Nation Network Power Rankings: St. Louis is No. 2, Maple Leafs slide to 26

9 years ago

Photo Credit: Tim Alamenciak/Wikimedia Commons

They’ve been called “the Glenn Healy” of NHL Power Rankings, they’ve been furiously annotated and derided as useless. And now they’re here. Available across the Nation Network: it’s NHL Power Rankings!

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
32-13-4	+33	54.6%	1

The Lightning’s only real weakness was their backup goaltending, which they addressed that by waiving Evgeni Nabokov this weekend. There’s simply no other team in the league with more talent and depth.

2. St. Louis Blues

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
32-13-4	+40	51.3%	6

Only Tampa Bay and Dallas have outscored the Blues on a per game basis this season. Who are you and what have you done with Ken Hitchcock?

3. Chicago Blackhawks

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
31-17-2	+40	54.4%	2

Like any good sports blogger, Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford may have used an excessive number of tabs at All-Star weekend:

4. New York Islanders

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
32-16-1	+19	53.3%	3

With Kyle Okposo out of the lineup for the medium-term, the Islanders have turned to a helicopter first-line featuring Mikhail Grabovski and Josh Bailey with John Tavares. Ryan Strome continues to play on the third-line, despite leading all NHL players in 5-on-5 primary assist rate…

5. Detroit Red Wings

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
29-12-9	+20	54%	7

This is great and all, but the ink the Red Wings really need is from Mike Babcock’s McGill ballpoint, drying on a brand new, multi-year contract extension…

6. Los Angeles Kings

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
21-16-12	+2	54.4%	4

Los Angeles’ loss on Saturday – combined with victories by the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks – dropped their playoff odds to 42 percent, according to sportsclubstats.com. Their hopes are fading faster than Mike Richards!

7. Anaheim Ducks

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
32-12-6	+13	51.2%	5

As good as Ryan Getzlaf is, Katy Perry’s lion mate > Corey Perry’s line-mates.

8. Nashville Predators

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
32-11-6	+34	52.6%	8

Since Pekka Rinne was injured on January 13 the Predators have only managed two wins in regulation.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
28-14-8	+16	51.8%	10

That Sidney Crosby’s lack of goal scoring is producing a good deal of hand-wringing in the Pittsburgh market is the ultimate in first world problems. He has 52 points in 46 games!

10. Montreal Canadiens

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
32-14-3	+19	48.5%	11

The Canadiens are out to prove that employing a bluechip power forward, an elite goaltender, and an extraordinarily dominant top-pairing defenseman covers for a lot of sins. Thanks Michel Therrien, we couldn’t have guessed that without you.

11. Winnipeg Jets

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
26-17-8	+10	52.2%	9

Winless since the end of the All-Star break, the Jets have given up 15 goals in their past three games including seven power-play goals against. Not so coincidentally, the Jets have been short-handed 30(!) more times than the next closest team.

12. Boston Bruins

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
27-16-7	+10	52.1%	14

There’s nothing harsher than the passage of time. For example, the Bruins have been outscored at 5-on-5 with Zdeno Chara on the ice.

13. Washington Capitals

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
25-15-10	+18	51.5%	13

Over the weekend Alex Ovechkin became the fifth player to score 30 goals in each of his first 10 seasons. That he surpassed the milestone in a loss is appropriate, and further grist for the hot take crowd.

14. New York Rangers

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
28-15-4	+27	49.7%	12

Rangers goaltenders Cam Talbot and Henrik Lundqvist have combined to post a .932 save percentage since December 1, which explains why the Rangers have been so hot of late. Don’t let the superhuman goaltending fool you though, this club needs to add quality forward depth at the deadline in the worst way.

15. San Jose Sharks

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
27-17-6	+4	51.1%	17

They finally did it!

Although it’s worth remembering here that choking is distinct from suffocation…

16. Dallas Stars

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
23-19-7	-2	50.5%	15

The most Stars stat you’ll find: Dallas has won just three games all season in which they scored two goals. As talented as they are, Jim Nill’s club couldn’t shutdown a hotdog cart with a Food Inspector’s badge.

17. Vancouver Canucks

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
27-18-3	+7	49.9%	16

I, for one, was taken by Radim Vrbata’s Super Bowl commercial for Clash of Clans:

18. Minnesota Wild

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
23-20-6	-5	52.4%	20

The Wild swept their Western Canadian road trip this week, which served to keep their dimming playoff hopes alive.

19. Florida Panthers

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
21-16-10	-17	51.9%	18

Since winning three games in a row and vaulting themselves into the Eastern Conference playoff picture in early January, the Panthers have lost six of seven games. It’ll be yet another spring with no plastic rats in Broward Country.

20. Calgary Flames

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
27-20-3	+15	45.1%	19

Katy Perry is doing the lord’s work. Scorch lives!

21. Ottawa Senators

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
20-19-9	Even	49.6%	21

The Senators were the fourth best team in the league by score adjusted Corsi For percentage in the month of January, and their goal differential is back to even. Sportsclubstats.com gives them a roughly one-in-six shot of qualifying for the postseason, but don’t be shocked if they go on a bit of a run here.

22. Colorado Avalanche

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
21-18-11	-10	43.7%	24

This summer Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic went out and acquired Jarome Iginla, Daniel Briere and Brad Stuart. The Avalanche have outscored their opponents at even-strength with none of those veteran players on the ice. Nice work, guys.

23. Philadelphia Flyers

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
22-22-7	-11	48.9%	25

Just when you thought the Flyers were poised to get into the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, Steve Mason reels off a two month run of dominance (he’s managed a .932 save percentage in his last 17 appearances). Way to ruin everything, Steve.

24. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
21-24-3	-31	46.1%	23

You can’t do a better job of containing Steven Stamkos than Ryan Johansen did on Saturday night. Of course the Blue Jackets still lost that game 3-1 because the Lightning have something called “quality depth.” Columbus has a cannon.

25. Carolina Hurricanes

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
17-26-6	-24	50.8%	26

With decent health and respectable goaltending the secretly respectable Hurricanes could take a major step forward next season.

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
22-25-4	-12	45.9%	22

The Maple Leafs were outscored in the month of January by the Buffalo Sabres. What sort of cursed ground is the Air Canada Centre built on, anyway?

27. New Jersey Devils

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
19-22-9	-25	48%	28

Seems like there should be an easy joke about Marty’s weight somewhere in here:

28. Arizona Coyotes

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
18-26-6	-54	48.7%	27

It’s like Don Maloney only just realized this weekend how bad Mike Smith’s contract is. The rest of us reacted this way the day Smith signed his extension:

(Courtesy TSN, via @JoeWest297)

29. Edmonton Oilers

Record	Goal Differential	Corsi For Percentage	Previous Rank
13-28-9	-51	49.2%	29

Oilers fans every year in late September:

(Courtesy: NBC)

Oilers fans every year in late October: