November 19, 2021
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — As we approach Thanksgiving in the United States, the NHL has navigated drama on a weekly basis. But here we are, heading towards December with some really nice stories around the League on the ice that are worthy of attention.

Those good stories haven’t happened yet in Arizona or Montreal, whose fans have every reason to be frustrated. And the Sens taking a week off because of a COVID outbreak is another reminder that we aren’t out of the pandemic yet.

But the Blackhawks have turned their season around since a coaching change, the Ducks are flying high and we’re not sure what can slow down the Canes or Panthers.

With that, let’s jump into this week’s updated Power Rankings. As always, let us know what we screwed up and where we got it right.

[View the Power Rankings from Week 5]

32a. Arizona Coyotes

Two wins in 17 starts is atrocious. I get it – the No. 1 pick could change the future of the franchise. But this whole being terrible thing has been going on too long in the desert. This is the worst start in recent memory.

32b. Montreal Canadiens

Arizona was supposed to be bad. While hopes weren’t sky-high in Montreal with Shea Weber and Carey Price starting the season away from the team (Weber likely for good), the start of the season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Habs. They have allowed 67 goals in 19 games and have a minus-29 goal differential. We’re putting them in a strong tie for last place this week.

30. Ottawa Senators

The Sens started this season with higher expectations. Then they had a contract situation and COVID make the start of the year an ugly one. They’re 3-7-0 on home ice, which is not good enough.

29. Seattle Kraken

This is about what we should expect from an expansion franchise; Vegas screwed it up for the Kraken, who came in with fans hoping for an instant Cup contender. They’re struggling to score goals and the defense hasn’t been good enough in front of Philipp Grubauer.

28. New York Islanders

A team that started the year with legit Cup aspirations hasn’t been home yet, and we’re two-thirds of the way through November. That changes soon, with the Isles opening their gorgeous new barn. All things considered a 5-6-2 record isn’t as bad when you consider they haven’t slept in their own beds in almost two months.

27. Vancouver Canucks

Losers of their last five, the Canucks are an enigmatic dumpster fire right now. They should be better offensively. They couldn’t be much worse defensively; Vancouver has allowed 59 goals in 17 games. That’s just not good enough.

26. Dallas Stars

Where’s the offense in Big D? Do they need Dak Prescott to come over and give them a pep talk? The Stars have 39 goals in 15 games and a minus-11 goal differential.

25. Chicago Blackhawks

A coaching change has apparently been all they needed. Chicago hasn’t lost – or trailed – in four games since punting Jeremy Colliton. Marc-André Fleury has stopped 95 of 100 shots in his last three starts and appears to have rediscovered his Vezina form after a rough October.

24. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are now fully past the Jack Eichel drama and ready to move forward with their future. They’ve been solid at home (5-3-1) but the defense needs to improve; they’ve allowed 49 goals in 16 games.

23. Colorado Avalanche

Like the Islanders, the Avs started the season with Stanley Cup expectations. The beginning of their season, however, has been a mess because of injuries and COVID issues. They need to get healthy to get back on track.

22. Boston Bruins

Now that the Tuukka Rask rumors are beginning to circulate, the Bruins will get to hear that noise. But they should be more concerned with a 2-4-0 record away from home. They have too much offense to only have a plus-four goal differential.

21. Pittsburgh Penguins

Will the sale of the team give them new life on the ice? No. But a healthy return from Sidney Crosby and, eventually, Evgeni Malkin will help the offense. 49 goals in 16 games isn’t a number we expect from the Pens but that should improve.

20. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks have played a heavy road schedule to start the season; 10 of their 16 games have been away from home. That isn’t an excuse (as it legitimately is for the Islanders), and the Sharks have been .500 away from home, but there is room for improvement at both ends of the rink.

19. New Jersey Devils

The young Devils are starting to show signs of the promise they’ve been selling during the rebuild. Dawson Mercer appears to be the real deal and the addition of Dougie Hamilton on the back end has paid early dividends.

