Well, we’ve reached our next big benchmark of the 2023-24 NHL season. With American Thanksgiving marking the end of the first quarter of a traditional NHL season (give or take a few games), if you look back at history, roughly 75 percent of the teams in postseason position by this holiday make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Given expectations heading into the season, the playoff picture is a bit surprising for both the Eastern and Western Divisions. THW’s own Alex Chauvancy gave an excellent breakdown of the standings at American Thanksgiving, and I highly suggest clicking the article below if you want to learn more.
Related: NHL Bubble Teams at American Thanksgiving: In or Out
To summarize, this is just another reminder that points earned in the first 20 games played each season count the same as those earned in the final 20.
On the ice, there is a combination of teams stringing together big winning and losing streaks that are shaking up the Rankings. While we had two days without games this week, there was still plenty of action for teams to establish their position in the league. For some, this was a reminder that they could still be contenders. For others, it was questions of whether they would be able to maintain their hot starts to the season.
So, with those in the United States burning off a holiday feast filled with turkey and sides, let’s take a look at THW’s NHL Power Rankings for Week 8.
32-26: Standing Strong in the NHL’s Cellar
32. Minnesota Wild (Previously 27th)
31. San Jose Sharks (Previously 31st)
30. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously 30th)
29. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously 32nd)
28. Anaheim Ducks (Previously 20th)
27. Edmonton Oilers (Previously 29th)
26. Seattle Kraken (Previously 28th)
While it’s starting to feel like a bit of an inside joke, for the third straight week the Sharks find themselves in the 31st position after winning another game this week against a good team. Instead of San Jose, the franchise in 32nd place this week are the Wild, who have just five wins in 19 games played and a seven-game losing streak under their belts. I never would have predicted this outcome at the start of the season, but everything is going wrong for Minnesota as it appears the buyout of their former stars may finally be catching up to them on the ice. While they made news this week thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury stepping up and wearing his Native American Heritage mask pre-game despite calls from the league not to, that’s about the only reason to talk about the team right now.
Along with the Wild, the other big losers this week are the Ducks, who have regressed back to the below-average team they were expected to be before their big winning streak. While I never expect them to reach the playoffs, at least Anaheim has been a competitive team this season, which helps the idea that they are heading in the right direction after years of rebuilding.
Outside of the free-falling Wild and Ducks, the remaining teams at the bottom of the Rankings have all had a more traditional up-and-down week. The Blue Jackets finally showed signs of life by winning two-straight games after dropping their previous nine, while the Oilers, Blackhawks, Sharks, and Kraken had a few big wins mixed in with a number of unimpressive losses that made me question whether those wins are actually a sign of improvement or just a fluke one-off. Time will tell, but for now, they will stay in the bottom portion of the list.
25-11: The NHL’s Mediocre Middle
25. Montreal Canadiens (Previously 22nd)
24. Buffalo Sabres (Previously 24th)
23. Calgary Flames (Previously 25th)
22. New Jersey Devils (Previously 16th)
21. St. Louis Blues (Previously 19th)
20. Nashville Predators (Previously 26th)
19. Ottawa Senators (Previously 15th)
18. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously 17th)
17. Arizona Coyotes (Previously 18th)
16. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously 14st)
15. New York Islanders (Previously 23rd)
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously 21st)
13. Detroit Red Wings (Previously 13th)
12. Washington Capitals (Previously 12th)
11. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously 11th)
Oh no, what’s happening to the Devils? One of my favorite teams heading into the 2023-24 season, New Jersey has simply failed to launch through their first 19 games, as they hold a perfectly average 9-9-1 record, and have only won two of their last eight games. While injuries are definitely to blame for this slide, their goaltending has also been suspect, which adds another layer to their issues. They did shellack the Sabres 7-2 in their most recent game, however, so that might be a sign that they are getting things back on track with their remaining healthy players.
I’m also happy to report that the death of the Islanders may have been overstated. While their big losing streak was concerning, they went 3-0-1 over the last four games, which included defensive beatdowns and goaltending masterclasses that you expect from the franchise. If they can keep this up, then they should be right back in contention again, where they belong.
Also, I have to call out a bizarre outing between the Lightning and Hurricanes on Saturday, where Tampa Bay scored eight goals on only 14 shots, giving Antti Raanta a historic Save Percentage (SV%) of .429, which is the lowest all-time for a goaltender who played a full 60-minute game. In that game, Nikita Kucherov had as many points (6) as Raanta had saves (6).
You may also notice that I expanded the middle of the Rankings a bit this week, as I brought the Flames out of the bottom and moved the Maple Leafs out of the top section. While I’m not ready to move either of these teams up or down the standings significantly just yet, I felt that it was time to change where I was discussing them both.
While I hope more teams start to separate themselves in the coming weeks, until they do I will keep this middle section large to showcase how close most of these teams are to each other.
10-1: Luck’s Running Out at the Top
10. Vancouver Canucks (Previously 9th)
9. Florida Panthers (Previously 10th)
8. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously 8th)
7. Dallas Stars (Previously 7th)
6. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously 3rd)
5. Colorado Avalanche (Previously 6th)
4. Boston Bruins (Previously 2nd)
3. Winnipeg Jets (Previously 4th)
2. Los Angeles Kings (Previously 5th)
1. New York Rangers (Previously 1st)
Don’t look now, but the Jets and Kings are both surging up the Rankings this week with five game win streaks. Whether they are playing weaker opponents or teams with postseason aspirations, they keep finding ways to win and setting themselves up as two of the best teams in the league right now.
I’m also feeling very confident with my choice to move the Rangers into the top position last week. While the Golden Knights and Bruins struggled in their games, New York posted a 3-1-0 record, including a dominant win against Boston on Saturday. They are the best the NHL has to offer right now and are playing above what anyone could have hoped for.
Related: Hockey Insider Anticipates Maple Leafs Blue Line Trade
At the other end of this section, we have a handful of teams that are coming back to Earth after very hot starts to the season. While the Panthers, Canucks, Stars, and Hurricanes all had below-average weeks, I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt and holding them in the top end of the Rankings. Another soft week, however, and I could drop them down into the middle of the league alongside the Maple Leafs.
NHL Digs in After American Thanksgiving
With American Thanksgiving in the books, the NHL will hopefully get back to a regular playing schedule again in the lead-up to the Winter holiday season. December can be a slow news month under most circumstances since most teams aren’t ready to make those big moves just yet, but we may see some action on the trade market sooner rather than later given the rumors swirling around. If one trade goes down, this may set off a series of subsequent deals from teams looking to get ahead of the deadline market in a few months.
So, while the typical doldrums of the season are approaching, we might be in for an exciting few weeks ahead.