NHL Power Rankings: Metro division dominates heading into Christmas Break
Anthony Scultore
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The NHL is nearing the Christmas Break and a rash of postponements. As teams across the league continue to deal with COVID, the league and player’s association have opted to keep playing.
In our latest Power Rankings, we’ve expanded the list from five to ten teams. Three of the top five teams are from the Metro division, while four make the list in total.
Let’s dive in.
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Daily Goal Horn’s Power Rankings
November’s top five teams:
- Florida Panthers 14-2-3 ⬆️
- Carolina Hurricanes 14-3-1 ⬇️
- Toronto Maple Leafs 14-6-1 (New)
- New York Rangers 12-4-3 (New)
- Calgary Flames 12-3-5 ⬇️
December’s top ten teams:
- Washington Capitals 18-6-7 (New)
- Vegas Golden Knights 20-11-0 (New)
- Carolina Hurricanes 21-7-1 ⬇️
- Tampa Bay Lightning 19-6-4 (New)
- New York Rangers 19-7-4 ⬇️
- Toronto Maple Leafs 20-8-2 ⬇️
- Nashville Predators 19-10-1 (New)
- Pittsburgh Penguins 17-8-5 (New)
- Minnesota Wild 19-8-2 (New)
- Anaheim Ducks 17-9-6 (New)
DGH NHL Power Rankings
Washington Capitals: They’ve been hit with COVID and injuries as of late but still sit atop the NHL with the Hurricanes for most points at 43.
Vegas Golden Knights: The team has survived a slow start caused by a multitude of injuries. Now healthy, they’ve surged up the standings winning 5 straight and 8 of their last 9. Plus, Jack Eichel has yet to join the team.
Carolina Hurricanes: Despite dealing with COVID over the last few weeks, Rod Brind’Amour continues to get winning hockey out of his group. They are tied with the Capitals atop the NHL and Metro Division.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Did we expect the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions not to make their way on to this list eventually? They’ve won 7 of their last 8 games.
New York Rangers: The Blueshirts have had their struggles against some of the top teams in the NHL. However, 4 of their 7 losses have come to just two teams in Colorado(2x) and Calgary(2x). They keep finding ways to win and have done so without Igor Shesterkin since early December.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto struggled out of the gate, but coach Sheldon Keefe has the team more committed to defense and it’s paying off in wins. Auston Matthews is also heating up, but the team is now postponed due to COVID.
Nashville Predators: They are also one of the paused teams due to COVID. That was likely the only way to stop them as they won 7 in a row and 8 of 9 game before being postponed.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Arguably one of the hottest teams in hockey. Pittsburgh has catapulted up the standings and are just 3 points behind the Rangers and 4 points behind the division leaders. They’ve won 7 in a row. Evgeni Malkin has yet to play.
Minnesota Wild: Losing three in a row has put them lower on the list than they should be. They are still the best team in the Central, but the Blues are hot on their trail.
Anaheim Ducks: They are without a doubt the biggest surprise in the NHL to date and are worthy of closing out the top ten. They’ve picked up points in 8 of their last 9 contests and are tied with Vegas for first in the Pacific.
