2021 NHL Power Rankings: Breaking down where each team stands after two weeks
The NHL is back and there's been no shortage of drama through the first two weeks of the 2020-21 season.Not only have we seen some awesome games and excellent individual performances, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets made a blockbuster trade involving two of the most talented young players in the league -- Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois.Where does each team stand after the first two weeks of the campaign?Here's our first in-season 2021 NHL power rankings.
Five consecutive losses and a minus-12 goal differential paint an ugly picture for the Senators. That said, earning a high lottery pick would be a pretty good outcome for Ottawa this season as it continues to rebuild and reload its prospect pool.
Alexis Lafreniere has not made much of an impact through the first six games of his career. The No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft is scoreless with just nine shots. It's obviously way too early to be concerned if you're the Rangers, though.
Back-to-back losses to a below average Blackhawks team by a combined score of 10-3 is a pretty good indication that it's going to be a long, disappointing season in Detroit.
The Coyotes are 2-4-1, but three of those losses were to the Golden Knights, who arguably are the league's best team. One bright spot for the Coyotes has been Phil Kessel. The veteran winger has scored four goals in seven games.
Malcolm Subban and Kevin Lankinen have not played well in the Chicago net. The Blackhawks are giving up 3.75 goals per game -- the third-most in the league. They also rank 25th in shots against. So, it's safe to say Chicago needs to be a lot better in the defensive zone.
The Canucks' five losses are tied for the most in the league to this point. On the bright side for Vancouver, veteran center Bo Horvat has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in eight games.
Another year, same story for the Oilers.
Connor McDavid (12 points) and Leon Draisaitl (11 points) have been awesome, but the team overall is struggling. Edmonton ranks 27th in both goals against and shots against per game.
Local COVID-19 restrictions have forced the Sharks to relocate their first two home games to Arizona. It's not an easy situation for San Jose.
The Ducks have given up just 14 goals in seven games, one of the lowest totals in the leauge. The problem is they've only scored 12 times themselves, and only two forwards -- Max Comtois (three) and Nicolas Deslauriers (two) -- have found the back of the net more than once. Anaheim also is the only team without a power-play goal.
The Kings have exceeded expectations in the early, going, thanks in large part to Andreas Athanasiou giving the team consistent scoring production. He has five points (three goals, two assists) in seven games. Athanasiou was signed by L.A. as a free agent in the offseason, and if the veteran forward continues to play well, he might be a sought after trade deadline target.
Nashville ranks 23rd in goals scored per game, and they need top-six centers Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen to be far more productive. They've both scored zero goals through six games.
The Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall connection on the Sabres' first line has looked good in the early going. These two stars also have driven much of Buffalo's success on the power play, where the Sabres have the second-most goals in the league at 11. Eichel has five power-play points in seven games.
The Devils have slightly exceeded expectations, and one reason for that has been the improvement from Jack Hughes. The No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft leads the Devils with seven points (three goals, four assists) through six games. Hughes becoming an impact player would be one of the best possible outcomes for the Devils this season as the team rebuilds.
There aren't many takeaways from the Panthers' start. They've had four of their first seven games postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. Florida has won all three of its games, but two were against a lackluster Blackhawks team.
The Hurricanes had six players on the NHL's COVID Protocol Related Absences list Sunday night, and that led to the league postponing Tuesday's game against the Lightning to February.
Four of the Hurricanes' seven scheduled games have been postponed, which, as of Wednesday, will force them to play their remaining 53 games in less than 100 days.
Ouch.
The Blue Jackets finally traded disgruntled star Pierre-Luc Dubois last week. He was sent to the Jets, along with a 2022 third-round pick, in exchange for elite winger Patrik Laine and forward Jack Roslovic.
It was a tremendous return for Columbus. Laine is a fantastic offensive player who scored 138 goals in his first four seasons in Winnipeg. The goal for the Blue Jackets is now signing him to a long-term extension. Laine is eligible for restricted free agency in the offseason.
