This week's NHL power rankings saw some big-time jumps, led by the surging Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche. But were either of them good enough to catch up with the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators?
Good news for Los Angeles Kings fans, as their struggling team finally moved out of the last spot. Enjoy this week's power rankings.
31. Vancouver Canucks (11-14-3)
The Canucks have now lost 10 of their last 11 games. With a handful of injuries and rookie Elias Pettersson cooling down a bit, all things are trending down. At least fans can get excited about another draft lottery?
30. Los Angeles Kings (9-16-1)
They may have the worst record in the NHL right now, but the Kings are slowly playing better under head coach Willie Desjardins. With the Canucks slumping big time, the Kings are finally knocked out of the 31st spt.
29. St. Louis Blues (9-12-3)
Sniper Vladimir Tarasenko is hearing his name mentioned in trade rumors now. The Blues look destined to miss the playoffs for a second straight year. The only solution at this point may be to bring back old friend Joel Quenneville behind the bench.
28. Philadelphia Flyers (10-12-2)
The Flyers blew a 3-1 home lead to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, surrendering three unanswered goals in the final frame. GM Ron Hextall was fired. When will president Paul Holmgren start realizing he needs to bring in better goalies and blueliners?
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27. Chicago Blackhawks (9-12-5)
Can't believe the front office thought that Joel Quenneville was to blame. Maybe recent trade acquisitions Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini can provide a spark? Surrendering Nick Schmaltz is a big-time risk for GM Stan Bowman, though.
26. New Jersey Devils (9-11-4)
After a 4-0-0 start to the season, New Jersey has fallen apart entirely. Goalie Cory Schneider has lost all five starts and carries a horrible 4.28 goals against average and lackluster .863 save percentage.
25. Florida Panthers (10-10-4)
Jonathan Huberdeau (26 points), Evgenii Dadonov (24), and Mike Hoffman (23), are having incredible seasons thus far. Five Florida players have at least 20 points, but the goaltending has to be better if this team is to turn it around in the new year.
24. Arizona Coyotes (11-11-2)
The Coyotes gave up on the once-promising Dylan Strome and dealt him (along with Brendan Perlini), to Chicago for Nick Schmaltz. This team needs to do something offensively, because Clayton Keller's mere 15 points somehow lead the team in scoring.
23. Ottawa Senators (11-12-3)
Give them credit. The Sens are hanging around in the playoff race after everybody picked them to finish last in the NHL this season. They're among the highest-scoring teams this year. Matt Duchene, Mark Stone and Thomas Chabot are all enjoying phenomenal starts to the season.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins (10-9-5)
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can only do so much. Pittsburgh is lacking the secondary scoring and quality goaltending. Might they miss the playoffs for the first time since 2006? It's looking more and more likely by the day.
21. Montreal Canadiens (11-9-5)
The Habs have now lost five straight games, as Carey Price continues to struggle in the early going. The only things saving this extremely flawed team? Forwards Max Domi (26 points), Jonathan Drouin (20 points), and Tomas Tatar (19 points).
20. Carolina Hurricanes (12-9-4)
Carolina has cooled down quite a bit, but at least Sebastian Aho is enjoying a strong start with 26 points on the season. Can Curtis McElhinney (7-2-1), keep up this hot start? The 'Canes hope so, since their playoff hopes depend on the play in the crease.
19. Detroit Red Wings (11-11-3)
Amazing. The Red Wings lost seven straight to open the season but have caught fire ever since. Dylan Larkin is reaching superstar status, with nine goals and 21 points in 25 games.
18. New York Islanders (12-9-3)
The Isles are cooling down after a surprisingly strong start to the season, going a mere 4-5-1 in their last 10. Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal are enjoying strong starts with 21 points apiece.
17. New York Rangers (13-11-2)
Wasn't this supposed to be a rebuilding year? Head coach David Quinn should be considered a Jack Adams favorite if they get into the playoffs. New York has been one of the bigger surprises thus far.
