{"id":274473,"date":"2025-11-10T15:51:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T15:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/274473\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T15:51:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T15:51:06","slug":"the-ducks-are-funand-possibly-really-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/274473\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ducks are fun\u2026and possibly really good"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">We\u2019re now a bit more than a month into the season, and while we\u2019re not quite at the infamous American Thanksgiving benchmark in terms of sample sizes, we\u2019re already starting to get a better feel for where some teams are at. The Penguins and Ducks are looking more and more like playoff teams, the Wild and Blues may be in trouble, and\u2026 well\u2026 we still don\u2019t know what to make of the Oilers and Maple Leafs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter Crowther and I navigate through the season with another year of our co-op power rankings. I have my same old system in which I aggregate six stats (points %, 5-on-5 goal differential, 5-on-5 xGF\/60, 5-on-5 xGA\/60, power play xGF\/60, and shorthanded xGA\/60, all coming courtesy of Natural Stat Trick) to come up with a list that eliminates my own biases, along with a rule that no team can be above a team that\u2019s more than five points ahead of them in the standings, regardless of where the aggregate places them. On the other hand, Hunter goes off his own intellect and pure vibes, and together we find a way to combine it and meet in the middle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 9-1-5, +21<br \/>Last Week: 1st (0)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 1st\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 1st<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: As if the Avalanche weren\u2019t already looking like the top team in the league this season, they went into Edmonton and lit up the Oilers 9-1 on Saturday. I think the scariest thing about this team was how much they were trying when it was 9-1. They were working their asses off in an attempt to get double digits. It just feels like they\u2019re in a video game completing side missions right now, and it\u2019s only November. As long as they don\u2019t burn themselves out, they\u2019ll be a serious Cup threat in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 11-4-0, +17<br \/>Last Week: 3rd (+1)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 2nd\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 2nd<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: The Hurricanes have won five of their last six games, and it\u2019s clear they are in a class of their own in the Eastern Conference right now. It\u2019s not just the fact that they are overwhelming teams with their possession; their puck movement in the offensive zone is leaving opposing teams spinning in circles. They\u2019ve had to make some defensive sacrifices with Jaccob Slavin out of the lineup, but the fact they look this dominant without their top defenseman says a lot about this team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: Every time I\u2019m skeptical about this group, or think to myself, \u201cYeah, but\u2026\u201d they remove any doubt with a week like the one they just had. Also, more doubt to remove is any that Canadian hockey fans may have about Seth Jarvis being on the Olympic roster in Italy. The guy who was healthy scratched against Finland during the 4 Nations Face-Off no longer exists, as present-day Jarvis has been on a tear, scoring in three of four games last week and looking like the most dangerous player on the ice at any given time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-3-4, +4<br \/>Last Week: 6th (+3)\u00a0<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 3rd\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 4th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: It hasn\u2019t been a great homestand for the Golden Knights, dropping two of three last week and having to scramble late against the Ducks to earn a point. <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/nhl-power-rankings-tampa-bay-lightning-finally-alive-five-straight-wins-colorado-avalanche-minnesota-wild\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">In our previous edition <\/a>of the power rankings, we pointed to the goaltending woes having an impact on this team, and that hasn\u2019t changed. I don\u2019t know why, but living in Toronto while Mitch Marner potted a goal and two assists in a 6-3 loss to the Lightning made me laugh. Maybe I need help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 8-5-2, +5<br \/>Last Week: 11th (+7)\u00a0<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 4th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 6th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: It\u2019s odd seeing a team get outplayed for big chunks of a game, but at no point are you watching and thinking \u201cthey might lose.\u201d That\u2019s what this year\u2019s Lightning squad feels like, where they can get hammered in the defensive zone and, with one small error, go the other way and burn you. Their big dogs in Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel produced last week, and don\u2019t look now, but they\u2019ve won seven of their last eight. Fun fact to tell your coworkers tomorrow at the water cooler, if those still exist: Since giving up four and five goals, respectively, in his first two starts, Andrei Vasilevskiy hasn\u2019t allowed more than three in a game all season. I keep telling you people: don\u2019t wake up the beast!