Jets top Canadian teams in Power Ranking; Habs hurtling towards bottom

The Winnipeg Jets are back on top as the highest-ranked Canadian team in our Power Rankings. Winners of six straight games, the Jets sit second in the NHL in points percentage and third on our list.

Winnipeg has seen an offensive outburst lately, scoring 28 goals during its current win streak. The highest-ranked offence in the league also boasts the best power play, which is clicking at 33.3 per cent – nearly five percentage points better than any other team.

Defensively, the Jets sit first in goals against, while ranking top-three in slot and inner slot shots against. The Jets are a wagon and will be contending for top spot on our list before long.

The Edmonton Oilers are down two spots from second to fourth on our list. Edmonton is coming off a 1-1-1 week but still boasts some of the best underlying numbers in the league.

No team has a better expected goals differential than the Oilers, so don’t be surprised to see Edmonton back in our top three in the coming weeks.

Despite winning four straight games, the Ottawa Senators remain 11th on our list. We have ranked the Sens much higher than their position in the standings for a few weeks now, and we are starting to see the results catch up to their strong process-related stats of late.

Ottawa now sits 13th in points percentage while ranking ninth in expected goals percentage. While some chastised our model’s ranking of the Senators over the past few weeks, they appear to be right where they should be as Ottawa now sits third in the Atlantic Division, chasing down Toronto for second place.

Speaking of the Maple Leafs, Toronto drops one spot from 14th to 15th in our Power Rankings.

After losing three straight, the Leafs won a thrilling game Saturday night against the Oilers. The main reason the Leafs are ranked lower on our list than they sit in the standings is due to their average underlying numbers and recent play. Toronto is 8-6-0 in the New Year and sits 17th in expected goal differential for the season.

Up one spot from 19th to 18th, the Calgary Flames. Following a 2-2-0 week, the Flames sit in the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, two points up on the Vancouver Canucks.

Dustin Wolf continues to make a strong case for Rookie of the Year consideration. Wolf ranks seventh in the NHL in save percentage - .917 and has helped his team earn a point in 69 per cent of the games he has played in. The only goalie with as many games played and a better points percentage is Connor Hellebuyck.

The Vancouver Canucks are up five spots from 27th to 22nd this week. The Canucks are a much different team today than they were a week ago following a pair of big trades.

J.T. Miller, Danton Heinen and Vincent Desharnais are out, Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, Marcus Pettersson, and Drew O’Connor are in. We’ll see if their revamped roster can remain competitive in the playoff race in the West.

Lastly, the shine has worn off the Montreal Canadiens who fall from 26th to 30th this week. Montreal went through a five-week stretch where it posted the best record in the NHL. The Habs have now lost five straight games and sit six points out of a playoff spot in the East. Scoring has been a main culprit for the teams' sudden tailspin as the Canadiens are averaging 1.6 goals per game during their losing streak. Montreal has a chance to get back in the win column Tuesday night in San Jose against the last-place Sharks.