The Boston Bruins are one of the major risers in this week’s NHL power rankings.
The B’s are on a three-game win streak and have won four of their last five games, moving them into fourth place in the Atlantic Division.
One of the keys to Boston’s success has been the play of No. 1 goaltender Tuukka Rask. The former Vezina Trophy winner has elevated his performance of late, including a 4-3 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday during which he made 17 high-danger saves.
Tuukka Rask's SV% last 6 games
Adj SV% .932
5v5 Adj SV% .944
High Danger SV% .875— Nicholas W. Goss (@NickGossNBCSB) November 24, 2015
Here are our latest power rankings. All records are current as of Nov. 25.
1. New York Rangers (16-3-2): A 9-1-0 run in their last 10 games and a league-best plus-28 goal differential has the Rangers in the top spot.
2. Dallas Stars (17-5-0): A 7-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night is the only poor result for Dallas this month.
3. Montreal Canadiens (16-4-2): Montreal’s success on the road (7-2-1) and excellent play from backup goalie Mike Condon have been crucial to its success in November.
4. Washington Capitals (14-5-1): Washington is proving to be a well-balanced team that’s ranked sixth in goals scored per game and fourth in goals against per game. Standard stuff from a Barry Trotz-coached team.
5. St. Louis Blues (14-6-2): St. Louis has played a soft schedule over the last week and a half, but it went 2-1-1 in that stretch, which isn’t bad.
6. Ottawa Senators (11-5-5): A three-game win streak and improved defensive play have vaulted the Senators to second place in the Atlantic Division.
7. San Jose Sharks (13-8-0): The Sharks appear to be having more fun this year and are less affected by the pressure to win with an aging core. That said, winning all six games on a lengthy road trip usually brightens the mood.
8. Minnesota Wild (11-5-3): A 4-0 win over a quality Nashville Predators team on Saturday was the confidence booster Minnesota needed after a three-game losing streak.
9. Los Angeles Kings (13-8-0): The Kings have won four of their last six games, but their schedule is about to get much tougher with matchups against Chicago, Tampa Bay (twice), Pittsburgh (twice) and Vancouver over the next two weeks.
10. Nashville Predators (11-6-3): The Preds have lost three straight games by a combined score of 11-0. That’s pretty surprising given Nashville’s excellent defense and goaltending.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins (12-8-0): The Penguins are controlling just 48.4 of even-strength shot attempts, which is a low number from a team that has dominated teams from a puck-possession perspective for most of Sidney Crosby’s tenure with the team.
12. Boston Bruins (11-8-1): Boston’s power play has gone back-to-back games without scoring for the first time this season, but it still leads all teams with a 32.3 percent success rate.
13. Chicago Blackhawks (11-8-2): Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane is having one of the best seasons of his career with a league-leading 32 points.
14. New York Islanders (10-8-3): The Islanders have lost five of their last eight games, including back-to-back defeats to the Montreal Canadiens in New York’s last two contests. The Isles are averaging just 2.4 goals scored per game in November.
15. Detroit Red Wings (11-8-2): Detroit has scored three or more goals in three of its last four games. Before this stretch, the Red Wings hadn’t scored that many goals in a single game for more than two weeks.
16. Tampa Bay Lightning (10-9-3): A 2-1 win over the red-hot Rangers and a 5-0 beatdown of the Ducks will boost the confidence of a young Lightning team that was having major issues scoring goals for most of November.
17. New Jersey Devils (11-8-1): The Devils are playing at an unsustainable level right now, but one aspect that should remain constant is the play of No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider. The Boston College alum ranks fifth in the league in GAA.
18. Winnipeg Jets (10-10-2): The Jets have lost seven of their last nine games after an ugly 4-1 defeat to the Colorado Avalache on Monday night. Winnipeg also now ranks 28th in goals against per game.
Ouch.
19. Vancouver Canucks (8-8-6): We’re about to learn a lot about the Canucks with a tough four-game road trip that includes matchups against Dallas, Los Angeles and Minnesota over the next week.
20. Florida Panthers (8-9-4): The Panthers have lost three straight games, and that must end quickly because they cannot afford to fall much further back in the Atlantic Division with Boston, Detroit and Ottawa all playing well right now.
21. Arizona Coyotes (10-9-1): The Coyotes’ recent slide — three losses in their last four games — could be a correction to their strong start early in the season. This was never a playoff-contending team.
22. Anaheim Ducks (8-10-4): The Ducks haven’t earned back-to-back wins since Nov. 7, and since that point, they’ve suffered losses to bad teams such as Arizona and Edmonton. Saturday’s 5-0 loss to the Lightning was a new low point in what has been a disastrous season for Anaheim.
23. Philadelphia Flyers (6-8-4): Philly has the second worst goal differential in the league at minus-22, which is hardly a surprise given its lack of talent and depth on the blue line.
24. Buffalo Sabres (8-11-2): A five-game losing skid is dropping Buffalo to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. That said, another top three draft pick wouldn’t be a bad outcome for the Sabres as they continue rebuilding.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs (7-10-5): The Leafs aren’t a terrible defensive team, but their inability to score goals (25th in goals per game) is making it difficult for them to pile up wins. Luckily for Toronto, its AHL club is playing very well, and that might be an area where the Leafs can look for some offensive help.
26. Carolina Hurricanes (7-10-4): The Hurricanes are the second-best puck possession team in the league (using Corsi percentage), but their inability to finish these scoring chances (third-worst shooting percentage in the league) is hurting them.
27. Colorado Avalanche (7-10-1): Colorado followed a three-game win streak with a three-game losing skid, which was snapped with a 4-1 win over Winnipeg on Monday night. The Avs need more consistency if they’re going to make a run at a playoff spot.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets (7-12-0): Four wins in their last six games is a good improvement for the Blue Jackets, but there’s still lots more ground to make up in the Metropolitan Division.
29. Calgary Flames (7-12-1): A league-worst minus-27 goal differential and a 3-8-1 record at home are two areas needing immediate improvement for Calgary.
30. Edmonton Oilers (6-12-1): Edmonton is 2-5-1 without Connor McDavid, and there’s nothing to suggest it’s going to get better any time soon for the Oilers.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports ImagesÂ