Few rookies have been as exciting to watch as Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov. The 23-year-old forward leads the team with seven points (one goal, six assists) in six games, including the game-winning goal in overtime in the season opener. He should be among the top candidates for the Calder Trophy at the end of the season.
The Flames needed a bounce-back season from top-six center Sean Monahan, and he's delivered so far with seven points (two goals, five assists) in five games.
The Islanders are No. 2 in goals allowed, giving up just 1.83 per game. Unfortunately for the Islanders, they can't score at the other end of the ice. They rank 30th out of 31 teams at 1.83 goals scored per game. This offensive drought is starting to hurt New York, who has lost three of its last five games.
Losing one of the best centers in the league in Sean Couturier to injury is a really tough blow to the Flyers lineup. Losing twice in Boston over the weekend by a combined score of 10-5 wasn't a good look, either. But a 4-2-1 record through seven games is still pretty good, considering the adversity Philly has faced so far.
The Penguins had their four-game win streak snapped Tuesday night in an overtime loss to the Bruins in Boston.
Tristan Jarry took over the No. 1 goalie job in the offseason when Matt Murray was traded to the Senators, and he's disappointed so far. Jarry has posted a .868 save percentage and a 3.91 goals against average in five games.
A COVID-19 outbreak early in the season has forced the Stars to play only three of their scheduled games so far. So, we only have a small sample size to analyze. That said, you have to give credit to the Stars for winning all three of their games by a combined score of 12-3.
Jordan Kyrou has been a pleasant surprise for the Blues with a team-leading seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games, including two game-winning goals. The 22-year-old center has carved out a nice role for himself after getting recalled from the taxi squad at the beginning of the season.
The Avs have been mediocre to begin the season, but superstar center Nathan MacKinnon is off to a nice start with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in seven games.
The Jets don't acquire players of Patrik Laine's caliber very often. They are not a premier free agent destination and the team has been fairly conservative in the trade market since re-locating to Winnipeg in 2011. Laine is a 40-goal talent, but now he's in Columbus after Winnipeg traded him and forward Jack Roslovic for center Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 third-round pick. Dubois will be under a lot of pressure to play at a high level for a Jets team expecting to contend in the Canadian division. He tallied just one point in five games for the Blue Jackets before being traded.
The Capitals were fined $100,000 last week for violating the NHL's health and safety protocols. They've also had some key players, including captain Alex Ovechkin, miss games after being placed on the COVID-19 protocol-related absences list. Despite all of that, Washington sits stop the East division with 11 points from seven games. They are one of four teams without any regulation defeats.
The Bruins didn't tally an even-strength goal through three games, but the offense has ramped up significantly of late with 13 goals scored over the last three games. Boston has now won three straight matchups and sits two points behind Washington for the division lead. Those two teams will play a two-game set Saturday and Monday, and the Bruins might get elite right winger David Pastrnak back from injury in one of those games.
It's a good time to be a Tampa Bay sports fan. The Buccaneers are headed to Super Bowl LV, and the defending champion Lightning have won three of their first four games. Tampa Bay's offense is still firing on all cylinders with 15 goals despite the absence of elite winger Nikita Kucherov.
Few people outside Montreal could have expected such a strong start from the Canadiens. They've won four of their first six games and are one of four teams without any regulation losses.
It's a little surprising to see a Claude Julien-coached team leading the league in goals scored. A good portion of that success belongs to veteran forward Tyler Toffoli, who Montreal signed as a free agent in the offseason. He is paying immediate dividends with eight points (five goals, three assists) in nine games.
The league is better when the Canadiens are good, and it wouldn't be surprising if they make a serious run at a playoff spot in the Canadian division this season.
A red-hot power play -- 10 goals in eight games -- is one of several reasons why the Leafs sit atop the Canadian division with 12 points.
The Golden Knights entered the season with high expectations and they've played like a top Stanley Cup contender by earning 11 of a possible 14 points through seven games.
