Weekly NHL Power Rankings - Hurricanes Knocked Off Top Spot
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Mark Callanan
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8 mins
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Phil Kessel made history again this week, becoming the first player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 consecutive games. Kessel's longevity is remarkable, and his experience has helped the Golden Knights to a 14-4-1 record so far this season.
Vancouver celebrated the induction of twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin into the NHL Hall Of Fame, alongside former Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo. Back on the ice, the Bruins and Devils kept their incredible form alive, with the Devils winning their last 12 straight games. Erik Karlsson continued his Indian Summer renaissance with another big week, although his individual form has not yet managed to transfer to a winning record for the Sharks.
The league is approaching the one-quarter mark and there is still no change in the Stanley Cup odds market on NHL betting apps, with the Colorado Avalanche still leading the way. It is important to note that there will be a break in play next Thursday for American Thanksgiving. So which teams are quickly falling out of contention on NHL betting sites, and who need to buck up their ideas if they are to stay competitive this season?
32. Arizona Coyotes, 6-9-1 (-2)
Just the two games for the Coyotes in the past seven days, both 4-1 defeats. The imminent return of Jacob Chychrun would normally be seen as a boost, but the likelihood of Chychrun being traded in the coming weeks or months means that this isn't likely to improve the team in the near future. The tank continues.
31. Chicago Blackhawks, 6-8-3 (-2)
There are a couple of minor positives to note here. The potential return of Seth Jones next week should improve this team defensively. The powerplay has been decent, at 22.5%. That's about it though. They have now lost 9 of their last 11 games and sit right near the bottom of almost all key metrics. A tough season for Hawks fans.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets, 6-10-1 (+2)
Don't let recent wins over fellow strugglers Montreal and Philadelphia fool you, this team are struggling. The Blue Jackets have allowed more goals per game than any team in the league, their powerplay is the worst in the NHL, and they have a list of injuries that seems to grow longer by the day.
29. Philadelphia Flyers, 7-7-4 (-2)
The Flyers didn't manage a win from four attempts this week, although they did take a point from fellow strugglers Montreal and Columbus. A hand injury to in-form winger Travis Konecny has deprived the team of their main creative spark, so there are no signs of improvement any time soon. Owen Tippett may get a chance to shine in Konecny's absence.
28. Anaheim Ducks, 5-12-1 (+3)
This Ducks team are pretty bad. The only reason they're moving up the power rankings is that there are, somehow, teams out there who are worse. The Ducks managed an overtime win this week against the Red Wings, but continue to struggle on the penalty kill. They have allowed 23 powerplay goals this season, more than any other team.
27. San Jose Sharks, 6-11-3 (+1)
The Sharks managed a couple of wins in the past week, and the form of Erik Karlsson shows no signs of slowing down just yet. The veteran Swede leads the league in goals, assists and points amongst defensemen, with 28 points in 20 games. Whenever this hot run of form ends, the Sharks will begin to suffer once more.
26. Vancouver Canucks, 6-9-3 (-1)
On the week where Daniel and Henrik Sedin were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Canucks managed their own tribute to the twins by actually managing a couple of wins. Thatcher Demko finally put up a quality start on Friday against LA, but the team are still allowing chances at a much higher rate than they are creating them.
25. Montreal Canadiens, 9-8-1 (-2)
No team allowed more goals per game this week than the Canadiens, conceding 15 in just three games. Remarkably, they were able to eke out a win in one of those games, a 5-4 shootout victory over fellow strugglers, Philadelphia. The young attacking trio of Dach, Caufield and Suzuki continue to put points on the board and impress.
24. Buffalo Sabres, 7-11-0 (-9)
Despite their underlying numbers looking relatively decent, this Sabres team are in freefall right now. Having won seven of their first 10 games, the Sabres have now dropped eight straight contests in regulation, allowing 38 goals in those games. The loss of goaltender Eric Comrie to injury means that the Sabres will now need to rely more on 41-year-old Craig Anderson.