18. Detroit Red Wings

Detroit is 3-7-0 away from home and have allowed 65 goals in 19 games, which is clearly not ideal. They have a minus-12 goal differential but find themselves playing better than some had expected.

17. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets have only played 14 games thus far and have won nine of them (seven in regulation). After an offseason sell of Seth Jones they have easily moved forward under the leadership of a new coach. Maybe a new voice calling the shots has helped?

16. Nashville Predators

The Preds have a plus-two goal differential through 16 games and have been a bit of a roller coaster, but they’re 7-2-1 in their last ten and taking advantage of a weak division.

15. Los Angeles Kings

Are the Kings the best surprise in the NHL right now? A team that was turning to their youth movement to start the year has found a nice groove in November. They’re 7-2-1 in their last ten and have allowed only 39 goals in 16 games.

14. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers continue to struggle with injuries; Ryan Ellis is the latest to hit the shelf. But the return of Kevin Hayes – and emotional first goal of the season – has given them some energy.

13. Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas is over .500 at home and on the road, a triumph when you consider they have $27 million sitting on LTIR right now (including Eichel). Their nine regulation wins in 17 starts is a good number when you consider how much of their offense has been injured.

12. Calgary Flames

Calgary has played 11 of 17 away from home, but they’re only 2-1-3 in their own barn. Five overtime/shootout losses in 17 games is a point in the standings but could complicate their playoff hopes down the road. The Flames are only 4-2-4 in their last ten.

11. New York Rangers

The Rangers could probably be a bit higher on the list, but they have a negative goal differential through 17 games. The offense needs to pick it up; 46 goals in 17 games isn’t going to win them as many games as they would like.

10. Minnesota Wild

Minnesota is already 6-3-0 on the road this season and has limited opponents to 49 goals in 16 games. Ryan Hartman, once a first-round pick of the Blackhawks, has been a nice offensive surprise early this season.

9. St. Louis Blues

The Blues are good enough, as they have been for years. A plus-12 goal differential is strong. A 5-2-1 road record is nice. But they’re only 4-3-1 on home ice. We’d like to see their play in St. Louis improve, but a terrible division should help them as the season progresses.

8. Tampa Bay Lightning

No Kucherov? They’re used to it. The Bolts are 5-1-1 away from home and are allowing under three goals per game. Eight regulation wins in 15 starts is about what we expected from the two-time defending champs.

7. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are 7-1-1 on their home ice and have a plus-ten goal differential in 16 games. Their road record isn’t great (2-2-3) but their dominance at home gets them into our top ten this week.

6. Anaheim Ducks

We’re buying what the Ducks are selling! Ryan Getzlaf reached 1,000 points and the Ducks have held opponents to 48 goals in 18 games. The turnaround in Anaheim has been fun to watch.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto’s 25 points (in 18 games) has them looking good in the standings, but a team with that much offense should have scored more than 48 in that many games. The Leafs only have a plus-five goal differential with 12 regulation wins already.

4. Washington Capitals

Will Ovi let us know where the fountain of youth is so we can all partake? He’s off to a brilliant start and the Caps are a great comparison point for the Leafs: Washington has allowed 39 goals in 17 games and has a plus-19 goal differential. Those numbers feel more appropriate for a team with 10 regulation wins in 17 games.

3. Edmonton Oilers

We’re not saying Duncan Keith saved the Oilers because they’re still allowing three goals per night. But their plus-15 goal differential and 7-1-0 record on home ice has been impressive. A 12-4-0 start has Edmonton in our top three this week. But there are two teams fighting for No. 1.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina’s resume feels too good to be No. 2. They have allowed 28 goals in 15 games (my calculator says that’s less than two per game). They’ve scored 51, which is a goal differential of plus-23 in 15 games. The start of the years has been dominant for the Canes.

1. Florida Panthers

Even with Joel Quenneville’s sudden departure, it’s Nov. 19 and the Panthers still haven’t lost a home game (9-0-0). Their 66 goals lead the league and their plus-23 goal differential is tied with the Canes for the best in the league. Aleksander Barkov being week-to-week could be a roadblock, but their start has been amazing.