<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 9-5-3, +9<br \/>Last Week: 5th (0)\u00a0<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 10th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 3rd\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: The multiple blown 3-0 leads last week certainly show that the Penguins still have plenty of defensive concerns, but that\u2019s what happens when your team is made up of younger players still getting accustomed to the NHL game and older players whose defensive games have passed them by (yes, even Sidney Crosby). But their chance generation is strong, and both special teams units have been very good to start the season. I\u2019m liking this Penguins team more and more as the weeks go on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 10-3-1, +14<br \/>Last Week: 14th (+8)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 9th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 5th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: As someone who got lit up in fantasy hockey last week by Daily Faceoff colleague Kyle Morton courtesy of Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson, I\u2019m well aware that this Ducks team continues to light up the league. They\u2019ve now won seven games in a row and nine of their last 10 and are the only team averaging more than four goals a game. The fact that this is being driven by their younger players like Carlsson, Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke and Mason McTavish is a fantastic sign for the future of this team, even if the defense is still lacking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 10-3-2, +10<br \/>Last Week: 4th (-3)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 7th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 8th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: It must be nice living in Montreal, not having to be depressed about the heartbreaking loss your baseball team suffered and being forced to pivot to a middling hockey team that\u2019s playing well below its potential. I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m still mad about the Blue Jays. Two freaking outs, man\u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">The Canadiens earned points in losses to the Flyers and Devils before giving Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka a proper shelling on Hockey Night in Canada (I haven\u2019t heard a soul call them \u201cthe Mammoth\u201d and don\u2019t bother lying by saying you or someone you know has). Cole Caufield\u2019s two goals on Saturday had him temporarily <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/players\/stats\/skaters\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in goals<\/a>. Hear that? <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/2026-milan-olympics-nhl-early-team-usa-roster-lineup-projections-predictions\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bill Guerin\u2019s phone is ringing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: Oh I have definitely called Utah \u201cthe Mammoth\u201d at this point (read two blurbs below to verify). What else would I call them? Some terrible name like \u201cUtah Hockey Club\u201d? That would be embarrassing to trot your team out with that name even for one season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: Why must you turn the Daily Faceoff NHL Power Rankings <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RRXmfIlOzJQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" hreflang=\"en\">into a house of lies?<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Matt Larkin: Ed note\u2026I was with the Mammoth last week, <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/state-of-utah-mammoth-interview-gm-bill-armstrong-trades-prospects-draft-playoffs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">working on a story<\/a>, and I called the Mammoth, uh, the Mammoth, to their faces, multiple times. And it rolled off my tongue naturally, Hunter, naturally!<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 11-4-0, +8<br \/>Last Week: 9th (+1)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 5th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 12th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: It was nice of the NHL to give the Devils a three-day break after their less-than-stellar California road trip, and they responded with two wins against the Canadiens and Penguins, both requiring extra time. It feels like most of the lineup is playing below what they\u2019re capable of: Jesper Bratt has one goal in eight games, both Nico Hischier and Timo Meier have one in their last 11 and Jack Hughes has incredible hair, as well as one goal in his last five. Sheldon Keefe needs his top forwards to find their games as the weather gets colder.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 9-7-0, +1<br \/>Last Week: 8th (-1)\u00a0<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 11th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 7th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: After an electric start, the Mammoth have now lost five of their last six games and are looking more like the team we all thought they would be: one that\u2019s in the hunt for the playoffs, but still working out some warts in their game. That said, the underlying numbers are still fantastic, and they have very few glaring issues in their lineup. Even in the game of theirs I watched last week, the 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday, there were many instances where they looked like the better team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 9-4-3, -2<br \/>Last Week: 15th (+5)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 8th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 11th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: After a bit of a slump, the Stars have bounced back with wins in three of their last four games, although that has come against weaker teams in the Predators and Kraken and a struggling Oilers squad. Dallas can thank their top line and Miro Heiskanen for that, though, as the lack of offensive generation outside of that unit showed how much their center depth had been hurting without Roope Hintz and Matt Duchene. Hintz has at least been back for the last three games and put up three points, but their depth is not what it used to be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: It\u2019s wild to see Jason Robertson only have three goals through 16 games, but still lead the team with <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" href=\"https:\/\/moneypuck.com\/player.htm?p=8480027\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" hreflang=\"en\">nearly 10 expected goals<\/a> (xG), as well as being far ahead in nearly all shot and shot-attempt categories. In fact, his 9.3 xG is tied for fifth in the league with the Avalanche\u2019s MacKinnon, who himself is tied for the league lead in actual goals. Robertson won\u2019t have a 4.8 shooting percentage for long.