Jets take biggest tumble among Canadian teams in Power Ranking
With three weeks left in the NHL season, the Dallas Stars have taken over the top spot in our Power Rankings.
The Stars have won seven straight games and hold a three-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Central Division. The Stars' recent success coincides with Jake Oettinger finally playing like the elite goalie he is capable of being. Since being pulled against the New Jersey Devils on March 14, Oettinger’s 4.1 goals saved above expected ranks sixth overall. Oettinger has won five straight starts, posting a save percentage above .900 in all games.
The Edmonton Oilers regain the top spot amongst Canadian teams by holding on to fourth spot on our list. The Oilers went 3-0 last week with wins over the Jets, Kings and Ducks.
Connor McDavid continues his push up the scoring leaders list, just two points back of Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead. The Oilers have 10 games remaining as McDavid also sits four assists shy of 100 for the season. McDavid will become the first player to reach the milestone since Wayne Gretzky put up 122 assists with the Kings in 1990-91.
Dropping two spots on our list from third to fifth are the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Ducks Sunday night. Injured goalie Thatcher Demko will be eligible to return to the lineup on April 6 as the Canucks look to hold on to first place in the Pacific Division. Vancouver has a six-point lead on the Oilers, but Edmonton has won three straight games and has two games in hand.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are up one spot on our list from 10th to ninth. Head coach Sheldon Keefe voiced his displeasure after a 6-3 loss to the Devils, and the Leafs responded by picking up wins against the Capitals and Sabres by a combined score of 8-1. Toronto has a four-point lead on Tampa Bay for third spot in the Atlantic and will face the Lightning Wednesday at home.
The Winnipeg Jets are down six spots from 11th to 17th following a disastrous week.
The Jets lost all three games they played and have lost six straight overall. This Jets' slide is eerily similar to their second-half dip last season after posting an elite record in the first half. Winnipeg finished last season with a .500 points percentage over their final 30 games before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. The Jets are 14-12-1 since Feb. 1 after posting a 30-12-5 record through their first 47 games.
The Jets' most recent loss came at the hands of the suddenly hot Ottawa Senators, who are up five spots to 18th on our list. The Sens have won five straight games and are getting contributions from the top and bottom of their lineup.
Brady Tkachuk has a team-best eight points during the win streak while Parker Kelly and Boris Katchouk both rank third with a pair of goals. Joonas Korpisalo is finally looking like the goalie the Senators hoped he would be when they signed him to a five-year, $20 million contract in the off-season. Korpisalo has won his past four starts, posting a save percentage of .900 or better in each game.
The Calgary Flames are down three spots from 22nd to 25th. Calgary snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Kings Saturday night. MacKenzie Weegar scored for the second time in three games and now sits at 18 goals on the season. Cale Makar and Roman Josi are the only defencemen with more goals, both tied for the league lead with 19.
Lastly, the Montreal Canadiens stay put at 28th on our list. The Canadiens had won three straight games before falling to the Hurricanes at home Saturday night by a score of 3-0. Cayden Primeau has flourished in a more prominent role since Jake Allen was dealt at the trade deadline. Primeau ranks fourth in save percentage (.949) and second in goals saved above expected (8.4) amongst goalies with at least three games played since the deadline.
Montreal has a tough week ahead with home games against the Panthers, Lightning and Maple Leafs before finishing the week at MSG against the Rangers on Sunday.
NHL Power Ranking - April 1
RK | Team | Last Week | Record | Avg. Goal Diff | xGoal Diff | PT% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dallas Stars | 7 | 47-19-9 | .73 | .51 | .687 |
2 | Colorado Avalanche | 1 | 47-21-6 | .78 | .65 | .676 |
3 | Carolina Hurricanes | 2 | 47-21-7 | .79 | .65 | .673 |
4 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | 45-23-4 | .76 | 1.05 | .653 |
5 | Vancouver Canucks | 3 | 46-20-8 | .81 | .31 | .676 |
6 | New York Rangers | 6 | 50-20-4 | .69 | .28 | .703 |
7 | Florida Panthers | 8 | 46-20-5 | .76 | .75 | .683 |
8 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 13 | 41-25-7 | .23 | .20 | .610 |
9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 10 | 42-22-9 | .53 | .30 | .637 |
10 | Vegas Golden Knights | 14 | 41-25-8 | .27 | .22 | .608 |
11 | Los Angeles Kings | 9 | 38-24-11 | .49 | .32 | .596 |
12 | Nashville Predators | 5 | 43-27-4 | .23 | .32 | .608 |
13 | Boston Bruins | 12 | 43-17-15 | .53 | .17 | .673 |
14 | Minnesota Wild | 15 | 35-29-9 | -.12 | .34 | .541 |
15 | New Jersey Devils | 16 | 36-34-4 | -.11 | .21 | .514 |
16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 18 | 32-30-11 | -.05 | .37 | .514 |
17 | Winnipeg Jets | 11 | 44-24-6 | .55 | .23 | .635 |
18 | Ottawa Senators | 23 | 33-36-4 | -.27 | .04 | .479 |
19 | St. Louis Blues | 17 | 39-31-4 | -.19 | -.18 | .547 |
20 | Detroit Red Wings | 21 | 36-30-8 | -.01 | -.36 | .541 |
21 | Philadelphia Flyers | 20 | 36-29-10 | -.23 | .04 | .547 |
22 | Washington Capitals | 24 | 36-27-10 | -.41 | -.31 | .562 |
23 | Buffalo Sabres | 19 | 35-35-5 | -.07 | -.34 | .500 |
24 | Seattle Kraken | 26 | 30-30-13 | -.23 | -.27 | .500 |
25 | Calgary Flames | 22 | 34-34-5 | -.14 | -.08 | .500 |
26 | Arizona Coyotes | 25 | 31-38-5 | -.32 | -.42 | .453 |
27 | New York Islanders | 27 | 31-27-15 | -.36 | -.45 | .527 |
28 | Montreal Canadiens | 28 | 28-33-12 | -.64 | -.77 | .466 |
29 | Chicago Blackhawks | 30 | 22-47-5 | -1.28 | -.83 | .331 |
30 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 29 | 24-38-12 | -.81 | -.73 | .405 |
31 | Anaheim Ducks | 31 | 24-47-4 | -1.20 | -.88 | .347 |
32 | San Jose Sharks | 32 | 17-48-8 | -1.74 | -1.34 | .288 |