December 3, 2021
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — We’ve got some red-hot teams making a case for the top spot in this week’s Power Rankings, and a few dumpster fires fighting for the bottom of the list as well.

The New York Islanders are an ongoing puzzle that doesn’t seem to have an easy solution. Thankfully, it appears they’re moving past their COVID issues and will be able to get back on the ice... but is that a good thing the way they’re playing?

As we turn the calendar to December and trade rumors start circulating, we have a new team at No. 1 this week. Which teams will make early deals to change their fortunes? And who will sell early, admitting this is a lost year? We may find out soon.

Let’s jump into this week’s rankings. As always, feel free to point out where we’re wrong and what we got right.

[View the Power Rankings from Week 7]

32. Ottawa Senators

Not only are they in last place in the league with 11 points in 21 starts, but they’re 26th in the league in scoring (2.43 per game). This was supposed to be a turnaround year, but everything is pointing back to the lottery for the Sens.

31. New York Islanders

A team that was supposed to have legit Cup aspirations and celebrate an exciting new season in a gorgeous new barn have been an unmitigated disaster. Averaging 1.83 goals-per-game and losers of nine straight entering Friday, the Islanders might need a significant shake-up.

30. Arizona Coyotes

Arizona is tied with the Isles for dead last in scoring and their 12 points in 23 games is awful. They’re also now dealing with relocation and/or sale rumors, which the team debunked. The list of issues in the desert grows daily, and they’ve been a mess for a while.

29. Montreal Canadiens

A 4-8-1 record on home ice is not good enough. Which is why they made changes in the front office, handing the keys to Jeff Gorton to change the future of the franchise. He isn’t going to immediately change the on-ice product, but Habs fans should have some energy from the much-needed change.

28. Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks are still trying to dig out of their brutal start to the season and have been bad on home ice (3-6-1). They desperately need their young, now well-paid stars to start leading the turnaround. But how long should the fans – or organization – wait for change?

27. Seattle Kraken

We knew after the Expansion Draft that Seattle was going to be offensively challenged. And expectations weren’t realistic for another expansion team to follow the Vegas model of winning immediately. But we’ve seen small steps in the right direction from the Kraken.

26. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have lost seven straight entering Friday and have won only eight of their first 21 starts. Their offseason sold fans on supposed improvement, but the product hasn’t reflected that yet.

25. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings were a pleasant surprise to open the season and have performed better than some expected, but they’ve now won only three of their last ten starts. Their schedule has been home-heavy (14 of 22 in LA) so the road tests are coming.

24. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are 2-6-2 on the road to start the season and have won only two of their last ten games. We do like their direction, but the struggles will likely continue. They did add much-needed goaltending depth this week, acquiring Malcolm Subban from the Blackhawks.

23. Chicago Blackhawks

The Hawks are climbing out of the cellar in our Power Rankings, and it appears the coaching change was just what they needed. Chicago has won seven of their last ten, including an impressive shootout win at the Capitals on Thursday night. The offense is still brutally bad, however.

22. New Jersey Devils

Getting Jack Hughes back from his 17-game absence – and signing him to a long-term extension – were great for the young team. He’ll help them turn a corner after winning just three of their last ten.

21. Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas really needed to get healthy, and it appears they’re at least headed in that direction now. Seeing Jack Eichel skating already is also a huge positive for the Knights, though he shouldn’t be expected back in the lineup for some time.

20. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets have lost their last three starts, but they’ve been terrific on home ice (8-3-0). Their 10 regulation wins in 21 starts is a good number, but they’re in a tough uphill climb in a strong division.

19. Boston Bruins

With all of the Jake DeBrusk rumors swirling, the Bruins also have to worry about Brad Marchand’s antics again. With all of that in the background, the Bs are still 6-4-0 in their last 10.

18. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets must get better on the road; they’re 3-5-3 away from home to start the season. The good news for Winnipeg is their division sucks right now. There’s a good opportunity for the Jets to work through their issues and get into the postseason, but there’s work to do if they want to make a deep run.

