TXHT Power Rankings: First 20 Games

Hello, Ladies and Gentleman! We’re going to introduce something new to TXHT. We’ve all seen Power Rankings across all media platforms for the NHL and today, we’re going to do the same.

Since this is a first for TXHT, the list may not be the same as others.

How the Power Rankings will work, since most teams are at, near, or a little past the 20 game mark for the 2021-22 season with a key player that has jumped out to me during this 20-ish game period. These rankings are effective as of the conclusion of the games on November 24th, 2021.

Ready? Here we go.

1. Carolina Hurricanes – With the Carolina Hurricanes sitting at a record of 14-3-1 (29 pts), have thus far had an excellent season. There were critics among the fans when the Hurricanes signed Tony DeAngelo, but DeAngelo has had a great season thus far. DeAngelo sits at 4 goals and 13 assists (17 pts). The Hurricanes have only lost one game at home this season and in their last ten contests they are 6-3-1. The ceiling can only get higher for the Hurricanes.
2. Florida Panthers – The Florida Panthers sit at 14-2-3 (31 pts) and are sitting atop the overall League standings. Florida is undefeated at home (11-0-0) and in their last ten contests, they are 6-2-2. Owen Tippett has had a good start thus far and has had a consistent showing on the second line with Jonathan Huberdeau. Tippett has also been clicking with Frank Vatrano and Joe Thornton when Tippett is not on the second line. Tippett through 18 games has four goals and six assists (10 points). The ceiling for Tippett can only get better.
3. Edmonton Oilers – The Edmonton Oilers are currently 14-5-0 (28 pts). Aside from the normal top scorers in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, another point producer for the Oilers goes to Jesse Puljujarvi. Puljujarvi has had 14 points in 17 games. McDavid has 14 goals and 22 assists and is second in overall points with Draisaitl having 20 goals and 20 assists. Edmonton in their last 10 games are 6-2-2. Edmonton keeps up the scoring pace and their play, they will be a force come the end of the season.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs – Toronto currently sits at 14-6-1 (29 pts) and in 8-2-0 in their last 10 contests. When David Kampf was signed by Toronto, it was a puzzling move. However, it seems as if the move was a good one. Kampf is a good shutdown type player for the Maple Leafs third line. Kampf, who has tripled his goal count from the 2020-21 season (one goal), things can only improve a bit for David Kampf.
5. Calgary Flames – Calgary is 12-3-5 (29 pts) and in their last ten, they are 6-2-2. The player that has been on a hot streak is Andrew Mangiapane. Mangiapane has been a scoring machine thus far on the season with scoring 15 goals. 14 of those goals have all come in road contests. Mangiapane was seen, and still is, seen as a setup man. With the way Andrew Mangiapane has played, he is drawing some similarities to Jarome Iginla. That is a good thing for Mangiapane.
6. Washington Capitals – The Washington Capitals are 12-3-5 (29 pts) and have gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Ilya Samsonov has shaken off the cobwebs since the start of the season and currently is 6-7-1 with a 2.22 GAA and a .920 save percentage. Samsonov has settled in and had back to back shutouts against the LA Kings and San Jose Sharks and can only climb further.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning – The back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are 11-4-3 (25 pts) and are 7-1-2 in the last ten. It’s not time yet to freak out, Lightning fans. After Nikita Kucherov went down with an injury, Mathieu Joseph has been an excellent fill in. Joseph has averaged around 15 minutes a game while have seven points in his last 13 contests. Joseph has also been a key asset for the Lightning on the penalty kill. With the current injury of Brayden Point, Joseph, as well as others, will need to pick up the energy and get back to high scoring.
8. Minnesota Wild – The Minnesota Wild are 12-6-1 (29 pts) and are 6-3-1 in the last ten. When Ryan Hartman signed with the Wild, it was Hartman’s fourth team in the last four seasons and was being looked at as a journeyman player. Hartman currently leads the team in goals with eight and is second on the team with 13 points. It seems that Hartman has found his footing with the team, and with that, he also has his confidence back.
