NHL Power Rankings: Bruins and Devils sizzle post Thanksgiving
Anthony Scultore
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The Daily Goal Horn’s Top Ten NHL Power Rankings takes a look at the top teams as we’ve passed the Thanksgiving benchmark.
As the quarter mark of the season has been reached, there are a lot of surprise teams stacking the latest rankings. Well done Gary Bettman! The hard cap is certainly making sure parity is alive and well.
NHL Power Rankings
2022-23 Top 10 Teams (November):
- New Jersey Devils (19-4-0) ⬆️
- Boston Bruins (18-3-0) ⬇️
- Vegas Golden Knights (17-6-1) ⬇️
- Toronto Maple Leafs (14-5-5) NEW
- Dallas Stars (13-6-4)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (13-7-1) NEW
- Colorado Avalanche (12-6-1) NEW
- New York Islanders (15-8-0) NEW
- Winnipeg Jets (13-6-1) NEW
- Seattle Kraken (13-5-3) NEW
2022-23 Top 10 Teams (October):
- Boston Bruins (8-1-0)
- Vegas Golden Knights (8-2-0)
- Edmonton Oilers (6-3-0)
- Calgary Flames (5-2-0)
- Dallas Stars (5-3-1)
- Florida Panthers (5-3-1)
- Carolina Hurricanes (5-2-1)
- New York Rangers (5-3-2)
- New Jersey Devils (6-3-0)
- Philadelphia Flyers (5-2-1)
Daily Goal Horn Power Rankings Breakdown
1. New Jersey Devils: They’re fast and they’re young. Maybe they’re also naive because no one expected them to be this good so fast in their rebuild. However, young Jack Hughes seems to have other ideas as the 21 year-old is the team’s co-leader in scoring with Jesper Bratt at 26 points. Credit to veteran head coach Lindy Ruff having this team believing and competing. It even earned him his 800th career coaching win last week.
2. Boston Bruins: This team under new head coach Jim Montgomery simply continues to roll. The B’s came out of the gate strong despite a handful of injuries that included forward Brad Marchand but never missed a beat and don’t look to be going anywhere anytime soon.
3. Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel looks like Jack Eichel. After finally getting traded from the Sabres and having his desired neck surgery, he struggled coming back and the Knights missed the playoffs. Now he’s the team leader in scoring with 26 points and keeping Vegas in first in the Pacific.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs: A perennial playoff contender, the Leafs got out to a very slow start that had some wondering if Barry Trotz would replace Sheldon Keefe as coach. Well, they’ve settled down and made their way back to the top of the standings as expected.
5. Dallas Stars: Another coach in a new city is having success as Peter DeBoer, who was fired by Vegas has the Stars at the top of the Central Division. Of course having a red-hot Jason Robertson doesn’t hurt. After signing a four-year extension just before the season started, he’s on a 16-game point scoring streak (17G – 12A) and leads the NHL with 19 goals.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning: Captain Steven Stamkos is putting to bed all talks that the Lightning are too old to be Stanley Cup contenders. The 32 year-old captain looks healthy and determined with 26 points on the season. It also doesn’t hurt to have Nikita Kucherov crushing it with 34 points.
7. Colorado Avalanche: A slow start kept the Avs off the list last month but we knew they wouldn’t stay off for long. The defending Stanley Cup champions have played the least amount of games with 19 but they’re .658 points percentage is good for 7th in the NHL. Once Gabriel Landeskog comes back from injury they’ll soar higher.
8. New York Islanders: The gritty Isles are back, and this time with some third period offensive firepower. Of course, the secret ingredient for this team is Ilya Sorokin as he’s posting some Vezina worthy numbers with a GAA of 2.19 and a .933 SV%
9. Winnipeg Jets: Oh look! Another coach in a new city is doing well as Rick Bowness has the Jets flying and in second place in the Central. Winnipeg is playing great hockey at both ends of the ice and showing a balanced attack that should keep them in playoff contention.
10. Seattle Kraken: The New Jersey Devils being first on the list is certainly a shocker but the Seattle Kraken make the perfect bookend. In their second NHL season, this expansion franchise looks legit. They’re playing hard two-way hockey and Dave Hakstol has them believing in themselves. All our key ingredients to success.
