NHL Power Rankings: Reactions from first week of NHL season

By Adam GretzJan 18, 2021, 10:00 AM EST

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In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings we take a look at the first week of the NHL season and some of the overreactions that may have come from it.

The first week of a season is always a great time to jump to conclusions, and there is always the chance of overreacting to a ridiculously small sample size of games. You spend all offseason waiting for the first game, and you think your team is either going to win the Stanley Cup or the season is already over depending on what they did at the start. That is going to be especially easy to do this season given the shortened training camp, lack of preseason games, and the fact everybody is just jumping right into the real games.

Every team is still getting getting up to speed and figuring itself out, and it has produced some pretty wild results so far.

So let’s take a look at some of those early results and see where your team currently sits after one week. Many of these will change dramatically in the coming weeks. Rankings only account for games through Sunday.

To this week’s NHL Power Rankings!

1. Tampa Bay Lightning. No Nikita Kucherov? No problem. A well oiled machine that just keeps humming along.

2. Philadelphia Flyers. They scored 11 goals in two games against the Penguins and Carter Hart looks strong. The latter point is the important one. If that guy is good, the Flyers are going to be good.

3. Vegas Golden Knights. As far as two-way players go Mark Stone is as good as it gets right now. With four games against a Coyotes team that will be without its captain (and top defender) for at least two of those games the Golden Knights can get off to a great start.

4. Colorado Avalanche. We saw on Saturday night what this team can do when it is clicking on all cylinders. It is scary good.

5. Washington Capitals. They have not always looked great, but five out of six points during a three-game in four-day stretch (all on the road) is a fine way to start the season.

6. Nashville Predators. Improved special teams play (the penalty kill is perfect through two games) could make this team a surprising contender again.

7. Minnesota Wild. Kirill Kaprizov looks like he is going to be worth the wait. In the spirit of overreactions the Calder Trophy might be his to lose.

8. Montreal Canadiens. Josh Anderson has two goals in two games. He had one goal in 26 games a year ago. If he is healthy and rediscovers his goal scoring touch that would be a significant addition.

9. Boston Bruins. They have played two games and only scored three goals with none of them coming at even-strength. Not too concerned about that. Yet.

10. Toronto Maple Leafs. They have not been great so far by any means, but they have done enough to win two out of three games.

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11. Calgary Flames. They let a two-goal lead slip away in the season opener, but then came back and helped Jacob Markstrom and Chris Tanev shut out their former team.

12. Arizona Coyotes. The Phil Kessel redemption season might be underway. The Coyotes certainly need it.

13. St. Louis Blues. When you lose the second game of the season 8-0 it kind of makes it easy to forget about the strong performance in the season opener.

14. Florida Panthers. New plan for this season: Tell Keith Yandle he is going to be a healthy scratch before every game, then play him and watch him score goals.

15. Winnipeg Jets. It is only one game, but Patrik Laine looked great in that one game.

16. Pittsburgh Penguins. They have struggled to keep the puck out of their own net so far and the power play looks horrific. Lot of wild cards on this team, none bigger than the unproven goalie duo. Think the rest of the team will figure it out.

17. Carolina Hurricanes. Andrei Svechnikov is going to be special, and he is really going to take a big step toward that this season.

18. New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin had a tough debut, but he was also put into a tough spot when he was not expecting to play. The Islanders have played one dominant game and one lousy game.

19. New York Rangers. The Rangers have played one dominant game and one lousy game.

20. New Jersey Devils. We have seen the key to any success for them this season, and it is Mackenzie Blackwood.

21. Vancouver Canucks. The bottom half of this lineup is still a huge concern.

22. Ottawa Senators. Thomas Chabot is already a really good player and he has been great in the first two games.

23. San Jose Sharks. This goaltending situation still seems like a major issue that has not been adequately addressed yet.

24. Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are going to light up the scoreboard almost every game, but the question will still be whether or not this team can stop anybody. So far the answer is no.

25. Buffalo Sabres. They probably deserved a better result in one of those first two games, but this season is still going to be an uphill battle with that goalie duo in that division.

26. Los Angeles Kings. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory so far. They have had a 3-1 lead in each game, only to lose both games 4-3 in overtime. They were two seconds away from winning the second game until Ryan Suter sent it to overtime.

27. Detroit Red Wings. Credit to them for stealing a win against Carolina, but in two games they have been outshot 73-35. That is not a sustainable way to compete.

28. Anaheim Ducks. It is still hard to see where the offense is going to come from on this team. Interesting young talent, but not enough difference makers right now.

29. Columbus Blue Jackets. Their top forward (Pierre-Luc Dubois) wants out and they looked bad in their first two games. Still think this is a potential playoff team, but this is not the start you want.

30. Chicago Blackhawks. This was going to be a bad hockey team even before they lost their top two centers. Without them it might be the worst team in the league. They have not even been competitive yet.

Unranked

Dallas Stars. How do you react to no games played yet? Check back in next week.

