NHL Power Rankings: Lightning Strike the Top as the Rangers Wave the White Flag
Tampa Bay Lightning (34-14-4)
January Record: 11-1-1
Incredible run up to the Olympic break. The Lightning are clicking on all cylinders and have to be considered the favourites to win the East. Kucherov led the league in scoring in January with 31 points in 13 games.
Boston Bruins (32-20-3)
January Record: 11-2-1
David Pastrnak went nuclear with 25 points in 14 games. Only 7 of these points came on the powerplay. The B’s are cruising. Shout out to Joonas Korpisalo too, who went 4-0-1 with a .931 sv pct.
Pittsburgh Penguins (28-14-11)
January Record: 11-2-2
The Penguins had among the lowest expectations in the league in October, but they’re well inside the playoffs in February. Super unexpected. They’ve largely done it by committee, with outsized contributions from names Connor Dewar, Ben Kindel and Blake Lizotte.
Utah Mammoth (28-23-4)
January Record: 10-4-1
Although Utah had some issues with special teams, they rode the league’s best goaltending in January, saving almost 17 goals above expected. Jon Marino went +18 in 15 games.
Buffalo Sabres (31-18-5)
January Record: 10-4-1
Earlier this season, Buffalo couldn’t buy a goal, but they’re regressing heavily now with 57% of goals on 47% expected in January. Ryan McLeod has been a huge part of their success, with 15 points and a +13 on the month, including 2 shorthanded goals.
Carolina Hurricanes (33-15-6)
January Record: 9-3-3
The Hurricanes rode hot special teams (+8 goals) all month long and currently sit 5th in the NHL. Brandon Bussi now has a mind boggling record of 20-3-0.
Columbus Blue Jackets (27-20-7)
January Record: 10-4-1
It’s safe to say the Blue Jackets got the new coach bump they were looking for when they replaced Dean Evason with Rick Bowness. Werenski was the first defenseman in the league to 60 points and is starting to really build up some Norris momentum.
Montréal Canadiens (31-17-7)
January Record: 10-5-1
Having recently named both Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield inside the top 20 forwards in the league, it’s safe to say Montreal’s rebuild is nearing completion. They led the league with 42 5v5 goals in January, while giving up only 29.
Seattle Kraken (26-19-9)
January Record: 10-5-2
It looked like it was all but over for the Kraken just a month ago, but they’ve ridden a combination of solid goaltending and a great finishing all the way back into 3rd place in the Pacific Division. I wouldn’t look for this to keep up though, 6 of their players shot over 20% in the month of January.
New York Islanders (30-20-5)
January Record: 8-6-1
Ilya Sorokin continues to put up Vezina numbers (.931 with 11 GSAx) for the Islanders this season. They’re hanging onto a playoff spot for the time being, and I’d look for them to be aggressive at the deadline to bring in some more veteran talent to build on their unexpected success.
Detroit Red Wings (32-18-6)
January Record: 8-4-3
Despite some injury issues, Jon Gibson and Alex Debrincat have put the Red Wings on their backs en route to a successful start to the new year. Shout out to Patrick Kane who became the highest scoring American player in NHL history!
Minnesota Wild (32-14-10)
January Record: 8-4-3
Quinn Hughes has fit like a glove in Minny. In January, he scored 22 points in 15 games and quarterbacked a powerplay that went 31%. Will he extend?
Edmonton Oilers (28-20-8)
January Record: 8-5-2
The Oilers have the highest highs and the lowest lows. Monster months from McDavid, Bouchard and Draisaitl (25, 23 & 21 points respectively), but next to nothing from the bottom half of their line up. Despite a couple of shutouts, goaltending questions have creeped into the conversation after a 7-3 blowout to the Wild on HNIC. Are Knoblauch’s days numbered?
Los Angeles Kings (23-17-13)
January Record: 7-4-4
LA doesn’t play a flashy game, and their young cluster isn’t taking over, but it’s far from the end of the world for them. They’re in a playoff spot, have reliable goaltending and are due to score more at 5v5. I thought the Corey Perry signing was a poor decision in the summer, but he is absolutely turning back the clock this season.
San Jose Sharks (27-22-4)
January Record: 7-5-1
It’s still the Macklin (and Will Smith) show in San Jose, but the wheels are coming off a bit. Despite getting incredible production from their young guns, the rest of the roster is having trouble. Askarov put up an .856 in 7 games this month and veteran defensemen John Klingberg and Dmitri Orlov combined for a -12.
Vegas Golden Knights (25-15-14)
January Record: 8-5-3
The Knights are a top-heavy squad with the majority of production coming from Eichel, Marner, Hertl and Stone. Their biggest issue is in net right now. They played 4 goalies in January, and none are putting up remotely good numbers (combined -10 GSAx).
Anaheim Ducks (28-23-3)
January Record: 7-7-0
What started as such a strong season looks to be turning into another year on the outside of the playoffs for the Ducks. However, this was a huge month for Beckett Sennecke, scoring his first hattrick and putting up 47 shots in 14 games. They have a very bright future.
Chicago Blackhawks (21-25-9)
January Record: 7-7-2
Chicago was dominated at 5v5 in January, getting outscored 38-26. Connor Bedard’s return was less than ideal too, putting up only 8 points in 11 games. They need to prioritize his health as the playoffs are a pipe dream. On the bright side, Chicago’s PK went 92% on the month.
Winnipeg Jets (22-25-7)
January Record: 7-6-3
Goaltending is usually a strength for the Jets, but Hellebuyck has struggled recently. Last year’s MVP put up an .895, allowing 37 goals this month. Despite these woes, the Jets managed to play above .500 on the back of some great hockey by Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.
Dallas Stars (32-14-9)
January Record: 7-6-2
The Stars have been fairly pedestrian recently. Miro Heiskanen has fallen off his early season Norris-level play and Jake Oettinger is struggling too. I don’t have any major concerns about the Stars. They’re well inside the playoffs and they’ll certainly be buyers at the deadline.
Toronto Maple Leafs (25-21-9)
January Record: 7-6-3
Auston Matthews has rediscovered his scoring touch with 11 goals in his last 16 games, but little else is going well the for the Leafs on or off the ice. They’ve indicated they’ll likely be sellers come the deadline this year, but they don’t own their first round pick. Times are tough.
Colorado Avalanche (36-8-9)
January Record: 6-6-2
This was bound to happen. No team goes a full calendar year without some kind of losing streak. They desperately need to figure out their powerplay though. Colorado went 6 for 42 in January, but allowed 5 short-handed goals over the same span. Can’t have that level of production with talents like Mackinnon, Makar and Necas.
Ottawa Senators (26-21-7)
January Record: 8-6-2
Ottawa had a ROUGH start to the month, but recovered nicely in the past couple of weeks as they currently ride a 6-2-2 record in their last 10, including a successful return by Linus Ullmark. However, their goaltending (-10 GSAx) and special teams (-5) have left a lot to be desired.
Nashville Predators (25-23-6)
January Record: 7-6-2
The Preds do not like playing at 5v5, getting outscored to a tune of 24 to 40 this month. Ouch. However, Ryan O’Reilly is putting on a great showing for prospective suitors at the deadline. He had 7 goals and 10 assists with a in 21:07 over 15 games.
Washington Capitals (27-22-7)
January Record: 6-8-2
It feels like the Capitals are getting close to some kind of retool/rebuild as Alex Ovechkin’s career winds down. He’s a UFA in the summer and hasn’t made any commitment to playing past this season. Sourdif is a definite bright spot for Washington, but little else is going well for them at the moment.
New Jersey Devils (28-25-2)
January Record: 7-8-0
Injured and unable to score, the Devils are going through the motions at this point. With Jack Hughes injured again, the only bright spot currently is the play of former healthy scratch Dougie Hamilton, who had an 11-game point streak ended against the Senators. Changes are coming for New Jersey.
Calgary Flames (22-26-6)
January Record: 4-8-2
1.93 goals per game this month… Calgary needs to commit to a rebuild. They play hard for their coach, but they don’t have the talent or prospect pool to build a roadmap to success. Selling on Andersson is a good start, but they should look to offload Kadri and Coleman as soon as possible to boost their chances of picking in the top 3.
Florida Panthers (28-23-3)
January Record: 7-8-0
Florida has certainly seen better days. Injuries, exhaustion and back-to-back Stanleys has the Panthers playing rather apathetically. Bobrovsky had a shocker of a month, putting up an .836 and allowing 37 goals in 10 games. Ouch.
St. Louis Blues (20-26-9)
January Record: 5-8-1
For a team with so many Olympians (including Canada’s GM), you figure they’d be higher in the standings. Well, here’s a couple January stat lines: Jordan Binnington: 1-6 in 7 games, .854 sv pct Colton Parayko: 1 point in 14 games.
Philadelphia Flyers (24-20-10)
January Record: 4-8-3
Very tough month across the board for Philly. 43% goal share at even strength, 62 total goals against, including 3 short handed. You gotta stop the bleeding. It looks like the heat is turning up on Tocchet.
New York Rangers (22-28-6)
January Record: 3-10-1
Chris Drury wrote a letter to the fans telling them they were going to rebuild. Artemi Panarin is being held out of the line up until after the Olympic break. JT Miller is getting increasingly frustrated in post-game press conferences. 3 wins in 14 games.
Vancouver Canucks (18-31-6)
January Record: 2-11-3
Their PK went 55%. They allowed 17 goals against on 38 kills. That is impressively awful. Their co-leading scorer was Jake DeBrusk and Thatcher Demko was shut down for another surgical procedure. Gavin McKenna/Ivan Stenberg/Keaton Verhoeff, you are a Vancouver Canuck….
