NHL power rankings: Sam Reinhart continues to elevate the Florida Panthers

Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe for FanDuel promo and DraftKings promo 5.26

Credit: © Sam Navarro

While we passed the halfway mark of the season a few weeks ago, we’re approaching the NHL’s halfway mark of the season because they always like to sound right when they’re wrong. With teams and players winding down for a vacation on the beach, or maybe they had to cancel those plans for a trip to Toronto (sorry Mr. Bjorkstrand), let’s look at the state of the league approaching the All-Star break.

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 – hence the Edmonton Oilers sitting eighth despite their 16-game winning streak. 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: 31-9-9, +45
Last Week: 1st (0)
Mike’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd

Mike: These Bruins have clearly never seen Talladega Nights. “If you ain’t first, you’re last” … except in Boston, where the Bruins were deemed the second-best team by both Scott and myself but ended up finishing first in the aggregate. I’m pretty sure it’s the first time this season something like this has happened. The only thing I’d change about this Bruins season is those painfully mediocre “vintage” jerseys they insist on wearing for their centennial year. Yuck.

Scott: No, I’m pretty sure we’ve had teams in the top spot that neither of us picked there.

Mike: Do you enjoy ruining my fun?

2. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 33-11-5, +59
Last Week: 2nd (0)
Mike’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 4th

Scott: I can’t entirely speak on Mike’s behalf here, but based on what I know of him, I wouldn’t be surprised if both of our No. 1 picks were our most traveled-to destinations. At the very least, both places are the only places I’ve traveled to by plane. Fun fact! Anyways, while I clearly don’t agree with Mike here, I can’t fully disagree either. They still look tough to beat, and while it’s a bit of a paper tiger, they’ve got the talent… five All-Stars worth of talent, in fact! It should be interesting to see how the final few months of the season goes for them. That said, those chrome blue helmets are definitely worthy of first.

Mike: I hate those helmets. I feel like they’d be extremely distracting to play against. Ban them!

Scott: Shocker, the guy that likes navy blue jerseys hates fun! I at least think they turned out slicker than the Kings’ and Golden Knights’ chrome helmets, but I enjoy those, too.

3. Florida Panthers

Record: 31-14-4, +31
Last Week: 9th (+6)
Mike’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 1st

Mike: I totally get why Scott has the Panthers in first. They’ve looked damn near unstoppable of late — particularly now that Matthew Tkachuk has seemingly returned to full force — winning all four games in which they played last week. It really is Sam Reinhart who has stolen the show in Florida with 37 goals and 62 points in 49 games this year. He’s gearing up for an enormous payday.

Scott: They’ve been the only team in recent weeks to rank top 10 in every stat I use for this, so it’s hard to argue against them when they’re so good across the board.

4. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 32-14-3, +37
Last Week: 3rd (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 5th

Scott: Last week was a light one for the Avs, but they still looked strong even in their brief appearances, taking both games against the Caps and Kings by a combined score of 11-3. It’s also wild that even with Connor McDavid and the Oilers heating up, Nathan MacKinnon (and Nikita Kucherov) still have a sizable gap of 15+ points on the five-time Art Ross Trophy winner. I know it’s McDavid, but it feels like he still might not catch up to the scoring lead this year.

Mike: McDavid getting 150 points last year was a great achievement, no doubt, but is it lessened in the slightest if MacKinnon and Kucherov both challenge that mark this year? With the way goaltending and shooting have developed, it kind of feels like 150 is the new 120.

Scott: I mean, Matthews’ 60 goals already feels lessened after McDavid and Pastrnak passed it last year, so I can see that being the case if that happens.

5. Dallas Stars

Record: 30-13-6, +32
Last Week: 6th (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd

Mike: Imagine being a Stars fan. You get to live in Dallas — an underrated great city — while also being able to watch Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Jake Oettinger for years to come. Joe Pavelski, Matt Duchene, Tyler Seguin, and Jamie Benn all play vital roles on this team despite being over 30. And then there’s Logan Stankoven, who could very well be a superstar player in this league down the line. Sheeeeesh.

6. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 28-15-5, +19
Last Week: 10th (+4)
Mike’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 6th

Scott: The Canes might be the highest they’ve ranked all season, and they’ve done so in typical Canes fashion, not by a loud winning streak, but by quietly and consistently creeping their way back into the conversation. They did win three in a row last week, so that’s not exactly quiet, but now the Canes are two points behind the Rangers for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a game in hand. That’ll be quite the race to keep up with, especially as the rest of the division sits in the murky middle.

Mike: Carolina outshot the Coyotes 18 to nothing in the third period of their 3-1 win in Raleigh on Saturday. The Hurricanes absolutely deserved to win that game in regulation, and they did just that after Dmitry Orlov finally broke a 1-1 tie with just 36 seconds left.

7. New York Rangers

Record: 30-16-3, +19
Last Week: 4th (-3)
Mike’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 7th

Mike: I think the Rangers’ Stadium Series uniform is by far the best of the four that were unveiled last week. It’s super clean! The players must have really loved it, too, because they went out and scored seven unanswered goals in a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. This team is still near the top of the league despite guys like Igor Shesterkin, K’Andre Miller, and Kaapo Kakko having decent-to-mediocre years. Even Adam Fox has had his ups and downs. These guys are legit.

Scott: A legit playoff team, sure, but they still struggle to drive the bus like other elite teams in this league.

8. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 29-15-1, +36
Last Week: 8th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 9th

Scott: I can’t even find reasons to be mad at this team’s success anymore. They’re legitimately good this year, and right now they can’t be stopped. They’re a win away from tying the NHL record for longest win streak, and two from claiming it as their own. The Golden Knights are the first opponent which will be tough, but the Ducks after that are promising. It’ll be interesting to see if the All-Star break disrupts their groove at all or rests them to keep the streak going even longer.

9. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 30-12-5, +39
Last Week: 5th (-4)
Mike’s Rank: 11th
Scott’s Rank: 8th

Mike: The Jets were humbled a wee bit this past week, losing decisively to Boston before dropping back-to-back games to the Maple Leafs. They’ve scored just five goals over their last four games. Connor Hellebuyck has risen to the occasion all year long but there’s not much he can do if the guys in front of him can’t put the puck in the net.

10. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 29-15-6, +25
Last Week: 7th (-3)
Mike’s Rank: 10th
Scott’s Rank: 10th

Scott: It feels like the Golden Knights have been slumping for a while, but they actually had points in six straight games and five of them wins before their 5-2 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday. This comes in spite of the injuries piling up for them again, with the biggest name recently being William Carrier.

Mike: Is there a No. 1 center in this league who is as overlooked despite his success as Jack Eichel? It feels like he’s never mentioned in that upper echelon of guys. No, he doesn’t score as much, but Eichel can take over games when he’s at his best. Vegas doesn’t win that Cup without him.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 25-14-8, +16
Last Week: 11th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 11th

Mike: It was great to see Ryan Reaves get his second goal as a Maple Leaf the other night. It’s been a strange few weeks for the 37-year-old forward, who had spent more than a month on the shelf despite making noise more recently that he felt ready to play despite being on LTIR. That situation appears to be resolved for now. Reaves now has 64 goals in his NHL career, including playoffs. Barring injury, Auston Matthews is going to surpass that number just this season.

Scott: I’ll admit, Reaves whining about not getting playing time after the season he’s had really made me question why he’s considered this unimpeachable character guy, but at least he backed it up on Saturday.

12. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 27-18-5, +11
Last Week: 15th (+3)
Mike’s Rank: 12th
Scott’s Rank: 14th

Scott: Can someone tell the Lightning that they’re allowed to win by scores other than 6-3? That was the only thing they were capable of doing last week, beating the Flyers, Coyotes, and Devils by that exact score. That gives them eight wins in their last nine, so it’s starting to look like the Lightning have found the on switch again, although the underlying numbers have been a bit more mid during this stretch.

13. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 22-15-10, +18
Last Week: 12th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 15th
Scott’s Rank: 12th

Mike: I think it’s about time we sounded the Regicide Alarm. The Kings have now lost, ahem, 14 of their last 16 games. Not since Lear decided to divide control over his realm among his three daughters has a King taken such a wrong turn. What in the world will Rob Blake do? Todd McLellan might be nearing the end of his rope in L.A. — somehow, he’s already been there five seasons — but there’s no getting out from underneath that Pierre-Luc Dubois contract. Take one guess who Drew Doughty was referring to when he talked about Kings players being “too worried about themselves” after a loss last week.

14. Nashville Predators

Record: 26-22-1, -4
Last Week: 16th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 13th
Scott’s Rank: 15th

Scott: No matter what the Predators do, them being a bang-average hockey team seems to be inevitable. Want to roll with career years from most of your roster? They get a Wildcard spot with a sweep. Deal with the consequences of the regressions from those career years? They barely miss out on a playoff spot. Want to start taking some steps to change the culture and rebuild? It’s looking like they may just settle for another Wildcard spot again.

Mike: If I’m Barry Trotz, the next guy I’m looking to move is Juuse Saros. Anaheim missed their chance to sell high on John Gibson years ago. The Preds assuredly don’t want to be left holding the same bag.

Scott: It helps that they have a great fallback guy in Yaroslav Askarov too.

15. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 25-19-6, -1
Last Week: 13th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 16th
Scott’s Rank: 13th

Mike: The Flyers had a bit of a rocky start to the month of January but they combated any simmering fears by rattling off five consecutive wins from the 10th to the 18th. Well, that skepticism is back and it’s on the verge of boiling over. The Flyers have now lost five in a row, including lopsided setbacks to Colorado and Boston. They’ve given up considerable ground to Detroit and Tampa and even lost to Ottawa last week. John Tortorella will need to find some answers soon.

16. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 26-18-5, +16
Last Week: 18th (+2)
Mike’s Rank: 14th
Scott’s Rank: 18th

Scott: I was way lower on the Wings than Mike (the aggregate had them in 25th before I adjusted it with the five-point rule), but they’ve been winning and hanging around in the playoff race, and it’s a lot closer than when they’ve done it in past seasons. They’ve now won six of their last eight games, and have beaten some good teams to do so like Los Angeles, Toronto, Florida, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Vegas. Even their two losses came to great teams in Carolina and Dallas.

17. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 22-17-7, +12
Last Week: 14th (-3)
Mike’s Rank: 17th
Scott’s Rank: 19th

Mike: First and foremost, the Penguins scored on themselves against the Coyotes this week. It was very much both funny and appalling, with the proportions of each subject to change depending on whom you cheer for. Sidney Crosby and Co. had three days to mull over their loss to Arizona before taking back-to-back games into overtime, losing to Florida in a shootout before narrowly defeating the Canadiens the following day.

18. Seattle Kraken

Record: 21-18-10, -5
Last Week: 25th (+7)
Mike’s Rank: 22nd
Scott’s Rank: 16th

Scott: Seattle isn’t quite back yet, but they’ve been starting to get out of their previous slump with wins in two of their last three games. Those wins did come against Chicago and Columbus, though, so it’s not exactly time to celebrate, but they’re starting to look more like the team that made the playoffs last season. Their defensive game in particular has really rounded out and they’ve become one of the best teams in that regard.

Mike: I still just don’t see it with these guys. The Kraken don’t have the star power or the goaltending to make any real noise when it matters most. I think it’ll take a few more years of drafting high and establishing themselves as a franchise before they become a real threat.

19. New Jersey Devils

Record: 24-20-3, -7
Last Week: 17th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 18th
Scott’s Rank: 20th

Mike: It just isn’t working for New Jersey this year. The Devils have battled through a ton of injuries, they’re giving up a ton of goals, and they still have plenty of teams to leapfrog to enter the playoff picture (with just over 30 games remaining to gain ground). If, and it’s a big if, they can sneak into a Wildcard spot with Jack Hughes healthy, the Devils will be a tough out, especially if Dougie Hamilton returns during the playoffs, too. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that Tom Fitzgerald has some work to do — and the first step might be a coaching change.

Scott: Which is funny because they probably should have made that coaching change before last season, but then the winning streak after the 0-2 start made that impossible to do. I wouldn’t hate seeing what someone like Jay Woodcroft can do with another talented team like the Devils.

