NHL Power Rankings: The St. Louis Blues finally hit a high note

Credit: © Jeff Le

We now sit just one week from the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend in the NHL schedule, which has often been referenced as the point in the season where teams that find themselves five points out of a playoff spot rarely make it. There are always exceptions, but it’s not a spot you want to be in, so let’s see where teams have positioned themselves as we hit this point.

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. New Jersey Devils

Record: 15-3-0 (.833%, 2nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +21 (1st)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.49 (1st)
5v5 xGA/60: 1.97 (1st)
PP xGF/60: 8.97 (6th)
PK xGA/60: 5.95 (3rd)
5v5 PDO: 101.1
Previous Week: 1st (0)

The Devils just can’t seemed to be dethroned from our top spot of the power rankings at this point, and it’s hard to see that changing if they keep up their win streak. They’re now looking at a 12-game run after sweeping their Eastern Canada road trip, and while the wins over the Canadiens and Senators aren’t surprising at this point, a win over the Maple Leafs while having 71.01% of the expected goals is an impressive feat.

2. Boston Bruins

Record: 16-2-0 (.889%, 1st)
5v5 Goal Differential: +19 (2nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.72 (13th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.15 (3rd)
PP xGF/60: 10.11 (3rd)
PK xGA/60: 5.44 (1st)
5v5 PDO: 103.7
Previous Week: 2nd (0)

The Bruins still can’t seem to squeak back up into that top spot, even if they’re on a lengthy win streak themselves at six games. They only got into two games last week, taking care of both Philadelphia and Chicago to extend their streak, although neither of them is exactly tough competition at the moment. Still, this team is gelling like no other, a big reason why it has only lost twice this season.

The Stars jump up a few spots riding the back of a four-game point streak last week, going 3-0-1 to recover from the previous week’s brief rough patch. They started it by blowing out the Flyers before losing to the Lightning in OT, and then responded with two more wins over the Panthers and Islanders to cap off the week.

4. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 14-4-1 (.763%, 3rd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +13 (4th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.99 (5th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.24 (5th)
PP xGF/60: 7.58 (19th)
PK xGA/60: 6.45 (6th)
5v5 PDO: 101.7
Previous Week: 3rd (-1)

The Golden Knights had a bit of a “human” week to drop them down a spot in the rankings, going 1-1-1 last week. They got their lone win against the Coyotes, which should be a gimme for most teams, and then lost to the Sharks and the Oilers, although in their defense, playing 3-on-3 OT against Connor McDavid is just unfair.

connor mcdavid are you kidding me!!!!! pic.twitter.com/J2tvE3C0Pc

— zach (@zjlaing) November 20, 2022

5. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 10-5-3 (.639%, t-7th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +12 (5th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.05 (3rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.02 (2nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.89 (7th)
PK xGA/60: 6.36 (t-4th)
5v5 PDO: 99.9
Previous Week: 4th (-1)

The Canes continue to be stuck slightly lower than they should be in these rankings, as the five-point rule has them behind both Vegas and Dallas this week. It’s not that they’ve been losing out on a ton of points, but a stretch of 2-3-2 in their last seven makes it easy to fall behind other teams this high that keep on winning. To make matters worse, help isn’t on the way, as they’re going to be without Teuvo Teravainen, Ondrej Kase, and Frederik Andersen for a while longer.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 10-5-4 (.632%, 10th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +4 (11th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.75 (t-10th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.48 (12th)
PP xGF/60: 9.06 (5th)
PK xGA/60: 5.94 (2nd)
5v5 PDO: 100.4
Previous Week: 5th (-1)

You’d think that a team with points in eight of its last nine games would have more of a public perception of being a high-end team, but the Leafs still can’t quite shake the assumptions of mediocrity. They don’t quite have the points to compete with the big dogs in these rankings, and they are still a bit lacking for 5-on-5 play, but they got points in every game this week, and they finally have one of their starting goalies back in Matt Murray, who’s looked solid in his return to the lineup.

