NHL Power Rankings: Slow-Starters & Early Powerhouses
By Jake Nally
October 18, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie
(32) blocks a shot against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Power Rankings early look into 2015-16: The first 12 days have been completed, and boy is great to have hockey back in action. These first 12 days of games have brought us a ton of surprises, some good, some bad. A few contenders have started off slowly, while some teams looking to make a statement are doing just that. With that being said, here are the updated rankings:
KEY: Ranking. Team Name (Record) (Differential from previous weeks ranking)
NHL Power Rankings 30th to 21st
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (0-6-0) (-7)
Not a whole lot to write about here. Tough start for Columbus. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled, while the team has given up four or more goals in each of their 6 games. They are struggling in every aspect of the game, which could lead to some major changes if things don’t turn around.
Recent rumors indicate that Todd Richards could be on the hot-seat in Columbus. Also hearing rumblings that GM Jarmo Kekalainen could be on the market for a top pair defenseman. Jack Johnson has the worst plus minus of any player since entering the league. Turnovers have plagued the Blue Jackets thus far, accompanied by an ineffective one-man deep type forecheck.
29. Edmonton Oilers (2-4-0) (-1)
Not the start that Edmonton fans were hoping for in the “Connor McDavid era.” The only bright side is that they’ve played close games against very tough opponents in all four of their first games (Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis twice). They’ve managed wins in their past two versus Calgary and Vancouver. Good news is that McDavid is finally settling in looking comfortable.
While the two wins are a positive sign, Edmonton still has holes to address on the back-end. The lack of a true top-pairing is something GM Peter Chiarelli will need to address at some point, via trade or draft. Good news is that Edmonton is finally getting some better goaltending. They haven’t been great, but Cam Talbot and Anders Nilsson are quality upgrades on Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth.
28. New Jersey Devils (1-3-1) (-3)
The Devils can’t put the puck in the net. In three of their four losses to open the season they have only tallied 1 goal. Cory Schneider has been playing well in net, but he needs some goal support from his teammates. Feeling like deja-vu for the Devils from last season.
This team is simply not good enough featuring guys like Mike Cammalleri and Travis Zajac on your top-line. Even worse when you’re depending on guys like Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty to add the offense to win you games. Top prospect Auston Matthews could very well be dawning a New Jersey Devils jersey next season.
27. Anaheim Ducks (1-3-1) (-24)
Not many envisioned the Ducks starting off this poorly. Easily the biggest drop in this edition of the power rankings, Anaheim was shut out in three of their four losses to start the season. Not only are the Ducks struggling to score, but they are struggling to score while outshooting their opponents. Not a great recipe for success.
Anaheim finally got the monkey off its back in their most recent showing, but you can see the panic from Ducks management when they go calling for top prospect Shea Theodore. If the Ducks continue to have goal-scoring issues moving forward, expect the next call to be for Nick Ritchie.
26. Buffalo Sabres (1-4-0) (+1)
Oct 10, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres center
(15) takes a shot on the Tampa Bay Lightning net during the third period at First Niagara Center. Lightning beat the Sabres 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Well the start hasn’t been ideal, but one thing is for sure: Jack Eichel is the real deal. Western New Yorkers are already smitten with the 18 year-old rookie, who through the first four games, leads the team with two goals. The goaltender situation took a blow when starter Robin Lehner suffered a lower body injury in the season opener. Replacement Chad Johnson has struggled in his stead.
Rumors broke that GM Tim Murray has actively been talking to Anaheim concerning the availability of G John Gibson, but Ducks management has deemed him near untouchable for the time-being. With Lehner’s timetable set at six to ten weeks initially, Buffalo could still be actively seeking a replacement goaltender.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs (1-3-1) (+4)
The Mike Babcock era has begun, and the Maple Leafs have shown signs of improvement. They struggled to score in the first two games, but earned a point in a shootout loss to Ottawa, followed by a 6-3 victory against Columbus. Nazem Kadri seems to be the go-to-forward without Phil Kessel, and Dion Phaneuf has had a great start to the year as well.
Jonathan Bernier has been a man of two tales this season. The tale always begins with early goals being let in, followed by a strong performance while the team in front of him battles to get back in the game. It’s pretty clear that Bernier has the talent to carry the load, but he needs to be focused and ready to play at puck drop.
24. Carolina Hurricanes (1-4-0) (+2)
In their first four games, Carolina drew Nashville, Florida, and Detroit twice. A tough start for a team looking to start the year right. The uncertainty surrounding the status of captain Eric Staal certainly isn’t helping. Staal reportedly is asking for a contract extension in the area of $9 million annually. That is a steep cap hit, no matter how important Staal is to the team. With trade rumors swirling, the resolution to the Eric Staal situation is going to be vital to Carolina’s season.
Let’s not forget that Carolina also lost their prized offseason acquisition James Wisniewski at the beginning of the season, essentially tearing away Justin Faulk‘s first quality defensive partner in his career. Fortunately, 2015 first rounder Noah Hanifan has stepped up on the back-end resembling a veteran d-man who’s played for years. Canes prospect Brock McGinn finally made his NHL debut on the top-line alongside Eric Staal scoring early into his first NHL game and later adding an assist.
23. Boston Bruins (2-3-0) (-4)
Boston couldn’t have dream-pt of a worse start. In the first three games of the year, all at home, the normally defensively stout Bruins and their Vezina caliber goalie Tuukka Rask, gave up 16 goals. Inexperience coupled with costly and poorly timed mistakes on defense doomed the Bruins in all three of their losses. They were able to bounce back with a 6-2 win in their first road game at Colorado, led by a four point night from Jimmy Hayes. They looked like a completely different group, moving the puck crisply and playing soundly in their own end.
They followed up the performance against Colorado, by beating a hungry young Coyotes team 5-3 on Saturday night, looking like a much better team once against. Still lots of questions to be answered even after the two solid performances, as the voids left by Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic are clearly evident.
22. Calgary Flames (1-4-0) (-12)
A sexy pick to make a run to the cup this year, the Flames have been anything but flaming to start the season. Calgary was out-shot in all 3 of their games to open the season, plus their most recent 5-2 loss to Edmonton. Their biggest acquisition Dougie Hamilton has only one goal with a -3 rating through 5 games. With a shaky goaltending situation, Calgary might have some growing pains to start the year.
There should have been red flags raised day one when Kari Ramo won the starter role over Jonas Hiller. The Flames do have a couple younger guys in Joni Ortio and Jon Gillies with potential. This a team that once T.J. Brodie returns, should start creeping back in the right direction. Brodie eats up a ton of minutes on the blue-line, that are currently being distributed to Kris Russell.
21. Los Angeles Kings (2-3-0) (-3)
Another team looking for a strong start after a disappointing year, the Kings could probably not have imagined a worse start. The Kings have scored four goals in four games to start the year, which will not win many games in the long run. Newcomer Milan Lucic has only 1 point with a -3 rating to start the year. The most disappointing aspect of the Kings’ start has to be their power play which has gone 1-21 to start the 2015-2016 campaign.
Good news for Los Angeles early on is that Dustin Brown is starting to look more like a top-six forward again after being demoted last season. Struggles in the defensive zone have hampered the Kings scoring chances playing extra time in their own end. There’s a piece missing on that blue-line left by Slava Voynov‘s departure that has yet to be filled.
Next: 20th to 11th