9. New York Rangers – The New York Rangers are 12-4-3 with 27 pts and in the last ten are 6-2-2. There are a lot of players to pick out. However, the one to go with for the Rangers is Ryan Lindgren. Lindgren is a smart player and is able to pick the spot on the zone. Lindgren has two goals and an assist, with one of those goals coming with 0.7 seconds left in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. His two goals are the most he has had in any season during his four year career and the best part is, the Lindgren has only played 18 games this season.
10. Colorado Avalanche – The Colorado Avalanche are 10-5-1 (21 pts) and are 8-1-1 in the last ten. Nazem Kadri, a 10 year veteran, has found his groove having 23 points in all 15 games the Avs have played. Kadri has also had a bit of a run the last nine games, having five goals and 14 points. Kadri’s season point total can surpass his total of 32 from the 2020-21 season with the run he is on now.
11. Vegas Golden Knights – The Golden Knights sit at 12-8-0 (24 pts) and are 7-3-0 in the last 10. The key player for Vegas is Chandler Stephenson, who lost both of his linemates in the first week of the season. Despite the loss of his linemates in Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, Stephenson has been able to breakout a bit. Stephenson currently leads the team with 17 points and the bigger part there is that Stephenson has not had production to this level in his career. Once Pacioretty and Stone return the lineup, expect Stephenson to still be a key asset to the top line for Vegas.
12. Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks are 10-7-3 (23 pts) and are 7-3-0 in the last 10. The Ducks have had a couple breakout players on the season in Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry. However, Trevor Zegras is the one to put the focus on here. Zegras is tied for second in goal total on the team with six. Nine of the 11 points he has had have all come on even strength, which is a great sign for the 20 year old. Zegras has been a key asset for the team as the Ducks are climbing up the Pacific Division standings.
13. St. Louis Blues – The Blues currently sit at 10-7-2 (22 pts) and 3-6-1 in the last 10. The key player at the 20-ish game mark right now is Jordan Kyrou. Kyrou has eight goals and 18 points on the season. Consistency has been a major issue for the Blues on all points but Kyrou is the key with his consistency.
14. Boston Bruins – The Bruins sit at 10-6-0 and are 7-3-0 in the last 10. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman, while having one his worst outings, is still 6-3-0 on the year with a 2.23 GAA and a save percentage of .914. Look for Swayman to bounce back as one of the top goaltenders as the season continues.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets – The Blue Jackets sit at 11-6-0 and are 7-3-0 in the last 10 matchups. Overall as a team, there really is not one key figure. As of the writing of these Power Rankings, the Blue Jackets sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.
16. Winnipeg Jets – With Winnipeg being 9-6-4 (22 pts) and 4-4-2 in the last 10, things aren’t as high as most Jets fans would like. The key player here through the 20-ish game mark Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois has already surpassed his goal total of eight from last season to 10 goals with 18 points so far. Dubois has finally shown the grit and play that the Jets wanted when they acquired Dubois last season from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
17. Philadelphia Flyers – The Philadelphia Flyers sit at 8-6-4 and are 3-4-3 in the last 10. Goaltender Carter Hart is back and has shown the magic he had a couple of seasons ago. Hart is in the top 10 among goaltenders with a .928 save percentage with at least 10 starts and a GAA of 2.39.
18. Pittsburgh Penguins – Despite the return of Sidney Crosby following wrist surgery and being out due to the COVID-19 protocol, the Penguins sit at 9-6-4 while in the last 10 are 5-3-2. Evan Rodrigues has not had a season thus far like he is having. He currently has six goals and 13 points on the season. Rodrigues has been able to make an impact anywhere he is asked to on the ice and look for that to continue as the season moves along.
19. Nashville Predators – Nashville sits at 10-8-1 and are 5-4-1 in the last 10. Rookie Tanner Jeannot is a breakout star for the Predators. Jeannot sits in the top five on the team with five goals and points. Jeannot also is averaging about 15 minutes a game and is showing he can be a key cog in the Predators line-up.
20. New Jersey Devils – While the Devils are 8-5-4 and 4-3-3 in the last 10, Dawson Mercer is filling in the void of an injured Jack Hughes. Mercer is tied for the team lead with 12 points in 16 games, but he also is second in goals with six. Mercer has filled in quite nicely in the line-up with his playmaking skills on top of his overall speed and awareness on the ice.
