Literally, “Flying High” means that the Philadelphia Flyers played 5,280 feet above sea level on Wednesday. Elevated altitudes aside, however, the Flyers are levels above the rest of the league. They are now on a 10-game winning streak and can have the most points in the NHL if they extend it further. As for this week’s NHL Power Rankings, the Flyers have taken the sixth spot, which is amazingly the fourth highest spot in the Metropolitan Division. That shows how incredible the division is at the moment.
Columbus, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Washington are also on winning streaks of at least five games, and all of them are within the Top 10. Meanwhile, Detroit cannot buy a goal.
1. Montreal Canadiens (42 points)
Previously 1 (37 points)
Carey Price, who missed the majority of last season with a knee injury, took matters into his own hands when the Devils hit him one time too many. The offense also took control. They scored five on New Jersey before exploding with 10 goals against Colorado. It is the first time Montreal has scored and allowed 10 goals in two different games in the same season in 30 years. Max Pacioretty went off with four goals in the offense-heavy game on Saturday, and he is now easily Montreal’s leader in goals.
2. New York Rangers (41 points)
Previously 2 (35 points)
The thought of Henrik Lundqvist losing his job in New York was unheard of in November, but there is suddenly potential in that happening. Antti Raanta has started the last four games for the Rangers and has allowed just three goals in that span, including two shutouts against Chicago and New Jersey. Lundqvist should be able to start sometime this week, but any struggle from the King could make for a permanent goalie switch. Who knew?
3. Pittsburgh Penguins (43 points)
Previously 4 (35 points)
Pittsburgh has won seven straight games and is currently leading the league in points. They have scored 39 goals during the streak, averaging nearly six goals a game. Clearly this team did not get any hangover after winning the Stanley Cup last year. After scoring in the second period of wins over Arizona and Boston, Nick Bonino now has four goals in December after just two in the first two months, combined.
4. Chicago Blackhawks (42 points)
Previously 3 (37 points)
Chicago’s offense had few answers against Raanta, but they only needed two to split the week/season series against the Rangers. They also have a growing situation at goaltender because Scott Darling allowed just one goal in each of his last three starts (2-0-1 over that span). This came after an easy shutout over Arizona. Corey Crawford (appendectomy) should be returning before the end of 2016, and he has a better chance of regaining his playing time than Lundqvist unless Darling piles on the shutouts.
5. Columbus Blue Jackets (40 points)
Previously 5 (34 points)
The Jackets continue to remain invincible. They have won seven straight games and have not played in a one-goal game since December 3. Despite scoring 17 goals in the last four games, Columbus is still behind New York and Pittsburgh in scoring. They used four goals in the third period to dispose the Islanders on Saturday, and Seth Jones had a goal and an assist in that period. Lukas Sedlak also scored the second of his first two NHL goals in that game, with the first coming the night before in the win over Detroit.
6. Philadelphia Flyers (41 points)
Previously 10 (33 points)
Their streak has now reached double digits, and it is the first time the Flyers have won 10 straight since 1985. Brayden Schenn was the main reason to why the Flyers still have the streak. After a very quiet start to the season, he now has five goals in his last three games. This includes getting a hat trick in a tight day game against the Stars on Saturday and the eventual game-winner in Colorado. He still needs a few more big games to match last season’s totals of 26 goals and 33 assists. Jakub Voracek assisted all of Schenn’s goals and scored on an empty net in the win over Dallas.
7. St. Louis Blues (36 points)
Previously 7 (24 points)
The Blues went on a four-game road trip this week, and it was not great. They were the first team to defeat New Jersey at the Prudential Center in regulation, but that was also their only win on the trip. They also lost to the Islanders and two division rivals, putting them in a deadlock with Minnesota for second in the Central Division. Vladimir Tarasenko had an excellent week, with a goal and six assists on the road trip, including three assists in the lone victory.
8. Washington Capitals (39 points)
Previously 9 (31 points)
Washington has a five-game winning streak, but that does not help them in the Metropolitan Division standings. This is what happens when they play in the same division as three teams with even longer winning streaks and another one in cruise control. Matt Niskanen scored his first two goals in the 4-2 win over the Islanders on Tuesday, and both came in the decisive third period.
9. San Jose Sharks (37 points)
Previously 8 (31 points)
After losing 3-2 to Anaheim for the second time this season, the Sharks have turned their fortunes around in eastern Canada. after barely edging out Carolina at home, they took to the road and stole two extra points in two shootout wins. Both Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc scored in the second period of the win over the Hurricanes, and both of them provided the game winners in one of the shootouts.
10. Minnesota Wild (36 points)
Previously 11 (30 points)
Another long winning streak! Minnesota’s run is also five games, and they have not allowed more than two goals in any of them. The weekly check on Devan Dubnyk remains unchanged. Jason Pominville had three assists this week, including two in Tuesday’s win over Florida.
