There are some teams that could use a coaching change, but the Florida Panthers were not one of them. A year after winning the Atlantic Division title, Gerard Gallant was fired from his role as head coach. Who knows what will happen? Pittsburgh was the first team to fire their head coach (Mike Johnston) last year, and they won the Stanley Cup. Until I see success from Tom Rowe, however, the Panthers will settle for #21 in the NHL Power Rankings.
Ottawa and Los Angeles jumped up the rankings after their latest winning streaks, and the Coyotes are finally out of the 30 hole…for now.
1. Montreal Canadiens (34 points)
Previously 1 (30 points)
Montreal knows a thing or two about 2-1 games. They had three of them this week, and they salvaged wins in two of those games. Carey Price was fantastic once again. He allowed just four goals in three games and had at least a 95% save percentage in all of them. Do not be surprised if he gets his hands on the Vezina Trophy again.
2. New York Rangers (33 points)
Previously 2 (29 points)
Since surprisingly losing to the Canucks on November 9, the Rangers had lost four straight home games heading into Tuesday night, including a shutout loss to Craig Anderson and the Sens. Fortunately, they faced a Carolina team they had beaten 11 straight times at MSG, and they made it 12 with a third period comeback. They look to extend their streak against the Hurricanes on Saturday when they return to Manhattan for another go-round. Rick Nash contributed to both third period goals on Tuesday, including a successful backhanded breakaway 24 seconds in.
3. Chicago Blackhawks (33 points)
Previously 3 (28 points)
Everyone returned from the Circus road trip except for Jonathan Toews, who has missed three straight games with a back injury. Hakuna Matata. Richard Panik returned to his scoring ways in October and scored the only Chicago goal on Tuesday. He then ended the game with a shootout goal after taking Toews’ spot in the shootout rotation. Corey Crawford was so good in that game that he even made a save after a teammate knocked him down.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (29 points)
Previously 4 (27 points)
Pittsburgh should be an easy playoff contender, but they have let a lot of games get away from them. On Friday, they were run out of the Xcel Energy Center. On Wednesday, they took on an Islanders team that had the fewest points in the NHL before the game began. After pulling off a furious third period comeback, the Penguins could not stop New York from scoring twice with under 30 seconds remaining. Sidney Crosby now leads the NHL with 15 goals (zzzzzzzzz).
5. Washington Capitals (28 points)
Previously 5 (26 points)
In what was a light week, the Capitals went 1-1-0 after defeating the Sabres on Friday and falling to Toronto on Saturday. Friday happened to be Philipp Grubauer‘s 25th birthday, and he celebrated it by stopping 32 of Buffalo’s 33 shots for his third victory in five starts. He and Braden Holtby have combined to give Washington the fourth lowest GAA (2.24), and neither player has been pulled from a game this season. I likely jinxed it…
6. Ottawa Senators (29 points)
Previously 12 (23 points)
Ottawa ripped off a four-game winning streak this week, but it ended on Tuesday against the Sabres. On the bright side, Mike Hoffman contributed on all four goals in that game, including a hat trick. They are also alone in second place in the Atlantic Division with Tampa Bay slipping up on the road.
7. St. Louis Blues (29 points)
Previously 7 (25 points)
The Blues have now won six of their last seven and have now are 10-1-2 at home. Their only regulation loss at the Scottrade Center was against the Flames back in October. After scoring twice on the Capitals last Wednesday, Vladimir Tarasenko buried the 19th game-winning goal of his career, and second this November, to end a thrilling game against Dallas on Monday.
8. San Jose Sharks (29 points)
Previously 9 (23 points)
The Pacific Division is not something to write home about, but the leader is looking like a Stanley Cup contender. The defending Western Conference champions have won five of six and have created a slight gap in the division after smothering the Kings for the second straight time. After getting out of the gates slowly to begin the season, Logan Couture has now scored five goals in his last six games, including twice on Wednesday.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning (27 points)
Previously 6 (27 points)
Not a good week for Tampa Bay. They fell victim to Columbus’s explosive offense, twice, this week, and Boston completely smothered their offense on Sunday. Ben Bishop‘s GAA is now above 3 after two beatings on Friday and Sunday, and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has been at the top of the league in GAA and save percentage, had issues at Nationwide Arena. Here is hoping the landslide does not continue for the Lightning.
10. Minnesota Wild (25 points)
Previously 11 (22 points)
If Minnesota cannot recover from a bad loss in Vancouver, then the Central Division could be a runaway for either the Blackhawks or Blues. Minnesota is currently tied for third with 25 points, and that will not cut it with the heavy Midwest rivalry at its hottest in a long time. Charlie Coyle had three goals this week, including two to help bury the Penguins in the State of Hockey.