20. New York Islanders

Record: 20-17-12, -23
Last Week: 20th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 24th
Scott’s Rank: 17th

Scott: After winning in Patrick Roy’s coaching debut, the Isles have lost three in a row to Vegas, Montreal and Florida, so they haven’t exactly gotten the head coach bump they were hoping for… yet. At the very least, they’ve managed a 63.49% 5v5 expected goal share and haven’t allowed more than 1.41 5v5 expected goals against in those three losses, so there is some progress.

21. Washington Capitals

Record: 22-18-7, -31
Last Week: 19th (-2)
Mike’s Rank: 19th
Scott’s Rank: 22nd

Mike: The Capitals did not win a game on their most recent four-game road trip through the Central Division. After losses in St. Louis, Minnesota, Dallas, and Colorado, the Caps are now five points out of a playoff spot … but with three games in hand on the Philadelphia Flyers. Although they’re still in the hunt, it’s worth noting that Washington’s -31 goal differential is the third-worst in the Eastern Conference.

22. Arizona Coyotes

Record: 23-22-3, -4
Last Week: 21st (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 20th
Scott’s Rank: 23rd

Scott: Those playoff chances just slipped away, huh? There’s still a decent shot with them being just five points out, but they’ve slowly faded out of the playoff race recently with some inconsistencies after holding down one of the Wildcard spots for so long. Yes, they had the funny own goal break to start the week, but dropping three straight right after, even with the tough competition they faced, isn’t ideal.

Mike: Arizona’s February schedule is pretty tough, too. Here’s a sliver of good news: Logan Cooley is riding a four-game point streak and has looked downright electric with the puck since Dylan Guenther was put on his line.

23. St. Louis Blues

Record: 26-20-2, -11
Last Week: 26th (+3)
Mike’s Rank: 21st
Scott’s Rank: 24th

Mike: So much for the “St. Louis BLose.” These guys have won five in a row and are back in striking distance of a playoff spot, especially with the Kings in danger of exiting the picture altogether. The Blues have won four consecutive 4-3 games, with the last three ending in overtime — and with captain Brayden Schenn scoring the OT winner in two of them.

Scott: I watched the Blues for the first time on Sunday, and my theory on this team is correct — it’s basically just that top line and their power play running the show. In case you don’t think I’ve been avoiding the Blues all season, here’s proof: I just learned that Schenn is the Blues’ captain two sentences ago.

24. Calgary Flames

Record: 22-22-5, -6
Last Week: 23rd (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 27th
Scott’s Rank: 21st

Scott: It seems that Mike and I continue to be consistent in our differing opinions on this Flames team, and are representing the two different sides of them. I am ranking them based on where they actually are, while Mike seems to be more in the mindset of ranking them where he really wants them to be at this point in the season. That said, four straight losses before barely squeaking one out against the Blackhawks of all teams isn’t a great look.

25. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 22-23-4, -9
Last Week: 24th (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 23rd
Scott’s Rank: 26th

Mike: The Sabres have won back-to-back games! It’s a January miracle! Sure, they beat the last-place San Jose Sharks and the freefalling L.A. Kings, but it’s something! It’s been another tough year in Buffalo, but it’s been a ton of fun to watch Casey Mittelstadt and JJ Peterka live up to their billing as impact players in the NHL. Kevyn Adams just needs to get his team another goalie and another defenseman and they should be in the playoff conversation next season … right?

Scott: At least they probably don’t have to worry about the goalie part, since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi have the potential to be a solid tandem for the future, but yeah, hopefully they do a better job of spending $3.25 million on their blueline than they did with Erik Johnson next season.

26. Minnesota Wild

Record: 21-23-5, -17
Last Week: 22nd (-4)
Mike’s Rank: 25th
Scott’s Rank: 25th

Scott: Minnesota’s probably cooked, right? After looking like they might sneak back into the playoff conversation, a lot of inconsistencies have staggered that and made them fall back in the standings. They’re still closer to the playoffs than they are to the Anaheims, San Joses, and Chicagos, but it might be time to start selling some pieces and try again next year.

