By Scott Burnside (posted Jan. 4,2016)
Now I know how Han Solo felt getting back behind the wheel of the Millennium Falcon after all that time had passed. With all due respect to colleagues Pierre LeBrun and Joe McDonald, who handled the Power Rankings through November and December, well, let's just say, buckle up, we're headed to warp speed. Oh, wait, different sci-fi thing? Never mind. Where were we?
| 2015-2016 Power Rankings: Week 13 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |
--
Last Week: 1 | This was tough. The Caps have wobbled slightly since having their nine-game winning streak snapped last week, going winless (0-1-1) in two. But they are the cream of the NHL with the league's top winning percentage and a lineup that is Stanley Cup-worthy from top to bottom, bottom to top. Watch for Alex Ovechkin's assault on 500 goals this week. He's at 496. | ||
| 2 |
--
Last Week: 2 | It's hard to ignore what is going on in South Florida, as the Panthers followed up a solid 3-0 win Saturday over the Rangers by erasing a good Wild team 2-1 and have now won nine in a row to retake top spot in the Atlantic. The Cats are the real deal. Get used to it. | ||
| 3 | 4 Last Week: 7 | Look out, Dallas, the Kings are on the move and, with the Stars slipping, are now within eight points of the top spot in the West, with three games in hand. Maybe home ice doesn't matter in the playoffs. Or maybe it does. The Kings, who have won five in a row, would like to find out. | ||
| 4 | 1 Last Week: 3 | "Slump" is a relative word for a team that is 2-2-2 in its past six but still owns a 10-point bulge over the Blues for top spot in the Central. It's not just the losing, though, it's how the Stars are doing so, like Sunday, when they gave up six to the Islanders in a wild 6-5 loss. | ||
| 5 | 1 Last Week: 6 | The Blackhawks are humming right along, aren't they? They've won three in a row while Patrick Kane continues to set the bar for the rest of the league offensively, leading with 57 points, five more than the Stars' Jamie Benn, and is one off the goals lead with 23. Sure, coach Joel Quenneville would like to improve on the tepid 8-8-3 road record, but that's quibbling. | ||
| 6 | 1 Last Week: 5 | The Blues lost to the Leafs for the second time in a month by identical 4-1 scores. That's not good. But otherwise Ken Hitchcock's squad has kept pace in the Central, going 8-5 in between those losses. Vladimir Tarasenko is just one off the league lead with 23 goals. | ||
| 7 | 10 Last Week: 17 | The Isles were blown out by the Penguins on Saturday but bounced back nicely with Sunday's win over the Stars. They'll miss Johnny Boychuk and need to get Jaroslav Halak back and in a groove, but they are slightly ahead of the other two New York-area teams as we head into 2016. | ||
| 8 | 3 Last Week: 11 | Not a lot of offense happening for the Wild lately -- 17 goals in their past eight games after Sunday's loss to the Panthers -- as they try to navigate the injury waters. Zach Parise is back, though, which is key. The Wild are fifth in goals against per game, which must make coach Mike Yeo happy. They are 24th on the PK. Yeo not so happy with that, I'll bet. | ||
| 9 | 9 Last Week: 18 | How about John Hynes' Devils still making life interesting in the Metropolitan? A big OT win over the Stars on Saturday hoisted the Devils into the top wild-card spot in the East and was their third win in a row. Outside of Gerard Gallant of the Panthers, Hynes is my second Jack Adams pick if we voted today. Which we don't. | ||
| 10 | 2 Last Week: 8 | The Lightning continue to languish outside the playoff bubble in the East, but they came up with a nice win over the Wild on Saturday. A four-game trip through Western Canada and Denver this week and the ongoing sagas involving Steven Stamkos and dissatisfied prospect Jonathan Drouin, who has asked for a trade, will further challenge the Lightning. | ||
| 11 | 15 Last Week: 26 | Don't look now, but here come the Penguins. They are starting to warm to new head coach Mike Sullivan's game plan with a 4-1-1 record in their past six. Sidney Crosby is starting to hum after a slumbering first half, and Marc-Andre Fleury is back in the lineup. | ||
| 12 | 7 Last Week: 19 | The Predators continue to search for consistency and something resembling a winning streak as they fend off a host of teams for the final wild-card spot in the West. They have not won more than two in a row since the third week of October. Does GM David Poile have a big move up his sleeve as we edge toward the Feb. 29 trade deadline? | ||
| 13 | 9 Last Week: 22 | The Coyotes have points in eight of 10 games, and you have to wonder whether Louis Domingue is making a case as the No. 1 starter -- he has a .923 save percentage since being called up after Mike Smith's injury. He looked good in a shootout loss to the Oilers. The Yotes are in Vancouver and Calgary this week, then home for seven straight. | ||
