Red-hot Oilers crack Top 5 in NHL Power Ranking

The Edmonton Oilers' ascent in our Power Rankings continues as Connor McDavid and company have cracked the top five.

The Oilers jump from seventh on our list to fourth following five straight wins. Edmonton seems to have fully hit its stride, leading the league in expected goal differential, ranking fourth offensively and second defensively.

Leon Draisaitl is a man on a mission, scoring 13 points in his past five games. Perhaps, most importantly Stuart Skinner has been solid in net. Skinner has finished six consecutive starts with a save percentage over .920. After a slow start, the Oilers look like the Stanley Cup contender they were last season.

The Winnipeg Jets are up three spots from 11th to eighth on our list. Winnipeg finished with a 2-0-1 record last week and sits third in the league in points percentage.

Our model has them lower as their process has slipped a bit lately, and paints the Jets more as a good team than a great one. Winnipeg ranks 18th in expected goals per game, and third in actual goals. Defensively, the Jets sit 16th in expected goals against and third in goals against.

If regression catches up to this team, its points percentage will likely mirror where we have them on our list before long.

Speaking of our model, it continues to believe in the Ottawa Senators, who are up five spots from 16th to 11th. The Sens have won three straight games and five of their past six.

There is some validity to Ottawa being ranked as highly as it is on our list. The Sens are 13th and 12th in goal and expected goal differential respectively, despite ranking 18th in points percentage.

Linus Ullmark is finally providing the type of goaltending Ottawa expected when they acquired him. Now, the Senators hit the road for a nine-game trip which could be a make-or-break few weeks in terms of their playoff chances.

Up one spot, from 13th to 12th, are the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs finished last week with a 3-1-0 record and have a couple of days off before flying to Dallas to face the Stars.

Losing Anthony Stolarz to injury was a big blow but Dennis Hildeby was good enough to help the Leafs secure a win against Buffalo on Sunday night. Great goaltending has masked a few defensive issues this season, so we will see how the Leafs perform with their star goalie out for the time being.

The only Canadian team to drop in our rankings this week is the Vancouver Canucks, down a pair of spots from 15th to 17th. The Canucks finished last week with a 1-1-1 record as they get set to face a tough Colorado Avalanche team Monday night.

A byproduct of how the Canucks attack, Vancouver ranks last in the NHL in scoring chances off the rush. Puck possession in the offensive zone and creating chaos around the net will be paramount for Vancouver to put itself in a position to beat the high-flying Avs.

Following a 2-1-0 week, the Calgary Flames are up five spots from 26th to 21st. Dustin Wolf was dialled in on Saturday against the defending champion Florida Panthers, making 32 saves in a 3-0 shutout win.

The Flames are a shot-volume team, ranking second in shot attempts but 29th in expected goals per game. Playing with a lead benefits this group greatly as reflected by Calgary’s perfect 7-0-0 record when leading after two periods.

The Montreal Canadiens are up one spot from 29th to 28th. Lane Hutson finally scored his first NHL goal in a 4-2 loss to the Jets on Saturday. Hutson is tied for second in rookie scoring with 20 points and is the only rookie defenceman with more than five points this season.

Bright spots are few and far between for a Canadiens team that has lost its last two games by a combined score of 13-4 but Hutson has shown his offensive game is worth the price of admission most nights.