11. Ottawa Senators (35 points)
Previously 6 (34 points)
Taking on the California teams all week can be a challenge, but at least Ottawa figured things out against the Sharks. After Chris Kelly scored the game winner in San Jose, the Senators kept pace with the same Sharks at home on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Kevin Labanc sunk Ottawa in the fourth round of the shootout. Mark Stone faded on the California road trip after great nights in Pittsburgh and San Jose, but he came back with two assists in the second game against the Sharks, and that included a blindside pass to Kyle Turris for an easy second-period goal.
12. Anaheim Ducks (35 points)
Previously 17 (31 points)
It was a great week for the Ducks, and it hit a peak in an easy 5-1 victory over the Senators. Then it all came crashing down when Dallas scored five goals in the third period to win 6-2. After not scoring once in November, Corey Perry has now scored in three of his last four games. He now leads Anaheim in points with 26.
13. Boston Bruins (35 points)
Previously 13 (32 points)
If there is one positive to take out of a disappointing 1-2-1 week, it is that the Bruins took a huge overtime win in Montreal, a city that got to see plenty of extracurricular activity to go with the classic rivalry. Unfortunately for Boston, they went 0-10 on the power play in the last four games and took two more bad home losses to Colorado and Toronto. David Pastrnak had two goals on Thursday to give him five in a three-game stretch, and his goal to force overtime in Pittsburgh put him two behind one of his opponents from Wednesday: Sidney Crosby.
14. Edmonton Oilers (34 points)
Previously 14 (32 points)
Leave it to the other Western Conference fans to say that this team cannot be taken seriously for a playoff push, but they might have a point. They have not won back-to-back home games since October 26. Somehow, they are only two points behind the division-leading Sharks. Mark Letestu was outstanding this week, with two goals (and some help) in the third period to defeat the Jets on Sunday and two assists on the week, including a shorthanded one in a high-scoring loss to Philadelphia on Thursday.
15. Los Angeles Kings (30 points)
Previously 16 (28 points)
Who makes these schedules? LA started a mind-boggling nine-game road trip on Tuesday. Peter Budaj was pulled midway through the second period after allowing three quick goals in Buffalo. He would return in the third period and allow one more, but the Kings would go on to lose 6-3. They have not won in the KeyBank Center since 2003. Marian Gaborik scored his first goal of the season on the power play in LA’s win over Ottawa on Saturday. He missed the first two months of the season with a broken foot.
16. Tampa Bay Lightning (32 points)
Previously 12 (30 points)
Tampa Bay was fading fast, but no win will be larger than the one in Calgary on Wednesday. There was no Steven Stamkos and no Nikita Kucherov, but they got two goals from both Brian Boyle and Alex Killorn to snap their three-game losing streak and win a regulation game for the first time in December.
17. Calgary Flames (34 points)
Previously 21 (30 points)
It was fun while it lasted. After an overtime win over Arizona and a shellacking of the Jets, the Flames hit a brick wall against the Lightning to lose its six-game winning streak. Even after a rough night, Chad Johnson likely did enough to save his starting spot at the moment. Do not be surprised, however, if Brian Elliott gets another chance in the near future.
18. New Jersey Devils (30 points)
Previously 15 (30 points)
Keeping up with five hot teams in the Metropolitan Division, including three with streaks of at least seven games, is extremely difficult. Unfortunately, the Devils lost three games in a row to fall back with the Hurricanes and Islanders, and none of those games were really close. Their loss to St. Louis on Friday was their first regulation loss at home this season. Adam Henrique contributed to all three New Jersey goals this week (one goal and two assists), but he was the first of two Devils to run into Carey Price in the first period on Thursday. After he scored on a violent encounter with Price, Kyle Palmieri slid into him later and got a head full of blocker.
19. Nashville Predators (30 points)
Previously 19 (28 points)
They really had trouble in the southwestern road trip, but they started a huge home stand with a big 6-3 win over St. Louis. They scored four goals in the deciding third period and six unanswered goals overall, and they will now face the Wild and the Rangers in a crucial opportunity to make a move in the Central Division. Mike Fisher ended a six-game goalless drought with two of the four third period goals to bury the Blues.
20. Dallas Stars (30 points)
Previously 22 (26 points)
As Thursday’s and Tuesday’s wins would indicate, the offense still has the power to score in bunches. Even with improved play this week from the defense, the Stars should still be searching for a new starting goaltender. Perhaps Marc-Andre Fleury will be available? Devin Shore scored three goals this week, including two against the Flyers, to boost his scoring total to five. He had just one goal before December.