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-7-1, -6<br \/>Last Week: 2nd (-9)\u00a0<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 6th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 14th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: The Panthers certainly don\u2019t need to panic right now, but you know who they\u2019re starting to remind me of? The 2016-17 Lightning. That team had injury problems all season, particularly being without Steven Stamkos for 65 games, and despite clearly being a good squad, they missed out on the playoffs by just one point. Who knows if that\u2019s the outcome for the Panthers, but with an Eastern Conference that looks to have plenty of competitive teams, their playoff hopes may go down to the last minute this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: I like this thought process and I\u2019m running with it through the season: Either the Panthers miss the playoffs or they\u2019ll win their third straight Stanley Cup. There\u2019s no middle ground, there just isn\u2019t!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 8-5-3, -1<br \/>Last Week: 18th (+6)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 16th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 9th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: The Senators have kept themselves in good standing with a five-game point streak, but considering that it\u2019s only a 3-0-2 run, it still feels like there\u2019s room for improvement here. Goaltending has certainly been an issue, but they are also struggling to generate chances at a consistent rate. Losing expected goal machine Brady Tkachuk is a big reason why, so Ottawa will have to hope his return will help them there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-7-2, -5<br \/>Last Week: 7th (-6)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 12th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 13th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: I still really like the Rangers, but for the love of god, can you guys get some offense on home ice? Please? They\u2019ve been shut out in five of their seven home games, only scored one in another, and the one game where they got five goals, they still lost! It\u2019s a good thing they\u2019re the best road team in the league, otherwise their season would already be lost. Artemi Panarin finally had a night more akin to Artemi Panarin in Friday\u2019s 4-1 win over the Red Wings with three points, and with his center Vincent Trocheck returning soon, perhaps that will help spark the Russian winger \u2013 and in turn, their offense at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 8-5-2, +4<br \/>Last Week: 23rd (+9)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 17th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 10th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: I was going to compliment the Flyers on winning two of three games last week, but much was made on social media over Flyers\u2019 captain Sean Couturier\u2019s comments on teammate Matvei Michkov following Saturday\u2019s game against the Senators.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cI think he\u2019s a great goal scorer and has a lot of skill, you just gotta find a way to contribute to helping the team win in other ways when you\u2019re struggling,\u201d Couturier said. \u201cYou\u2019re not always going to be scoring goals every game \u2026 I\u2019ve seen improvement in the way he\u2019s not cheating as much and (he\u2019s) on the right side of the puck \u2026 I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a little different for him, but if he sticks to playing more of the right way, I think it\u2019s gonna be better for the team overall.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Philly fans, if you\u2019re reading this: Relax. Seriously, relax. Some of the takes I was reading were \u2026 good lord. Couturier, a 14-year veteran who at one point was one of hockey\u2019s best two-way forwards, gave Michkov, a sophomore in the greatest league in the world, constructive criticism that any objective observer would agree with. Also, Couturier\u2019s comments aren\u2019t out of nowhere. Hockey players seldom let something out if it\u2019s the first time it popped up in their head. Coaches don\u2019t publicly call out players unless they\u2019ve told them the same thing in private ad nauseum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">One more thing: I thought Philadelphia\u2019s sports fans were tougher than this? A benign critique for a second-year player who gets caught on the wrong side of the puck more often than not? For God\u2019s sake, this is the city who threw snowballs at Santa Claus and cheered when Michael Irvin suffered a career-ending injury that left him temporarily paralyzed on the field. Now they\u2019ve won a couple Super Bowls and they whine through their thumbs on social media instead of screaming at a ref with a beer in hand. What a fall from grace.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: I\u2019m not going to completely tear into the Flyers fanbase like Hunter has, but I will say I\u2019m surprised to see how much vitriol there is in Philly considering a team that was expected to contend for the lottery is *checks notes* in a playoff spot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">15. <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" href=\"https:\/\/jetsnation.