The NHL rolls into December as they’ve hit the quarter mark of the season. At the beginning of the year, I did my original 32 team power rankings, but a lot has changed since then. A lot of moving parts of teams rising and falling as teams start to separate themselves into contenders and tankers. And of course this is subject to change throughout the season. But for now, there are 10 teams that are above the rest getting ready for a playoff run.
10) Detroit Red Wings
For a team that didn’t have a clear direction at the start of the year, they have been the biggest surprise of the NHL season thus far. They’ve been the best team above expected offensively, with 12.48 goals above expected through 23 games. Alex Debrincat and Dylan Larkin are having all star caliber seasons in a rather underwhelming Atlantic Division. They recently signed veteran forward Patrick Kane coming off of hip resurfacing surgery to not only bring leadership to the team on the ice, but to help mentor the younger guys off the ice as well. I could see the Red Wings taking a step back offensively, but it’s just as likely they make a run at a playoff spot as well.
9) Winnipeg Jets
Another team that’s surpassed expectations set for them this year, Winnipeg has been not just great defensively, but they’ve also had a solid showing of offense too. Kyle Connor is one of the best (and least talked about) goalscorers in the NHL currently at 15 goals in 24 games, Marc Schiefele is having another fantastic year, and they have gotten solid goaltending from both Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit. They are currently second in the league in terms of goal differential above expected with 15.29 goal differential above expected. Consistent play like this will allow them to cruise into the playoffs in a top heavy Central Division.
8) Dallas Stars
Although I don’t think it’s fair to call a team currently second in their division a disappointment, I was expecting just a little bit more from the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger is having a solid year. However, after what we saw last year and his two years in the playoffs, I expected Oettinger to be the Vezina Trophy frontrunner this year. Jason Robertson has 8 goals and 22 points, which is below standard given he had back to back forty goal seasons and over 100 points last year. Joe Pavelski somehow continues to defy age and have a veteran presence on this team. It almost feels like given the amount of veterans they have up top like Pavelski, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin, they’re going to regress at some point. I hope they bounce back soon as they’re losers of four out of their last six contests.
7) Florida Panthers
Last year the Florida Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in large part due to the production of players like Matthew Tkachuk. Right now, they’re seventh in my power rankings despite the lack of production by Tkachuk. Currently he ranks tied for sixth on the Panthers with just 4 goals and fourth in scoring with 19 points in 24 games. The new acquisitions from last offseason, Evan Rodrigues (4 goals 12 assists), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (6 goals 6 assists), and Nikko Mikkola (team leader with 49 blocks, second with 39 hits) have done wonders to help pick up from their playoff run. Sam Reinhart currently sits in second place in the NHL with 16 goals scored, and Aleksander Barkovnhas once again shown how effective his 200 foot game is. Look for this team to heat up even more once Matthew Tkachuk figures it out.
6) Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks may be the team that’s playing the most unsustainable game out of the top 10. But it’s because of how good they’ve looked while playing that game that ranks them so high. They have the highest combined shooting + save percentage at 103.87%. The theory behind this stat is teams will eventually trend back towards 100%, and those who are over the 102 mark will regress and are nor as good as it seems and those under the 98 mark are better than they have shown. Vancouver has 4 every day players shooting over 20% this season. The Canucks have three of the top 7 point leaders in JT Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes, while Brock Boeser leads the league in goals shooting at a 25.4% clip. The only player with more than 40 shots shooting at a higher clip is the aforementioned Reinhart. Thatcher Demko has looked great in goal for the most part and has been a key factor in their success as well. If they can get through their difficult five game homestand unscathed, they may just climb even higher in the rankings.
5) Colorado Avalanche
The top team in the Western Conference in my original rankings stay in the top 5 as they’re still leaders of the Central Division and one of the deepest teams
In the NHL. It’s easy to see why this team is so high up, and it’s easy to get lost in the magic of Cale Makar, Nathan Mackinnon, and Mikko Rantanen. But sometimes that facade masks the play of some guys that haven’t lived up to expectations. Though they have been scoring goals at a high rate at times and winning games, defensively they haven’t looked completely in sync. Alexander Georgiev’s league leading 13 wins hides the fact that his goals against, save percentage, and goals saved above expected have been just okay. I still think they are the odds on favorite in my eyes to be the top seed in the Western Conference come playoff time. It’s just going to take better than .900 save percentage goaltending to do it.
4) Vegas Golden Knights
Just because you have the best record in the Western Conference doesn’t mean you’re getting the highest power rankings spot of those teams. Vegas started the season red hot, but have come back down to earth since having gone 5-5-4 over their last 14 games. Perhaps the biggest reason to their early season success has been Adin Hill who has a 10-2-2 record with an 1.87/.935 slash mark this season. Unfortunately, Hill is going to be out this week due to a lower body injury and I’m sure will be sorely missed. Jack Eichel hs led the charge offensively leading the team in both goals and assists while both William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault have both already reached double digit goals as well. They’re still the defending champions in this league, and remain a threat to everybody that enters the fortress.
3) Los Angeles Kings
Casual hockey fans wouldn’t expect the Kings to be on this list. Yet they’ve proven that defensively they are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. Cam Talbot has revived his career in LA ranking top three in wins, goals against average, and save percentage. Opposite of their Pacific Division foes, the Kings have shined recently having gone 10-2-1 in their last 13 games. During that stretch the Kings have given up more than two goals in a game just twice. Their top six forwards have clicked well and Quinton Byfield is finally showing he’s the player that deserves to be taken second overall in 2020. More impressively, the Kings are a perfect 9-0-0 on the road so far this season. They have young talent, the have veteran presence, and multiple players that know what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Los Angeles is equally as exciting to watch as they are dangerous to play.
2) Boston Bruins
At the beginning of the year I expected a heavy drop off from the Boston Bruins. Up until two weeks ago they held the title of best team in the league. Then they hit a skid dropping four of five games and quickly fell out of the top spot. But this team is using the same formula it did last season by minimizing dangerous chances defensively, letting their top goalie tandem handle business, and then offensively put up goals when needed. Not many teams in the league have one higher end goaltender, and Boston has an embarrassment of riches with both Jeremy Swayman and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark. David Pastrnak currently sits third in the league in points with 12 4 goals and 36 points, while Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha have adjusted to their top six center duties very nicely. Charlie McAvoy is a top five defenseman in the NHL, David Pastrnak may be the top goal scorer, and Linus Ullmark has been playing like a top 5 goaltender since his arrival. Any team that has a top five player amongst forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders is a team that is a favorite to go all the way.
1) New York Rangers
Peter Laviolette has pressed all the right buttons so far this season as the Rangers have the league's best record of 18-4-1. The system he’s rolled out fits Artemi Panarin much better than Gallant’s system over the past two seasons as he may be the favorite for the Hart Trophy if the season ended today. Chris Kreider has continued his goal scoring ways, Alexis Lafreniere has been the breakout player of the season so far, and Vincent Trocheck has been the second line center New York has so desperately needed. Even with Adam Fox missing nearly a month of action, the Rangers didn’t miss a beat. Jonathan Quick has turned back the clock while Igor has somewhat struggled this year. If the Rangers can continue to get this play from their skaters when Igor gets back in form, I can’t see any team beating them in a best of seven series.
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