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Devils, Oilers, Bruins among the most improved possession teams

New Jersey Devils v Dallas Stars

DALLAS, TX - NOVEMBER 15: Damon Severson #28 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period at American Airlines Center on November 15, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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Using data from Puck On Net, here are the differences in score-adjusted Corsi from this season to last:

1. New Jersey +4.6
2. Edmonton +4.4
3. Boston +4.1
4. Colorado +3.7
5. Minnesota +3.2
6. Florida +2.7
7. Philadelphia +2.3
8. Washington +2.2
9. Carolina +1.5
10. San Jose +1.2
11. Columbus +1.2
12. Calgary +1.2
13. St. Louis +1.2
14. New York Rangers +1.1
15. Vancouver +1.1
16. Buffalo +0.9
17. Toronto +0.7
18. Ottawa -0.1
19. Montreal -0.2
20. Chicago -0.4
21. Arizona -1.9
22. Tampa Bay -2.3
23. Nashville -2.8
24. Pittsburgh -2.9
25. Winnipeg -3.6
26. Los Angeles -3.7
27. New York Islanders -3.8
28. Anaheim -5.2
29. Detroit -5.5
30. Dallas -5.6

Notes:

-- We use score-adjusted Corsi because it has greater predictive power than simply looking at the standings. It’s not a perfect measure and doesn’t pretend to be. But generally speaking, teams that own the puck are going to be more successful than teams that don’t.

-- The surprising New Jersey Devils are the most improved, and their record (9-5-3) reflects it. Ditto for the second-most improved team, the Edmonton Oilers (10-8-1), who have a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The third-most improved team, the Boston Bruins (11-7-0), actually have the highest score-adjusted Corsi (54.0) in the NHL, and not many predicted that. Next on the list is Colorado (8-9-0), which still has a ways to go but seems to be making progress under new coach Jared Bednar. The fifth-most improved team, the Minnesota Wild (9-7-1), also has a new coach in Bruce Boudreau.

-- At the bottom of the list is the Dallas Stars (7-7-5), who’ve had to deal with all sorts of injuries early on. But they also bid adieu to a couple of veteran defensemen, Jason Demers and Alex Goligoski, so you have to wonder if that’s had an effect, too. The Detroit Red Wings (8-10-1) have had injuries, but losing Pavel Datsyuk to the KHL was always going to be a challenge. Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks (9-7-3) don’t seem to be thriving under new/old coach Randy Carlyle, and the New York Islanders (5-8-4) have been one of the NHL’s most disappointing teams. As for the Los Angeles Kings (10-9-1), they’ve been hammered by injuries and remain one of the top possession teams, so for now we’ll give them a pass on their decline.

-- It’s still quite early in the season, so teams have lots of time to improve. The Pittsburgh Penguins last season are the perfect example. They went from a score-adjusted Corsi of 49.9 in their first 41 games to 56.2 in their last 41 games. It took a new coach to do it, but still.

Click here to see how all 30 teams rank overall.

The top five
Boston -- 54.0
Washington -- 53.7
St. Louis -- 53.3
Los Angeles -- 53.0
San Jose -- 53.0

The bottom five
Arizona -- 44.6
NY Islanders -- 45.7
Detroit -- 46.2
Ottawa -- 46.9
Dallas -- 46.9