7. New York Rangers

Record: 9-6-4 (.579%, t-12th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -1 (t-17th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.84 (8th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.37 (7th)
PP xGF/60: 10.53 (1st)
PK xGA/60: 7.58 (15th)
5v5 PDO: 98.4
Previous Week: 9th (+2)

The Rangers began their West Coast road trip with points in both of their games this week, taking a point from the Kraken in OT before winning another close match against the Sharks on Saturday. Igor Shesterkin is slowly putting some more consistent starts together, although he still hasn’t been the dominant goaltender that he was for the Rangers last season.

8. Florida Panthers

Record: 9-7-2 (.526%, 20th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +7 (9th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.14 (2nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.4 (t-9th)
PP xGF/60: 9.51 (4th)
PK xGA/60: 7.73 (20th)
5v5 PDO: 98.8
Previous Week: 7th (-1)

Another inconsistent week has the Panthers drop down another spot, as after a 5-2 win over the Capitals, the Cats lost three straight to the Stars, Flames, and Blue Jackets, allowing at least five goals in all three losses as well. It was probably expected to see them go through some regression after how good they were last season (especially in overtime games), so the fact that they’re still in the thick of things while they ride this out is a good sign.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 9-7-3 (.553%, 16th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +9 (7th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.01 (4th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.4 (t-9th)
PP xGF/60: 8.57 (9th)
PK xGA/60: 8.12 (23rd)
5v5 PDO: 101.7
Previous Week: 12th (+3)

Looks like the struggling Pens was a short-lived timeline in hockey, as they’ve climbed back out of the basement in the standings and are back in the top 10 of the rankings. They didn’t play too well in their first game of the week against the Leafs but saw significant improvement later on when they beat Minnesota, Winnipeg, and Chicago to start a little winning streak.

10. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 10-5-1 (.656%, t-5th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +9 (7th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.57 (19th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.66 (t-16th)
PP xGF/60: 8.33 (13th)
PK xGA/60: 7.23 (12th)
5v5 PDO: 102.5
Previous Week: 8th (-2)

Ok, maybe it’s not a straight shot up the rankings for the Avs. They had a bit of a hiccup with a loss to the Blues, along with a win over the Hurricanes that they struggled in, but they rebounded with a dominant win over the Capitals as this team slowly regains that Cup contending form.

11. Seattle Kraken

Record: 10-5-3 (.639%, t-7th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +11 (6th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.62 (t-17th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.39 (8th)
PP xGF/60: 5.22 (t-31st)
PK xGA/60: 6.36 (t-4th)
5v5 PDO: 101.8
Previous Week: 14th (+3)

While I continue to be cautiously optimistic of the Kraken being legit in their sophomore season, every sign points to that being the case, especially as we get closer to the U.S. Thanksgiving threshold. They won both games last week over the Rangers and Kings, and they’re doing so without much playing time for top prospect Shane Wright, who’s now in the minors on a conditioning stint in a somewhat clever loophole from the Kraken.

12. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 11-6-1 (.639%, t-7th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +2 (t-12th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.92 (7th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.68 (t-18th)
PP xGF/60: 7.61 (18th)
PK xGA/60: 8.34 (24th)
5v5 PDO: 100.4
Previous Week: 17th (+5)

I’ve been a bit bullish on the Lightning so far this season, but like the Avs, they’ve started to return to their Cup contending form as well, topped off with a four game winning streak at the moment. Victor Hedman has struggled this season now that he’s been thrust into the role of shutdown defenseman with Ryan McDonagh in Nashville, but they’ve gotten a bit of blueline help from rookie Nick Perbix.

13. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 11-8-2 (.571%, 14th)
5v5 Goal Differential: 0 (t-15th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.69 (t-14th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.23 (4th)
PP xGF/60: 7.11 (22nd)
PK xGA/60: 7.67 (t-18th)
5v5 PDO: 98.7
Previous Week: 10th (-3)

It was a tough week for the Kings, as they lost three of four last week to the Flames, Canucks, and Kraken while up North, salvaging the week with a 3-1 win over the Oilers. The good news is that they still played well aside from the Flames game, so there’s certainly something to build on this week, along with a bit of easier competition in the Sharks and Sens after they start the week against the Rangers.

