NHL Power Rankings: Hurricanes Fall, Bruins Back on Top

Well, that was quick. After blowing three separate one-goal leads, the Carolina Hurricanes relinquished the top spot on THN’s power rankings after the Rangers halted their 11-game winning streak.

It was just Carolina’s third loss this season when leading after two periods, but it was enough to push them from the top after the Boston Bruins went 2-0-1 last week.

It’s the third time in four weeks the Bruins are No. 1, and no other team has come close. The Canes, Devils and Avs are the only other teams to have been the top-ranked team more than once, and I would barely count the Avalanche since one of them was a pre-season ranking based on last season’s finish.

You know what the funniest thing is, though? The Bruins and Canes have both been beaten by the Coyotes this season.

(All fancy stats are 5v5 and courtesy naturalstattrick.com. CF% stands for Corsi For Percentage and xGF% represents Expected Goals For Percentage.)

1. Boston Bruins (29-4-4, +57. CF% league rank: 5, xGF% league rank: 3)

Linus Ullmark has to be a shoo-in for the Vezina right now, right? Since the league changed the criteria starting in the 1981-82 season, Ullmark would be the fourth different Bruins goalie to win the award, following Pete Peeters, Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask, the most by any team.

2. Carolina Hurricanes (25-7-6, +22. CF%: 1, xGF%: 1)

That loss to the Rangers certainly hurt, but there’s no denying that their 11-game winning streak was incredible, even if a little ugly at times. What’s more incredible? Jesperi Kotkaniemi somehow managed to score five points in five games.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (24-11-1, +27. CF%: 8, xGF%: 4)

They got a little lucky with a shootout win against the Rangers, but this is the mistake-free Lightning again, making good on expected wins against the Habs, Yotes and Hawks. Victor Hedman led the way with seven helpers over the past week, but strangely not many people are talking about how he has only one goal so far this season.

4. Dallas Stars (23-10-6, +32. CF%: 14, xGF%: 16)

A loss to the Kings was the only blemish, but otherwise, Jake Oettinger continues to be fantastic. He’s allowed more than two goals just twice in his past 10 games.

5. Vegas Golden Knights (26-12-2, +21. CF%: 18, xGF%: 8)

Whenever the Knights start to look like they’re about to lose games, which dates back to the conclusion of the expansion draft, they do the complete opposite. Even with a banged-up blue line they’ve won four of their past six and Michael Amadio is on a seven-game point streak.

6. Winnipeg Jets (24-13-1, +24. CF%: 21, xGF%: 21)

There was a brief three-game lull but then they swept through the rest of western Canada, allowing just five goals in three games. Now they’re going to get Cole Perfetti, Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers back in the lineup soon.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs (23-8-7, +30. CF%: 12, xGF%: 5)

Are your knees weak, arms heavy, with vomit on your sweater already? That’s because bad goaltending is rearing its head again in Toronto, and they’ve lost two of their past three with nine goals allowed between Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov in those defeats. Bright side: still better than Jack Campbell.

8. Minnesota Wild (21-13-2, +14. CF%: 15, xGF%: 14)

A relatively quiet week for the Wild, who have not played since Saturday. You could even say it was rather… mild. I’ll be here again next week, folks.

9. New Jersey Devils (23-11-3, +27. CF%: 2, xGF%: 2)

It would take a monumental collapse for the Devils to miss the playoffs but, uh, turning it around now would be kinda nice. They’ve lost nine of their past 11 and have not committed to either Vitek Vanecek or Mackenzie Blackwood to be their starter.

10. Buffalo Sabers (19-15-2, +21. CF%: 10, xGF%: 23)

Too high on the rankings, maybe? But the Sabres’ offense really is something else when Tage “TNT” Thompson is blowing out goalies on a nightly basis. They’ve won seven of their past eight and seem totally unbothered by an extended nine-game break due to inclement weather. I still think this team can backdoor their way into a playoff spot, but their goaltending has to hold.

11. New York Islanders (22-15-2, +20. CF%: 22, xGF%: 22)

They’ve won four of their past five, and Ilya Sorokin has allowed just five goals in those wins. Their offense comes and goes, but recently, it’s been going. Mathew Barzal is having his best season since his rookie campaign, and Brock Nelson is having a career season.

12. New York Rangers (21-12-6, +19. CF%: 13, xGF%: 18)

Their seven-game winning streak may have been snapped, but since last week, they’ve lost to the Lightning in a shootout and managed to beat both the Panthers and Hurricanes. The key question now for the Rangers regarding Alexis Lafreniere: if they were to trade him, what could they realistically get?

13. Washington Capitals (21-13-6, +18. CF%: 1, xGF%: 13)

Darcy Kuemper has been fine all season, but perhaps they should work out some kind of rotation with Charlie Lindgren? It’s worth noting that since Dec. 1, which was about when Lindgren took over as the starter due to Kuemper’s injury, the Caps are 11-2-3, the fourth-highest points percentage in the league.

14. Los Angeles Kings (22-13-6, -5. CF%: 9, xGF%: 9)

It’s Pheonix Copley’s town now. He’s 9-1-0 with a Quality Starts percentage at 70 percent, much higher than Jonathan Quick’s 40.9 percent in 22 starts, according to hockey-reference.com. They’re still the only team in playoff position with a negative goal differential, and they’re still second (?!) in the Pacific.