Mike: (whispering) Kirill Kaprizov would command one heck of a return, hey?

Scott: Ok, not that much selling.

Mike: I give it two years, tops.

Scott: I agree with you there, but it feels like this season was a bit of a blip on the radar for them. We’re probably expecting too much from them to compete every year while held down by $12-14 million in dead cap space, so it was bound to go wrong one season.

27. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 20-21-8, -39
Last Week: 27th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 26th
Scott’s Rank: 27th

Mike: Who’s giving up a first-round pick for Sean Monahan? The 29-year-old center has been white-hot of late with 11 points in his last seven games, sparking chatter that the Canadiens could be positioned to send him to a contender for a serious haul. But that doesn’t mean the Habs have started winning games. They’ve lost four of five, including a 3-2 overtime setback to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Juraj Slafkovsky, who continues to play big minutes, picked up his seventh goal of the season (assisted by Monahan, of course) in that game.

28. Ottawa Senators

Record: 18-25-2, -14
Last Week: 28th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 28th
Scott’s Rank: 28th

Scott: As bad as a 7-2 loss looks already, the Sens somehow managed to make it look even worse by going up 2-0 and allowing seven straight to blow it. It just doesn’t stop being ugly for Ottawa, who now have seven wins in their last 23 games, and only two of those losses are to playoff teams. Joonas Korpisalo continues to sink the team in net too, and they still have four more years on that contract after this one. Who even knows how to fix this?

Mike: This season for Tim Stützle reminds me of when Canucks fans were getting antsy about Elias Pettersson when he was 23. He scored 102 points the next year and hasn’t looked back from there. Yes, Timmy has just 10 goals, but it’s been a nightmare season full of drama and executive overhauls in Ottawa. Once things start to calm down again, I think Stützle and the Sens will pop off.

29. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 15-24-10, -37
Last Week: 29th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 29th
Scott’s Rank: 29th

Mike: To inaccurately paraphrase Remy from Ratatouille: “You could fill a book — a lot of books — with things that have gone wrong in Columbus.” What a disaster. It’s only gotten worse since the Mike Babcock debacle at the start of the season. Adam Fantilli is hurt, David Jiricek is rightfully upset about being scratched and sent to the AHL, Johnny Gaudreau has seven goals and is a -21, and Elvis Merzlikins is apparently “pulling the monster out” of himself. Another major development came on Sunday when star sniper Patrik Laine announced he would enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. On one hand, it’s unfortunate for Columbus that Laine won’t be returning just yet (he hasn’t played since mid-December), but hopefully he can get the help he needs.

30. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 17-30-2, -42
Last Week: 30th (0)
Mike’s Rank: 30th
Scott’s Rank: 30th

Scott: Even wins in two of the Ducks’ last three games can’t help them right now, and the wins haven’t exactly come against the league’s best either, as they beat equally struggling teams in the Sabres and Wild. I wrote about how they’ve actually been underperforming this season, so that’s some good news for the future, but now you just hope that you keep losing to get Macklin Cellebrini.

31. San Jose Sharks

Record: 13-32-4, -93
Last Week: 32nd (+1)
Mike’s Rank: 31st
Scott’s Rank: 32nd

Mike: I get why Scott is holding out, I really do, but you have to admit that the Blackhawks are coming really close to taking over as the undisputed punching bags of the league this year. San Jose getting Logan Couture back from injury is huge. These Sharks have vastly more talent than the Blackhawks on paper, but that just goes to show how much damage a terrible start can do. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sharks end the year five points (or more) up on Chicago.

32. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 14-34-2, -72
Last Week: 31st (-1)
Mike’s Rank: 32nd
Scott’s Rank: 31st

Scott: I’ll admit, me having the Sharks over the Blackhawks largely comes down to the Sharks’ numbers being weighed down from their horrendous start, although it’s not like they’ve been much better lately. I didn’t even think it was possible, but the Blackhawks have certainly made the conversation for worst team in the league interesting again, although I’ll still give them the benefit of the doubt considering that they have to be significantly injured just to get close to a healthy Sharks team.

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