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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 | 1 | The Capitals lost both games in regulation last week but still maintain the top spot in the entire NHL here. |
2.369 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |
|
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 |
 |
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 |
 |
11 |
7 |
The Canucks went 1-2 last week, finding some 3rd period magic against Washington to salvage their week. |
0.910 |
 |
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 |
 |
13 |
9 |
The Avalanche went 1-2 last week and are tied with the Rangers here. |
0.790 |
 |
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 |
 |
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 |