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" hreflang=\"en\">Winnipeg Jets<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 9-5-0, +11<br \/>Last Week: 10th (-5)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 13th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 17th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: This might be the lowest I\u2019ve seen Hunter rank the Jets in the one and a bit years we\u2019ve done these rankings together, and I just have to say \u2026 welcome to the resistance, Mr. Crowther. They had a tough trip in California, losing all three games and scoring just two goals. Even Connor Hellebuyck was just okay instead of his usual self, and it gave us a true look at what this team is when they aren\u2019t shooting the lights out and Hellebuyck isn\u2019t stealing games: bad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZmInkxbvlCs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" hreflang=\"en\">\u2018Tis a flesh wound, Scott<\/a>! Although maybe I\u2019m as delusional as that Black Knight in Monty Python. Beyond Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi, it\u2019s a steep drop, Vlad Namestnikov\u2019s six goals be damned. While Jonathan Toews has been better than I expected, this team needs way more from their lineup. We\u2019re a long way from last year\u2019s squad that had 12 skaters reach double digits in goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 9-7-0, -5<br \/>Last Week: 12th (-4)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 14th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 19th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: The Red Wings cooled off last week, losing all three games in regulation. You know head coach Todd McLellan would have loved a better effort Sunday afternoon against the Blackhawks as the team takes the next three days off before facing a high-flying Ducks squad next Thursday. <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/nhl-power-rankings-tampa-bay-lightning-finally-alive-five-straight-wins-colorado-avalanche-minnesota-wild\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">I asked last week<\/a> if their goaltending would be their downfall, and seeing Cam Talbot and John Gibson each give up four goals strengthened my hypothesis. Could Detroit look to Nashville and see if Predators\u2019 starting goalie Juuse Saros is available?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: If Barry Trotz was smart, he\u2019d ask Detroit for their price for Saros, and then immediately call Stan Bowman to tell him and see if the Oilers will add to it. But Trotz\u2019s recent resume is a tad bit spotty, so he definitely won\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-5-4, -6<br \/>Last Week: 20th (+3)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 15th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 18th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: It was nice seeing Anze Kopitar shake hands with Sidney Crosby following the Kings\u2019 3-2 win over the Penguins. Even after 20 seasons of posting nearly the same statline every season, hockey\u2019s version of Tim Duncan still gets underappreciated. Hopefully the Canadian media ecosystems that are Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa give the Kings\u2019 captain his roses as he makes this road trip one final time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-7-1, +4<br \/>Last Week: 13th (-5)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 19th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 15th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: Well, he did it. We weren\u2019t sure if he was going to, and we waited an entire offseason and the first month of the 2025-26 regular season for him to do it. But by golly, he finally did it: Devante Smith-Pelly is going to be an NHL Network studio analyst. The retired NHL forward, who won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018, including three goals in the Stanley Cup Final, was one of the better interviews in the game while he was in the league. It\u2019s always nice to see former players find their next role in life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Oh, and Alex Ovechkin scored his 900th career goal. The Capitals have lost six of their last seven.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-4-4, -5<br \/>Last Week: 22nd (+3)\u00a0<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 20th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 16th\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: I celebrated my birthday last week by \u2026 working late into the night on a few projects. Apparently, after you turn 30, birthdays are just days that end in \u201cY.\u201d Weird. Also, apparently you share your birthday with 22 million other people? Who knew! Anyway, I had the Kraken\u2019s game against the Sharks in the background, and oof. What\u2019s frustrating if you\u2019re a Seattle fan is they were generating high-quality shots on Yaroslav Askarov, but the lack of finish and a horrid performance by Joey Daccord sealed their fate. They\u2019re not as good as they were to start, or as bad as they\u2019ve been lately. Can\u2019t put my finger on it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 6-6-4, -10<br \/>Last Week: 16th (-4)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 18th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 23rd<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: Don\u2019t sugarcoat it: it\u2019s not good. Sure, they started 6-7-1 last season and in 2023-24 they started 5-12-1. But it\u2019s how they\u2019re losing at this point that\u2019s worrisome. After a one-goal loss to the Blues, they blew a 3-1 lead to the Stars and lost in a shootout. It\u2019s a good thing the Oilers had four days off, because they needed plenty of rest for the ass-kicking they took from the Avalanche. Seriously, Colorado pulled up, kicked in the door, grabbed the remote control and changed the channel on the Oilers\u2019 TV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">It\u2019s time to grow up in Edmonton.