23. St Louis Blues, 9-8-0 (+3)
The Blues were one of only four teams to put up a perfect record this week, going 4-0-0. The form of Jordan Binnington has helped, as he won his three starts with a save percentage of .943 and a GAA of 2.00. Pavel Buchnevich has also begun to hit form, with three goals and four assists in those four games.
22. Washington Capitals, 7-10-3 (-)
It's still early days, but the Washington Capitals are now less likely to make the playoffs than they are to miss them. The Caps have just two wins from their 10 attempts this month, and their injury list makes for tough viewing. The sight of Nicklas Backstrom returning to skating this week has been a positive.
21. Detroit Red Wings, 9-5-4 (+3)
The Red Wings have put up some big goal numbers lately, putting seven past the Sharks and six past the Blue Jackets in their last two games. That scoring has been spread around the team, with no fewer than 12 goalscorers in their last three games. Tougher opponents lie ahead, however, so don't expect that free scoring to continue much longer.
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20. Nashville Predators, 8-8-2 (+1)
The Predators are slowly starting to turn their season around, with two narrow wins and an overtime defeat in the past seven days. They sit in the bottom five in the NHL for shots per game, at just 29.4, so something will need to change in their offense if they are to find another gear this season.
19. Ottawa Senators, 6-10-1 (-)
The Sens have managed to halt their losing streak but haven't quite managed to start a winning one. A solitary win against the Sabres this week was sandwiched by losses to the Devils and Islanders. They remain in the top 10 in the league for shots per game, but are allowing shots against at a similar rate. The loss of Chabot is a tough blow.
18. Minnesota Wild, 8-8-2 (+2)
The loss of Marc-Andre Fleury to injury means that the Wild are now employing a goaltending tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Zane McIntyre, with just 39 NHL games of experience between them. The Wild went 1-2-1 this week, and play their next five games at home. Kaprizov and Zuccarello remain their most potent attacking weapons, with 37 points between them this season.
17. Edmonton Oilers, 10-8-0 (-)
Consistency has been a big struggle for this Oilers team, and their last six games have been a microcosm of this, going LWLWLW. The Oilers need to start finding a more consistent run of form if they are to remain in the playoff hunt. It seems as though Stuart Skinner may now have taken the starter's role in Edmonton off Jack Campbell.
16. New York Islanders, 11-8-0 (+2)
Not the best week for the Islanders, who lost to the Predators and Stars after downing the Senators. We'll give them some leeway here, given that all three games were on the road. The Isles have still managed to win nine of their last 13 games, sitting just inside the playoff places in Metropolitan Division.
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15. Seattle Kraken, 10-5-3 (-2)
All three of the Kraken games this week ended 3-2 in overtime, with Seattle coming out on the right side of two of those results. Philipp Grubauer will return from injury imminently, to assist with Martin Jones' workload. Jones has held the fort brilliantly, accounting for nine of the 10 Kraken victories this season.
14. Pittsburgh Penguins, 8-7-3 (-)
Tristan Jarry finally managed to get it together on Saturday night, getting not only his second win in two starts, but also managing to shut out the Winnipeg Jets in their own barn. Those two wins might just have earned Jarry the starter's role once again after Casey DeSmith looked like he might steal it.
13. Calgary Flames, 8-7-2 (+3)
The Flames managed to snap a seven-game losing streak this week, winning narrow games against the Jets, Kings and Panthers to get their season back on track. The Saturday night showdown against the Panthers took on some extra meaning after the off-season trade activity between the teams. Flames fans will have revelled in seeing Huberdeau score in the shootout, with Matthew Tkachuk missing his attempt.
12. Winnipeg Jets, 10-5-1 (-)
This Winnipeg team continues to defy and even, perhaps, impress. Kyle Connor has started slowly, but erupted for a hat-trick on Thursday night, showing that there is still room for this team to improve further. Hellebuyck remains a steady and reliable workhorse in goals. The indefinite loss of Nik Ehlers to a sports hernia injury is a damaging blow, however.
