NOvember 14, 2022
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — As we reach the one month pole in the 2022-23 NHL season for most teams, it’s a good time to step back and take stock of what’s taken place thus far. For some teams, it’s been a wonderful surprise (Chicago and Philly, especially). For others, it’s been a miserable trainwreck (adding Columbus to this list).

But the season is not a four-week journey. Indeed, though some injuries may open the phone lines up sooner than later, we’re still four months away from the trade deadline. There’s a lot of hockey left to be played – for good and bad – in every city around the league.

So, with the Hockey Hall of Fame inductions coming this evening, let’s jump into a legendary edition of our Power Rankings.

32. Columbus Blue Jackets

Even though Anaheim is riding a three-game losing streak to Columbus’ one, the Jackets have so many significant injuries right now it’s ridiculous. They announced Monday that Patrik Laine will miss extended time with an ankle injury, joining the list.

31. Anaheim Ducks

They own the worst goal differential in the NHL (minus-26) and have won three of their last ten. The loss at home to Chicago over the weekend was a bad look, especially when things got chippy late in the third period and it cost them.

30. Vancouver Canucks

Just make a decision on your coach already! Please! Losers of three straight, it appears once again it’ll be the coach and not the same group of players who got the last one fired who will be held accountable for a bad start to a season.

29. Buffalo Sabres

Plummeting on our list this week are the losers of their last five games, the Sabres. Even with that being said, they still have a positive goal differential for the season.

28. St. Louis Blues

Okay, they’ve won two in a row. If we ignore the eight-game losing streak in between that and winning their first three, things might not look so bad in St. Louis.

27. Ottawa Senators

They need to stay home more often. The Sens are 1-4-1 on the road to start this season.

26. Arizona Coyotes

The road warriors are 1-2-1 at home to date and have a minus-14 goal differential thus far. We’re worried about their 40 goals scored in 15 games – that isn’t enough.

25. Nashville Predators

If we’re worried about Arizona’s offense, we have to be with Nashville, as well. They have the same goals-scored in 15 games played but many had much higher expectations for the Preds this year.

24. San Jose Sharks

Sporting a minus-13 goal differential in 17 games played isn’t bad, but they’ve been awful at home (1-5-3). The games played are piling up for the Sharks early this season but the points are not.

23. Detroit Red Wings

The Wings have lost their last three and have a minus-six goal differential. They’re cooking on home ice (5-2-2) but their 2-3-1 road record isn’t great.

22. Calgary Flames

We were told their new roster was better than the one that won the Pacific last year. And yet, on Nov. 14, they have 14 points in 14 games and are 1-2-1 away from home. Injuries haven’t helped but things need to improve soon for a team some felt had legit Cup hopes.

21. Minnesota Wild

Help me out here. The Wild are 5-2-1 on the road (good) but 2-4-1 at home (bad). And they have a minus-three goal differential despite committing to a future Hall of Famer in net. Was Kevin Fiala that important to their roster?

20. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have lost three in-\a-row and have just three wins in their last ten despite Carter Hart playing well. Maybe this is Philly sliding back to reality after surprising us early this season?

19. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens are 2-6-2 in their last ten games and have won three of ten on the road to start the season. This isn’t the reunion tour we expected when the band got back together in Pittsburgh for another ride.

18. Chicago Blackhawks

No, it doesn’t make sense. The Blackhawks bring in Max Domi and Jason Dickinson to compliment a healthy Jonathan Toews and they’re now suddenly the best faceoff team in the NHL. They picked up three points in two games in southern California last week to continue defying expectations.

17. Washington Capitals

Another team with a terrible road record (2-5-1) hurting their playoff position. They have their share of missing players because of injuries, but they need to be better away from home if they want to climb the standings.

16. Florida Panthers

They’re getting Aaron Ekblad back but continue struggling to find consistency. Of course a suspension doesn’t help, but we thought their goal differential would be much better than plus-two after one month of the season.

15. Montreal Canadiens

They have found their dynamic top line with Kirby Dach joining Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Now they just need their depth scoring to follow them more frequently so they can get their goal differential out of the red.

14. Edmonton Oilers

They’re going to struggle to find someone(s) to replace Evander Kane’s production. But it remains the defensive end of the ice that’s an issue; they have the two best offensive players in the game and yet they have a goal differential of plus-one through 16 games.

13. Colorado Avalanche

The defending champs have only played 13 games and have a plus-14 goal differential, but they’re only 4-3-0 away from home. Their four-game win streak tells us things are starting to click in Denver.

12. Tampa Bay Lightning

They’re just a .500 team on the road and have a break-even goal differential for the season even with a blowout win on Sunday night included. This isn’t the same Tampa team we’ve seen the last couple years, but the work in progress will continue developing as we get closer to Thanksgiving in the U.S.

11. Winnipeg Jets

Without a captain the Jets have quietly been one of the best home teams in the NHL early this season (5-1-0). Only the Bruins have fewer home losses, and what they’re doing is crazy. Winnipeg appears to have turned a corner this season and is chasing the top spot in the Central.

10. Dallas Stars

Dallas has the third-best goal differential in the NHL (plus-18) and have some games coming on home ice, where they’re 4-2-0 to start the season.

9. Seattle Kraken

Last year’s “disappointing” expansion franchise is now working on a playoff berth? And they’re doing it in spite of a 3-4-2 home record. Their alternate jerseys we saw this weekend are legit, too.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs

Their honoring of Borje Salming this weekend was first class. And their record on home ice (6-2-1) is good. But their 2-3-2 road record and plus-one goal differential tell us they need to do some work away from the comforts of Toronto.

7. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are the only team in our top 14 with a negative goal differential to date (minus-one). They’ve won their last four and are 7-2-1 in their last ten.

6. Carolina Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov is tied for third in the NHL with 11 goals already. And he has two hat tricks already this season as well. Both of them came against the Oilers, so...

5. New York Rangers

Adam Fox had himself a nice weekend and has played well. The Rangers have six losses (three OT/SO) in ten starts at Madison Square Garden, however. They should be better at home than that.

4. New York Islanders

Maybe Lou knew what he was doing when he left things alone in the offseason? The Isles have won eight of their last ten, have a plus-12 goal differential and look like the team that played in consecutive Eastern Conference Finals more than the one that never got off the ground last year.

3. Vegas Golden Knights

Man, when you’ve won nine of your last ten and you come in third in the weekly Power Rankings it’s a rough go. But the Knights are outstanding, winning eight of nine on the road and they’re the owners of the second-best goal differential (plus-22) in the league).

2. New Jersey Devils

Winners of nine straight, the Devils have become the offensive force their diehard fans kept telling us they would be. They’ve won five of six on the road and have a plus-17 goal differential. And Marty Brodeur is back in the fold (officially).

1. Boston Bruins

With all due respect to the league’s longest win streak, when the Bruins enter play the third week of November without a home loss in nine starts that’s pretty amazing. They have the league’s top goal differential of plus-30 in just 16 games! Beware the Bruins.