11. Columbus Blue Jackets (28 points)
Previously 17 (23 points)
12-5-4. Some things just cannot be predicted. The Jackets have fooled a lot of NHL fans to begin the season, and the distant thought of a playoff spot in October is now becoming a realistic goal in Ohio. Oh, and Pierre-Luc Dubois is likely to be added to the roster over the next year or two, so the Jackets have that to look for. Columbus scored 10 times in their two games against Tampa Bay this week, and Josh Anderson, a fourth-round pick from 2012 who broke out in November, had two goals and assists in those games. He now has seven goals this season.
12. Edmonton Oilers (26 points)
Previously 8 (25 points)
Edmonton got a tough reality check in November. After running the Western Conference in October, the Oilers went 5-8-2 in November. To top it all off, they were swept in the home-and-home against Arizona this week. Ouch. Connor McDavid scored twice this week and extended his point streak to six games, but he could not prevent the Oilers from going 0-12 on the power play in their last three games.
13. Boston Bruins (25 points)
Previously 12 (22 points)
Not a good stretch for the Bruins. They have lost four of five and the offense sputtered again. After getting a huge win on Sunday against the Lightning, they fired off 47 shots on Steve Mason and the Flyers. As we have seen too often, however, those shots did not result in goals, and Philly would win in a shootout. While he could only salvage one win this week, Tuukka Rask is now 12-4-1 this season and remains in the top five of all major categories for goalies.
14. New Jersey Devils (25 points)
Previously 13 (23 points)
Not often do you see a team lose six of seven and still not have a regulation loss at home. While the offense is now 19th in the NHL, the defense has fallen off. Perhaps giving Adam Larsson away is not exactly helping them thus far, especially now that Taylor Hall is on the IR. New Jersey still wins this trade, assuming Hall goes back to his scoring way when he returns. Cory Schneider‘s GAA is 2.53, and he has now allowed at least three goals in his last five starts.
15. Anaheim Ducks (26 points)
Previously 14 (22 points)
They started their five-game home stand off well last week, but they lost three straight to the Kings, Islanders, and Blackhawks. They have since responded with wins over the Sharks and Canadiens to remain within immediate striking distance in the Pacific Division. Ryan Getzlaf has seemingly avoided scoring to begin a season for the second consecutive year, with Saturday’s game-winning, power play goal in San Jose just his second goal of the season. It is worth mentioning, however, that the captain is on pace for 63 assists, which would blow by last season’s total of 50.
16. Los Angeles Kings (26 points)
Previously 20 (23 points)
Like Ottawa, LA had a long winning streak end with their most recent game. Their five-game winning streak ended with a 4-1 loss at home against the Sharks. Fortunately, they are just one win away from potentially passing the Oilers and/or Ducks in the Pacific Division standings. Trevor Lewis had two assists last Wednesday, the second of which was of the wraparound variety, to help dispatch the Islanders.
17. Philadelphia Flyers (25 points)
Previously 16 (21 points)
With the Rangers and Bruins visiting town this week, it would have been easy for Philadelphia to overlook the Flames on Sunday. Instead, they extinguished the surprisingly hot Chad Johnson with five goals. Anthony Stolarz, making his NHL debut, earned the win in that game, and Steve Mason stopped 45 of Boston’s 47 shots on Tuesday. He still needed an outstanding performance in the shootout to earn the victory, and his celebration looked like Super Mario.
18. Winnipeg Jets (24 points)
Previously 18 (20 points)
Sometimes road trips become a hassle. The Jets lost five in a row to finish off their road trip, but things have brightened up at home. Connor Hellebuyck was a big reason for the turnaround at MTS Centre. He shut out the Predators on 42 shots for a huge redemption game (Nashville scored five times on him in Tennessee on Friday), and he hung on to take the close victory against the Devils on Tuesday. His GAA is now down to 2.54, which is encouraging considering how he began the season.
19. Nashville Predators (25 points)
Previously 22 (21 points)
After a miserable beginning to the season, Nashville has figured things out. They have won four of five for the second time in November and have jumped into fourth place in the Central Division. They scored five goals in each of their last three wins, and Ryan Johansen has carried the offense with four goals and three assists in that span. He made a slick crossover on the Avalanche to carry the Preds on Tuesday.
20. Dallas Stars (24 points)
Previously 19 (21 points)
The battle for the worst goaltending team is heating up. Philly and Dallas have traded “punches” over the past month, but Mason’s outstanding night on Tuesday was bad news for Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. Although Niemi was excellent against the Canucks on Friday (30 saves on 31 shots for the victory), the defense came up short on two close match-ups against the Blues and Red Wings. Their biggest weakness is holding the entire team back.
21. Florida Panthers (24 points)
Previously 15 (21 points)
Firing Gerard Gallant was a premature decision. This team has had five coaches in as many years, and Gallant actually gave this team a division title. Yet an average start to the season calls for another firing, and now it is time to figure out what is going on the executive pool in South Florida. The Panthers have not won a regulation game since November 7, and not even Jaromir Jagr‘s three-game point streak has saved the scuffling offense.
