December 10, 2021
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — We’ve had our share of exciting and scary moments in the NHL over the past week. But it’s going to be hard for any moment his season to top the final moments of the Blackhawks’ win on Thursday night. Habs fans chanted the name of Marc-André Fleury as he finished off a 2-0 shutout performance for his 500th career victory. Kudos to the fans in Montreal for sharing a historic moment with a hometown legend.

The trade winds are starting to blow a bit harder as teams close in on the 30-game mark of the season. And, with the status of players attending the Olympics in doubt, teams may look to bolster their rosters sooner than later.

Let’s get to it. As always, let us know what we got right and where, in your opinion, we’re terribly wrong.

[View the Power Rankings from Week 8]

32. Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes are dead last in almost everything in the NHL, and the reports about their home situation have only amplified the perception of ineptitude. They’re averaging an NHL-worst 1.76 goals per game, which is historically bad.

31. Montreal Canadiens

They were shutout on their home ice by the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, making their record 4-10-1 in Montreal. This season has been an unmitigated disaster on the ice for the Habs. Only three teams – the Coyotes, Islanders and Blackhawks – average fewer goals per game than the Habs.

30. Ottawa Senators

The Sens were supposed to turn the corner and leave the rebuild behind this season. And yet here they are, allowing a league-worst 3.88 goals per game. They’re one of five teams in the league with a sub-.900 save percentage.

29. New York Islanders

Remember when they were hoping for a bounce when they were finally able to play home games in their new barn? The Isles are winless (0-5-2) at the beautiful UBS Arena. A team that began the year with legit Cup aspirations have been brutal.

28. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are just about what we expected them to be without Jack Eichel bringing back a king’s ransom of NHL players. They’re struggling on both ends of the ice, but they’re playing hard.

27. Seattle Kraken

We questioned the Kraken’s ability to score goals after the expansion draft, but they rank in the middle of the league in goals per game (2.81). They just got Mark Giordano back from the COVID list this week, which should help solidify their backend.

26. Vancouver Canucks

Two wins to start the Bruce Boudreau era is a noticeable change of pace. There’s way too much talent on that roster to be scoring 2.37 goals per night. And their “defense” needs a lot of work. Bruce has his work cut out for him.

25. Philadelphia Flyers

We were told their play on the ice would change significantly after making moves to bolster their blueline in the offseason. It hasn’t, so the head coach is out. Will a new voice inspire a turnaround? Or is this team in need of dramatic changes to the roster, too?

24. New Jersey Devils

The Devils are 3-5-2 in their last 10, which has kept them from climbing. They’re young and still learning, but getting anything from special teams would help; only Arizona and Vegas have scored fewer power play goals than the Devils (nine).

23. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings rank 25th on the penalty kill thus far, which isn’t good; only Buffalo, Washington and Pittsburgh have accumulated fewer penalty minutes than the Kings (174) to date, so at least they’re limiting the potential damage.

22. Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus ranks 11th on the powerplay and 13th on the penalty kill, which would lead you to believe they’re a middle-of-the-pack team. And they’re averaging 3.16 goals per game. They just need to work on when goals are being scored for – and against – them.

21. Chicago Blackhawks

Lost in the celebration surrounding Fleury’s 500th win on Thursday night was another significant moment for Chicago: Jonathan Toews finally scored his first goal of the season. The Hawks are offensively inept, but if they can get Toews and Kirby Dach going they could be interesting in the coming months.

20. Boston Bruins

The Bruins need to find consistency on the ice. They’ve dealt with injuries and regular questions about their goaltending, but they need their stars to pick up the pace. The Bruins ranks sixth in the NHL on the power play.

19. Dallas Stars

Dallas has won seven of their last ten and has a terrific 9-2-1 record on home ice. But that means their road record (4-7-1) leaves a lot to be desired. They’re 11th in the league on the penalty kill thus far.

18. Detroit Red Wings

The Wings have the same issue as the Stars: they’re terrific at home (9-3-2) and mediocre on the road (4-8-1). Detroit ranks 25th in the league on the power play, which is an ongoing issue they need to address.

17. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks are the opposite of Dallas and Detroit; they’re 8-7-0 on the road. With 15 of their first 27 games away from home, they’ll look to take advantage of some home cooking when the schedule balances out.

16. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets slide this week because they’ve only won four of their last ten. Injuries haven’t helped them, but ranking in the bottom half of the league on the powerplay is a concern. The Jets are tied with the Lightning for eighth in goals against per game (2.62).

15. Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton enters Friday losers of their last four games, including a tough home loss to the Bruins on Thursday night. The Oilers are averaging 3.48 goals per game, which ranks fifth in the league entering Friday.

14. St. Louis Blues

The Blues ranks seventh in the league in scoring (3.38 goals per game) and third on the powerplay. Defensively, the Blues are tied for 15th in the league, allowing 2.81 goals per game. That needs to improve.

13. Anaheim Ducks

They had the No. 1 play of the week with the amazing Michigan alley-oop goal, but the Ducks have won five of their last ten. The Ducks rank third in the league on the penalty kill.

12. Vegas Golden Knights

When you consider the injuries they’ve dealt with, it’s excusable for the Knights to have struggled a bit. But ranking in the bottom-third of the league on the PK is a problem. The offense (3.4 goals/game) isn’t as much of an issue, especially now that they’re getting their stars back on the ice.

11. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens have new ownership now – officially – and have been rolling (7-2-1 in their last 10). They own the No. 1 penalty kill unit in the NHL entering Friday. They rank 25th with only 11 powerplay goals to date, however.

10. Colorado Avalanche

Even with all of the significant players who have missed time this season, the Avs lead the league in goals per game (4.26), almost a full half-goal better than any other team in the league. Only Edmonton and Toronto have scored more powerplay goals than Colorado (22 in 23 games).

9. Nashville Predators

Nashville enters Friday winners of three straight and six of their last 10. They were supposedly rebuilding after a series of moves over the summer, but this team is taking advantage of their schedule and looks like a playoff team now. The Preds and Blackhawks are the only two teams in the league who haven’t allowed a single shootout goal yet.

8. Calgary Flames

The Flames have cooled off a bit, losers of their last three entering Friday. We’re also a bit perplexed by their 4-2-4 record on home ice, but Calgary’s 11 road wins is tied for the NHL lead. The defense in Calgary has been the game-changer; they’re allowing an NHL-best 2.15 goals per game.

7. Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes rank second in the league on the PK and ninth in goals per game (3.24). We aren’t worried about Carolina’s playoff candidacy. They ranks second in the NHL, allowing just 2.2 goals per game.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs are 6-3-1 in their last 10, which is a good mark. Unfortunately, for them, the teams in our top five this week are all better in their last ten contests.

5. New York Rangers

The Trouba Train made a few headlines this week for big hits, one of which sent Chicago forward Juhjar Khaira to the hospital after an ugly scene on the ice at the United Center. New York has won eight of their last ten and is the hottest team in New York.

4. Florida Panthers

Florida has won seven of their last ten and has the best home record (14-1-0) in the NHL. Only four teams in the league have a better goal differential than the Panthers (+25) entering Friday.

3. Washington Capitals

The Caps rank fourth in the league in goals per game (3.5), but it’s fascinating that a team playing as well as they are offensively is tied with Buffalo and Columbus for 21st in the league with only 13 powerplay goals in 26 games (one more than the Sabres or Jackets).

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

Winners of five in a row, Tampa has an 8-1-1 record in their last ten and have overcome a series of injuries to look like a defending champ with legit chances to repeat. Their .923 save percentage as a team is tied for fourth in the league with Carolina behind Calgary, Pittsburgh and Toronto.

1. Minnesota Wild

How about the Wild? They’re 10-2-0 at home and have won their last eight games. The Wild are tied for the NHL’s best goal differential with Washington and Calgary (+27) and, surprisingly, appear to the class of the Central Division – and the Western Conference.