By Marvin A Azkak The latest NHL power rankings are filled with buds and duds. Let’s get into them!
Composed before play on 12/12/21
SUPER 16:
1. Panthers(18-4-4)
2. Hurricanes(19-6-1)
3. Capitals( 17-5-6)
Alex Ovechkin has hit the 750 career goal mark and is now 144 shy of Wayne Gretzky.
4. Lightning(17-6-4)
They’ve lost Nikita Kucherov again as well as Brayden Point and are still
In the mix. That’s what you do when you’re the reigning two-time champions.
5. Wild(19-7-1)
Pull up the Blue-collar Blueshirts
6. Maple Leafs(19-8-2)
Austin Matthews(18 goals 13 assists) & John Tavares (13 goals 18 assists) lead the team with 31 points, while William Nylander(13 goals 17 assists) is only slightly behind with 30. In goal, Jack Campbell sports a 14-5-2 record with a sparkling 1.99 GAA and a .935 save percentage.
7.Rangers(18-5-3)
THEY DON’T STOP!
The “inexperienced” Rangers keep on winning. The last time I wrote about them was November 29th, but since then, they’ve continued to win, win, win no matter what. They were backstopped with 33 saves from Igor Shesterkin before they shut out the Sharks 1-0 on December 3rd despite the Vezina candidate leaving that contest in the third period due to a lower-body injury. Since then, Alexander Georgiev has stepped up nicely, as he posted two straight wins over the Blackhawks(3-2, 6-2) to run the winning streak to seven games. In the two-game set against his former team, Artemi Panarin picked up six points, including career point #500 in Chicago. Following a 7-3 dud in goaltender Adam Huska’s debut against the high-octane Avs, Alexander Georgiev made 36 saves, and reigning Norris Trophy winner and candidate Adam Fox(5 goals, 24 assists) recorded an assist in a 2-1 win in Buffalo that has put the Rangers among the leagues elite at 18-5-3, and are 12-2 in the last 14 games. Coach Gerald Gallant has done wonders with this team.
8. Oilers(16-10)
Edmonton has dropped five straight as their lack of depth after showstoppers Mcdavid and Leon Draisatel are showing.
9. Flames(15-7-6)
Calgary has dropped four straight games and has tumbled in the power rankings because the exceptional goaltending has started to level slightly.
10. Penguins(14-8-5)
Pittsburg has won 7 of 10 and is starting to regain form with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the lineup.
11. Blues(15-8-4)
Jordan Kyrou(25 points), Pavel Buchnevich(23 points), and Vladamir Tarasenko(23 points) have been having breakout seasons, and Joran Binnington(8-5-3) has been tending the goal well as he sports a 2.80GAA and a 912 save percentage.
12. Avalanche(15-7-2)
Colorado is a flawed team defensively but have been able to outscore all of their issues with 39 goals in the past seven games and found the twine seven times in each of their wins over the Flyers(7-5, Rangers(7-3), and Red Wings (7-3) this week.
13. Bruins(14-8-2)
Boston successfully secured five out of six points through Western Canada, punctuating it with a 4-2 win over the Flames in Calgary. The only point they left on the table was a 2-1 shootout loss to the Canucks.
14. Golden Knights(15-11)
Vegas ranks 16th in goals scored(3.38) and 21st in goals allowed( 3.12). Everything here can be a tad better.
15. Preds(16-10-1)
Nashville has won four straight and seven of 10, as they get set to put their pedal to the metal against the surging Rangers @MSG on Sunday night.
- Jets(13-9-5) Winnipeg is honestly better than their record. You see them 16th in these power rankings, and they’re 15th in the NHL, but advanced stats say they should be 13th. Unfortunately, they haven’t caught many breaks this season and just lost Blake Wheeler to a long-term knee injury.
BELOW SUPER 16:
- Ducks(15-9-5)
- Stars(13-10-2) Ben Bishop has retired, and Dallas has dropped three straight after their seven-game win streak.
- Sharks(15-12-1)
- Red Wings(13-12-3)
21. Blue Jackets(14-11-1)
22. Devils(10-11-5)
They agreed on an eight-year $64 million extension with Jack Hughes, and that’s something you do indeed give a #1 overall pick. The future looks bright in Jersey but not this year.
23.Canucks(11-15-2)
Vancouver has new temporary life and is 3-0 under new coach Bruce Boudreau. The team also hired Jim Rutherford as new President of hockey operations and Stan Smyl as interim GM. The house has been cleansed in British Columbia.
24. Kings(12-10-4)
25. Kraken(9-15-3)
Seattle has embraced hockey and averages 100.6% attendance per home game. But the product on the ice has been too inefficient for many outside of Emerald City to get on the bandwagon just yet.
26.Blackhawks(10-15-2)
27. Islanders(7-11-5)
Congratulations, Islanders fans!! It took eight games, but you finally have a win at the UBS arena. You also at long last snapped your 11 game losing streak that spanned a month with a 5-3 triumph in Ottawa a couple of days ago. Things are looking up!
28. Senators(8-16-1)
29. Flyers(10-12-4)
Philly said adios to coach Alain Vigneault and brought in Mike Yo. Despite the long-anticipated dismissal, the Flyers losing streak still hit ten games before hitting the jackpot with a 4-3 win in Vegas.
30. Sabres(8-15-4)
31. Coyotes(5-20-2)
The fact I’m more concerned about where they’re going to play next year than the team on the ice, which is in shambles of its own, is pretty mortifying.
32: Canadians(6-20-3)
Let’s see what Jeff Gorton can do as team President. Good luck, Habs nation!