22. Toronto Maple Leafs (24 points)
Previously 23 (20 points)
They ripped off two great games against the Capitals (at home) and the Oilers on the road. The second part of the back-to-back, however, was not as spectacular, as Chad Johnson befuddled the silky smooth offense all night long. It would be surprising to see the loss in Calgary ruin the offense in the short term. Mitch Marner, a highly underrated candidate for the Calder Trophy, continued his torrid start to the season with three assists in the two wins, including one to cause a Matt Martin breakaway to torch Washington. He is now leads the team with 12 assists.
23. Detroit Red Wings (24 points)
Previously 24 (19 points)
Let the roller coaster ride commence. After two different losing streaks of at least four games in November, the Red Wings have now won three of their last four and are currently tied with the Panthers for sixth in the Atlantic Division. The fight for starting goalie is also continuing. With Jimmy Howard out for at least the next two weeks, Petr Mrazek is doing all he can to get his job back. After winning a thrilling game in overtime against New Jersey (which Mike Green put away), he shut down the Stars with 34 saves on 35 shots. The only Dallas goal came 16 seconds into the game.
24. Carolina Hurricanes (22 points)
Previously 21 (20 points)
I guess success cannot always be sustained. They went winless on the road this week, but their home win cost Gerard Gallant his job. Michael Leighton started in goal against the Panthers, and he picked up his first NHL win since 2010 with 31 saves on 33 shots.
25. Calgary Flames (24 points)
Previously 26 (19 points)
Their 3-2-1 road trip could have ended better, but their return home could not have been more fantastic. They scored on Toronto twice in the first minute of the game, the first time Calgary has achieved that mark since 1987. While Brian Elliott had some bright moments on the road trip, Chad Johnson continued to make his case as the #1 goalie after shutting out the high-flying Leafs. It was his third shutout in his last eight starts.
26. Buffalo Sabres (21 points)
Previously 25 (14 points)
Buffalo’s pitiful, dead-last offense needed some help, and they got the Eichel Tower. Jack Eichel made his season debut on Tuesday after sustaining a high ankle sprain in the preseason, and he had a goal and an assist on two power play chances in the first 10 minutes of the first period. He, along with Ryan O’Reilly, Sam Reinhart, Kyle Okposo, and Rasmus Ristolainen, needed a big night on Tuesday because Mike Hoffman and the Senators got to Anders Nilsson after Robin Lehner had to leave the game late in the first period.
27. Vancouver Canucks (22 points)
Previously 29 (18 points)
Brandon Sutter‘s stats are not eye-popping on paper, but he has been a heavy factor on offense all season. After ripping off a four-game goal streak, he got another on a beautiful tip-in against the Wild on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the thin blue line will be without Alexander Edler for at least four weeks, but Troy Stecher has succeeded in his stead.
28. New York Islanders (18 points)
Previously 27 (16 points)
That California road trip did not do the Islanders any favors, as it dropped them to the fewest points in the NHL on Sunday. Their response? An overtime win against Calgary and a last minute victory over the Penguins. Johnny Boychuk started the Pittsburgh game off with a wicked slap shot goal from a sharp angle, and Anders Lee tipped in the game-winner with 26 seconds left in regulation.
29. Arizona Coyotes (19 points)
Previously 30 (14 points)
Out of the hole! The Coyotes used a home-and-home sweep of the Oilers to move up one spot. With the Islanders’ winning streak, however, the Yotes are still tied for the fewest points in the NHL. Mike Smith stopped 41 of Edmonton’s 42 shots on Sunday, but he will likely be without the help of Oliver Ekman-Larsson for a short period of time after the defenseman left the game in the second period Tuesday against San Jose with an upper body injury.
30. Colorado Avalanche (19 points)
Previously 28 (18 points)
After going winless at home this week, the Avalanche find themselves in familiar territory. That surprise playoff run from three years ago is far in the past, and it may require another #1 pick to get back to the postseason. Mikko Rantanen, last year’s 10th overall pick, is continuing to contribute for the bottom-dwelling Avs. He now has points in five of his last seven games.
Bold Predictions:
Last week:
Shea Theodore gets his first goal of the season against Chicago on Friday. The Ducks fell one goal short of pulling off the comeback. Perhaps a Theodore goal would have come in handy.
Mitch Marner collects the hat trick on Saturday against the Caps. Botched this prediction, but he did have two assists to help Toronto win.
Both Thomas Vanek and Dylan Larkin combine for at least three goals on Tuesday against Dallas. Dylan got the first Detroit goal, but that was it. Vanek passed up an empty net to give Steve Ott the honors to finish off the game, but it was Mrazek that stole the spotlight.
This week:
Colorado shuts out Columbus 4-0 on Thursday.
Bo Horvat scores twice against Toronto on Saturday.
The Tampa Bay goalie on Sunday gets at least 40 saves against Carolina.