Jets knocked off top spot; Sens the biggest Canadian dropper in NHL Power Ranking

The Winnipeg Jets may be human after all. Following a pair of regulation losses, the Jets fall from top spot to fourth in our Power Rankings.

Fans in Winnipeg may not like the multi-spot drop, but more than just recency bias is at play here. The three teams ahead of the Jets on our list (Carolina, Washington and Dallas) all rank top five in the NHL in goal and expected goal differential. Winnipeg sits first in goal differential but 10th in expected goal differential.

The Jets can prove any naysayers wrong as they get set to host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, following a 5-0 loss to the defending champs on Saturday night. 

Up one spot, from ninth to eighth, are the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are coming off a pair of overtime wins against the Capitals and Oilers.

Mitch Marner, who scored the winning goal Saturday night against Edmonton, has raised his game in the absence of Auston Matthews. Marner has multi-point games in five of his past six contests. 

The Oilers are down a pair of spots on our list from 12th to 14th following a 2-0-1 week. Offensively, pucks are finally starting to go in the net for an Oilers team that has been elite in generating chances all season. The Oilers sit 21st in goals per game after wallowing near the bottom of the NHL a couple of weeks ago.

Defensively, Edmonton has been one of the league’s best teams in several key areas, minus the most important one – stopping the puck. The Oilers rank top three in expected goals against, shot attempts and inner slot shots against. Goaltending continues to be an issue as the Oilers rank 30th in save percentage. 

A 2-2-0 week has the Vancouver Canucks down one spot from 14th to 15th on our list. Quinn Hughes continues to impress, leading all players in the NHL in puck possession. Elias Pettersson is showing signs of being the offensive force he once was, scoring in four of his past five games.

Vancouver will face a strong Rangers team at home on Tuesday before hitting the road for a six-game trip. Perhaps, a lengthy road trip will benefit the Canucks who have won six of seven games this season away from Rogers Arena.

The Calgary Flames are up two spots from 18th to 16th following a 2-1-0 week. Calgary continues to fare well enough defensively, ranking eighth in goals against and 13th in expected goals against.

Offensively, the struggle is real. Calgary ranks in the bottom 10 in the league in terms of goals, expected goals, slot shots, and cycle chances. For better or worse, low-event hockey is a theme with the Flames, who have played in four straight games featuring five or fewer total goals. 

The biggest drop on our list among Canadian teams is the Ottawa Senators who fall from 11th to 18th. Consistency continues to elude the Sens, who played one of their best games of the season in Toronto, a 3-0 win. Ottawa then dropped its next two games to the Flyers and Hurricanes.

The Sens have done well defensively in terms of limiting chances, ranking fifth in slot shots against, 4th in high-danger chances against and sixth in expected goals against. A lack of consistent goaltending has the Sens 16th in goals-against average this season. 

Finally, the Montreal Canadiens are out of the basement in our Power Rankings, moving from 32nd to 30th on our list.

The Habs finished last week with a 2-1-0 record. Nick Suzuki is averaging a point per game while Cole Caufield sits tied for fourth in the league with 12 goals. Rookie defenceman, Lane Hutson has four points in his past four games and leads all first-year players in assists with 11.