THW Power Rankings: A New Number One

As teams get set to cross the quarter pole of the 2015-16 NHL season, it’s still pretty tough to separate the true contenders from the pretenders. Teams that got off to hot starts like the Winnipeg Jets have faltered, while teams that started slow have — Anaheim Ducks  and Pittsburgh Penguins– have started to rise up the standings.

The Montreal Canadiens are dealing with the loss of Carey Price, leaving rookie Mike Condon to shoulder the load in net. While he’s done an admirable job so far, one has to wonder if he can keep it up for the foreseeable future. On the opposite side of things, the Columbus Blue Jackets continue to have the worst record in the league, but the level of play since John Tortorella took over has been much better than the first nine games of the year.

At The Hockey Writers, we look at schedule strength, weekly records, goal differential and more to determine the rankings. In addition, we poll the various writers of the website for their rankings and take those votes into consideration as well. So, without further adieu, it’s The Hockey Writers’ weekly power rankings.

*Note: The records are accurate as of the morning of 11/15*

This week	Last week	Team	Record	Our take
1	9		13-2-2	When you win eight in a row, there’s no doubt where you should stand in the rankins.
2	5		14-4-0	Everyone has been waiting for the Stars to slip, but Jamie Benn and company so no signs of slowing down.
3	6		10-3-3	No Zach Parise, no problem as the Wild continue to have success on the ice.
4	1		13-3-2	The play of the team hasn’t faltered much, but what happens if Carey Price is out longer than expected?
5	2		11-4-1	Alex Ovechkin hasn’t recorded a point in the last three games, and his team is 1-1-1 in that stretch.
6	4		10-3-3	The 7-0 stopping of Winnipeg on Saturday could be what sends the Predators on a major run.
7	7		11-5-1	Because of past let downs, the Blues are quietly flying under the raider. That’s just the way they like it.
8	14		11-6-0	Remember when everyone was worried about the Kings slow start? Good times.
9	13		10-6-1	Since starting 0-3-1, the Devils are 10-3-0. Cory Schneider’s 1.98 GAA is a major reason why.
10	21		10-7-0	The Penguins are winning games in spite of offensive short comings. How long with that last?
11	12		9-7-1	Patrick Kane is playing as well as we’ve ever seen. He’s creating plays that can’t even be done in video games.
12	8		9-6-3	Since their 6-2-1 start, the Islanders are 3-4-2. In each of those four losses, the team has managed just one goal for.
13	22		8-5-4	Ottawa has been to the shootout in six games this season. In fact, half of the Senators’ wins have come beyond regulation time.
14	17		9-7-1	The Coyotes aren’t going away any time soon, and they owe all of the success to Martin Hanzal, Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. Auston Matthews who??
15	10		9-8-0	The Sharks are as up-and-down a team as you’ll find in the NHL. Luckily for them, they’re on an upswing right now.
16	20		8-7-1	The Bruins are playing better than expect during the first chunk of the season, but it’s only a matter of time before they start to fall.
17	18		8-8-1	The Red Wings are just hanging around, lurking and waiting to strike. It’s just impossible to think they’re finally falling off.
18	11		8-8-2	Saturday’s 7-0 loss in Nashville was the lowest point this season. With four-straight losses, the Jets have some work to do before falling out of the tight Central Division race.
19	3		8-8-3	Tampa has won just one in its last four games, and things don’t appear close to turning around for a struggling offense.
20	19		7-6-5	Vancouver started well, but losses in five of the last six has people questioning what’s going on in the Pacific Northwest.
21	26		8-8-1	Buffalo is 6-2-1 since starting 2-6, and has people talking about a playoff sleeper. Linus Ullmark is looking like the goalie of the future for the Sabres.
22	29		5-8-4	Anaheim is finally starting to win some games, and thanks to the weak Pacific Division, a spot in the top three is right there for the Ducks.
23	15		7-7-3	Jonathan Huberdeau finally scored his first of the year against Buffalo, but the Panthers continue to under perform in front of record-low crowds.
24	24		7-9-1	Three wins in a row has the Avalanche slowly creeping up on the other teams in the Central Division.
25	27		5-8-4	Toronto is still near the basement of the Eastern Conference, but confidence is high after a three game winning streak that includes wins against two of the league’s top teams — Dallas and Nashville.
26	25		6-11-1	The Flames just can’t get things going. Every time you think a turnaround is on the horizon, something happens to derail all success.
27	16		6-8-3	The good news is Jakub Voracek finally scored a goal. The bad news is that the Flyers just aren’t a very good team.
28	28		6-9-2	Carolina is showing signs of improvement, but their just isn’t enough talent on the roster to have any long-term success.
29	30		6-12-0	The Blue Jackets are tied for the worst record in the league, but they are no longer playing like the worst team. Don’t be surprised when this team goes on a run to get back in the playoff race.
30	23		6-12-0	It’s an all-too-familiar sight for the Oilers. The bottom of the league standings, and the bottom of the power rankings. They have to show improvement at some point, right?