15. Seattle Kraken (20-12-4, +9. CF%: 7, xGF%: 15)

That third spot in the Pacific will be a wild race between the Kraken and the two Alberta teams because none of them are actually that good. The margin for error is razor-thin, but what the Kraken have going for them is arguably the most balanced scoring in the league.

16. Pittsburgh Penguins (19-12-6, +11. CF%: 20, xGF%: 10)

No word on Tristan Jarry’s injury at the Winter Classic – it’s just an ill-fated event for the Pens at this point – but they’re already two points out of the last wild-card spot, and it’s going to be a grind just to make the cut.

17. Colorado Avalanche (19-14-3, +3. CF%: 6, xGF%: 17)

The word that Gabriel Landeskog is not close to returning is another gut punch, but kudos to Evan Rodrigues and JT Compher for keeping the boat afloat, and Valeri Nichushkin and Josh Manson are close to returning. They’ve lost four straight for the second time this season.

18. Edmonton Oilers (20-17-2, +6. CF%: 17, xGF%: 19)

It’s pretty brutal the Oilers have strung together consecutive wins just four separate times this season, and only once has it been more than three games. There’s no consistency, recently splitting games with the Kraken, Preds and Wild.

19. Calgary Flames (18-14-7, +1. CF%: 3, xGF%: 6)

Crazy to think that, at one point early in the season, the Flames looked like a top-tier team. After singing Jonathan Huberdeau’s praises for about a week, he’s scored just one goal in his past four games. On the bright side, they’ve won five of their past eight, and all three losses were by just one goal.

20. Detroit Red Wings (16-12-7, -7. CF%: 28, xGF%: 25)

The Wings have improved this season, but there’s still a lot to figure out. Robby Fabbri, Jakub Vrana and Tyler Bertuzzi are all at different stages in their rehab and estimated returns to the lineup. It’ll be interesting to see what this team can do at full strength, having recently ended their six-game losing streak.

21. Ottawa Senators (18-17-3, even. CF%: 11, xGF%: 12)

They’ve won four of their past five against pretty tough competition – Bruins, Caps, Sabers – moving one game over .500 for the first time since late October. It will be tough, but they’re part of the group that has a chance to nab a wild-card spot. Pierre Dorion was right – they have a team!

22. St. Louis Blues (18-17-3, -20. CF%: 27, xGF%: 24)

The silver lining in the injuries to Ryan O’Reilly, whose regression has been eye-popping, and Vladimir Tarasenko, who had previously asked to be traded, is that it gives the full reins to Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. Their defense hasn’t been strong since Alex Pietrangelo left, but perhaps we’ll get a glimpse of what the future Blues look like.

23. Florida Panthers (17-18-4, -5. CF%: 4, xGF%: 7)

They’re maddeningly inconsistent, winning just four of their past 12 games, and neither Spencer Knight nor Sergei Bobrovsky can stop pucks. Losses to the Bruins, Devils, Isles, Canes and Rangers were a litmus test of their ability, and it was a big failure. Some of the losses weren’t even close.

24. Nashville Predators (16-14-6, -10. CF%: 19, xGF%: 20)

It’s great they beat up the Hawks, Ducks and Habs. Just great. Sarcasm aside, this is still a team that’s counting on too few players to do the job. They lean on Juuse Saros heavily, and a crucial five-game road trip is coming up with two back-to-backs. Can they ride Saros for 65-plus games?

25. Arizona Coyotes (13-18-5, -28. CF%: 31, xGF%: 30)

The Coyotes at Mullet Arena have been downright fun, almost to the point where we’re doing a 180-turn from the pre-season jokes. Barrett Hayton also basically just scored half of his points this season in just one week. Not a bust yet!

26. Vancouver Canucks (16-18-3, -18. CF%: 25, xGF%: 26)

They were booed off the ice in a 6-2 loss to the Isles during what may be the toughest stretch of their schedule. Thatcher Demko is not close to returning, and this rudderless franchise needs to figure out a direction. Time is not on their side, and they need to be far more aggressive in deciding whether to sell all of their veteran pieces or swap out parts.

27. Philadelphia Flyers (14-17-7, -23. CF%: 26, xGF%: 28)

Their three-game winning streak matches the highest total of the season, and their goalie has been… Samuel Ersson?! It’s not uncommon for teams to play better defensively with an inexperienced rookie or backup in net, and with Bobby Brink now in the AHL for a conditioning stint, maybe we’ll see John Tortorella smile?

28. San Jose Sharks (12-20-7, -26. CF%: 23, xGF%: 11)

The six losses in their past eight, the constant 7:30 pm local time starts and the TV broadcast from such a high angle makes their games hard to watch. Okay, the last two are just me, but this is a team that’s going into the depths.

29. Anaheim Ducks (10-24-4, -70. CF%: 30, xGF%: 32)

At this point, I just want to share duck recipes and “Mighty Ducks” quotes with you.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets (11-23-2, -48. CF%: 29, xGF%: 27)

Elvis Merzlikins was unavailable, but they’ve lost eight of their past nine, and they just. Cannot. Score. They’ve been shut out twice and scored more than one goal just three times.

31. Montreal Canadiens (15-20-3, -41. CF%: 24, xGF%: 29)

Martin St. Louis said he’s benching Joel Armia because he’s lost patience. That’s funny, because you could’ve fooled anyone saying Armia was still playing in the league. They’re paying him $1 million per assist.

NHL Power Rankings: Hurricanes Fall, Bruins Back on Top

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