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: Yeah, they are slowly drifting away from \u201cthey always start this bad\u201d and creeping towards \u201cit\u2019s never gone on this long,\u201d and who knows if they can dig themselves out of this one? I\u2019m not hitting the panic button until Zach Hyman returns, but if he\u2019s your saving grace on a team with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, that\u2019s not a great sign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-6-2, -1<br \/>Last Week: 24th (+3)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 22nd<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 21st<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: I know Hunter and I usually take this opportunity to wax poetic about Matthew Schaefer, but after a quiet week with \u201conly\u201d one assist in three games, I\u2019ll focus my attention on another Islander worthy of praise: Bo Horvat. While we already have 16 players at 10 goals, Horvat\u2019s kept himself in the Rocket Richard hunt with 11 goals in 15 games. This will likely cool down, but he showed shades of this kind of play three seasons ago when he had 31 goals in 49 games with the Canucks before he was dealt to Long Island (although he did fall off a cliff after that with seven in 30 with the Islanders).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 8-8-0, -7<br \/>Last Week: 26th (-4)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 24th\u00a0<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 20th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: It\u2019s hard to get mad at a Canucks team that just put up one helluva fight against the best team in the league, wiping out three Avalanche leads and getting a point Sunday night. It\u2019s good to go into a new week with the knowledge that you can skate with the big dogs. But there\u2019s no moral victories in the NHL***, and their best players \u2014 or at least their highest-paid players \u2014 need to start acting like it. But hey, at least Kiefer Sherwood finally has an assist!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">***Please disregard all previous mentions of \u201cmoral victories\u201d in past columns. Sports fans have short memories, and so do sports writers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 8-5-3, +12<br \/>Last Week: 25th (+2)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 23rd<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 22nd<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: The Blackhawks play at the United Center in Chicago, Ill,\u00a0 and its address is 1901 W Madison St., Chicago, Ill., zip code 60612.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">That\u2019s where you can send Connor Bedard your apology letters, because one month into the 2025-26 NHL regular season, Bedard is tied for second in the NHL in points. So much was written last year about the perceived \u201clack of development\u201d in Bedard\u2019s game \u2014 especially after we saw Macklin Celebrini produce early and often \u2014 but maybe criticizing a player with back-to-back 60-point seasons before they turned 20 was wrong in hindsight?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: I\u2019d been saying for most of last season that Bedard is following the Nathan MacKinnon trajectory, and technically I was wrong\u2026 he\u2019s doing it sooner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: I just looked it up, I forgot MacKinnon posted 21 goals and 16 goals in his third and fourth seasons, respectively. He even played 82 games in the 16-goal campaign! His 53 points led the 2016-17 Avalanche and were eight ahead of Matt Duchene\u2019s second-place 41 points. I can\u2019t believe they retained first-year head coach Jared Bednar, wonder what he\u2019s up to now?<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 8-7-1, -1<br \/>Last Week: 19th (-5)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 21st<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 25th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: I don\u2019t know what to make of this Leafs team right now. I was in the building for their last three games, and all I can grasp from them is that they\u2019re inconsistent. They\u2019ll lay an egg for two periods against Pittsburgh before coming back and winning. They\u2019ll look slow against Utah and then pull out a win. Boston will start off a game slow, but the Leafs will be slower. And then after looking like they may weather the storm against Carolina, they\u2019ll drop the ball in the third period. The Leafs are a mess in their own end, and this season they don\u2019t have the goaltending to mask it like they did last year, and even then, they weren\u2019t *this* sloppy last year. I wouldn\u2019t panic yet, but they\u2019ve also only played six of their 16 games against teams in my top 16, which means the schedule is going to get more difficult. *gulps*<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: The only positive I can take from the last week is that Auston Matthews is slowly finding his groove. He\u2019s scored in four of the last five games and now has nine in 16 games, a 46-goal pace. Max Domi played 8:30 against the Hurricanes on Sunday; have to think he\u2019d be in the press box if it weren\u2019t for Scott Laughton\u2019s injury, but even that might not save him from a healthy scratch Tuesday against Boston.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 10-7-0, +1<br \/>Last Week: 28th (+3)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 26th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 26th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: I get that hot and cold streaks can happen to any team at any time, but how do the Bruins have six wins in a row? There aren\u2019t really any redeemable qualities about this team, and it\u2019s not like David Pastrnak or Jeremy Swayman have been playing out of their minds to get here. Charlie McAvoy was even out for their most recent win over the Leafs. I\u2019d expect this to fade at some point, and the Bruins will be back to being a terrible team again, and not second in the division.