| 14 | 2 Last Week: 12 | Yes, the Bruins looked lost for much of the Winter Classic and are going to miss David Krejci mightily, but to me they're still a playoff team, especially given how poorly so many other East teams are playing. | ||
| 15 | 1 Last Week: 14 | The Avs looked disorganized in a 4-0 loss to the Flames on Saturday, but they had gone 6-1-2 in their previous nine games. They have the uneven Predators and a wild-card berth in their sights if they can provide more help for goalie Semyon Varlamov. Jarome Iginla is one goal short of 600. | ||
| 16 | 7 Last Week: 23 | Let's face it, a lot of teams are playing lousy in the East, and the Habs are one of them. Or they were before the Winter Classic. Getting Brendan Gallagher back ignited the Canadiens, who rolled over Boston. Now we'll see whether it's the start of something good for a team that has just three wins in its past 14 games. | ||
| 17 | 13 Last Week: 4 | The Wings have failed to take advantage of the Habs' slippage, playing poorly while winning just three of their past 10. Jimmy Howard has gone sideways again, leaving the bulk of the goaltending work to Petr Mrazek. The Wings hit the road this week for five straight, which isn't a bad thing as they have points in 11 of 16 road games this season. | ||
| 18 | 8 Last Week: 10 | Hey, the Hurricanes have actually put together a pretty good stretch, with a 6-3-2 run that has seen them pull to within six points of the second wild-card berth in the East. They have allowed just 23 goals over that 11-game span. | ||
| 19 | 4 Last Week: 15 | Has there been a less impressive team in the East, maybe the league, over the past month or so than the Rangers? The once-formidable Rangers have not won two in a row since the third week of November. Never mind the Stanley Cup, is this team good enough to make the playoffs? Big tilt with the Isles on Thursday. | ||
| 20 | 7 Last Week: 27 | The Ducks still can't score. How often has that line been said or written this season? But they are starting to collect points behind the terrific goaltending of John Gibson (and sometimes Frederik Andersen) and a solid approach to team defense. As of Monday, they were finally in a playoff position in the putrid Pacific after knocking off the Jets 4-1 Sunday. | ||
| 21 | 8 Last Week: 13 | Karri Ramo is rewarding Calgary's patience with quality starts, and the once-buried Flames are right in the thick of the playoff discussion in the Pacific. How good is Johnny Gaudreau? (Um, seventh in the NHL scoring, that's how good.) | ||
| 22 | 7 Last Week: 29 | The Jets are last in the Central, and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will have to come to the realization sooner than later that he is going to be a seller at the trade deadline. | ||
| 23 | 14 Last Week: 9 | The Senators are tumbling out of the playoff picture thanks to three straight losses, including Sunday's 3-0 defeat in Chicago. They're 4-8-1 in their past 13 games. | ||
| 24 | 1 Last Week: 25 | Just when you expect the Canucks to fade, they come up with a couple of wins to keep things interesting. Of course, that's life in the Pacific, where life support and playoff contention are opposite sides of a thin line. As of Monday, the Canucks are outside looking in on the playoff party. | ||
| 25 | 1 Last Week: 24 | Not quite sure what to make of a Leafs team that looked so bad against the Islanders at home and then came up with big wins in Pittsburgh and against St. Louis on Saturday. Is there a bigger goaltending enigma than Jonathan Bernier? | ||
| 26 | 6 Last Week: 20 | No team that has won just five of 16 home games deserves to make the playoffs. | ||
| 27 | 11 Last Week: 16 | So, was all this talk of the playoffs a mirage for Flyers fans? Three straight losses suggests the postseason isn't in the cards. | ||
| 28 | 2 Last Week: 30 | The Blue Jackets have responded to tough love and tough talk from coach John Tortorella with a couple of hard-fought wins over good teams. It still doesn't mask that this team has grossly underperformed through the first half. | ||
| 29 | 1 Last Week: 28 | No one is ever out of it in the Pacific, but the Oilers need to prove they are a different team than other incarnations and put together meaningful wins. A shootout win over the Coyotes on Saturday thanks to a late tying goal by Jordan Eberle off a nice Ryan Nugent-Hopkins feed is a start. | ||
| 30 | 9 Last Week: 21 | The Sabres are a different team. We know that. We can feel it. We see it. The standings, however, tell us they're not that different at all as they have sunk to 29th, one point out of last, thanks to four straight losses. | ||
Scott Boyle ·
Rankings
are fun to look at but really, why get upset about one guys opinion?
What should be scary for the rest of this league is that Chicago has
been sleepwalking through this first half. One line is very productive,
the rest not nearly as much. Crawford, even with his six shutouts, is
still letting in too many soft goals. The road record is below par. The
Hawks are breaking in several kids and other new players. Q is still
shuffling lines to see which pairings work best. Keith and Hossa missed
several games and Kruger is out now. All that, and the Hawks still have
the 4th most points in the league. When this team figures out
everything, watch out. Dallas, LA and Washington are good, but not sure
they can beat a clicking Blackhawks team in a 7-game series. Just my
opinion of course as a Hawks homer.
Jason Matusiak ·
Works at Trader Joe's
My thoughts exactly. Although I'd rather not have any bigger of a bulls-eye on our back entering the playoffs.
Scott Boyle ·
Jason
Matusiak No bigger bullseye that the three Cups in six years and
defending champs. They get every team's best shot - every night - and
still have 50 points right now. Scary to think they can get a lot better
before the season is out.
Andrew Moelis ·
I
mean, LA has already beaten better Hawks teams in a 7 game series,
so.... yeah. Chicago is very good, but is missing a couple very big
pieces from previous runs (third pairing and Sharp come to mind).
Scott Boyle ·
Andrew Moelis LA is good, way better than last season. Respect them greatly. Would be a fun series if they play again.
BL Woods ·
Scott,
I say this as Kings fan and Hawks admirer. But you write your
earilier comments as if the Hawks are the only team that's going thru
adversity.
The Kings are also breaking in several kids (Shore, Merch, Weal). The Kings are arguably missing their best skater (Jeff Carter) over the last 5+ games yet they managed to score four goals per game in his absence. And they've just come off the road having won four straight. In the last seven games Quick has allowed 1.4 goals per game and was just named one of the players of the week. > Currently have the third most wins (23) > Currently ...See More
Scott Boyle ·
BL
Woods I was only talking about the Hawks, as I am a Hawks fan, and I
don't follow the other teams nearly as close. I'm merely surprised at
where the Hawks are considering all they have been though. Most Chicago
fans, if they were honest with themselves, were expecting a fall this
season after losing Saad, Sharp and Oduya. As for my fearless
prediction, all I said was I'm not sure the Hawks can be beat in a
7-game series if they are clicking (they are 10-1 in playoff series over
the past three years). Never said they can't be beat, or that the
Kings, or any other teams, suck or anything. Just pointing out that this
Hawks team - tied for 4th in the NHL in points - is not even close to
being the team that will start the playoffs and that should make any
Blackhawks fan pretty damn excited.
Rudi Luczyn ·
Works at Brio Tuscan Grille
If
the Hawks can add another LW they wont have any holes when Kruger comes
back. Danault and Gus have been outstanding and i dont see them ever
returning to Rockford unless it involves injury. I agree, though on
paper its close i just dont see anyone(including LA/DAL/WSH) beating
them 4 out of 7 times.
Rudi Luczyn ·
Works at Brio Tuscan Grille
Andrew
Moelis Hawks do need another LW to replace Sharp(they have the pieces
and extra cap space to do it, just a question of now or do they wait
till the TDL). But their 3rd D pairing is actually improved over last
year when late in the season they had Timonen and Rundblad. #4D was an issue until recently. Looking good now.
