Double-digit scoring nights have happened before, but the one on Friday was likely the most unexpected of them all. The Columbus Blue Jackets, who still have 23 fewer goals than the New York Rangers (the top-scoring team in the NHL), gave the Montreal Canadiens a 10-0 beatdown at Nationwide Arena. It did not hurt Montreal in the NHL Power Rankings, but the Jackets got a little more respect in their attempt to climb away from the bottom of the pack.
Meanwhile, the Oilers are continuing to prove their worth, even without significant production – recently – from Connor McDavid. They are knocking on the #1 spot and are another hot streak away from an unexpected, compared to last April, placing.
1. Montreal Canadiens (23 points)
Previously 1 (19 points)
That 10-0 loss on Friday was a huge black eye, but things have gone well since. After barely hanging on against Philly, they got some heroics from Paul Byron against the hated Bruins. Tomas Plekanec scored his first goal of the season in the win over the Flyers.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (20 points)
Previously 2 (15 points)
Losing to the offensively-challenged Kings makes this a little surprising, but Pittsburgh are on an eight-game point streak. Extending the streak next week could be enough to catch Montreal, which have Detroit, Chicago, and Florida in a span of four days. Conor Sheary had two goals and the game-winner late in the third period against Edmonton, and that helped Matt Murray finish his first week of the season undefeated.
3. Edmonton Oilers (19 points)
Previously 4 (15 points)
They let one get away in Pittsburgh, but the Oilers go home having earned five points on the road trip. Yet they will have to take on the Rangers again, and their offense has been unstoppable. Patrick Maroon scored in three games this week, including a tip-in to get the Oilers on the board in Brooklyn.
4. New York Rangers (20 points)
Previously 5 (14 points)
Perhaps losing to the Canucks was ugly, but the Rangers are still cruising in the offensive department. They are averaging more than four goals a game and have only scored fewer than two goals once. That was their fourth game of the season against Jimmy Howard, who has statistically been the best goaltender of the season, and Detroit. Kevin Hayes has been red hot, scoring in four straight games before Tuesday’s matchup against Vancouver. His six-game point streak is still intact.
They also traded away Dylan McIlrath to Florida for Steven Kampfer.
5. Chicago Blackhawks (21 points)
Previously 9 (13 points)
Hawks on fire! They have now won seven straight games and eight of nine. Three of those wins during the winning streak were on overtime goals, including in their last two games against division rivals Dallas and St. Louis. Marian Hossa, who had the overtime goal against the Stars, scored four times this week. Apparently 500 goals were not his intended career mark.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning (15 points)
Previously 3 (12 points)
So the Lightning are not doing too hot on the road. After Monday’s late loss to Florida, Tampa Bay is 3-4-0. To make things worse, they have a five-game swing starting this upcoming Monday. Before visiting Florida, Victor Hedman had five points in his previous three games, including two assists in a thrashing win in Brooklyn.
7. Washington Capitals (17 points)
Previously 6 (13 points)
Washington’s five-game win streak was halted on Tuesday night, when they were shutout at home to the Sharks. Despite the surge, the Caps still trail Pittsburgh and New York by three points in the Metropolitan Division. Of his three goals this week, only one of Alex Ovechkin’s netters was from his classic slap shot variety. That was the overtime winner to sink the Jets for the second time in three days.
8. St. Louis Blues (17 points)
Previously 8 (12 points)
Their offense was fantastic against the lowly Avalanche, but it has once again been a disappointment. Now they are in the bottom 10 in the league in goals per game and had just come off of horrible blowout losses in New York and Dallas last Tuesday and Thursday. It bit them again on Wednesday, as they could only get one goal off of Corey Crawford with 2:11 remaining in the third period. Fortunately, they are an incredible 33-34 on the penalty kill at home. A lot of credit can be given to Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, and a heavily improved Colton Parayko when either one of those two defensemen are in the penalty box.
9. San Jose Sharks (14 points)
Previously 7 (12 points)
Did you expect a near deadlock between the California teams? Probably, but the Sharks still look like the better team, and they no longer have to worry about the Penguins for the rest of the season. After Pittsburgh victimized him through 20 minutes on Saturday, Martin Jones recovered nicely when he shut out Washington on 24 saves and survived a stressful second period.
