November 22, 2023
By Tab Bamford
POWER RANKINGS
CHICAGO, IL — Thanksgiving in the United States has historically been a benchmark for teams to get an idea of their chances of making the playoffs. And we’re there now, so the sorting begins.
There are already some teams (hello, Edmonton) that are getting desperate early, while others are considering how soon to sell.
As we get ready for games to really start picking up around the league between now and Christmas and some potentially drastic and dramatic decisions to be made, perhaps the first domino will be the decision from Patrick Kane. Where he lands could shift the balance of power in either conference – especially if he’s back to being the 88 we watched for so many years in Chicago.
Before we sit down for football and turkey on Thursday in the U.S., let’s jump into our Power Rankings. As always, let us know what we got right and where we’re terribly, horribly wrong.
32. Columbus Blue Jackets
When a nine-game losing streak isn’t the biggest of the headaches, you know things are bad. They want better effort, but the players are responding to varying degrees of acceptance when they get benched/scratched.
31. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks have a minus-49 goal differential in 18 starts.
30. Chicago Blackhawks
They’re moving 19-year-old Kevin Korchinski up to the top powerplay unit in place of Seth Jones. We’ll see if they can end a four-game slide in Columbus on Wednesday night.
29. Minnesota Wild
Owners of the second-longest losing streak in the league, the Wild have already had a heart-to-heart conversation with GM Bill Guerin. Can they get things right before the playoffs are no longer realistic?
28. Edmonton Oilers
So maybe the coaching change wasn’t the solve? The team with two of the most dynamic offensive players in the game has a minus-16 goal differential in 17 games. And they’re 2-7-0 on the road.
27. Nashville Predators
Winners of their last two, the Preds have hope because the rest of the division is terrible. But, in reality, this is a bad team looking to turn the page to the next generation.
26. Montreal Canadiens
Having lost their last four, the Habs are 2-3-2 on the road and have a minus-14 goal differential. New year, similar results in Montreal.
25. Calgary Flames
The Flames are still trying to unlock the skill of their highly paid veteran additions from before last year. Unfortunately for them, the top of the Pacific isn’t waiting for them to sort things out.
24. New York Islanders
It’s hard to consistently compete in the NHL when your offense only gives you 44 goals in 17 games. But a team that was supposed to be built around its defense has allowed 12 more goals than they’ve scored in those 17 games.
23. Detroit Red Wings
The Wings slid this week because of a 3-5-2 record over their last 10 game.
22. Ottawa Senators
The Sens have played 11 of their 15 games on home ice and only have six wins and 12 points to show for it. But they’ve won their last three games overall, so things are moving in the right direction finally.
21. Seattle Kraken
The defense and goaltending have left a lot to be desired early on this season in Seattle. They have a minus-18 goal differential in 20 starts and are 4-3-3 in their last 10.
20. New Jersey Devils
The Devils are still trying to get a fully healthy lineup back on the ice, but they survived with Jack Hughes missing for an extended period. They’re 5-5-0 in their last 10.
19. Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes’ hope is the rest of the Central is bad. They’re only 4-4-2 in their last 10, however. They could have climbed in the division.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins
The concern is the Pens are only 4-5-0 at home thus far. They do own a plus-12 goal differential, which one would think would be tied to a better record overall than 9-8-0.
17. Anaheim Ducks
Even with three straight losses, the Ducks are 5-5-0 in their last 10. This is still a young team searching for consistency, however.
16. Buffalo Sabres
They had legit playoff aspirations before the season began, so a bad start wasn’t great. Losing Tage Thompson until the end of December (hopefully) doesn’t help. Can they survive without him? Do they need to bring in some help from outside the organization (like a certain No. 88)?
15. Tampa Bay Lightning
Winners of three in-a-row and with 22 points in the standings through 19 games, they might factor higher in our rankings. But the minus-one goal differential and 3-4-2 record on the road are concerns.
14. St. Louis Blues
The Blues have been really good on home ice (6-2-0). They’ve been mediocre on the road (3-5-1). Which is why they remain a middle-of-the-pack team in the standings and our power rankings.
13. Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 7-3-0 in their last 10 and 5-1-0 at home. And yet they only have a plus-two goal differential. There are still concerns here even though it appears they’re figuring some things out.
12. Philadelphia Flyers
Put a big UP arrow next to the Fightin’ Torts because Philly has won five straight and have a plus-eight goal differential.
11. Washington Capitals
Don’t look now, but the Caps are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and have won four straight. They’ve played 10 of their 15 at home but have a 3-1-1 record on the road.
10. Colorado Avalanche
The Avs have played 10 of 17 away from their barn and have won six of those games. In a weak Central Division, they’ve been able to work through some struggles and maintain their spot in the playoff picture.
9. Winnipeg Jets
While the bottom half of the Central looks awful, the Jets have been a pleasant surprise. From preseason trade rumors to the playoff race, it’s been an impressive first 17 games for the Jets.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
Winners of four straight, the Leafs are an impressive 5-1-2 away from home. There are still concerns that their goal differential through 17 games is only plus-three.
7. Florida Panthers
This probably feels low for a team that’s 8-2-0 in their last 10 and is tied for fourth in the league with 25 points. But the Panthers have the lowest goal differential (plus-eight) of the remaining teams on our list, and they’re 7-1-0 at home.
6. Los Angeles Kings
Winners of three straight and with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10, the Kings have a stunning 8-0-0 road record. They would be higher if they were better than 3-3-3 at home.
5. Dallas Stars
Dallas has put themselves in the conversation for the class of the West, and will likely stay there with a bad division and a good roster. They’re 7-1-1 on the road and have a plus-13 goal differential.
4. Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have been great at home (7-1-1) and have a plus-32 goal differential. It’s entirely possible they have the league’s top scoring forward and defenseman this year and jump back in the Cup conversation.
3. Vegas Golden Knights
There are a few cracks in the armor of the Knights. They’re only 5-4-1 in their last 10 and have lost two straight. They’re still almost unbeatable at home (8-1-1).
2. Boston Bruins
They have the league’s best record, still don’t have a regulation loss at home and have a plus-23 goal differential. But the Milan Lucic situation puts a cloud over the roster.
1. New York Rangers
With a 7-2-1 record on the road and 8-1-1 record in their last 10, the Rangers can certainly make a case that they’re the best, most balanced team in the league. They’ve allowed only 40 goals in 19 starts.