December 24, 2021
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — And so here we are at Christmas, with the NHL on pause and the Olympic dreams dashed because of COVID. Some teams will be thankful for a pause; they needed a break to fix some things and get healthy. For others, an early Christmas break slows positive momentum.

Either way, it sucks not having NHL hockey on for a few days. Hopefully the league is able to find a path forward so the rest of the regular-season can be played efficiently, players can stay on the ice as much as possible and the integrity of the postseason isn’t questioned because of players missing games.

If you’ve got the itch for some live hockey, we suggest the World Junior Championship. Plenty of future NHL stars will be on the ice representing their countries, and top picks in the 2022 and 2023 draft classes are with them.

With that, let’s update our Power Rankings one more time before the calendar puts 2021 to bed:

[View the Power Rankings from Week 9]

32. Arizona Coyotes

Everything about Arizona is a dumpster fire right now. They were 2-8-0 in their last ten, have a 2-10-1 record in their building… a building that has been the cause for some conversation as well already this season. Their minus-53 goal differential is the worst in the league, and they’ve only played 29 games.

31. Montreal Canadiens

The Habs are a disaster. They have the second-worst goal differential (-42) in the NHL at Christmas and join Arizona as the only two teams in the NHL to have ten regulation home losses already. Montreal is also 2-11-1 on the road. Their 109 goals against are tied with Arizona for the worst in the league.

30. New Jersey Devils

The Devils skidded into the break on a six-game losing streak and winners of only one of their last ten games. They’re one of three teams with a goal differential of minus-25 or worse, which lands them with those two teams at the bottom of our list.

29. New York Islanders

A team that was supposed to win the Metropolitan Division this year finds itself in dead last at Christmas. The Isles were supposed to benefit from their beautiful new building; they’re 2-5-3 in the first ten games at UBS Arena. Not much has gone right for the Isles this season.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets were 2-7-1 in their last ten games before they were one of the teams sent home early for the holidays. They must get better than their 5-10-0 record on the road, but it’s an uphill climb for the Jackets right now.

27. Ottawa Senators

Ottawa’s just not a good team. We wanted to buy the rebuild being over in September, but the reality is they need their last couple drafts to pay big dividends to change the direction of the franchise. There are a few reasons for the Sens to pay close attention to the World Juniors.

26. Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo fans should spend some time watching Owen Power on the blueline for Canada at the WJC. He’s the real deal and could help fans move on from the Jack Eichel Era soon.

25. Seattle Kraken

Seattle fans should spend some time watching Matty Beniers on the top line for the United States at the WJC. The comps to Jonathan Toews are solid; he’s going to be a really good player for the Kraken in the future.

24. Chicago Blackhawks

The Hawks have been more competitive since the coaching change. They’ll be a team to watch as trade winds start blowing with a few veterans who could fit nicely on teams with Cup aspirations this season.

23. Philadelphia Flyers

We’ve had the coaching change, injuries, underwhelming play and trade rumors hit the Flyers already this season. So, a usually slow season in Philly. They need their overhauled blueline to be better, or they need to make more changes.

22. Boston Bruins

What do we make of the Bruins? They’re fifth in the Atlantic with Detroit sliding in front of them by three points; of course, Boston has five games in-hand against the Wings. But Boston was just 4-4-2 in their last ten before the shut down and have identical 7-5-1 records at home and on the road.

21. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks lost their last two before the break and are one of three teams in the Pacific with a negative goal differential. They appear to be the definition of a .500 hockey team; they’re 7-7-1 at home and 8-7-0 on the road.

20. Detroit Red Wings

Mason Raymond is one of the terrific breakout rookies this season and has to be considered one of the front runners for the Calder right now. The Wings have their issues, but it’s becoming evident that Steve Yzerman’s vision for the future is working.

19. Vancouver Canucks

How about the Canucks rolling off eight wins in a row? Apparently, the coach was the problem! The question now is whether or not they can dig out of the hole they were in and sneak back into the playoff picture.

18. Dallas Stars

Dallas’ 11-3-1 home record is the best in the Central Division. But they’re 4-9-1 on the road and are one of only three teams in the division with a negative goal differential; granted, their minus-three is a helluva lot better than Chicago’s minus-25 or Arizona’s minus-53.

