December 13, 2023
By Tab Bamford
POWER RANKINGS
CHICAGO, IL — So how did everyone enjoy our first trip to the “Connor-Verse” on Tuesday night? The matchup we’ve waited for since the draft: Connor Bedard vs. Connor McDavid. Bedard scored a ridiculous goal to start the game, but Chicago’s offense disappeared, and the Oilers stayed hot. And McDavid is playing at another level since the coaching change.
As we continue rolling full speed into the holiday season, there are teams struggling to stay healthy and others fighting to find their identity. Meanwhile, the Pacific Division looks like a bunch of legit contenders at the top.
Let’s jump into our Power Rankings for the week. As always, let us know what we got right and where we’re terribly, horribly wrong.
32. Anaheim Ducks
Losers of their last three and at just 1-9-0 in their last 10, the Ducks are struggling to stay afloat in a ridiculously tough division.
31. Chicago Blackhawks
A 2-1-1 homestand gave way to an injury plagued blue line trying their best in the battle of the Connors on Tuesday night. Their offense continues to be Bedard and TBD.
30. Seattle Kraken
They host the Blackhawks on Thursday night, and that result might impact our bottom three next week. The Kraken’s minus-23 goal differential is the third worst in the league.
29. Pittsburgh Penguins
At just 3-4-3 in their last 10, the Pens can’t seem to get out of their own way. They’ve only scored 79 goals in 27 games.
28. St. Louis Blues
Maybe they’re hoping for the same bounce in the standings as the previous two teams that fired their head coach this season, but their game in Chicago over the weekend was a mediocre effort across the board. They’re 3-7-0 in their last 10.
27. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Jackets have two wins in 13 road games to start the season and have a minus-19 goal differential. Injuries have hurt them, but inconsistency has been their real struggle.
26. Calgary Flames
Losers of three straight, the Flames have a minus-17 goal differential through 29 games. The phones are probably ringing already, and more moves may come if they can stay healthy.
25. Ottawa Senators
They’re still playing catch-up in the games played category (they’ve only played 23), but their 3-3-0 road record is going to have to improve as they play more games.
24. Minnesota Wild
They made the coaching change and improved briefly, but they’re still just 5-8-2 on the road and only 5-4-1 in their last 10.
23. San Jose Sharks
What? The Sharks climbing this high? Sure, why not! They’re 6-2-2 in their last 10 and are up to 6-6-2 on home ice. Let’s give them a little love this week (even with a league-worst minus-53 goal differential through 29 games).
22. Arizona Coyotes
Those wins against the last five Stanley Cup winners evaporated into a four-game losing skid. They’re 5-5-0 in their last 10 and are just 5-8-2 away from home.
21. Tampa Bay Lightning
They have a minus-10 goal differential and are 4-6-0 in their last 10. The only people enjoying the struggles in Tampa right now are the members of the Blackhawks’ front office; Chicago owns their first-round pick in ’24.
20. Buffalo Sabres
At just 4-5-1 in their last 10, we continue waiting for the Sabres to turn a corner and look like the team that was so close to the playoffs last year. They have a minus-12 goal differential and are only 6-7-1 at home.
19. Detroit Red Wings
They finally won a game with Patrick Kane in the lineup on Tuesday night, albeit against a Blues team that was on the verge of firing their coach. The injuries and suspension problems are too significant to ignore in Motown right now.
18. Montreal Canadiens
They’re still only 6-9-1 on home ice and have a minus-21 goal differential. They’re a flawed team that still has only five regulation wins in mid-December.
17. Carolina Hurricanes
They’re 8-2-1 on home ice, but have just a plus-one goal differential for the season. At 4-5-1 in their last 10, they haven’t been able to stay healthy or put together a sustained win streak yet.
16. New Jersey Devils
Getting healthy helps, and the Devils are now 6-4-0 in their last 10. The Devils need to be better than 5-6-1 on home ice, however.
15. Washington Capitals
We’re all still waiting for Ovi to start scoring, but the team is pulling along without much coming from their future Hall of Famer. The Caps should be excited about the plan for a new barn in Virginia.
14. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers have slid to just 5-3-2 in their last 10 and are only 6-6-1 at home, but still have a plus-nine goal differential. They’re still exceeding expectations.
13. Dallas Stars
At just 4-4-2 in their last 10, the Stars have allowed the middle of the Central Division to hang around longer than many expected. They are 9-3-2 on the road, however.
12. Winnipeg Jets
The news that Kyle Connor might be out until around the All-Star Game is a tough blow. We’ll see if they can continue scoring without their best offensive threat.
11. Nashville Predators
Don’t look now, but the Preds are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and have remained on the fringe of the playoff picture in the Central long enough that they’re now an interesting team to watch as we get closer to the holidays.
10. New York Islanders
The Isles have on three straight and have only one regulation loss in their last ten games. They still have a minus-four goal differential for the year but they’re winning games.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs
They still have only eight regulation wins in their first 26 starts, a number that’s troubling. The Leafs are 6-1-3 in their last 10.
8. Florida Panthers
At 5-4-1 in their last 10, the Panthers are sliding a bit but their division has allowed them to do so. They play with an edge and started this season the way they ended last year. We’ll see if they can sustain their 9-4-0 home record.
7. Colorado Avalanche
At 10-4-0 at home and one of four teams in the NHL to have scored 100 goals already, the Avs have dealt with their share of injuries but keep rolling along.
6. Boston Bruins
With a plus-22 goal differential, the Bruins keep rolling even if their coach sees some holes in their game. They’re only 5-4-1 in their last 10, however.
5. New York Rangers
The Blue Shirts are 6-4-0 in their last 10 and are six games over .500 at Madison Square Garden. Right now there isn’t a part of their game that’s weak.
4. Los Angeles Kings
Even with two straight losses, the Kings are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and they’re still 11-1-1 away from home. They have a plus-32 goal differential. The Pacific looks like the best division in the league right now… at least at the top.
3. Edmonton Oilers
Winners of eight in a row, their record might not warrant this spot (yet) but I don’t think there’s a team in the NHL that wants to see 97 on the other bench right now. Apparently the coach was the problem in Edmonton because they’re on fire.
2. Vancouver Canucks
Apparently the Western Conference is going to have to deal with western Canada this year, because the Pacific is looking north at two dynamos right now. The Canucks’ plus-37 goal differential is the best in the league and they’ve won three straight.
1. Vegas Golden Knights
The defending champs climb back to the top spot riding a four-game win streak. Their plus-32 goal differential is tied for the second-best in the league and they’re still 11-2-2 on home ice.