Power Rankings - Week 5

Here are the Power Rankings for Week 5

As the season goes on, teams seems to be breaking off in one of three categories: Top 5 (CGY, MTL, OTT, WPG, LAK), Middle of the pack (EDM, PIT, DET, WSH, TBL), and tankers (NYR, PHI, COL, VAN, MIN, CHI).

I've added a new feature this week. I've included each team's record for the last 10 games. This will now give us an indication on how they did this week versus their last 10 games, and hopefully give a bit more insight regarding why certain teams are where they are.

This is particularly telling for LAK, who didn't have an awful week going 2-1-1, but they are 6-2-2- in their last 10. Like 3.6 roentgen. Not bad. Not terrible...

Speaking of nuclear disasters, MIN only managed 3 GF this week, in a 0-3-0 campaign. While still tied with COL in the standings, sitting just outside of a playoff spot in the west. They would be dead last in the east. They have to be in on the Bedard sweepstakes at this point.

CHI and VAN... same old, same old. Wake me when the draft lottery happens, amiright?

Best of the worst is by far NYR who manage to play spoiler every once and a while. 

For 3 weeks running PHI and COL have been glued together at the hip. Right beside each other in the rankings. It makes sense, given how similarly the teams are built. It will be interesting to see who pulls away first.

The western juggernauts fell back a few spots this week. Back to back losses for LAK will do that. For WPG it wasn't so much them falling back, but rather them being passed by a surging CGY flames team.

CGY's 8 game winning streak is good enough for 2nd place. WHile they haven't lost in regulation in 10 games, I couldn't justify them passing MTL because 3 of those 8 wins came against MIN and PHI. It came down to the fact that MTL beat LAK more decisively in regulation, rather than in a shoutout.

MTL has made quite the statement this year, after trailing OTT and DET these past years, MTL has finally stepped up and asserted their dominance in the East. It will be interesting to see of OTT can challenge them.

Speaking of OTT, their goaltending is SOLID having the 2nd lowest GA in the league. But their goal differential is still 4 less than MTL. They'll have to improve that to reclaim their fomer glory as Division Title holder.

Finally we get to the middle of the pack. This is always the hardest to rank because they are all so very close.

PIT's consistency keeps them at the forefront of the middle. The win the games they should, and keep their losses close (1 goal difference against WPG, and they took OTT to overtime). However to stay in this position they will have to pull out some big wins because the other teams are hot on their heels.

It seems like TBL hasn't quite found that consistency yet. Losing to two other top row teams, meant that maybe they weren't ready to hang with the big kids just yet. If history has taught us anything, they are likely to bounce back next week. 

EDM had a rough week. They are in danger of slipping down the rankings. Especially if WSH, DET or TBL has a strong week. While there is no shame in losin g to MTL. The lost to NYR may come back to haunt them. Those are the games they need to win. Not that they are in danger of falling out of a playoff spot, but the last 2 years they've faced first round exits against LAK. They might want a more favorable matchup this year.

WSH. This was the hardest one to rank. On one hand, they beat DET, and kept things close with OTT. On the other hand, they got blown out by WPG. They are definitely flirting with the top row.

While DET did lose to WSH, they also beat OTT AND WPG. That was enough of a redemption arc for me to push them into the top row. Whether or not they will stay there... that's a whole other story.

As the season goes on, teams seems to be breaking off in one of three categories: Top 5 (CGY, MTL, OTT, WPG, LAK), Middle of the pack (EDM, PIT, DET, WSH, TBL), and tankers (NYR, PHI, COL, VAN, MIN, CHI).