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

Rangers sign Filip Chytil to 4-year extension

Associated PressMar 30, 2023, 7:53 PM EDT

Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK — The New York Rangers have signed forward Filip Chytil to a four-year contract extension worth $17.75 million, locking up another member of their core long term.

The team announced the deal Wednesday night. Chytil will count just under $4.44 million annually against the salary cap through the 2026-27 season.

Chytil, 23, is in the midst of a career year. He has set career highs with 22 goals, 20 assists and 42 points in 66 games for the playoff-bound Rangers.

The Czech native is the team’s sixth-leading scorer and ranks fourth on the roster in goals. The 2017 first-round pick has 144 points in 342 NHL regular-season and playoff games. He was set to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.

New York already had top center Mika Zibanejad signed through 2030, No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox through 2029, veteran Chris Kreider through 2027, winger Artemi Panarin through 2026 and reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Igor Shesterkin through 2025.

General manager Chris Drury’s next order of business is an extension for 2020 top pick Alexis Lafrenière, who is only signed through the remainder of this season and can be a restricted free agent.

Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews returns to ice, hints at retirement

Associated PressMar 29, 2023, 9:51 AM EDT

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO — Longtime Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews returned to the ice but hinted his stellar NHL career could be winding down after 15 years.

Toews, 34, skated with teammates prior to Chicago’s game with the Dallas Stars. It was his first time practicing with them since a game in Edmonton on Jan. 28.

He made a statement through the team on Feb. 19 saying he would be stepping away because of the effects of Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and “long COVID.”

In meeting with reporters, Toews stopped short of saying he hoped to play in any of last-place Chicago’s nine remaining games. His eight-year, $84 million contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

Toews said he’s feeling stronger, but isn’t sure if he’ll be able to play again for the Blackhawks or another team.

“Both if I’m being fully honest,” Toews said. “I feel like I’ve said it already, that I’ve gotten to the point where my health is more important.

“When you’re young and you’re playing for a Stanley Cup and everyone’s playing through something, that means something and it’s worthwhile. But I’m at that point where it feels like more damage is being done than is a good thing.”

Toews, the Blackhawks’ first-round draft pick (third overall) in 2006, joined the team in 2007 and was a pillar of Stanley Cup championship clubs in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

At the peak of his career, he was one of the NHL’s top two-way centers, winning the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward in 2013.

In 1,060 regular-season games, Toews has 371 goals and 509 assists. In 139 playoff games, he’s posted 45 goals and 74 assists, and he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2010.

Toews missed the entire 2020-21 season with Chronic Immune Response System, which caused debilitating inflammation and fatigue.

He appeared in 71 games in 2021-22, then started this season with renewed energy before slowing and eventually shutting himself down.

Entering this season, it looked as if Chicago might deal him, as it did fellow star Patrick Kane, before the March trade deadline. But Kane went to the New York Rangers and Toews to injured reserve.

Toews believed he was progressing before a relapse in January left him so sore and tired that he could barely “put on my skates or roll out of bed to come to the rink.”

Toews said his progress over the past month has been “pretty encouraging” and he’s delighted to be back among his teammates. He has no timetable beyond that.

“We’re just going to go day by day here,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. He deserves anything he wants to try to achieve here.”

Richardson hoped Toews “can take that next step later in the week and hopefully (he) gives us the green light to go in a game.”

But Toews emphasized his long-term health and ability to lead a “normal life” is most important. He wants to go out on a positive note and not hit the ice for a game playing through excessive pain and dysfunction.

“It’s definitely on my mind that this could be my last few weeks here as a Blackhawk in Chicago,” Toews said. “It’s definitely very important for me to go out there and enjoy the game and just kind of soak it in and just really appreciate everything I’ve been able to be part of here in Chicago.”

Budding Wild star Matt Boldy more willing to shoot, and it shows

Associated PressMar 29, 2023, 9:48 AM EDT

Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Matt Boldy was unable to resist a smile in the aftermath of his second hat trick in five games for the Minnesota Wild, a young right wing and reluctant star trying to make sense of a remarkable hot streak.

Does the puck feel as if it’s automatically going in the net these days each time he shoots?

“Yeah, it does,” Boldy said in the locker room after leading the first-place Wild to a 5-1 win over Seattle. “My linemates are playing great. Hopefully you guys are giving them a lot of credit. You look at some of those goals – just putting it on a tee for me.”

This non-attention-seeker has found himself squarely in the NHL spotlight. Boldy has 11 goals in nine games since Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov was sidelined with a lower-body injury to raise his goal total to 28, in part because he’s been more willing to shoot. With vision and stickhandling as strengths and the humility of being a second-year player, it’s easy to be in a pass-first mindset.

“Everybody kind of took turns talking to him. But it’s not that he didn’t want to. A lot of times a situation like that where a guy’s got that skillset, it’s a real unselfish quality, right?” coach Dean Evason said. “But I think he gets now that he helps the team a lot when he scores goals.”

The Wild were confident enough in Boldy’s scoring ability to commit a seven-year, $49 million contract extension to him earlier this winter, after all.

“I think I’ve always had that mentality, but sometimes you just get into spots and it comes off your stick good,” Boldy said. “When things are going well, the puck goes in the net.”’

The Wild are 6-1-2 without Kaprizov. Boldy is a big reason why.

“You go through the slumps, you learn what you need to do to score. I think he’s found a good way to be in the right spot and shoot the puck when he had a good opportunity,” center Joel Eriksson Ek said.

The Wild have only won one division title in 22 years, the five-team Northwest Division in 2007-08. They’re leading the eight-team Central Division with eight games to go, with both Colorado and Dallas too close for comfort. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2015.

With Kaprizov due back before the postseason and Boldy on this heater, a Wild team that ranks just 23rd in the league in goals per game (2.93) ought to have a better chance to advance. Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson have been ideal linemates for the Boston College product and Massachusetts native.

Since the Wild entered the league in the 2000-01 season, only five NHL players have had more hat tricks at age 21 or younger than Boldy with three: Patrik Laine (eight), Marian Gaborik (five), Steven Stamkos (five), Alex DeBrincat (four) and Connor McDavid (four). Boldy turns 22 next week, so there’s still time for one or two more.

“He’s big. He controls the puck a lot. He’s got a good shot, good release. He’s smart. He switches it up. He’s got good moves on breakaways. He’s a total player,” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. ”Fun to watch him grow this year.”

Pezzetta scores shootout winner; Canadiens beat Sabres 4-3

Associated PressMar 27, 2023, 11:57 PM EDT

Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports

BUFFALO, N.Y. ⁠— Brendan Gallagher and the Montreal Canadiens rallied back to avoid playoff elimination with less than three weeks left in their season. The Buffalo Sabres, meanwhile, are running out of chances to stay in the Eastern Conference wild-card hunt.

Gallagher forced overtime by scoring his 200th career goal, and Michael Pezzetta scored the decisive shootout goal in a 4-3 win over the Sabres on Monday night.

“It’s one of those things I think we earned that chance. We weren’t fantastic but we did enough on the road tonight to get a win,” Gallagher said. “Smiles all around.”

The Canadiens could laugh, especially after Pezzetta celebrated his goal by putting his stick between his legs and riding it like a wooden horse — much like former NHL tough guy Dave “Tiger” Williams did during his 14-year NHL career spanning the 1970s and 80s.

“I’m not sure we’ll see that again. One of a kind,” said Gallagher. “I’d be worried about falling over.”

Pezzetta scored by driving in from the right circle to beat Eric Comrie inside the far post. Buffalo’s Jack Quinn scored in the fourth shootout round, but was matched by Montreal’s Jesse Ylonen, whose shot from in tight managed to trickle in through Comrie.

Jordan Harris and Alex Belzile also scored for Montreal, and Jake Allen stopped 30 shots through overtime, while allowing one goal on six shootout attempts.

Montreal would have been eliminated from playoff contention for a second straight season – and two years removed from reaching the Stanley Cup Final – with any type of loss.

The Sabres squandered a 3-2 third-period lead to drop to 3-6-3 in their past 12. Buffalo also blew a chance to move to within four points of idle Pittsburgh, which holds the eighth and final playoff spot.

“Just a little hesitation,” forward JJ Peterka said of the Sabres third-period lapse. “We didn’t play with much energy and we didn’t play that aggressive as we played the two periods before. I think that was the difference.”

Buffalo’s Lukas Rousek scored a goal and added an assist while filling in for leading scorer Tage Thompson, who did not play due to an upper body injury. Peterka and defenseman Riley Stillman also scored, and Comrie stopped 38 shots through overtime, and allowed two goals on six shootout attempts.

Montreal blew two one-goal leads to fall behind 3-2 on Stillman’s goal at the 8:31 mark of the second period.

Gallagher scored on the fly by using Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin as a screen to snap in a shot inside the far left post. With the goal, Gallagher tied Bobby Rousseau for 24th on the Canadiens career scoring list.

“I liked the way we corrected ourselves, it’s a sign of maturity, in the way we stayed on task,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said, in recalling how the Canadiens recently unraveled in an 8-4 loss two weeks ago to Colorado, which plays a similar up-tempo style as Buffalo.

PRIDE NIGHT

The Sabres hosted their third Pride Night, with Russian D Ilya Lyubushkin electing not to participate in warmups by citing an anti-gay Kremlin law and fears of retribution at home in Moscow, where he has family and visits in the offseason. The remainder of the team wore dark blue jerseys with the Sabres logo on the front encircled by a rainbow-colored outline.

During the first intermission, the Sabres broadcast a video in which GM Kevyn Adams said: “This is about recognizing someone’s humanity and true identity. We know there are people out there struggling with who they are, and we want them to know that they have an ally in the Buffalo Sabres.”

UP NEXT

Canadiens: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

Sabres: Host the New York Rangers on Friday night.

To this week’s NHL Power Rankings!

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Unranked

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