17. Los Angeles Kings

The only team in the Pacific to score fewer goals than the Kings’ 80 at the break is San Jose (78). The Kings do have a positive goal differential, but they’re only plus-one. Maybe a name change on their home arena will give them a spark?

16. Edmonton Oilers

We’re sorry, but the Oilers need more than McDavid and Draisaitl to drive the train. The Oilers need a healthy lineup, and probably a couple additions via trade to get this where they want it to be by the end of the season.

15. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets’ woes away from home are a big factor in them sitting fifth in the Central; they’re 4-5-4 on the road. With Dallas on their heels and Colorado sprinting past them in the standing, Winnipeg needs to get moving soon or the playoffs will fade away.

14. Calgary Flames

COVID hit the Flames harder than any team, which cost them games played and potential wins. They need to be better than 4-3-4 on home ice, too. They’ve slipped to fourth in the Pacific despite having the best goal differential (+25) in the division.

13. St. Louis Blues

The Blues’ 11 home wins are tied with Dallas for the most in the Central Division. And their plus-21 goal differential is second in the division behind Colorado, who they lead by three points in the standings. The Blues will have their hands full hanging onto third in the division, however.

12. Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh is fourth in the Metropolitan Division but they’re heading in the right direction. The Pens won their last seven before the shutdown and were 7-2-1 in their last ten. They have points in 12 of 15 games on the road this season.

11. Nashville Predators

The Preds rolled a seven-game winning streak into a COVID shutdown just before the league went on pause. They’ve climbed all the way to second in the Central, thanks in large part to 10 road wins already. Their 18 regulation wins is the best in the Central.

10. Colorado Avalanche

The Avs are the offensive juggernaut we expected them to be. They’re 10-2-1 at home, won seven of ten before the shutdown and appear to have figured out whatever was plaguing them early in the year. If they can stay healthy, the Avs are still a legit Cup contender.

9. Minnesota Wild

The Wild lost four straight before the break, but they’re still on top of the Central Division. Their 10-2-1 record on home ice is a big reason for their success to date. Only Colorado (+24) and St. Louis (+21) have a better goal differential than Minnesota’s plus-20 in the Central.

8. Florida Panthers

The Panthers are 14-3-0 at home; those 14 wins are an NHL-best. They’ve been through the unexpected change behind the bench and some critical players missing time and are still hanging around the top of the league. If they can stay healthy, the Panthers will be dangerous.

7. Anaheim Ducks

The state of California was supposed to be an afterthought this year. Anaheim had other ideas. And even with a sudden change in their front office, the Ducks have been an impressive team that’s fun to watch. Their youth movement is coming along incredibly well.

6. Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas got through two significant injuries and still have 10 wins at home and on the road. The Knights had won eight of their last ten before the break and have been rolling lately; only Colorado (115) have scored more than Vegas’ 114 goals to date.

5. New York Rangers

In September we would have guessed the Islanders, not the Rangers, would be representing New York in our top five. But here we are with the Blueshirts playing terrific hockey. They’re 11-4-2 away from Madison Square Garden and Adam Fox might repeat as the Norris Trophy winner.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto is one of two teams in the league with 20 regulation wins already (Carolina’s the other). They were playing well heading into the break and have been terrific at home, posting a 12-4-1 record in Toronto.

3. Washington Capitals

Washington has dealt with their share of injuries this season but still have the second-best goal differential (+27) in the league. Their 43 points are tied with Carolina for second in the league; the Caps have played 31 games already, however.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina’s plus-33 goal differential is the best in the NHL at Christmas. And they’re a phenomenal 12-4-1 away from home. This looks like a team ready to make a run at the top of the league. They went to the Christmas Break on top of the Metropolitan Division (they’re tied with Washington at 43 points but have two games in-hand).

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

It feels like we’re watching a Godzilla movie with the Bolts the last couple years. You think they’re finally done, like the league or their division have finally caught up with them. And then they stand up, dust themselves off and go on a run, reminding everyone they’re still the defending champs. Tampa rolled into Christmas 8-1-1 in their last 10.