November 26, 2021
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — We have reached Thanksgiving in the United States, which has become a measuring date on the calendar for teams to take stock in their playoff chances. But this has been an incredibly strange season.

Teams we thought would compete for another deep playoff run (see: Islanders) have been atrocious, while other teams we were wondering about have been pleasant surprises (see: Ducks). Some teams have established themselves as bona fide championship contenders while the middle of the pack is a crowded, ugly mess.

So let’s jump into our Black Friday edition of our Power Rankings. As always, let us know what you’re buying (or selling) from this week’s rankings.

[View the Power Rankings from Week 6]

32. Arizona Coyotes

Are Coyotes fans buying Shane Wright jerseys yet? Because at this point the only thing the Coyotes look capable of winning is the draft lottery… and even that has a chance of going the wrong direction for them.

31. Montreal Canadiens

Everything is broken in Montreal. They’re 1-8-1 on the road, have the second-worst goal differential (-29) in the league and have allowed a league-worst 76 goals.

30. Ottawa Senators

Remember when there were comments made about it being go-time in Ottawa? That the stockpiling of assets was in the rearview mirror and now was the time for the team to turn a corner and start winning games? Five wins in their first 17 isn’t showing us that anything has changed.

29. Seattle Kraken

Seattle has struggled on the road (1-6-1), which is why they’re sitting near the bottom of our power rankings again this week. They have won their last two entering Friday, however.

28. Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks are a dumpster fire right now. They have identical 3-6-1 records at home and on the road and have only six wins in 20 starts. Their minus-19 goal differential is among the worst in the league right now.

27. Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago has been a much better team since firing Jeremy Colliton, but they ran into two legitimate playoff teams in Edmonton and Calgary on their recent four-game road trip. This is still a work in progress for Chicago, who are 2-7-1 on the road with a minus-21 goal differential.

26. Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo fans can continue to be excited about the Bills – and the future of the Sabres. But the immediate reality isn’t pretty for the Sabres, who are 2-5-1 away from home.

25. New York Islanders

What is going on with the Islanders? The “haven’t played a home game” excuse is longer valid, and the Isles have lost their firs three games in the new barn. They have only scored 32 goals in 16 games but a team that was supposed to be driven by their defense has already allowed 51.

24. Dallas Stars

Dallas has allowed as many goals (52) as the Kings in two fewer games played and we’re wondering when the offense is going to show up. Dallas has a 3-5-1 record away from home, which isn’t what we expected from a team many thought would be in the playoff race in a weak Western Conference.

23. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have lost five straight entering Friday, a speedbump that rebuilding teams should expect. Defensively there have been some struggles early on; LA has allowed 52 goals in 19 games.

22. Philadelphia Flyers

Getting Kevin Hayes back in the lineup was a big addition, but the Flyers need to get on a roll. They have identical 4-3-2 records at home and on the road. At least all eight of their wins are in regulation, but the Flyers need to get moving to stay in the playoff mix.

21. Boston Bruins

What do we make of the Bruins thus far? We still hear whispers about Tuukka Rask, but the Bruins have nine regulation wins in 16 games entering Friday. They have the best goal differential (+7) in the bottom half of our power rankings and have won seven of their last ten… but they’re only 4-4-0 on the road.

20. New Jersey Devils

The Devils complimented their youth movement with a few veterans this past offseason and they have been a fascinating team thus far because of it. They have seven regulation wins in 17 starts but need to finish when the game gets to free hockey; five if their 17 games have gone to overtime/shootout ad the Devils have won only one of them.

19. Nashville Predators

Nashville is nearly identical to San Jose, but we’re giving the Sharks a spot ahead of the Preds because of one more regulation win in 19 games. The Preds were supposed to be in rebuild mode but they’ve been interesting this season.

18. San Jose Sharks

San Jose is what a middle-of-the-pack team looks like. They’re 5-5-0 on the road and 5-3-1 at home. They have a minus-two goal differential. And have won 10 of 19 stars – all in regulation, however.