21. San Jose Sharks – The Sharks sit at 10-8-1 while going 4-5-1 in the last 10. Jonathan Dahlen is the key here for the Sharks. Dahlen, 23, has earned a lot of playing time for San Jose, moving his way up to the top line. Dahlen has seven goals and nine points in 16 games played. Dahlen, despite currently being injured, has filled in nicely, even as the Sharks are battling their own COVID-19 problems so far.
22. Los Angeles Kings – The Kings are 8-8-3 on the year and 5-3-2 in the last 10 contests. Alexander Edler has been a very important member of the Kings line-up since Drew Doughty went out with a scary knee injury. Edler has no goals but does have six assists on the year.
23. Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings are 9-9-3 and 5-4-1 in their last ten. Lucas Raymond has been the key for the team, leading all rookies in scoring but also leads the franchise in points (19 on the season; seven goals). Detroit, finally, does seem to be on the back end of the complete rebuild that started over three years ago.
24. Dallas Stars – The Stars are 8-7-2 and 5-4-1 in the last 10. Miro Heiskanen been the consistency for Dallas. Heiskanen has three goals and 14 points in 17 games played, while averaging around 25 minutes of ice time per contest. Heiskanen is showing why is one of the preemiment offencive defenceman in the League, while making sure his play is fluid on both sides of the ice.
25. Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks are 6-12-2 (14 pts) and 2-7-1 in the last 10. Nils Hoglander is the asset to look at here. Hoglander has five goals and nine points through 19 contests and the jury is out if Hoglander can replicate the same scoring success from last season.
26. Buffalo Sabres – The Sabres are 7-10-2 (16 pts) and 2-7-1 in the last ten. Tage Thompson leads the team with eight goals and 13 points on top of pacing all forwards with near 18 minutes of game play. Things can only improve on all sides of the Sabres franchise.
27. New York Islanders – The Islanders sit at 5-9-2 (12 pts) and are 2-7-1 in the last ten. After the slog of the 13 game road trip, the Islanders finally opened up their new barn. Since that, the Isles are 0-3-0 in that span. Brock Nelson has pushed the pace for the Isles with nine goals and 11 points but her suffered a back injury this past Sunday. It is no secret that it has been a rough start for the Islanders but they can only improve.
28. Chicago Blackhawks – The Blackhawks are 6-11-2 and 6-4-0 in the last ten. Brandon Hagel, who has more game winning goals (one) than Seth Jones and Jonathan Toews, has been very important for the team. It is no secret how much of a roller coaster season the Blackhawks have been and only time can tell if the ship can be fixed for the Blackhawks.
29. Montreal Canadiens – In the weekly coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, it has been noted several times what the weaknesses are of Montreal. It also is no secret that this is a completely different team than what made a Cinderella run to Stanley Cup final last summer. Montreal is 5-14-2 (12 pts) and 2-6-2 in the last 10. The only high point if Ryan Poehling. Poehling has three goals on the season, which also included a two goal outing against the Nashville Predators. Things can only get better for Canadiens, but only time will tell on that part.
30. Seattle Kraken – The expansion Kraken are 6-12-1 (13 pts) and 3-7-0 in the last 10. Brandon Tanev has been the major key for the Kraken. Tanev has already matched his goal total of seven from last season. While the Kraken of struggled, Tanev is showing that things will only get better for the team, and for the fans of the team.
31. Ottawa Senators – Ottawa sits at 4-12-1 (9 pts) and are 1-8-1 in the last ten. After a decent season last year, the Senators seemed to have gone off the rails. The Sens were hit with a week of operations being shutdown due to an outbreak of COVID-19 amongst the team. The key asset for the team has been Drake Batherson and his stats are nothing to glance over. Batherson has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 14 games played. However, until Batherson gets back to full strength, Ottawa can be in trouble.
32. Arizona Coyotes – Nothing else further can be said. The Coyotes sit at 4-14-2 (10 pts) and are 4-5-1 in the last 10. Lawson Crouse could be the key on the team, having already surpassed his goal total of five from last season and has 10 points in the 19 games he’s played. Arizona needs all the help they can get, even through a huge rebuild.