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NHL Power Rankings Week 3: Maybe Edmonton v. Washington Was the Game of the Week

This week, the biggest movers were Edmonton, Montreal, and Nashville while Detroit, the Rangers, and Canucks fell the farthest.

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.

Here we go:

Eastern Conference

This Week Last Week Rationale
Rating
Capitals_medium 1 1 The Capitals lost both games in regulation last week but still maintain the top spot in the entire NHL here.
2.369
Sabres_medium 2 2 Buffalo stays in the number two spot despite going 1-2 last week in three home games. The third-best 5-on-5 ratio in the NHL helps.
1.716
Maple_leafs_medium 3 3 The Maple Leafs hold steady with a 2-2 week, though they can't be happy with a loss in Ottawa.
1.693
Flyers_medium 4
4
Philadelphia rounds out the top-4 staying the same with a 2-2 week despite Ilya Bryzgalov being "lost in the woods" for a day.
1.229
Canadiens_medium 5
11
The Canadiens made a big jump by going 3-1, only giving up six goals. They now have four regulation wins on the year.
1.127
Penguins_medium 6
7
Pittsburgh moved up despite only winning one regulation game last week. A negative 5-on-5 ratio doesn't bode well going forward.
1.120
Lightning_medium 7
6
The Lightning fell slightly, but their 5-on-5 ratio is even. If only they can get Steve Downie (1 goal, 1 assist) going.
1.091
Hurricanes_medium 8
8
Carolina is staying afloat, even with Eric Staal having 3 goals and 2 assists. But his minus-13 is dragged down by a 0.842 on-ice save percentage.
0.860
Panthers_medium 9
10
The Panthers played three one-goal games last week, winning two of them. Still losing the 5-on-5 battle by a good bit though.
0.825
Rangers_medium 10
5
New York is a big loser this week thanks to going 1-1-1 and seeing their 5-on-5 ratio fall to 24th best in the league.
0.790
Senators_medium 11
15
The Senators have the second worst 5-on-5 ratio, but they jump to 11th thanks to their success in getting to OT.
0.623
Jets_medium 12
13
Winnipeg only has three wins on the year, but they have a relatively decent 5-on-5 ratio, putting them above NJ and NYI.
0.609
Islanders_medium 13
9
The Islanders have the worst 5-on-5 ratio in the league and only three regulation wins. It's a shame, I was excited for them.
0.596
Devils_medium 14 14 New Jersey is one of three teams with only two regulation wins and they have the worst 5-on-5 ratio of the group. But they have three OT games, so they're 28th here.
0.560
Bruins_medium 15 12 The Bruins avoid dead last in the NHL because they have as many adjusted points as Columbus in fewer games. Still a decent (21st best) 5-on-5 ratio though.
0.440

 

Western Conference


This Week Last Week Rationale
Rating
Sharks_medium 1 5 The Sharks climb all the way to the top of the West behind two regulation wins and an OT win. The best 5-on-5 ratio in the NHL helps too.
2.041
Stars_medium 2 3 Dallas moves up to the number 2 spot despite going 1-1-1 in regulation last week. The NHL's fifth best 5-on-5 ratio is a big reason why.
1.642
Oilers_medium 3
12
The Oilers are the biggest winners of the week, going 4-0 and outscoring their opponents 12-6. Only Pittsburgh has more adjusted points than Edmonton.
1.609
Kings_medium 4
1
Los Angeles crashed quickly, going 1-2-1 last week. They're still tied for third in adjusted points with a good 5-on-5 ratio.
1.451
Blackhawks_medium 5
4
The Blackhawks went 1-1-1 last week and still have Dave Bolland leading them in goals. Pretty impressive when you think about it.
1.443
Coyotes_medium 6
8
Phoenix is only one point behind the Blackhawks in the adjusted standings, but the 13th best 5-on-5 ratio is what provides the gap here.
1.260
Predators_medium 7
13
The Predators went 2-1 last week, making a big jump up the board. Having Craig Smith lead the team in goals (tied with Sergei Kostitsyn) is a minor problem.
1.177
Red_wings_medium 8
2
Detroit was the big loser this week, getting outscored 9-3 in three regulation losses last week. They now look decidedly average.
1.111
Flames_medium 9
14
The Flames look decent this year as they sit 12th in 5-on-5 ratio and 16th in adjusted points per game. And Jarome Iginla only has 2 goals and 4 points in 9 games.
1.070
Blues_medium 10
6
St. Louis went 1-2 across Western Canada last week, only being outscored 7-6. Lets see f they maintain the eighth best 5-on-5 ratio in the NHL.
1.064
Canucks_medium 11
7
The Canucks went 1-2 last week, finding some 3rd period magic against Washington to salvage their week.
0.910
Wild_medium 12
10
Minnesota only has two regulation wins despite an even 5-on-5 ratio. Being in the bottom-5 in both power play and penalty kill will do that.
0.900
Avalanche_medium 13
9
The Avalanche went 1-2 last week and are tied with the Rangers here.
0.790
Ducks_medium 14
11
Anaheim is tied for 27th in 5-on-5 ratio and went 1-2-1 on the road last week. They stay on the road this week, going to Washington, Rangers, and Detroit.
0.682
Blue_jackets_medium 15 15 The Blue Jackets remain in last place in the NHL, despite the 18th best 5-on-5 ratio and a decent 2-2-0 week. Specials teams are killing them, though. Oh, and Steve Mason too.
0.396