16. San Jose Sharks (12-9-5)
It's not good when Logan Couture is calling the team out by adding they're not a contender. The Sharks look nothing like a team that was expected to compete for the Stanley Cup.
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15. Vegas Golden Knights (14-12-1)
Five straight W's for the defending Western Conference champions. They've won seven of their last 10, thanks to the resurgence of Max Pacioretty, who has 10 goals on the season now after a terrible start.
14. Edmonton Oilers (12-11-2)
The Oilers have gone 3-1-1 under head coach Ken Hitchcock. The defense has predictably gotten much stronger, and Connor McDavid is doing fine adapting to his new coach's style. Edmonton looks poised to turn things around now.
13. Anaheim Ducks (13-10-5)
The Ducks completed the Florida sweep and have vaulted themselves right back into postseason contention. But will this injury-filled, ageing team keep it up? Time will tell. John Gibson should be in contention for the Hart Trophy if they squeak into the playoffs.
12. Minnesota Wild (14-9-2)
The Wild are coming back to earth a bit, with two straight losses and going just 5-5-0 in their last 10. But the scoring-by-committee has done wonders for a team that many pundits wrote off going into this season.
11. Dallas Stars (13-10-3)
Jim Montgomery has turned the Stars into a more complete team. They've cleaned it up defensively and don't rely as much on the top line. This could be a darkhorse Stanley Cup contender, folks.
10. Winnipeg Jets (14-8-2)
The Jets look nowhere close to the team that reached the Western Conference Final last season. And yet, they're in the running for the best record in the NHL. That's a scary thought for the rest of the league. Just wait until goalie Connor Hellebuyck regains his Vezina-like form.
9. Calgary Flames (15-9-2)
David Rittich has been solid between the pipes, and it has the Flames in the running for a Pacific Division title. Given the struggles of their divisional foes, Calgary looks like the team to beat in that division.
8. Boston Bruins (14-7-4)
The Bruins are 6-2-2 over their last 10 games. Head coach Bruce Cassidy deserves all the credit in the world for keeping this team together as injuries pile up. David Pastrnak is in the running for the 'Rocket' Richard Trophy, too.
7. Columbus Blue Jackets (15-8-2)
The Blue Jackets are flying under the radar, which obviously won't bother head coach John Tortorella. The Metropolitan Division will likely between the Jackets and Washington Capitals all season long. Enjoy the race.
6. Washington Capitals (15-7-3)
Seven wins in a row for the defending Stanley Cup champions. To make matters better, the Islanders, Flyers and Penguins are all struggling big-time. The only "downside" is tht Alexander Ovechkin probably won't be catching Patrik Laine for the 'Rocket Richard' Trophy.
5. Colorado Avalanche (15-6-5)
How many teams win by three goals when Sidney Crosby drops a hat trick on you? The Avalanche did it on Thursday. Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon have formed the best duo in hockey. Things are only trending up in the Mile High City.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (18-8-0)
The only downside to this impressive season for Toronto? The other two best teams in the NHL just happen to reside in the Atlantic Division. Auston Matthews is healthy again, so the Leafs have the chance to catch up to No. 2 and 1 on our list...
3. Nashville Predators (17-8-1)
In a stacked Central Division, the Predators have asserted themselves as the team to beat. Filip Forsberg leads the team in scoring with 22 points, while center Ryan Johansen has 21. Another promising season in the Music City.
2. Buffalo Sabres (17-7-3)
Unbelievable! A 10-game win streak for the Sabres, which ended on Thursday. But there's no shame in losing on the road to the Tampa Bay Lightning. We have every reason to believe that the times are changing in Buffalo.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (18-7-1)
So it was the Lightning who managed to snap the Buffalo Sabres' 10-game winning streak. That was enough to propel them to No. 1 this week. Shout out to backup Louis Domingue for filling in nicely while Andrei Vasilevskiy recovers from a broken foot.
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