OUTSIDER SPORTS BUZZ: NHL WEEKLY REPORT
Welcome to Outsider Sports Buzz, NHL edition. Here we break down the biggest news over the course of the week and we give the Outsider Sports staff power rankings.
Image credit to New York Times via Getty Images
Metro (Division) Boomin’
The Metropolitan Division has been viewed as the deepest division in the NHL, and pushes from the Islanders and Penguins to earn the final two wild cards are making it seem like five teams from the Metro will make it to the playoffs again.
The Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers have all reached the 100-point mark and secured spots in the postseason. For Pittsburgh and New York, they currently sit in the two wild cards, but Florida is close behind.
The Islanders had a strong start to the week, with a statement win over New Jersey on Monday, then a 2-1 win over Washington on Wednesday. They ended the week with back-to-back losses to Tampa Bay and Carolina, but they also learned this past weekend that Mathew Barzal is skating and looks to return before the season ends.
The Penguins also went 2-2-0 this week, with wins over Nashville and Philadelphia, but losing to Detroit and Boston keeps them from jumping the Islanders in the standings.
McDavid Rising?
The Edmonton Oilers are on a really nice point streak that has not only helped them out of the wild card conversation, but into the race for the top-seed in the Western Conference. Since the beginning of March, the Oilers are 13-2-1 and are currently riding a 10-game point streak.
When your team possesses talents like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, you expect the team to compete, and that is the biggest reason why Edmonton has been one of the biggest disappointments over the last few seasons. Now with this run, and a conference that lacks a standout contender like Boston in the East, this might be the best time for McDavid to find his peak form.
The best player in the world has already collected a whopping 146 points on 62 goals and 84 assists. He is truly a player that teams fear, because there isn’t any known game plan or players to execute well enough to stop him. Especially if this team can swipe home ice away from the Golden Knights, the Oilers have to be considered one of the favorites in the West.
OUTSIDER SPORTS POWER RANKINGS
Members of the Outsider Sports Hockey Podcast Tom Leone and Mikey D, myself and Outsider Sports writer Arianna Fariss each provided our top 10 teams in the NHL. How we ranked them? Where we ranked each team was how many points assigned to them, with first getting 10 points and 10th getting one point. The team with the most points is ranked first. How we ranked each team is underneath our rankings.
1. Boston Bruins (40 points)
The Bruins once again came in as a unanimous number one in our rankings, locking up the Presidents Trophy. Honestly, I don’t know what’s more impressive, the 125 points or the fact that their goal differential is plus-120, just five less than the point total.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (36 points)
The Hurricanes remained unanimous in the second spot in our power rankings again, but another .500 week keeps them just three points ahead of New Jersey for the top spot in the Metro. New Jersey’s inconsistencies are the only thing keeping the ‘Canes atop the division currently.
3. New Jersey Devils (31 points)
The Devils were able to take a sigh of relief after defeating the Rangers in a big showdown at home on Thursday, but they were shut down on Monday on Long Island and Sunday in Winnipeg. They have shown up in big games this year, but since defeating Carolina on March 12, they haven’t consistently shown the same urgency they need day-in and day-out in the playoffs.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (27 points)
The Maple Leafs shot back into the number four spot in our rankings despite losing two of their three games. Despite that, they did earn three points and are locked into a first-round matchup with Tampa Bay. They will likely have home ice, but when you are trying to escape the first round for the first time in decades, the three-time defending conference champs aren’t an ideal first-round matchup.
5. Vegas Golden Knights (22 points)
The Golden Knights are officially the first Western Conference team to crack our top five, and if it weren’t for injuries to the goaltending they would’ve been up here sooner. They lost what now looks like an important game at home to Edmonton and to San Jose in overtime, but they had a big response Saturday with a 4-1 win over Minnesota.
6. New York Rangers (21 points)
Recency bias is the Rangers biggest enemy this week. They lost a pivotal game in Newark on Thursday and lost Friday in overtime to Buffalo. They’re still a dangerous team, but just one win in four games against the Devils has New Jersey above them and the teams out West surging.
7. Edmonton Oilers (18 points)
The recent 10-game point streak has shot the all the way up the standings, and while the Kings sit in second, the Oilers are just two points behind Vegas for the top spot in the West.
8. Colorado Avalanche (12 points)
Colorado still controls its own destiny for the Central Division crown, but currently the Avalanche sit in second place, one point behind the Wild for first. They went 2-1-0 last week, but they had a big 5-2 victory over Dallas at home to pull themselves even in points with a game in-hand.
9. Los Angeles Kings (7 points)
The Kings are still in second place in the Pacific and they picked up a point on Vegas, but the Golden Knights have a game in-hand. The Kings are certainly still in the race for the top seed in the West, but with Edmonton entering the race, the Kings feel like the third best team in terms of talent compared to Vegas and the Oilers.
10. Minnesota Wild (6 points)
The Wild fell to 10th in our rankings, but they do still occupy the top spot in the Central Division, even if it’s just one point over Dallas and Colorado. Led by Matt Boldy’s breakout season, the Wild finally appear to have that scoring depth they’ve missed come playoff time as long as they get their 39-goal scorer Kirill Kaprizov back.
How we ranked them:
Ben Mandell: Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Vegas Golden Knights, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild.
Tom Leone: Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings.
Mikey D: Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild.
Arianna Fariss: Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild.