NHL Power Rankings: Early overreactions for each team
This is the first in-season edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2023-24 campaign. Check back for updated rankings every other Monday.
In this edition, we offer an early overreaction based on each's teams performance thus far.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (6-0-0)Previous rank: 2
The Golden Knights will remain undefeated. Sure, we could've said Vegas will repeat as Stanley Cup champions, but that would hardly be an overreaction given the team barely changed in the offseason. Instead, we'll predict that the Golden Knights go 82-0-0. Jackpot!
2. Colorado Avalanche (5-0-0)Previous rank: 1
Logan O'Connor will break the single-season shorthanded goal record. Mario Lemieux's all-time record of 13 shorties in a campaign is in major jeopardy, as the Avalanche speedster has banked one in three consecutive games.
3. Boston Bruins (5-0-0)Previous rank: 12
No Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, no problem. The Bruins' record through the season's first five games is better than it was last year, when they set new NHL records in wins and points. Who needs two franchise centers on your roster? Certainly not Beantown.
4. Dallas Stars (3-0-1)Previous rank: 5
The Stars' power play will be outscored. It's been more of a man disadvantage for Dallas. The Stars have a negative goal differential at five-on-four after the Flyers potted three shorthanded tallies Saturday.
5. Detroit Red Wings (5-1-0)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 21
Alex DeBrincat will take the "Rocket." The Red Wings' marquee addition is off to a flying start with eight goals in six games. DeBrincat doesn't just have his sights on a return to 40-goal form, he's aiming even higher with his superb start.
6. Carolina Hurricanes (3-3-0)Previous rank: 3
The Hurricanes will surrender the most goals in the NHL. Carolina has given up a league-worst 30 goals through its first six games, which is uncharacteristic of head coach Rod Brind'Amour's usually stingy squad. Who had that on their bingo card for 2023-24?
7. New Jersey Devils (2-1-1)Previous rank: 4
Jack Hughes will win the Art Ross Trophy. Take several seats, Edmonton. Hughes has an outlandish 10 points in four games, meaning he's bound to become the first non-Oiler to win the NHL's scoring race since 2019. Forget his first 100-point season, Hughes is on pace for 205 points. We say he does it.
8. New York Rangers (3-2-0)Previous rank: 8
Blake Wheeler will be bought out - again. It hasn't been a great start for the veteran winger on Broadway, as he's gone five games without a point and is logging only 12 minutes per contest. Wheeler will have to step up soon to prove he's still an NHL-caliber player.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs (3-2-0)Previous rank: 7
The net belongs to Joseph Woll. This one might not be as hyperbolic as some of the other overreactions on this list, but man, Ilya Samsonov has been virtually unplayable through the early goings. In Woll, the Maple Leafs kind of have to trust.
10. New York Islanders (2-1-1)
Ben Ludeman / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 20
The Islanders will hit their way into a playoff berth. New York doesn't have too many stats that jump off the page early on, but they're finding ways to win while leading the league with 27.9 hits per 60. Battering and bruising their opponents early in the year will get the Isles to the postseason.
11. Ottawa Senators (3-2-0)Previous rank: 17
Thomas Chabot is the Senators' third-best defenseman. Jake Sanderson and Jakob Chychrun are off to the races with six and five points respectively, while Chabot lags behind with only one assist in the early going. Both Sanderson and Chychrun have superior marks in shot attempts for, goals for percentage, and expected goal share too. The duo will usurp Chabot on the depth chart before long.
12. Vancouver Canucks (3-2-0)Previous rank: 23
Quinn Hughes will win the Norris Trophy. Captain Hughes has hit a new level this season, dominating both ends of the ice early on against top competition. The Hughes family will be well-decorated at next year's NHL Awards show.
13. Tampa Bay Lightning (2-2-2)Previous rank: 13
Victor Hedman finishes as a minus. Hedman's not finished a season as a minus since 2011-12 and is a remarkable plus-166 over the past 12 seasons. That changes this year with the veteran rearguard a dismal minus-2 through six games.
14. Los Angeles Kings (2-2-1)Previous rank: 9
Kevin Fiala will lead the team in scoring - with no goals. Fiala is off to a fine start with seven points in five games, but he hasn't found the back of the net yet. That's alright, though, he's on pace for 115 helpers.
15. Edmonton Oilers (1-3-1)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 6
The Connor Brown signing is a bust. Brown has zero points in five contests, is a minus-4, and has only four shots on goal in an Oilers jersey. Brown and Connor McDavid have been outscored 3-0 in 17:13 together at five-on-five. (Ignore that Edmonton is up 25-8 in shot attempts and 12-6 in scoring chances during those minutes.) Ken Holland tried reigniting the Erie Otters duo, but it's a swing and a miss.
16. Minnesota Wild (2-2-1)Previous rank: 16
Minnesota's plan between the pipes has failed. The Wild appeared to be set in the crease with a tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury, but neither netminder has been up to snuff this season.
17. Florida Panthers (2-3-0)Previous rank: 10
Sergei Bobrovsky's magic is gone. The remarkable play from Bobrovsky that helped the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final has disappeared. He's fallen back down to earth, and Florida will need Spencer Knight to be ready for NHL duties in short order.
18. Calgary Flames (2-3-1)Previous rank: 18
It's time for Dustin Wolf. Dan Vladar was shelled by the Red Wings on Sunday after squeaking out a win in his season debut against the Sabres. With an .842 save percentage, the Flames need to cut bait on Jacob Markstrom's backup and give NHL reps to the AHL's back-to-back Goaltender of the Year and 2023 MVP.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins (2-3-0)Previous rank: 11
Last season wasn't a fluke. The 2022-23 Penguins were listless and marred by inconsistency, and it's looking like the same old story this season. Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Kris Letang are doing all they can, but they can't play every minute of every game.
20. Philadelphia Flyers (3-1-1)
Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 31
The Flyers will make the playoffs. Forget last place in the Metropolitan Division, Philadelphia has its eye on bigger and better things. At this rate, the Flyers will force their way into the postseason picture for the first time since 2020.
21. Buffalo Sabres (2-3-0)Previous rank: 15
Tage Thompson was a one-season wonder. After lighting the NHL up with 47 goals and 94 points last season, Thompson has a single tally through five appearances in 2023-24. He's gone from a dark-horse MVP candidate to the league's biggest disappointment in the span of two weeks.
22. St. Louis Blues (2-1-1)Previous rank: 25
Jordan Binnington is winning the Vezina Trophy. Ilya Sorokin who? Out of all goalies to make at least three starts this season, Binnington ranks second with a .959 save percentage. He also paces all netminders with a stellar 5.16 goals saved above average at all strengths. Binnington is too busy making saves to get up to his usual antics.
23. Winnipeg Jets (2-3-0)Previous rank: 19
Extending Connor Hellebuyck was a terrible idea. An .878 save percentage through four games? Yikes. The Jets should have traded him when they had the chance.
24. Nashville Predators (3-3-0)Previous rank: 24
Roman Josi will lead all defensemen in shots. The Predators captain finished runner-up to Dougie Hamilton in shots on goal among defenders last season. He takes the top spot once again in 2023-24 with an early four-shot advantage over Evan Bouchard.
25. Arizona Coyotes (3-2-0)
Joe Puetz / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 27
The Coyotes will hit 100 points for the second time ever. A strong start and a top-10 power play for Arizona has the league's most common punching bag looking like a threat in the Central Division. The Coyotes will certainly carry this early momentum into the postseason.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (3-2-0)Previous rank: 26
Kirill Marchenko flips the script. Marchenko had a hilariously lopsided goal-to-assist ratio as a rookie with 21 tallies and only four helpers. With no goals and three assists this season, the 23-year-old will balance his career totals by finishing the campaign with four goals and 21 assists.
27. Seattle Kraken (1-4-1)Previous rank: 14
The Kraken are a lottery team again. Hopefully, Seattle fans cherished the club's playoff run this past spring because the Kraken and their 30th-ranked offense aren't going to sniff the postseason cutline.
28. Montreal Canadiens (2-1-1)Previous rank: 28
The Canadiens set a new faceoff record. Through four games, Montreal paces the league with a 59.5% win rate on draws. With Nick Suzuki, Sean Monahan, and Jake Evans primarily on the dot, the Habs will surpass the 2012-13 Boston Bruins as the best faceoff team since the stat began being tracked in 1997-98.
29. Washington Capitals (1-2-1)Previous rank: 22
Alex Ovechkin will never score again. We hate to be the ones to tell you this, but Ovi's bid to beat Wayne Gretzky for No. 1 on the NHL's all-time goals list is over. Kaput. Dead in the water. It's a shame, too, because Ovechkin was only 73 tallies away from passing the Great One.
30. Chicago Blackhawks (2-4-0)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 29
Corey Perry will be Chicago's leading scorer. There simply aren't any other high-profile Blackhawks players who could possibly overtake him.
31. Anaheim Ducks (1-4-0)Previous rank: 30
Leo Carlsson was the right pick at No. 2. A goal in his debut sealed Carlsson as the correct decision to be drafted second overall over Adam Fantilli, who took until his fifth game to finally find the back of the net.
32. San Jose Sharks (0-4-1)Previous rank: 32
The Sharks will remain winless. San Jose is the NHL's sole remaining team without a victory, and oh gosh, what if it stays that way? A long season in California is about to get even longer.
(Analytics sources: Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)
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