Week: 17th (+3)

The Avs only got into two games this week, but made it count, winning both and extending their win streak to five games, and all of a sudden, they’re threatening for the top spot in the Central. They also made a minor trade on Saturday, shoring up their goalie depth by adding Keith Kinkaid to their roster, which will probably prove to be helpful at some point considering all the goalie injuries they usually deal with in the playoffs every year.

15. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 29-21-9 (.568%, 16th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -3 (18th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.01 (4th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.72 (20th)
PP xGF/60: 9.03 (10th)
PK xGA/60: 8.33 (22nd)
5v5 PDO: 99.7
Previous Week: 16th (+1)

The Penguins bounced-back big time over the weekend, as they put an end to a four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins against the Blues and the Lightning. They did lose Kasperi Kapanen to the Blues on waivers on Saturday, but they also finally got Jan Rutta back into the lineup on Saturday after more than a month without the defenseman.

16. Seattle Kraken

Record: 32-21-6 (.593%, 13th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +33 (5th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.55 (22nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.55 (11th)
PP xGF/60: 6.46 (27th)
PK xGA/60: 7.82 (13th)
5v5 PDO: 101.3
Previous Week: 11th (-5)

Just as the Kraken were getting right in the playoff hunt, they fell right back out of it with three straight losses last week to the Sharks, Bruins, and Maple Leafs. It drops them five whole spots on the ranking, and they would have dropped another one if not for the five point rule keeping them above the Panthers.

17. Florida Panthers

Record: 29-26-6 (.525%, 21st)
5v5 Goal Differential: +14 (t-9th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.12 (2nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.71 (23rd)
PP xGF/60: 9.37 (5th)
PK xGA/60: 7.94 (15th)
5v5 PDO: 99.8
Previous Week: 15th (-2)

The Panthers continue to alternate wins and losses, as they beat the Ducks last Monday and lost to the Sabres on Friday to make it now eight games since they’ve strung back-to-back wins together. They finally got Anthony Duclair back for his first game against the Sabres, but it wasn’t enough in a big loss against a team that they are fighting with for a playoff spot.

18. Washington Capitals

Record: 29-27-6 (.516%, 23rd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -6 (t-19th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.71 (t-13th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.6 (t-15th)
PP xGF/60: 7.44 (24th)
PK xGA/60: 8.09 (17th)
5v5 PDO: 99.2
Previous Week: 19th (-1)

The Capitals’ spiral continues, as they’ve now lost seven of their last eight games, including two key games last week against teams they’re fighting with for a playoff spot in the Detroit Red Wings, and Buffalo Sabres. Maybe that’s why they’ve decided to go into sell mode now, having moved on from Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway.

19. New York Islanders

Record: 31-25-7 (.548%, 20th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +20 (8th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.65 (t-18th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.82 (26th)
PP xGF/60: 7.63 (22nd)
PK xGA/60: 8.68 (26th)
5v5 PDO: 101.6
Previous Week: 20th (+1)

The slump that the Islanders seemed to be caught in after bringing in Bo Horvat seems to have ended for the time being, as they’ve now won three of their last four games. It jumps them up a spot as they regained a five point advantage over the Senators again, as they’ve still just been relying on their goaltending to carry them.

20. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 31-23-4 (.569%, 15th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +8 (t-14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.7 (15th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.73 (t-21st)
PP xGF/60: 6.3 (28th)
PK xGA/60: 8.79 (28th)
5v5 PDO: 100.6
Previous Week: 21st (+1)

The Sabres are riding quite the heater, having won five of their last six games and not only helping their playoff chances, but now they’re even a little bit in control of their own destiny. That said, it just got trickier, as Alex Tuch was just placed on injured reserve and could be out for a while, which is a big blow to their lineup, although that didn’t stop them from winning their first game without him against the Capitals on Sunday.

21. Ottawa Senators

Record: 28-26-4 (.517%, 22nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -26 (28th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.76 (10th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.67 (18th)
PP xGF/60: 9.57 (4th)
PK xGA/60: 8.31 (t-19th)
5v5 PDO: 97.9
Previous Week: 18th (-3)

The Sens had a tough start to the week, taking two straight losses to the two best teams in the league in the Bruins and Canes before salvaging the week with a much easier win against the Habs. They also made another deadline move, although it wasn’t a traditional “sell” trade, as they moved Nikita Zaitsev’s contract along with a couple draft picks to free some cap space.

22. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 28-22-8 (.552%, 18th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -7 (t-21st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.19 (30th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.6 (t-15th)
PP xGF/60: 7.52 (23rd)
PK xGA/60: 8.06 (16th)
5v5 PDO: 100.5
Previous Week: 22nd (0)

The Wings are doing a great job of keeping their playoff hopes alive, as they’re now 7-3-0 out of the All-Star break and sit just three points back of the Penguins for the final Wild Card spot. They also saw the return of Jakub Vrana to the lineup, a big story for the winger considering the demons he’s had to fight this year.

23. Nashville Predators

Record: 29-22-6 (.561%, 17th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +7 (16th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.79 (11th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.81 (25th)
PP xGF/60: 7.23 (25th)
PK xGA/60: 8.83 (29th)
5v5 PDO: 101
Previous Week: 23rd (0)

Not even three straight wins can put the Preds back in the playoff race, and with those three wins coming against weaker teams in the Canucks, Sharks, and Coyotes, it’s probably not an indication of a late-season surge. They did make some news waves off the ice, announcing that longtime general manager David Poile is retiring, with former head coach Barry Trotz taking over duties, and then bringing in five draft picks and Cal Foote for Tanner Jeannot.

24. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 23-28-10 (.459%, 25th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -18 (23rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.34 (26th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.73 (t-21st)
PP xGF/60: 5.61 (32nd)
PK xGA/60: 8.32 (21st)
5v5 PDO: 99.1
Previous Week: 24th (0)

It’s been a rough stretch for the Flyers, who’ve now lost seven of their last eight games, with that lone win coming at the beginning of last week when they beat the Flames. It’s starting to get to the players as well, with Joel Farabee reportedly requesting a trade out of Philadelphia not even a full season into his new six-year contract.

25. St. Louis Blues

Record: 26-28-5 (.483%, 24th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -23 (26th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.35 (25th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.92 (29th)
PP xGF/60: 5.98 (31st)
PK xGA/60: 8.62 (25th)
5v5 PDO: 99.6
Previous Week: 25th (0)

The Blues continue to struggle in a world without Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly, having lost their last five games now. They sold off another piece as well, trading Ivan Barbashev to the Golden Knights, and also made an add through the waiver wire in Kasperi Kapanen from the Penguins.

26. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 23-31-5 (.432%, 27th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -24 (27th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.41 (23rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.78 (24th)
PP xGF/60: 8.03 (18th)
PK xGA/60: 8.74 (27th)
5v5 PDO: 98.7
Previous Week: 27th (+1)

The Canucks continue trudging in the state of mediocrity, dropping two of three last week to not quite throw themselves into the Connor Bedard race, but also not put them in playoff contention either. They did make a solid low-risk, high-reward move for the future though, bringing in former ninth-overall pick Vitali Kravtsov from the Rangers for a really low price.

27. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 25-30-4 (.458%, 26th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -22 (25th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.3 (27th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.02 (31st)
PP xGF/60: 6.59 (26th)
PK xGA/60: 9.78 (30th)
5v5 PDO: 99.7
Previous Week: 28th (+1)

The Habs started off their week strong with back-to-back 5-2 wins over the Devils and Flyers, but then that little streak came to an end on Saturday with another loss to the Sens. They’ve also started selling off pieces at the deadline, sending Evgenii Dadonov to the Stars, and with Joel Edmundson’s recovery looking better, they may have more assets on the way out as well.

28. San Jose Sharks

Record: 18-30-12 (.400%, 30th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -19 (24th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.87 (t-7th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.59 (14th)
PP xGF/60: 7.72 (20th)
PK xGA/60: 7.45 (10th)
5v5 PDO: 99
Previous Week: 26th (-2)

The Sharks had another Sharks-esque week, pulling off an upset win (this time against the Kraken) and then losing out the rest of their week. It’s about to get a lot worse for them as well, as one of the few lone bright spots in Timo Meier has been dealt to the Devils, although they brought back quite the haul in that 13-piece monster of a trade.

29. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 21-32-5 (.405%, 29th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -53 (31st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.01 (32nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.03 (30th)
PP xGF/60: 6.2 (29th)
PK xGA/60: 7.66 (11th)
5v5 PDO: 98.7
Previous Week: 31st (+2)

It seems like a couple of the Blackhawks on the trading block really want to show off to potential suitors, as during the team’s five-game winning streak, Patrick Kane and Max Domi have popped off for 10 points each during it, although they Kane (and Sam Lafferty) missed the last game against the Sharks due to this crazy bug going around the NHL called “trade-related reasons.” Weird name for an illness if you ask me.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 19-35-6 (.367%, 32nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -46 (30th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.34 (28th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.86 (27th)
PP xGF/60: 7.67 (21st)
PK xGA/60: 8.48 (24th)
5v5 PDO: 98.6
Previous Week: 30th (0)

The Blue Jackets look to be one of the few bottom-feeders still set on tanking, dropping two of their three games last week, both against the Wild. They even nearly made it all three, having blown a 4-0 lead to the Oilers on Saturday, but they managed to salvage that game with a couple more goals in the third period.

31. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 19-34-7 (.375%, 31st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -72 (32nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.25 (29th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.6 (32nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.19 (14th)
PK xGA/60: 10.19 (32nd)
5v5 PDO: 98.3
Previous Week: 32nd (+1)

The Ducks had a rare occurrence last week, winning two games in a row after beating the Capitals 4-2 and the Hurricanes 3-2 to end the week. The win over the Canes on Saturday sparked an even rarer occurrence, with John Gibson posting his third 50-save game of the month and becoming the second goalie to do so in a month since saves were tracked beginning in 1955-56.

32. Arizona Coyotes

Record: 20-30-9 (.415%, 28th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -27 (29th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.16 (31st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.87 (28th)
PP xGF/60: 6.17 (30th)
PK xGA/60: 9.92 (31st)
5v5 PDO: 100.3
Previous Week: 29th (-3)

The impact of Jakob Chychrun has certainly been realized in Arizona, with three losses in their last four games without the defenseman. Oh, he’s still not traded, he’s just been sitting the entire time, although they did deal a defenseman by sending Dysin Mayo to the Golden Knights for a pick and Shea Weber’s contract, which will also allow them to make more moves while staying above the salary floor.