Scott Boyle ·
Rudi
Luczyn Shaw has looked great on the top line. He is the one guy the
Hawks have who really pisses off the other team. Dan and Gus have looked
great as well. Who knew Panarin would be this good? Anisimov has been
great replacing Saad. I even like Mashinter when he plays ornery. All
new players. All making an impact.
BL Woods ·
Scott
Boyle I do watch a LOT of hockey. I think the mark of a good
team/organization (in any sport) is how well they "rebuild" each year.
Does the team stay consistently good year after year? Or does it take a
year or two for them to rebound?
You gotta give a lot of credit to Quenneville who managed to keep the ship afloat last year when Kane went down. And this year without 3-4 solid regulars, they're well in the hunt. 
Jimmy Pasikov
Hawks
are a great team....but the Caps are a different squad this year....you
can just see it when they play. There is a calmness - a maturity to
their game that wasn't there last year...Maybe all this losing in the
first round had finally payed off..lol...it's gonna be a great finish
either way...Hawks, Caps, Stars, are all good.
Rudi Luczyn ·
Works at Brio Tuscan Grille
Scott
Boyle Shaw has played well this year but he doesn't belong on the top
line. Hawks need to get a legit 1LW, and put Shaw with Kruger and
Garbutt on the 4th line.
Daniel Brent Madsen ·
If
you are going to claim that this a week to week ranking then there is
no way the Blue Jackets (who truly are god awful as the entire season
goes) only move up 2 spots after the only games they played last week
were against Dallas and Washington and they won both of them. This
coming from a life long Caps fan who has absolutely zero love for any
Ohio team.
BL Woods ·
Interesting
that the Blue Jackets are in the cellar despite being the only team to
have wins against all four division leaders (Kings, Panthers, Caps and
Stars).
 
Raul Cordero ·
BL Woods I just when thru the Panthers' schedule, sure enough, the Panthers have not lost to the Blue Jackets
BL Woods ·
Joseph
Mugnano My bad...both were competitive games but I must've mixed up who
the home team was. At any rate, three outta four ain't bad.
Paul Karahalios ·
enjoying
the panthers run in south fla. as reg dunlop said in slapshot "who are
these guys ?". same team as last year BUT they are winning the close
games and playing their system very well. jagr is just playing like he
did 20 years ago. can they keep it up ? we'll see with this 6 game road
trip that starts in buffalo and ends jan. 17 in Tampa Bay.
Sonny Oropilla
Scottie
you are frigging retard and your rankings this week shows you really
hate Kings.. It also shows how biased you are towards east.. Just
looking at the last 5 games between Kings and Caps makes me wonder how
much you know about hockey.. Kings are undefeated in their last 5 while
Caps loss 2 games (1 regular and 1 in SO ).. You ranked Caps as number 1
and you completely ignored Florida and Kings who are playing much
better? It should of look like this you moron..
1. Florida 2. Kings 3. Was/Dal/Chi either one of these teams.. 
BL Woods ·
I was gonna rail if the Kings weren't in the top three. But third is a good position for them.
Chris Hardtke
If
by "completely ignored" you mean ranking the Panthers and Kings at 2
and 3, then yes, they were "completely ignored". Your rankings of those
two teams and Burnsides rankings differ by ONE POSITION. EACH. When is
comes to claiming bias, why not look at your own, focusing on the fact
the Caps lost 2 games, while selectively ignoring the fact they'd won
the 9 prior to those. Calm the hell down.
Jimmy Pasikov
Panthers
are not for real....crash and burn in the second half - and
dude....they are only rankings...what matters is who is around in
April...
Luc Poseru Anderson ·
Dude,
are you really a Kings fan? If you were, you'd know that the regular
season means nothing as long as the Kings make the playoffs. Remember
the domination of 2012?
The regular season means very little. It's nice that the Kings are still scoring without Carter. All they need is someone besides Kopi who can win a damn faceoff.
Sonny Oropilla
Luc
Poseru Anderson Since 1986 during forum days before you were even
born.. I also attended game 3 of 1993 stanley cup finals.. I know that
regular season doesnt mean squat I was just pointing out how pathetic
Scottie was..
Terry Roberts ·
Jimmy
Pasikov and what is it that makes you think the Panthers are going to
crash and burn? They have a top defense, great goaltending and they
score plenty. The teams is great. Nobody wants to give them credit
though....