Martin Jones has 24 saves to lead Sharks over Capitals https://t.co/bwL6WzKOfa pic.twitter.com/FjWLfarJIq
— Karen (@Politic_KV) November 9, 2016
10. Ottawa Senators (16 points)
Previously 10 (12 points)
In a week where the Senators had a four easier games, they nearly went 1-2-1. Their offense was obviously not going to be automatic all season, but they only had one goal in all four of their games. One of those was a 1-0 victory over Vancouver, and the another resulted in a shootout victory over Buffalo. They are currently second in a very tight Atlantic Division. Mike Condon, who was acquired last week after already being on the Montreal and Pittsburgh rosters earlier in the season, has made an excellent first impression in the Canadian capital. He shut out the Canucks and win the shootout over the Sabres.
11. Florida Panthers (13 points)
Previously 12 (9 points)
Reilly Smith is a wizard. pic.twitter.com/hz7QOtleyP
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) November 8, 2016
Jonathan Marchessault got a star for the month of October, Vincent Trocheck is right behind him in goals, and a proven goal scorer is finding a rhythm. Reilly Smith scored twice this week, including a steal and score that gave the Simbas the lead, and the win, against their in-state rivals. They returned to .500 after the win on Monday.
12. Minnesota Wild (13 points)
Previously 11 (13 points)
It is kind of hard to make any changes to a team that has only played one game in a span of nine days. The only game they have played between last Tuesday and this upcoming Thursday was a 1-0 loss to Colorado. Devan Dubnyk had 31 saves in the loss.
13. Philadelphia Flyers (14 points)
Previously 13 (11 points)
The Flyers have had plenty of extra time of late. Three of their last four games required at least overtime, and the Flyers have had their last eight games decided by one goal, going 4-3-1 in those games. Travis Konecny, Philly’s first round, 24th overall, pick in 2015, scored twice this week, including a dazzling rebound in the win over the Islanders.
14. New Jersey Devils (15 points)
Previously 15 (10 points)
The Metropolitan Division is looking very tough, yet the Devils are not messing around. They are 5-0-1 at home and no longer have to travel to Florida for the rest of the season. In fact, they do not have to play Tampa Bay at all, even at home. New Jersey had no problems in Raleigh on Sunday, and Michael Cammalieri tallied a hat trick in the 4-1 win over Carolina.
15. Anaheim Ducks (15 points)
Previously 20 (10 points)
The bad news is that the Ducks lost to Columbus on Wednesday. On the bright side, they only allowed three goals at Nationwide Arena (compared to Montreal’s 10) and salvaged a point with goals in the second and third period. After defeating Arizona and Calgary earlier in the week, the Ducks now own sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division. Rickard Rakell has looked impressive in his return, and he had two goals and an assist in the win over the Coyotes.
16. Boston Bruins (14 points)
Previously 19 (10 points)
Boston is looking more like a contender in the Atlantic Division. They buried Tampa Bay. Florida, Detroit, and Buffalo (easily) over the past two weeks. On Tuesday, they nearly forced overtime on Montreal. While Tuukka Rask shut out Buffalo, the power play was outstanding. They scored three times on a season high eight chances. David Pastnak, who had one of those goals, is tied for second with nine goals on the season.
17. Detroit Red Wings (15 points)
Previously 14 (13 points)
Detroit was one loss away from having a six-game losing streak after a six-game winning streak. Then Andreas Athanasiou came to the rescue. He forced overtime in Philadelphia on Tuesday, and he clinched the victory with a shootout goal. Expect him to be on star watch the entire season.
18. New York Islanders (12 points)
Previously 17 (8 points)
At least for one game, the dumpster fire was extinguished. Albeit, it required extending Vancouver’s losing streak to nine games. Andrew Ladd finally scored his first goal of the season in the win.
19. Winnipeg Jets (13 points)
Previously 18 (8 points)
TOP HEAVY! They are eighth in goals per game, but the stars are obvious. Mark Scheifele has nine points in his last three games, including two goals and two assists in the 8-2 win over Dallas on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Patrik Laine had another hat trick, and he now leads the league in goals with 11.
20. Los Angeles Kings (14 points)
Previously 26 (8 points)
Now they are clicking. After failing to even rent a goal last week, they defeated Pittsburgh in overtime. Then they shut out Calgary and Toronto while scoring 12 goals in those games. Peter Budaj, who has made 10 straight starts in goal, now has a GAA of 1.86. Talk about a lifesaver without Jonathan Quick!