14. Calgary Flames

Record: 8-7-2 (.529%, t-17th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +1 (14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.75 (t-10th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.46 (11th)
PP xGF/60: 8.41 (11th)
PK xGA/60: 6.74 (7th)
5v5 PDO: 97.5
Previous Week: 13th (-1)

If there’s one issue that’s starting to get exposed with the five -point rule, it’s that it puts a team at a significant disadvantage if they’ve played fewer games. The team that drops the Flames down four spots, the Kings, isn’t that far ahead, but they’ve played four more games, which helps build a point gap that will eventually go down once the Flames play more games. They certainly helped their case last week, beating said Kings to start the week as well as the Panthers to take two of three.

15. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 10-5-1 (.656%, t-5th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -1 (t-17th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.54 (20th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.81 (24th)
PP xGF/60: 8.01 (14th)
PK xGA/60: 7.1 (10th)
5v5 PDO: 100.2
Previous Week: 15th (0)

The Jets split their games last week, taking a 3-2 win to the Ducks before getting shut out by the Penguins, but it was off the ice where they took the biggest losses. Not only will they be without Mason Appleton for the next couple months, they lost one of their best forwards in Nikolaj Ehlers to a sports hernia surgery. How the team plays through this could be a big indicator as to how competitive they really are.

16. New York Islanders

Record: 11-8-0 (.579%, t-12th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +6 (10th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.74 (12th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.15 (31st)
PP xGF/60: 7.9 (16th)
PK xGA/60: 7.61 (16th)
5v5 PDO: 101.6
Previous Week: 11th (-5)

The Islanders took a bit of a hit last week, losing two of three in large part to their goaltending stuttering a bit, exposing the weak defense in front of them. They got off to the right foot with a solid win over the Sens, but then got lit up for five goals in both losses to the Preds and the Stars, so they’ll have to hope Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov improve from that to keep up their hot start.

17. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 9-5-4 (.611%, 11th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -2 (t-19th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.07 (30th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.61 (15th)
PP xGF/60: 7.81 (17th)
PK xGA/60: 6.92 (9th)
5v5 PDO: 101.4
Previous Week: 18th (+1)

The Wings shockingly didn’t need the help of the five-point rule to move up a spot, as usually that’s been keeping them higher up in these rankings in spite of their poor on-ice play. They move up with the help of five of a possible six points last week, as well as some solid play in those games, although still not consistent enough to stopping looking at the red flags.

18. Minnesota Wild

Record: 8-8-2 (.500%, t-21st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -10 (27th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.34 (26th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.3 (6th)
PP xGF/60: 8.62 (8th)
PK xGA/60: 7.67 (t-18th)
5v5 PDO: 97.8
Previous Week: 16th (-2)

Inconsistency continues to plague the Wild as they struggle to truly get out of the early hole they dug themselves. They started off last week with two straight losses to the Preds and Pens before escaping the week with a win over the Hurricanes. They lost a couple of bodies this week as well, with Marc-Andre Fleury out with an injury and Tyson Jost heading to Buffalo after a waiver claim.

19. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 10-8-0 (.556%, 15th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -7 (26th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.62 (t-17th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.99 (30th)
PP xGF/60: 8.56 (10th)
PK xGA/60: 8.39 (25th)
5v5 PDO: 99.4
Previous Week: 19th (0)

As far as weeks go, the Oilers had a relatively uninteresting one. They only played in two games, split them with a 3-1 loss to the Kings and a 4-3 win over the Golden Knights, and as a result sit in the same spot they did in last week’s rankings. They didn’t even outright suck or dominate in either game to make it interesting – just perfectly mediocre.

20. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 6-9-3 (.417%, 25th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -2 (t-19th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.44 (23rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.8 (23rd)
PP xGF/60: 7.23 (20th)
PK xGA/60: 7.55 (14th)
5v5 PDO: 100.5
Previous Week: 25th (+5)

The Canucks had their first undefeated week of the season, one that comes as a surprise considering the team’s start, and moves them up a bit further. They looked solid in their 5-4 win over the Sabres, but they got walked all over in their 4-1 win over the Kings, so there’s still plenty of work for this team. At the very least, they got Thatcher Demko’s best performance of the season in that win, so hopefully he’s starting to return to form.

21. San Jose Sharks

Record: 6-11-3 (.375%, 31st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -14 (28th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.5 (22nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.56 (14th)
PP xGF/60: 8.4 (12th)
PK xGA/60: 7.64 (17th)
5v5 PDO: 97.7
Previous Week: 20th (-1)

Let’s be honest, this has more or less just turned into an Erik Karlsson update instead of an actual Sharks update. Well, he had a four-point performance against the Red Wings in a game the Sharks lost 7-4, and he had two assists in a 5-2 win over the Golden Knights, giving him 11 goals and 28 points in just 20 games and tying him for third in scoring in the league.

22. St. Louis Blues

Record: 9-8-0 (.529%, t-17th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -3 (22nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.63 (16th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.68 (t-18th)
PP xGF/60: 7.06 (23rd)
PK xGA/60: 9.97 (32nd)
5v5 PDO: 100.4
Previous Week: 29th (+7)

For the second week in a row, the highest riser in the rankings is the 22nd ranked team jumping up seven spots from 29th, except it’s not the Habs this week, it’s the Blues. They seem to only know how to win and lose in streaks, as that eight-game skid is a distant memory after a six-game winning streak these past two weeks, including four last week against Colorado, Chicago, Washington, and Anaheim.

23. Nashville Predators

Record: 8-8-2 (.500%, t-21st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -4 (t-23rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.69 (t-14th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.72 (21st)
PP xGF/60: 5.89 (t-26th)
PK xGA/60: 9.6 (28th)
5v5 PDO: 99.6
Previous Week: 27th (+4)

The Predators escape the depths of the basement thanks to a week that saw them win two of their three games against the Wild and the Islanders before a loss to the Lightning to end it. A big help is that Juuse Saros has started to find his form again, even stopping 29 of 33 in the 5-4 win against the Isles that probably should have damaged his save percentage much more than it did.

24. Washington Capitals

Record: 7-10-3 (.425%, 24th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -4 (t-23rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.43 (24th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.69 (20th)
PP xGF/60: 6.46 (25th)
PK xGA/60: 9.13 (t-26th)
5v5 PDO: 99.5
Previous Week: 24th (0)

The Caps now find themselves in the midst of a four-game losing streak after dropping all three games last week, with a 5-2 loss to the Panthers, a hard-fought 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Blues, and 4-0 drubbing by the Avs. The season’s far from over, but with all the injuries the Caps have endured, their playoff chances are getting closer and closer to life support.

25. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 7-11-0 (.389%, 29th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -5 (25th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.53 (21st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.66 (t-16th)
PP xGF/60: 5.77 (29th)
PK xGA/60: 8.02 (22nd)
5v5 PDO: 99
Previous Week: 21st (-4)

It feels weird to think where this Sabres team was just a matter of weeks ago, but an eight-game losing streak has tanked them into, well, tanking territory in the standings. The fact that they haven’t gotten a single point during this streak is adding insult to injury, particularly last week when they got walked all over by the Canucks, Senators, and Leafs.

26. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 9-8-1 (.528%, 19th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -2 (t-19th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.41 (25th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.79 (22nd)
PP xGF/60: 5.61 (30th)
PK xGA/60: 9.67 (30th)
5v5 PDO: 99.3
Previous Week: 22nd (-4)

A three-game winning streak shot the Habs up to 22nd in our rankings last week, and losing two of three shoots them right back down a few places this week, as is the lifestyle of a team living off luck. I doubt the Canadiens care, and they’ve certainly taken strides under Martin St. Louis, but I wouldn’t put all my eggs in the playoff basket if I were a Habs fan.