21. Winnipeg Jets (29 points)
Previously 18 (29 points)
The Jets are tied with the most games played at this point, yet they only have 29 points. After Calgary throttled them at the Saddledome, Winnipeg heartbreakingly lost in Edmonton on a Patrik Laine own goal. Even he cannot be immune to rookie mistakes. Nikolaj Ehlers had a painful night in Calgary. Despite scoring one of Winnipeg’s two goals, he, along with Mark Scheifele, had a +/- of -3.
22. Florida Panthers (30 points)
Previously 23 (28 points)
All of the hot streaks in the NHL results in others getting cold, which is why the Panthers did not fall this week. However, their offense has been dreadful in December, and their only wins have come against Vancouver and Detroit. Captain Derek MacKenzie had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s win over the Canucks, his first points in 11 games.
23. Detroit Red Wings (30 points)
Previously 20 (29 points)
There is still plenty of season left, but the Wings offense is stagnant. They are now 27th in goals per game, and they only had two goals for the week. Jimmy Howard returned from the IR in Friday’s loss to Columbus.
24. Carolina Hurricanes (30 points)
Previously 24 (26 points)
Despite allowing 10 goals in their last two games, the Hurricanes never gave up a power play goal. In fact, they have not been beaten on the man advantage since November 29 (20 chances), a span of seven games, and currently own the top penalty killing unit in the NHL. The offense went off on Vancouver with eight goals – six in the third period – in a dramatic comeback win, and Derek Ryan capped off his monster week with three assists in that game. He also had three goals in two games at San Jose and Los Angeles.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs (28 points)
Previously 25 (25 points)
Toronto has lost five of their last six, but they got their second win in two tries against the Bruins, winning 4-1 for the second time. After losing to San Jose in the shootout, they have three more home games against Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Anaheim before ending 2016 on the road. Matt Hunwick tallied two assists in the win over Boston, giving him six on the season.
26. Buffalo Sabres (28 points)
Previously 26 (26 points)
Buffalo is still last in goals per game, but the second game of their light week was a scoring sensation. Granted, Los Angeles is easy to beat in Buffalo, but the Sabres tied their season high with six goals, with four of them coming in the second period. They previously reached six goals on October 16 in Edmonton. Jack Eichel ended his four-game goal-less drought with two second period goals against the Kings. He also added slick backhand assist to Evander Kane in the third period.
27. New York Islanders (27 points)
Previously 28 (25 points)
New York got a win on Thursday, but they wilted against their tougher division rivals. In losses to Columbus and Washington, they went 0-5 on the power play and just four for seven on the penalty kill. They lost both by a combined score of 10-4 and are currently second-to-last on the man advantage. Anders Lee carried the Isles to their lone victory this week, scoring twice and netting the game winner right off the face-off with seven minutes left to knock out the Blues.
28. Vancouver Canucks (26 points)
Previously 27 (24 points)
Vancouver also got a win on Thursday, but they too took a fall for the rest of the week. Their five-game road trip ended with a shutout loss in Washington and an eight-goal meltdown in Carolina. Any team that scores six goals in a game and loses really did something wrong. Jack Skille had three goals this week, with two coming in Thursday’s win over Tampa Bay, and Sven Baertschi carried the Canucks to an early 5-2 lead over the Hurricanes with two goals and one assist.
29. Arizona Coyotes (25 points)
Previously 29 (20 points)
They got two wins against Nashville and Detroit, but further bad news arrived. Max Domi is out indefinitely with a broken hand he sustained against Calgary on Thursday. He had surgery on Tuesday and is expected to return sometime this season, but Arizona may be long out of the playoff picture by then. Brendan Perlini, Arizona’s first-round pick (12th overall) in 2014, scored his first NHL goal in the victory over the Predators on Saturday.
30. Colorado Avalanche (23 points)
Previously 30 (19 points)
They got two key wins on the road, but they still have work to do to get back into the playoff mix. If not, they have two key trade pieces they can sell to contenders. First, Rene Bourque already has nine goals for Colorado, and he may get some interest with his hot start. Also, Jarome Iginla may be traded in order to get one more shot at a Stnaley Cup. Colorado became the second team to allow 10 goals in a game after allowing Montreal, who was the first team to pull off the dubious feat this season, to hit double digits on Saturday.
Bold Predictions:
Last week:
Nikita Kucherov gets a hat trick this week. Quiet week for him, and he missed Wednesday’s game.
Boston and Montreal combine for at least 60 penalty minutes on Monday. It was an exciting, violent game once again, but the penalty minutes were not flying all over the place. There were only 26 for the game.
Martin Jones/Aaron Dell shuts out Toronto on at least 35 shots on Tuesday. Whiff on everything.
This week:
Blake Wheeler gets two goals on Thursday vs. Florida
Islanders and Sabres go to overtime with at least eight combined goals.
Michael Leighton/Cam Ward shuts out Detroit on Monday.