Andrew Moelis ·
Sonny
Oropilla - Your complaint is that he mis-ranked the team by ONE spot.
How does that translate to pathetic? Some of this is subjective opinion
and not based on standings or fact. Love the Kings, have no problem
with Washington being ranked above them, and frankly, Florida has no
business being in the top 5. If the season ended today, does anyone
expect the Panthers to make it past the second round?
BL Woods ·
Terry
Roberts I'm not a hater. The Panthers look good right now...really
good. But think it's difficult for most people (critics and fans) to
give much consideration to an up-and-coming team for any major sport at
any level. I think the prevailing notion is "they're not tested". In
other words, the Panthers had to have made the playoffs the year before
for them to garner any serious consideration for a deep playoff run. On
the flip side, you have some teams that have been playoff contenders
year after year....and people automatically assume they're finalist
candidates even when there's some serious turnover.
Alex Bieri ·
These
power ranks are stupid. Case and point AZ was the worst team 3 weeks
ago with a record of 14-14-2 at that time now they are 13th! I'd like
some definition of what a "power ranking" is. I always thought it was a
factor of overall play for the season with some bumps or demirrits a
couple spaces based on play in the last week or two. I'm sure having
teams move 10+ spaces each week makes for click bait but it sure as hell
kills your crediblity when you are moving teams back and forth 10+
spaces each week.
Are the rankings who played the best the week before, who will play the best the next week or who is actually the best team vs another? It's just a mess, I guess I'll just keep doing what I always do, come her for the comments and not the garbage ESPN NHL coverage.
BL Woods ·
Alex,
totally agree with you that there should be some definition as to what
the ratings are based on. Personally, I'd say rankings should be based
on which team you'd like to face the least if the playoffs were held
today.
Naturally, a team will lose at some point. So it shouldn't be punished just for losing a game. A team shouldn't leapfrog over several others just for winning two consecutive games either. Unless there is a major suspension or injury, no team should rise or fall more than four or five spots in a single week. 
Daniel Zimmerman
BL
Woods Not just that but the Leafs were ranked 24th (nearly bottom 5
ranked). they beat St Louis and Pittsburgh last week and DROP 1 spot?
BL Woods ·
Daniel
Zimmerman Leafs have been playing tough lately. Won both of those
games and beat my Kings the week prior. Bernside probably has the home
version of the Price Is Right! On the big wheel, he just puts the team
names where the numbers are.
Dan Standard ·
If
you want to know how a team is doing overall for their perfomance of
the seasons, look at the standings. If you want to know how they are
doing RIGHT NOW, look at the power rankings.
Carl Duester
These
rankings mean nothing. It's absolutely based on someone's bias opinion
who knows less than the average fan. But I guess it give fans something
to whine about. Let the play on the ice decide who's good and who's
not.
Çhris Carr ·
Agreed. Its powered by ESPN. Who knows nothing of the game. Stick to Basketball will ya's . LEeettts GO DEVILS!!!!
Nick Mullinix
I
think it would have been justified to put the Panthers at #1 right now,
since these rankings are based largely on recent success/failure.
Florida has won 9 straight, and beat a couple decent teams this week,
where the Caps went 2-1-1. Although some consideration must be given to
the fact that the Caps played 4 games in 6 days...a tough schedule, no
matter who your opponents are.
Michael Doran ·
Must
admit I was disappointed to see Florida remain 2nd. 4th best record in
the league on a 9 game winning streak, and beat 3 playoff winning teams
this week, compared to Washington losing to 2 last place teams. All
good, at least Florida finally has a team, is competitive, and earning
respect. Go Cats!
Thomas Maidlow ·
Fans
of bad teams tend to complain more about rankings then fans of good
teams. Since the standings offer no relief what else do you have this
season other then being mad your not ahead of Philly in the power
rankings?
Luc Poseru Anderson ·
Correction:
Fans of teams that haven't been good in the playoffs in the past 20
years tend to complain more. It's always the Nashville, St. Louis,
Dallas, and DC fans who are whining that their teams aren't ranked high
enough.
You know what? If you haven't won a meaningful playoff series lately, your team doesn't deserve to be ranked high. The playoffs matter, not December games.