21. Dallas Stars (11 points)
Previously 16 (8 points)
Things looked promising after a 6-2 win over St. Louis, but they only got one point in two games against Chicago. Then that 8-2 loss happened in Winnipeg. Dallas could be in a mountain of trouble if they struggle in Western Canada. Tyler Seguin had four assists in the win over the Blues.
22. Columbus Blue Jackets (14 points)
Previously 27 (9 points)
I think the tweet below is all that is needed. It was a good night to be at Nationwide Arena on Friday. Four players, including Scott Hartnell, had two goals in that game.
The @BlueJacketsNHL set a franchise record for most goals scored in a game, and BOB didn't allow one to Montreal! https://t.co/ee2uvGngHJ
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) November 5, 2016
23. Nashville Predators (11 points)
Previously 21 (7 points)
After a rough beginning to the season, Nashville now has points in all four games in November. Do not sound too impressed. They lost shootouts to Arizona and Carolina, and that will knock them down a few notches. James Neal had two goals this week, including the opening goal in the win over Ottawa.
24. Buffalo Sabres (13 points)
Previously 26 (10 points)
Oh, the cruelty. They had so many chances to bury the Senators in overtime on Wednesday, but Ottawa cashed in during the shootout steal the extra point away from Buffalo. Luck will not follow a team that refuses to help Robin Lehner. Their only win this week was in Ottawa, and that was the only time they reached two goals. Fortunately, Evander Kane returned to game action on Wednesday. Now they need Jack Eichel.
25. Calgary Flames (11 points)
Previously 22 (9 points)
The Flames had a rough start to November, with four roadies against some of the top teams in the Western Conference. They got some heroics from Matthew Tkachuk in San Jose. The 18-year-old scored twice, including a filthy game-winner, to will the Flames to their only victory on the road trip. Glen Gulutzan has switched his lines up a little too much to begin the season, and he will need to find consistent groupings this week. Calgary has four home games in their next five, and they are on the verge of digging too deep a hole.
26. Toronto Maple Leafs (13 points)
Previously 28 (9 points)
They were flying high in November, but their first loss of the month was ugly. How about a 7-0 beatdown to the Kings? If that was not bad enough, they were also outshot 43-19. Tyler Bozak scored twice in the win over Vancouver on Saturday, but more impressively, he had none of the 171 penalty minutes handed out in that game.
27. Colorado Avalanche (8 points)
Previously 23 (8 points)
Their only win only had one goal. That is the problem with the Avalanche. That net is mighty lonely. After scoring just four times in as many games this week, Colorado is 29th in goals per game this season. That explains why they are tied for dead last in points. To top it all off, the Pepsi Center crowd booed them after losing to Arizona.
28. Carolina Hurricanes (10 points)
Previously 29 (7 points)
They still have more overtime losses than wins, but at least they did something right in extra time. Jaccob Slavin played hero in Nashville on Saturday, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
29. Vancouver Canucks (9 points)
Previously 24 (9 points)
Rejoice! The Canucks ended their nine-game losing streak with a shocking upset in MSG, and they avoided losing 10 straight for the first time since 1997. Alex Burrows had his first two goals of the season in that game.
30. Arizona Coyotes (10 points)
Previously 30 (2 points)
They are still at the bottom, but at least they can share it now. Their 10 points are tied with Colorado, the team they just defeated, and Carolina for fewest points in the NHL. It took Max Domi 12 games to notch his first goal of the season, and Anthony DeAngelo scored in his NHL debut (regular season) on Tuesday.
Bold Predictions:
Last week:
Brock Nelson leads the Islanders in goals from Thursday-Wednesday. He had an assist against Vancouver, but that was it. By the way, no one had more than one goal, but Dennis Seidenburg had two assists with his lone goal. Not bad for a defenseman who battled injuries at the end of his Bruins career.
LA beats the Penguins on Thursday, but they will have to wait for their first regulation win. I probably was not specific enough. Technically, I was right, but they eventually got a regulation win later in the week. I will not count this one, but…
Patrik Laine gets another hat trick. I SO NAILED THIS ONE!!!!! SCORRRRRREEEEE!!!!
This week:
Artem Anisimov get three points against Washington on Friday.
Colorado hits the four-goal mark against Boston.
Dan Girardi has two goals and two assists for the week (Considering how hot the offense is, I am hoping that it extends to the blue line this week).