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-6-3, -3<br \/>Last Week: 30th (+4)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 28th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 24th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: Are the Sharks actually good? No, they definitely aren\u2019t. But with points in six games, they\u2019re certainly off to a better start than many would have anticipated and have clearly built off the vibes of last season. Macklin Celebrini is already looking like one of the best players in the league, and Will Smith and William Eklund are also leading the charge. All they need is a bit more consistency from Sam Dickinson and a steady role for Michael Misa when he returns from injury, and the future is already now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-7-0, -1<br \/>Last Week: 17th (-10)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 25th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 27th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: In the grand scheme of things, three losses in a row isn\u2019t a bad thing. But with how tight the Eastern Conference is at the moment, those three losses are detrimental, and make the Blue Jackets look far worse than they likely actually are. I originally had them in 19th, but the five-point rule knocked them down all the way to 27th (blame the Bruins). Still, there\u2019s plenty of room to bounce back and keep up with the rest of the playoff race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 5-6-4, -8<br \/>Last Week: 21th (-8)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 27th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 29th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: Oh Buffalo. With six losses in their last seven games, any good will built up after a decent end to October has already gone to waste, and hockey fans are back to doubting the Sabres\u2026 as they should. They continue to deal with injuries, including Jiri Kulich, Zach Benson and Jason Zucker, as well as Rasmus Dahlin being on a leave of absence, so that hasn\u2019t helped them out at all. I\u2019m curious to see what they look like when they\u2019re mostly healthy, but it\u2019s already getting late early yet again in Buffalo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 5-8-3, -19<br \/>Last Week: 31th (+2)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 30th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 28th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: The Blues had points in three of their four games last week, but the Blues are playing lousy hockey. Jordan Binnington giving up four goals on 15 shots against the Capitals was almost impressive. What\u2019s even more impressive is they let a plummeting Sabres group outshoot and outpossess them and still won. At some point, \u201cit\u2019s still early\u201d no longer applies, and we\u2019re reaching that point with Jim Montgomery and his group.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: It\u2019s time Binnington stops worrying about stealing milestone pucks and focuses more on stealing a game or two for his team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 7-7-3, -7<br \/>Last Week: 32nd (+2)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 29th<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 31st<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: What\u2019s funny about the Wild is that they have flashes where you flip between games and watch 10 minutes and think, \u201cYou know what? They\u2019re not that bad.\u201d Heck, they won three out of four games last week! Then you watch an entire period like I did Thursday when they played the Hurricanes and think, \u201cWhy am I watching this?\u201d Anyway, I\u2019m glad Marcus Johansson is showing flashes of Capitals-era Marcus Johansson. Sure, the shooting percentage will come back to Earth, but he\u2019s playing well enough to be a trade asset at the deadline if Minnesota keeps losing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 5-8-4, -15<br \/>Last Week: 27th (-4)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 31st<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 30th<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: It feels all but certain that Andrew Brunette doesn\u2019t have much time left <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/who-will-be-first-nhl-head-coach-fired-2025-26-prediction-hiller-brunette-hynes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">behind the bench in Nashville<\/a>, but firing him feels like a copout. This Predators group just doesn\u2019t have any juice, and hockey fans and writers are already picking at the still-breathing corpse of the team, seeing if there\u2019s any meat on the bone that\u2019s worth trading for. <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/nashville-predators-ryan-oreilly-cant-make-6-foot-pass-save-my-life\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ryan O\u2019Reilly\u2019s self-critique <\/a>following their loss to the Flyers was one of the rare, candid moments you hear from a professional athlete. If the rest of the team was that honest with themselves, maybe they would have more than five wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Scott: Maybe to take their mind off of things, the Predators should do some charity work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Record: 4-11-2, -19<br \/>Last Week: 29th (-3)<br \/>Hunter\u2019s Rank: 32nd<br \/>Scott\u2019s Rank: 32nd<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">Hunter: There was a moment Sunday night after Kirill Kaprizov scored the empty-net goal, sealing the Wild\u2019s 2-0 win over the Flames, where the Calgary bench was filled with thousand-yard stares. They had outshot Minnesota 36-19 and threw everything they could at Jesper Wallstedt, but it was another loss for a Flames team whose season already feels lost. It was nice seeing Nazem Kadri be celebrated earlier in the week <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/calgary-flames-nazem-kadri-1000-nhl-games\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">for his 1,000th game<\/a>. He\u2019s going to look great <a class=\"text-secondary underline underline-offset-2\" hreflang=\"en\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/calgary-flames-nazem-kadri-potential-trade-destinations-jets-avalanche-canadiens-canucks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">in a Canadiens sweater<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">POST SPONSORED BY bet365<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg\">_____<\/p>\n<p>Recent Power Rankings<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re now a bit more than a month into the season, and while we\u2019re not quite at the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274474,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-274473","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}