NHL Top 10 Power Rankings (10-25-23)
Frozen Frenzy was awesome last night. ESPN continuously highlighted all of the actions from every team and I think this should be a regular thing. I really enjoyed it. With that being said, we have had another full week of hockey action. There won’t be too much movement towards the top, but you may see some shifts outside of the Top 5. There are 3 teams that weren’t in the Top 10 last week and mine may look a bit different than those from “experts”, so fair warning. Let’s not waste any more time though. Here are the NHL Power Rankings in the 2nd full week of action.
10: Carolina Hurricanes (3-4-0) (Last Week: 3)
I didn’t know exactly where to put Carolina this week. They have looked pathetic to start the year. On the bright side though, they have no issue scoring goals. Something that was a chore for them in the later stages of the season and playoffs, last year. On the negative and more glaring side, they are giving up way, way, way too many goals. The Canes are actually allowing more goals per game than the Oilers, if that is even possible. Their PK unit has been terrible and it was their strong suit last season. They will figure things out and that is largely why they are still ranked in my Top 10. They still have a great team, they just have to make some minor adjustments.
9: New Jersey Devils (3-2-1) (Last Week: NR)
There were a lot of debatable teams that arguably deserved to be in the Top 10 last week and the Devils were one of them. They have one of the more talented teams in hockey, but they had a bad first week, so I thought they would start off slow and get things going later in the year. Well, it didn’t take very long. They won their two matchups last week and appear to be in tip-top shape. They’re currently leading the NHL in Power Play %. Tyler Toffoli lit up the score column last night with a hatty and Jack Hughes is currently on pace for 230 points this season. It should be a great season for NJD.
8: Vancouver Canucks (4-2-0) (Last Week: NR)
Nobody is putting the Canucks inside the Top 10, but you know what, I am brave enough. Do I think they are a Top 10 team? No, I do not, but I think they deserve a bit of credit for the good start that they have had. They are 4-2-0 and have only played at home once this season. While their wins have been against struggling teams, they still are very talented teams. The Oilers twice, and the Panthers are among those wins. That’s pretty impressive, even if it is just a couple weeks into the season. Don’t expect them to have a permanent residence inside the Top 10, but I think they’re being disrespected a bit in the other rankings that I have seen. Goalie play has been solid and the PP unit has been stout in the first couple of weeks.
7: Toronto Maple Leafs (4-2-0) (Last Week: 4)
The Leafs fell 3 spots this week, but I think this will just be temporary. I may have over ranked them a bit last week, but they’re still a very good team. Their one loss this week came to the Florida Panthers on the road, but have won their last two. It may be a bit harsh to drop them this far, but I just think the teams that leaped them are better right now. Joseph Woll may have claimed his stake in the starting goalie role. Ilya Samsonov has struggled mightily this season and Woll has been solid. We’ll see how things shake up there, but for now, The Leafs are still contenders.
6: Detroit Red Wings (5-1-1) (Last Week: NR)
Detroit lost in an overtime thriller against the Kraken last night, but what a run that have been on. They entered last night with a 5-game win streak and they sure put the goals up in that stretch. They went 3-0-1 in last week’s contests and I feel like they aren’t playing around. I think they may have staying power. Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin have been lighting it up in the score column and both are among the top point getters in the league. Larkin had 11 points in the 4 games last week and DeBrincat had 6 goals in that span and is the leading goal scorer in the NHL currently. They have some tough matchups coming up, so they may shift in the rankings a bit, but it appears that they could be the big surprise team this season.
5: New York Rangers (4-2-0) (Last Week: 7)
While it feels a bit weird to rank them two spots higher after having a bad loss to the Predators at home, they made up for it with two good road wins in Seattle and Calgary. While those two teams may be struggling, they are still solid matchups on the road, even for a team like the Rangers. The Rangers are arguably a Top 5 team as far as pure talent is concerned and I think you will see them in and out of the Top 5 all season long. Artemi Panarin added 4 points this week and K’Andre Miller added 3 assists in the last two road wins. Jonathan Quick saw some action this week in front of the net. He had a decent game against the Kraken only allowing 1 goal on 19 shots; and kept things at bay, not allowing anything past him, after Shesterkin was pulled against Nashville in the 4-1 loss. Don’t expect the Rangers to be out of the Top 10 too often, if any this season.
4: Dallas Stars (4-0-1) (Last Week: 6)
The Stars are going to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference when all is said and done. There are a lot of good teams in the West and there are two ahead of them this week, but I think they can beat anyone. I wouldn’t say that their schedule was tough this week, but they did rack up 3 wins. The thing with them is the fact that they’re not really lighting up the scoreboard. They’re getting things done on the defensive side. They haven’t allowed a Power Play goal in the season yet., That is pretty crazy after 5 games. Wyatt Johnston looks like he is ready to break out. The 20-year old Center notched 4 points in the last 2 contests. The leading point getter for the team is Joe Pavelski with 6 points, so that tells you all you need to know about their style of play this season. I do expect that to change throughout the season though. As long as they have Jake Oettinger, they don’t really need to overpower teams on the attack, but I don’t think their offense is going to remain stagnant for too long.
3: Boston Bruins (6-0-0) (Last Week: 5)
After 2 weeks, there are 3 undefeated teams left in the NHL. I didn’t think that would be the case, but here we are. The Bruins are in a similar boat as the Stars. Their attack hasn’t lit up the scoreboard, but their defense has been a wall. They have only allowed 7 goals in 6 games. That is insane. They got their first shutout win against the Blackhawks last night and while they have two somewhat tough tests this week, I wouldn’t be shocked if they are still undefeated in next week’s rankings. Brad Marchand scored 4 goals in the 4 games that the Bruins won this week and it appears the captain is settling in nicely.
2: Colorado Avalanche (6-0-0) (Last Week: 2)
I predicted the Avs to lose last night, but they wound up beating the Islanders on the road, 7-4. The game was closer than the score showed though. The Avalanche only have two games coming up this week and it wouldn’t shock me to see them win those. Mikko Rantanen had 7 points in the last week and that brings his season total to 12. Ryan Johansen was a big-time performer this week as well. he scored goals in each of the games last week and had 2 last night. PK and PP both are stout for the Avs and I don’t expect that to change this season. Colorado should be Top 5 all season long unless something drastic happens.
1: Vegas Golden Knights (7-0-0) (Last Week: 1)
From the standpoint of the Top 2, things were unchanged from last week. The Golden Knights are in midseason form already and I think they will be another team that shouldn’t stray from the Top 5 any time soon. They have won 7 straight to start the season and while they may run into some issues with the Kings on the road this Saturday, the other two games this week should be wins. Adin Hill and Logan Thompson appear to be in a full-fledged tandem and that is a positive for the reigning champs. I wouldn’t say they’re the best at any particular category, but they’re playing like the best team out there and that is all that matters really.
Yacs