A full month of NHL hockey is enough action to provide a big enough sample size for where all 30 teams stand. While there is still plenty of hockey left to play, some contenders have certainly separated themselves from the pretenders early on. Here is a look at how the top teams in hockey stack up in the season’s first edition of the NHL Power Rankings with odds to win the Stanley Cup listed next to them.
1. Chicago Blackhawks
This Week: +700 Last Week: +600Reuniting Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane paid off instantly as the Blackhawks struggling offense found its rhythm in a 5-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Toews and Kane combined for three points while Corey Crawford made 28 saves for the shutout. The only bad news from that game is that Patrick Sharp suffered a lower body injury and will be out indefinitely. Chicago owns the best goals against average in the NHL and there is too much talent up front for their scoring struggles to continue even with Sharp sidelined. The Blackhawks are arguably the most complete team in the NHL.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
This Week: +850 Last Week: +1200The Penguins have had no scoring troubles with a league-best 4.1 goals per game through the first month of the season and as long as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin stay healthy the goals will continue to come. Management has done an excellent job plugging in capable scorers next to their star wingers at a reasonable price with names like Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, and Patric Hornqvist all legitimate threats to score 30 goals this season. Marc-Andre Fleury has posted a sparkling 1.89 goals against average through the first month of the season and as long as he continues to play at a high level then Pittsburgh will remain on cruise control in the Eastern Conference.
Tie 3. Los Angeles Kings
This Week: +950 Last Week: +800Injuries hurt the Kings during their recent road trip as Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik were both sidelined while Slava Voynov remains suspended indefinitely. However, Los Angeles is still 6-3-1 over its last 10 games and right in the thick of the Pacific division race thanks to incredible depth and elite goaltending. “That 70’s Line” of Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson, and Tyler Toffoli has been the Kings best early on while Jonathan Quick has been excellent. Los Angeles will only get better as bodies return to the lineup.
Tie 3. Boston Bruins
This Week: +950 Last Week: +1100Boston has overcome a slow start and the loss of captain Zdeno Chara with three straight wins and is right behind Tampa Bay and Montreal for the best record in the Atlantic division. Tuukka Rask has settled down following a shaky start and his high level of play in goal is that much more important with Chara sidelined. David Krejci has struggled to stay in the lineup as well and that has put more pressure on the Bruins depth but they have certainly answered the bell so far and at full strength they are as good as any team from the Eastern Conference.
5. Minnesota Wild
This Week: +975 Last Week: +1400The Wild have slowed down somewhat following an excellent start to the season and while they are 5-1 at home a 2-3 record on the road could lead to more concern if they can’t find a way to get the job done as the visiting team. Rookie Darcy Kuemper has also cooled following a hot start leaving question marks about the Minnesota goalie tandem with he and Niklas Backstrom the top two options with Josh Harding injured. The Wild certainly have the talent up front and on the defense led by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter but consistency and goaltending will be the key moving forward.
6. Anaheim Ducks
This Week: +1100 Last Week: +900Bad luck forced the Ducks to start journeyman goaltender Jason LaBarbera on Sunday and he ended up making 16 saves to help them pull out a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. The emergency start came after Frederik Andersen went down with leg tightness and John Gibson was injured in warm-ups and while he played well the victory was testament to one of the deepest teams in the NHL playing at a high level at both ends of the ice. Gibson will miss six weeks but Andersen has practiced and should return to the net soon. Meanwhile, a Ducks team that is 10-3-0 will look to keep the momentum going during a four-game home stand regardless of whom they have in net.
7. San Jose Sharks
This Week: +1200 Last Week: +1400San Jose has struggled to keep the puck out of its net and while the tandem of Antti Niemi and Alex Stalock has been average at best the team in front of them has given up far too many shots. The Sharks have had no trouble scoring goals with a loaded forward core that includes Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, and Joe Pavelski but if they are going to rise to the top of the Western Conference they will have to find a way to do a better job in their own end and keep their goalies from getting peppered every night.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning
This Week: +1350 Last Week: +1400Steven Stamkos is one of the league’s elite and the face of the franchise in Tampa Bay but general manager Steve Yzerman deserves credit for building a solid team around him beginning in net where Ben Bishop is one of the league’s most underrated goalies. Yzerman reloaded the defense core in front of Bishop by adding veterans Anton Stralman and Jason Garrison in the offseason while young stars like Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat have flourished up front. Those might not be household names just yet but they are a big reason why the Lightning are a legitimate dark horse sleeper pick to win the Stanley Cup.
9. St. Louis Blues
This Week: +1450 Last Week: +1400It might not be long before Jake Allen unseats Brian Elliott as the No. 1 goalie in St. Louis as his 1.00 goals against average and .959 save percentage are among the best in the NHL. Right now the job is Elliott’s to lose and the Blues have been able to get the results they want, regardless of who has been in goal. The fact that St. Louis has continued to win games despite injuries up front to forwards David Backes and TJ Oshie is testament to their depth and arguably the most talented defense core n the NHL. The Blues will only get better as they continue to have bodies return to the lineup.
10. Montreal Canadiens
This Week: +1700 Last Week: +1200The Canadiens looked dominant out of the gate but they struggled during their recent road trip out west and the poor play followed them home for a pair of blowout losses to the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks. Carey Price is one of the truly elite goalies but there isn’t much he can do about the continuous breakdowns in front of him. Montreal will have to find a way to right the ship soon or they will find themselves sliding further down the Eastern Conference standings in a hurry.
11. (tied) New York Rangers +2000
11. (tied) Vancouver Canucks +2000
13. Detroit Red Wings +2300
14. New York Islanders +2600
15. Philadelphia Flyers +3000