17. Nashville Predators

The Preds are 5-5-1 away from home and have won 11 of 23 games in regulation. Like the Jets, their division will give the supposedly rebuilding Predators an opportunity to make the playoffs this season if they can stay the course.

16. Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh has lost three in-a-row and we’re not going to blame the club’s sale to Fenway Sports for the performances. Their defense hasn’t been good enough to date, which is reflected in a minus-one goal differential and 66 goals allowed in 23 games.

15. St. Louis Blues

The Blues are 4-5-1 in their last ten and 5-5-2 on the road thus far. We’re starting to hear Vladimir Tarasenko’s name pop up in trade rumors again.

14. Colorado Avalanche

The slow climb of the mountain has begun for the Avs, who started the season with their two big guns up front missing for extended periods of time. But Colorado has now won eight of their last ten and the offense is rolling.

13. Detroit Red Wings

Detroit is a lovely surprise thus far. Even though their goal differential is still negative (-8), they’re 8-2-2 at home. And the Calder might be headed to the Motor City this year.

12. Dallas Stars

Dallas has won six straight and eight of their last ten. They’re 4-5-1 on the road in 21 games but the Stars have found a winning mix and are riding a hot streak right now. They may crack our top ten if this continues.

11. San Jose Sharks

First and foremost, we’re thinking about Hall of Famer Doug Wilson as he takes time to deal with his health. His team is 8-5-0 on the road and has been a big part of the “California teams are terrible” narrative being thrown out this season.

10. Carolina Hurricanes

Let’s not get into their comments about recent officiating and focus on the Canes’ three-game losing streak. Carolina is still a terrific team; they’re 9-3-1 on the road thus far. They’re just in a rough patch right now.

9. Anaheim Ducks

How about the Ducks being a sudden powerhouse! They’ve scored 81 goals in 24 games and have won six of their last ten. They have played 14 of 24 at home (9-4-1) so the road will catch up with them at some point.

8. Washington Capitals

The posts stole a few games and a second point from the Caps on Thursday night against Chicago, but Washington has been searching for consistency for the past couple weeks. They’re 6-2-2 in their last ten and 7-1-4 on home ice and Ovi continues to be must-see tv.

7. New York Rangers

Adam Fox may win back-to-back Norris Trophies; he’s been exceptional again this season. The Rangers have won four straight and eight of their last ten and have two dates with the Blackhawks coming up at MSG on Saturday night and in Chicago on Tuesday.

6. Minnesota Wild

The Wild have won five in a row and are a stunning 9-2-0 at home. Yes, they benefit from being in a bad division with a couple of the better teams struggling early on, but kudos to the Wild for sprinting out of the gate. They have a plus-20 goal differential in 23 starts this season.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa has won seven of their last ten and they have a point in seven of nine road games. Injuries happen and have hit Tampa harder than many the past couple years, but they keep finding ways to win games.

4. Florida Panthers

The Panthers have a strong plus-25 goal differential and lead the league with 35 points (in 23 games). They’re 13-1-0 at home, which is tremendous. But we’re moving them down to four this week because of the impressive play of our top three teams.

3. Edmonton Oilers

McDavid and Draisaitl are the best 1-2 combination in the game. And the Oilers are 9-1-0 on home ice, have won three straight and are 7-3-0 in their last ten. They wanted to make the jump into the game’s elite this season and it appears they’re ready to be part of that conversation.

2. Calgary Flames

Calgary moves all the way up to No. 2 this week thanks to having just one regulation loss in their last ten starts. Furthermore, the Flames have played 14 of their first 23 games away from home and have won 10 of them (10-2-2). They’re easily the best road team in the NHL this season.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

Yes, the Leafs have emerged as our No. 1 team this week. They have won five straight and are 9-1-0 in their last ten, the best ten-game mark in the league. The Leafs’ 35 points are tied with Florida for the top mark in the league (the Panthers have one game in-hand) and they’re 10-3-1 in Toronto. There’s a lot to like about the rolling Leafs right now.