BL Woods ·
I
think we should all lighten up a litle bit. If you think about it,
we're all evangelists here. It's not that we're trying to convert others
to follow our favorite team, but we're hopefully trying to garner a
little more respect for that team. With that said, if you feel like
complaining about the rankings at least throw in a few keen stats to
provide some ummph behind your opinion.
Bob Burgett
Luc
Poseru Anderson It's about THIS year's games--and specifically recent
ones. What does past playoff series have to do with this year? Geez.
Jeff Havrisko ·
As
a diehard penguins fan right now I have a hard time believing they're
the 11th best team in the nhl. Yes it's a week to week basis, but give
the pens another 2 weeks before you can put them top 12
Jeff Havrisko ·
Scott, it will be and it will determine exactly where the penguins stack up and see if they can continue to improve
Christian Markey ·
I
have to admit that the stars are slipping but in the mean time we are
playing ok to great teams so our losses are reasonable and close.
Lethnon is Good but only really when we play at home. So I say start
Niemi for the majority of the road games. In conclusion yes the stars
are where they should be
JD Yoders
The
Kings and Caps are on a collision course in the playoffs. Hey, remember
when LeBrun, Burnsides and these other genius hockey writers picked the
Quacks to win the Cup before the season? Sub-.500.
BL Woods ·
Looks like the Caps from the east. As much as I love my Kings, it could also be the Stars or Hawks out of the west.
Mitch Beyer ·
I have a trade to announce:
Scott Burnside has been traded by ESPN to US Weekly in exchange for their 3rd level VIP boxes at next years Golden Globe Awards. Analyists believe this is fair trade considering Burnside has low standards and will fit in well with the US Weekly staff. Several in the media have privately stated that ESPN could do a quick flip of their VIP boxes and simply take this as a win for their entire site. 
Eugene Berkovich ·
Peeps, keep in mind this is not the same person who did the Power Rankings last week. So, do not expect any continuity.
Chris Damm
Rangers have a big tilt with the Isles on Thursday. Well technically he is correct lmao
Isles DO have a big game THIS Thursday with the Caps though! 
Albert Cooke ·
Works at Earth
The Rangers are not having a big tilt with the Isles on Thursday. My schedule says Isles vs. Wash.
 
Jay Esterson ·
Scott (and the rest of ESPN) -
Dude, get off the Caps bus already. We lost 2 in a row. We are being bitten by the injury bug. We couldn't convert on a 4on3 OT power play against a minor league goaltender. It's ok, Caps fans (the WE above) will understand if you go back to touting the NEW teams (York R, Jersey, York I) and the Crosby Pitts. Really, it;s ok with us. See we don't care what the world thinks of this team. Don't care that Ovechkin's +/.- wasn't tops in the league for the last 10 years. Don't care if we've been one and done in the playoffs. Get it ESPN ? Don't care. When we turned the calender to 2016 there was a giant smile on that red, white, and blue eagle on our logo !!  
Kenneth Besecker ·
One week the yotes are 30th in the ranking (second place in the Pacific)
The next week the yotes are 13th in the ranking. (Second place in the pacific) This guy sucks
Dan Standard ·
Burnside,
how dare you put up power rankings that are different from the
standings? Would you really have us believe you have an opinion on how
teams are doing right now? The standings clearly show how teams stack up
after playing the games. The NHL designed the point system for a reason
- to tell us which team is better than which. I reject ESPN for trying
to shove thought down our minds.
 
Jarred Nossterson ·
how did the wild jump up after lossing 2 games in a row on their florida trip???
BL Woods ·
It's almost like trying to figure out how many licks it takes to get the the center of a Tootsie Lollipop....we may never know.
Jason Matusiak ·
Works at Trader Joe's
Look not so much at the jumps, because Joey Mac did the rankings last week. And not very well, I might add.
 
Darryl Robb ·
As
a long time CAPS fan , they definitely should have dropped - the blue
line replacements have not stepped up in place of Orpik and Carlson. In
the meantime, LA and FLA continue to play well. Plus, we have yet to
win a game in 2016!
Norman Riedmueller ·
We
should all take note that Mr. Burnside began 2016 by ranking Montreal
in the bottom half of the League. And we should check back in, say,
March to see how his rankings played out.
   
Pantherzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
|
7 · 
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