NHL Power Rankings Week 1: Crazy Things Happen in One Week of Hockey

Power rankings are back! With a new season comes new rankings, but the same formula. If you recall from last year, the formula looks at non-shootout win point totals per game, and multiplies that by five-on-five goal ratio. The numbers end up between 0 and 2 normally, but in the early season, those numbers are highly volatile.

In any event, here we go:

Eastern Conference

	This Week	Last Week	Rationale	Rating
	1	--	The Flyers are off to a fantastic start, one of only four NHL teams without a regulation loss so far this year. Their 5-on-5 goal differential puts them just above Toronto so far.	4.078
	2	--	Toronto is off to a blazing fast start so far, but falls short of the number 1 spot due to being one-third of a goal behind the Flyers' 5-on-5 differential.	4.000
	3	--	The Sabres have three players with three goals in four games. Tomas Vanek and Drew Stafford are common names, but Luke Adam is a surprise.	3.000
	4	--	The Capitals are the lowest ranked undefeated team according to the formula, largely because they have a shootout win and a mediocre 5-on-5 goal differential.	2.188
	5	--	The Islanders have gotten some excellent play from John Tavares and Al Montoya so far this year, and they look to surprise a lot of people this season.	2.100
	6	--	Montreal is off to a slow start, with only one win in four games. But they're winning the even-strength battle.	1.125
	7	--	The Rangers have yet to win a game this year, but have an OT loss and a SO loss. With a mediocre 5-on-5 ratio, they stay afloat in the East.	0.833
	8	--	The Devils have six points in four games, but they won two of them in the shootout. Coupled with their below-average 5-on-5 ratio, and you have a middling team.	0.710
	9	--	Pittsburgh is sitting on three wins and eight points, putting them 5th in the NHL, but with a worse 5-on-5 ratio than Carolina, they aren't looking very good early.	0.665
	10	--	Tampa Bay has only one win in five games and has a negative goal differential, just like last year. Sign of trouble to come?	0.640
	11	--	The Bruins will probably hear about a Stanley Cup hangover, but with an even 5-on-5 ratio, there are signs of another good team.	0.600
	12	--	Florida has four points in three games, a sign of a successful overhaul. But their 5-on-5 ratio is dragging them down here.	0.600
	13	--	The Hurricanes have two wins and five points - the same as Vancouver - but a miserable 5-on-5 ratio is keeping them near the bottom of the league.	0.580
	14	--	Ottawa has two points in five games, but even that win came in the shootout. The league-worst 5-on-5 ratio means the Senators are likely the worst team in the NHL this year.	0.086
	15	--	The Jets haven't won a game yet, as they sit 0-3. They have the second-worst 5-on-5 ratio this year, barely above Ottawa's, so they will be challenging for worst team in the NHL.	0.000

Western Conference

	This Week	Last Week	Rationale	Rating
	1	--	The Red Wings are off to a crazy good start, winning all four of their games in regulation and having a 3.67 goal ratio at 5-on-5. They are the only Western Conference team without a regulation loss.	7.340
	2	--	Chicago won two games in regulation out of four and have a good 5-on-5 ratio. Dave Bolland also has three goals in three games, which is unexpected	1.875
	3	--	The Ducks are struggling with offense, but their defense has been stingy. Two regulation wins and only one loss puts them in a good spot with a mediocre 5-on-5 ratio.	1.500
	4	--	Phoenix has seen their first round pick in 2009 score three goals in four games. From the blueline. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been a pleasant surprise while Shane Doan continues to carry the team.	1.463
	5	--	The Stars have won four of five games, but they have an even 5-on-5 ratio. Don't expect them to win 80% of their games going forward.	1.400
	6	--	St. Louis has the second best 5-on-5 goal differential in the West but have only won two of five games. Look for one to change in the other direction.	1.256
	7	--	The Canucks are off to a mediocre start, winning two of five games with a mediocre 5-on-5 ratio. Don't expect that to last.	1.120
	8	--	Colorado is surprising a lot of people behind the strong pay of Semyon Varlamov. Four wins in five games, but they're being outscored at 5-on-5. Something has to change.	1.056
	9	--	The Kings have a rather weak 5-on-5 ratio, but they managed to win two of four games. After the long road trip to the season, the Kings look forward to returning home.	1.038
	10	--	Minnesota is off to a pretty good start, winning two of five games, losing another two in the shootout. With an even 5-on-5 ratio, the Wild are hanging tough.	1.000
	11	--	The Sharks have a really good 5-on-5 ratio, but only one win in three games. Look for the Sharks to improve soon.	0.887
	12	--	Nashville has a miserable 5-on-5 ratio, yet they've still managed to collect 5 points in 4 games. David Legwand is currently at a 2.00 points per game pace. Neither will last.	0.775
	13	--	The Oilers are showing signs of improvement, with an even 5-on-5 ratio and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring 4 goals in three games. It's about to get exciting in Edmonton.	0.667
	14	--	Calgary only has one win in four games, but their 5-on-5 ratio suggest they aren't that bad. Still bad, yes, but not that bad.	0.400
	15	--	The Blue Jackets are win-less in five tries. And they just found out Jeff Carter has a hairline fracture in his foot while also sending Matt Calvert down to the AHL. Clearly, they're in trouble.	0.164