We are now three weeks in to the NHL regular season and while the Montreal Canadiens have continued their dominance at the top there has been a shakeup behind them in the top-five with two new teams entering the conversation. The Tampa Bay Lightning and St. Louis Blues dropped out of the top-five with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals climbing in to the mix. Here is a look at the top-five teams in the NHL right now.
1. Montreal Canadiens (9-0-1)
Last Week: 1
Stanley Cup Odds: +950
The Canadiens picked up their eighth consecutive win with a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday and they have shown nothing that indicates they are bound to slow down. Carey Price turned aside all 42 shots he faced in his win over Vancouver and is now 6-0-0 with a 1.17 goals against average and .964 save percentage this season. Shea Weber’s addition has certainly worked out as he is tied for the team-lead with 10 points and he owns a plus-14 rating. Montreal will eventually suffer a regulation loss but they have earned at least a point in each of their first 10 games this season so there is no doubt they deserve to be in this spot for the second week in a row.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (7-2-1)
Last Week: –
Stanley Cup Odds: +950
The Penguins are undefeated since Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup as they have outscored their opponents 17-9 while winning four in a row. Crosby has four goals and six points through four games and Pittsburgh has climbed in to the top-10 in goals per game since his return. The Penguins also welcomed back goaltender Matt Murray in a 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks and there is no doubt he will provide a boost in goal while stealing starts away from Marc-Andre Fleury. Pittsburgh is off to another excellent start and there is no doubt the defending Stanley Cup champions have earned the second spot on this list.
3. Edmonton Oilers (7-2-1)
Last Week: 2
Stanley Cup Odds: +1400
The Oilers dropped their second game in a row with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night and all eyes will on them as they head to the New York area for back-to-back games against the Rangers and Islanders. Edmonton is in the midst of a five-game road trip and they will need to prove they can win on the road if they are going to convince anybody they are a legitimate playoff team. The Oilers have cut down on their goals against over the past couple of weeks but the next step will be limiting the opportunities against while still managing to thrive at the offensive end of the ice.
4. New York Rangers (7-3-1)
Last Week: 5
Stanley Cup Odds: +1400
The Rangers certainly haven’t had any trouble scoring goals as they lead the NHL with an average of 4.0 goals per game and still own the fifth-best average goals against with a 2.2 mark. The addition of Jimmy Vesey has paid major dividends as he leads the team with six goals and has nine points through his first 10 NHL games. Meanwhile, J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad are among New York’s top-five points leaders while Rick Nash has found his scoring tough with five goals and eight points. The Rangers have been outstanding at both ends of the ice early on this season and this week they climb one spot to No. 4 in our top-five NHL power rankings.
5. Washington Capitals (6-2-1)
Last Week: –
Stanley Cup Odds: +1000
Washington wrapped up a four-game road trip with three straight wins, outscoring their opponents 11-5 over that span. Any hangover from last year’s playoff disappointment is in the rearview mirror and now the Capitals can focus on contending for top spot in the Metropolitan division. One area to keep an eye on is this team’s improved defensive play as they rank second in the NHL with an average of just 2.0 goals against per game. The fact that Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have combined for just 11 points is an indication that Washington hasn’t reached its peak potential just yet but they have certainly been good enough to earn the final spot in this list.