27. Ottawa Senators

Record: 6-10-1 (.382%, 30th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +2 (t-12th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.93 (6th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.89 (25th)
PP xGF/60: 7.16 (21st)
PK xGA/60: 7.31 (13th)
5v5 PDO: 100.7
Previous Week: 23rd (-4)

The Senators may have suffered the most damage from the five-point rule this season, as the aggregate has them at 19th, but sitting six points behind the Canadiens drops them to 27th as a result. Not that the Sens have been all that great this season, especially defensively, but they do deserve a bit better than the hand they’ve been dealt. At least they got a win against a Sabres team that’s colder than they are.

28. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 7-7-4 (.500%, t-21st)
5v5 Goal Differential: 0 (t-15th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.28 (27th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.92 (27th)
PP xGF/60: 5.8 (28th)
PK xGA/60: 9.82 (31st)
5v5 PDO: 100.6
Previous Week: 28th (0)

After weeks of the Flyers slowly creeping down the rankings as the team snapped back to reality, they seem to have finally found a consistent spot. It’s not a good spot, but it’s consistent at least. The team doubled their losing streak last week with losses to the Blue Jackets, Bruins, and Canadiens, and also took a big loss on the ice with Travis Konecny missing a bit of time with an upper-body injury.

29. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 6-9-3 (.417%, 25th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -17 (t-29th)
5v5 xGF/60: 1.82 (31st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.94 (28th)
PP xGF/60: 5.89 (t-26th)
PK xGA/60: 7.13 (11th)
5v5 PDO: 98.5
Previous Week: 26th (-3)

Chicago are slowly putting themselves into the tier that everyone thought they’d be in at the beginning of the season: the lottery tier. Four losses in a row will do that to you, and two of them were especially ugly, with only 28.35 percent of the expected goals against the Blues and 19.46 percent of the expected goals against the Bruins.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 7-10-1 (.417%, 25th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -20 (31st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.2 (28th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.97 (29th)
PP xGF/60: 7.93 (15th)
PK xGA/60: 9.13 (t-26th)
5v5 PDO: 98.1
Previous Week: 30th (0)

The Blue Jackets might be pulling themselves out of that three-headed monster that’s stuck around the bottom of these rankings for the past several weeks after winning three of four last week. They haven’t moved anywhere yet, but the aggregate had them closer to the level of Chicago and Philadelphia than Arizona and Anaheim, which… isn’t all that great either, but at least they aren’t the worst now! Not like it matters because their injury pile keeps growing with Patrick Laine, Jake Bean, and Elvis Merzlikins now out.

31. Arizona Coyotes

Record: 6-9-1 (.406%, 28th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -23 (32nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 1.81 (32nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.9 (26th)
PP xGF/60: 5.22 (t-31st)
PK xGA/60: 7.91 (21st)
5v5 PDO: 96.2
Previous Week: 31st (0)

The Coyotes stick around in the bottom of the rankings mostly due to only playing one game last week, not giving them much room to improve or fall this week. They lost in a 4-1 game to the Golden Knights, a tough team in their own right, but the past week also managed to work as a solid break for the Coyotes amidst a 14-game road trip while their arena finishes up. Even more good news: they’ll be getting both Jakob Chychrun and Nick Schmaltz back this week.

32. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 5-12-1 (.306%, 32nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -17 (t-29th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.14 (29th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.32 (32nd)
PP xGF/60: 6.9 (24th)
PK xGA/60: 9.65 (29th)
5v5 PDO: 98.8
Previous Week: 32nd (0)

The Ducks have built themselves a nest at the bottom of the rankings, as they still have yet to win a game in regulation, with their lone victory last week coming in overtime against the Red Wings. Thankfully, my 5-1 team in fantasy has survived the lack of points from John Gibson during this stretch. Yeah, that’s right, I’m talking about my fantasy team here because there’s that little to talk about with this team.

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