11. Dallas Stars, 11-5-2 (-)
The underlying numbers for this Stars team are about average, across the board. Their relative success this season has been down to some outstanding individual performances from Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn, all currently on a point-per-game pace. The return of Jake Oettinger, who has been outstanding thus far, will do this team no harm whatsoever.
10. Los Angeles Kings, 11-8-2 (-)
The NHL standings are a little bit misleading at the moment, given that the LA Kings are right up near the top of the Western Conference, despite a negative goal differential. The Kings have benefitted from a busy start to the season, having played more games at this point than any other NHL team. Three defeats from four games this week won't have helped.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning, 11-6-1 (-)
Tampa turned in some huge performances in the last seven days, putting up big numbers on the Flames, Stars and Capitals, winning all three games. A 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday night against Nashville made it a perfect four from four for the week. No player has more points in the last seven days than Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.
8. New York Rangers, 9-6-4 (-1)
Like the Oilers, the Rangers have found themselves in a funk of following up a win with a defeat. Wins over Arizona and San Jose this week were expected, and were delivered, but an overtime loss to the Kraken was not part of the plan. With some more consistency, this team should be able to challenge most opponents.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs, 10-5-4 (+1)
With five points from a possible six this week, and six wins in their last nine games, the Leafs are starting to hit some form. Matt Murray made 35 saves in his return from injury against his former team Pittsburgh, and the Leafs have no fewer than four players on a point-per-game pace in Marner, Tavares, Nylander and Matthews.
6. Colorado Avalanche, 10-5-1 (-1)
The Avs managed to somehow defeat the Hurricanes on Thursday night, despite being outshot 48-15. The current leaders in the Stanley Cup odds market followed up that win with a comfortable shutout of the Capitals, on the road. The form of both goaltenders, Francouz and Georgiev, means that this team can snatch games that they don't deserve to win. Just ask Carolina.
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5. Vegas Golden Knights, 14-4-1 (-2)
Vegas have stuttered lately, with defeats in three of their last four games, and the one game that they did manage to win was against the hapless Arizona Coyotes. Those three defeats only served to correct the Golden Knights' record, which was artificially high to begin with. 14-4-1 is still an impressive start to the season, by any standards.
4. Florida Panthers, 9-7-2 (-2)
Like Vegas, the Panthers have slipped to defeats in three of their last four games. Unlike Vegas, the Panthers don't have 14 wins under their belts. What they do have, however, are some impressive underlying metrics. Florida have created 60% of the scoring chances at even strength, a number bettered only by the Devils and Hurricanes. They'll come good again.
3. Carolina Hurricanes, 10-5-3 (-2)
The Hurricanes were desperately unlucky not to take two points from the Avs on Thursday night, outperforming the defending champions by three clear expected goals. The current favorites for the Eastern Conference on USA betting sites continue to create the scoring chances, and their luck will turn soon if they can maintain that level of creativity. Martin Necas has cooled down a little of late but still leads the team in points.
2. New Jersey Devils, 15-3-0 (+4)
Not only are this team racking up wins at an unprecedented rate, but their underlying metrics are also sky-high. Corsi, Fenwick, xG, Scoring Chances… pick your poison. The Devils are right up at the top in each of them. A win against the Oilers on Monday night would tie the franchise record of thirteen consecutive victories.
1. Boston Bruins, 16-2-0 (+3)
This train keeps on rolling. It takes a special team, on a special run, to keep this New Jersey Devils side off the top spot, but Boston are that team right now. With Charlie McAvoy back from injury and the top-line chemistry reaching a level that is off the charts, this team has already become a certified wagon and it is no surprise to see them as joint favorites for the Eastern Conference on Canada betting sites.
Mark Callanan is bookmakers.com's NHL writer and creates many of the site's in-depth NHL betting strategy guides. If you're looking to bet on the most popular hockey league on the planet, stick with Mark and he will help you out!
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