17. Detroit Red Wings

Lucas Raymond has been the absolute truth for Detroit thus far. The 19-year-old rookie has 20 points in his first 21 games and has quickly emerged as the face of the next generation in Detroit. Raymond and Mortiz Seider should give Wings fans hope that the rebuild is headed in the right direction.

16. Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus just keeps making life miserable for opponents. They’ve won 11 of their first 17 games (nine in regulation) and have a strong 7-3-0 record on home ice. This could be a tough weekend for Michigan alum Zach Werenski to be in Columbus, however. Go… Blue (Jackets)?

15. Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh is one of those teams that has dealt with significant injuries early in the season but have hung around because of solid coaching and veterans stepping up. Once the Pens have their complete roster on the ice, healthy, they’ll should be dangerous.

14. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets have lost their last four games entering Friday and have only outscored their opponents by four through 19 games. And they have only two wins in nine road games thus far. But a 7-2-1 record at home has kept them in the mix.

13. Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim continues to be a really nice story early this season. They have ten regulation wins in 20 starts and their offense is progressing nicely. In a soft division, they should have strong playoff hopes at this point.

12. Colorado Avalanche

Colorado, in spite of their injuries, have won their last six games and have a plus-15 goal differential in 16 games. The good news for Avs fans is they’re getting healthy and haven’t had a heavy schedule yet. That’s bad news for the rest of the Central Division.

11. St. Louis Blues

The up-and-down Blues have been basically a .500 team at home and on the road to date, but we like their plus-10 goal differential through 19 games. That’s the same number as Toronto and in the upper-half of the league.

10. Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas fans are thankful their roster is suddenly getting healthy. Two big bodies returned to the ice earlier this week and hopes are Max Pacioretty can help the offense turn the corner. To their credit, the Knights hung around while their stars were out and can now look to build on a decent start to the year.

9. Minnesota Wild

The Wild appear to have found a formula that works and are taking advantage of a division that has been incredibly mediocre so far. Minnesota has ten regulation wins in their first 19 games, only seven of which have been at home (5-2-0).

8. Tampa Bay Lightning

Injury after injury but the Bolts keep winning games. It isn’t pretty every night, however. They’re 5-1-1 away from Tampa, which is a very good start to the season.

7. New York Rangers

Many of us thought a team from New York would be near the top of our power rankings at this point, but it was the Islanders people had circled. The Rangers have been good enough most nights this season; they’ve won 11 of their 19 games in regulation in spite of a plus-three goal differential.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

We’re still waiting for the offense to fully turn on. Toronto has scored 57 goals in 21 games entering Friday; by comparison, Carolina has scored 58 in 18 games. And Edmonton has scored 74 in 19. But the Leafs are winnings the games on their schedule, so they get *this close* to our top five this week.

5. Edmonton Oilers

The most explosive offense in the league resides in Edmonton, and when they’re on their home ice the Oilers are nearly unbeatable. Their defense could use a few healthy bodies back in the lineup but as long as McDavid and Draisaitl are healthy they’re going to be tough to beat.

4. Washington Capitals

The Caps have outscored their opponents by 23 goals in 20 games, which is a solid number. We aren’t thrilled with their 6-1-3 record at home, however. In a league where so much has been counter to common sense this season, Ovi scoring goals has been a constant.

3. Calgary Flames

Calgary has won four straight entering Friday and their plus-30 goal differential is the best in the entire NHL. What’s most impressive: they’re 9-2-2 away from home already this year.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina slips past Calgary this week by the slimmest of margins. The Canes are 8-2-1 away from home to begin this season and have just one loss on home ice thus far. Even with as many changes as they had to the roster this past offseason, Carolina is a complete team.

1. Florida Panthers

The Panthers retain the top spot in our power rankings due, in large part, to their 11-0-0 record at home. We’re almost two full months into the 2021-22 regular season and the Panthers still haven’t lost a home game! They’ve played through a sudden coaching change and some tough opponents to stay the class of the league.