{"id":369189,"date":"2025-11-10T12:53:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T12:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/369189\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T12:53:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T12:53:14","slug":"nhl-weekend-rankings-a-tale-of-two-rangers-plus-a-bottom-5-shakeup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/369189\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL weekend rankings: A tale of two Rangers, plus a bottom-5 shakeup"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the hockey world, any no-talent hack can cry about how bad things are<\/a>. But it takes a true visionary to focus on the positive. And so far this season, there\u2019s been a lot of positive stories to talk about. Since I\u2019m known as a big sunshine and optimism type of guy, let\u2019s take a few minutes to recognize a very solid first month of the season.<\/p>\n

Bonus five: Reasons the first month has been pretty great<\/p>\n

5. The kids are taking over \u2013 <\/strong>You\u2019ve probably seen the updating leaderboards all weekend, but just in case, here\u2019s one more:<\/p>\n

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NHL scoring leaders:
1. Connor Bedard, 25
t2. Macklin Celebrini, 24
t2. Nathan MacKinnon, 24
3. Leo Carlsson, 23<\/p>\n

The next wave has arrived.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mark Lazerus (@marklazerus.bsky.social<\/a>) November 9, 2025 at 3:46 PM<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s just cool. And while the names are fun, the numbers aren\u2019t too shabby either. That\u2019s because\u2026<\/p>\n

4. Scoring is up \u2013 <\/strong>Not a ton, and not quite up to the same level it was when it peaked in 2022-23. But after last year\u2019s dip, some of us were worried we might be seeing a new trend. So far, it doesn\u2019t seem that way (although scoring does tend to drop as the playoffs get closer, so we\u2019ll see). More offense makes for a more entertaining league, a universal sports truth understood by every except NHL leadership from 1995 through roughly 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. The absence of anything (really) bad \u2013 <\/strong>I\u2019m hesitant to even bring this up, but \u2026 really, what was the worst story of the first month? There\u2019s been just one suspension, and it was from a season opener. We\u2019ve had injuries, some serious, but nothing catastrophic. And I\u2019m not even sure we\u2019ve had a true controversy from the officials. Maybe that weird overtime goal with the net knocked off<\/a>, but that was the right call.<\/p>\n

All in all, that\u2019s a pretty clean slate. It all makes you wonder what the hockey gods are getting ready to drop on us. You know what, forget I brought any of this up.<\/p>\n

2. You can see the season-long stories coming into focus \u2013 <\/strong>A fun October is nice and all, but we\u2019ve still got five months to go. That\u2019s why it\u2019s nice to see some intriguing season-long storylines starting to form. You\u2019ve got the Penguins trying to put together one last run with the old guard. The Panthers, proud two-time defending Cup champs, decimated by injury and trying desperately not to fall to far out of the race while they wait for their injured stars to return. The Bruins, staking a claim as a true \u201cnobody believed in us\u201d playoff contender. Utah, Detroit and Seattle all finally looking like they\u2019re ready to make an impact. Must-win teams like the Oilers, Wild, Leafs and Canucks who aren\u2019t winning enough yet. And of course\u2026<\/p>\n

1. We\u2019re seeing a change at the top \u2013 <\/strong>OK, the Avalanche are opening up a lead on top of the Central. But in the Metro, we\u2019ve got the finally-putting-it-all-together Devils and the surprising Penguins. The Atlantic, confusing as it may be<\/a>, has the young Canadiens flexing on the established contenders. And the Pacific might be the best story of all, as the Ducks look like an absolute wagon, scoring their way into first place. Man, anyone who picked them to make the playoffs looks like an absolute genius right now<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get to this week\u2019s rankings, where the pressing question might just be in the bottom five\u2026<\/p>\n

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@DownGoesBrown<\/a> Surely if the #Blackhawks<\/a> upset #RedWings<\/a> on Sunday, you will no longer have them in the bottom 5, right??!!?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Marty \u2013 Team Canada (@MartyChenette) November 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Only one way to find out. Let\u2019s do this.<\/p>\n

Road to the Cup<\/p>\n

The five teams with the best chances of winning the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n

Nice goal, but they stole this play from one of my go-to moves in NHL \u201994.<\/p>\n

5. Vegas Golden Knights (7-3-4, +5 true goals differential*) \u2013 <\/strong>No, I don\u2019t have the guts to drop a team like Montreal or Anaheim into this spot \u2026 yet. We\u2019re getting there. For now, our commitment to the long-term view means one more week of the established Knights, even as they\u2019ve lost three of four.<\/p>\n

4. Winnipeg Jets (9-6-0, +8) \u2013 <\/strong>This week was Hall of Fame time<\/a>. As part of those conversations I learned that there are some of you out there who think Connor Hellebuyck doesn\u2019t deserve induction because he\u2019s not a winner or whatever, and I just want to say you\u2019re out of your minds. He has three Vezinas \u2013 real ones, not the Bunny Laroque variety. No, he doesn\u2019t have as many Cup rings as Antti Niemi or Matt Murray, but come on.<\/p>\n

3. Carolina Hurricanes (11-4-0, +16) \u2013 <\/strong>If you missed it during the week, be sure to check out Cory\u2019s piece on how the Hurricanes are managing to win with a blue line full of rookies<\/a>. Meanwhile, they absolutely dominated the Leafs last night, far more than the 5-4 final score would indicate.<\/p>\n

2. New Jersey Devils (11-4-0, +7) \u2013 <\/strong>Saturday\u2019s shootout win briefly put them in first place overall, at least in terms of points. It was also their 11th win of the year, a mark they hit before any other team had made it to 10, and they\u2019re also near the top of the league in regulation wins and regulation\/overtime wins. It\u2019s too early to start thinking too hard about potential tie-breakers, but file that away.<\/p>\n

1. Colorado Avalanche (10-1-5, +24) \u2013 <\/strong>Yep, they\u2019re good<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But with apologies to the Avs, who\u2019ve been in the top five every week so far and show no signs of leaving any time soon, I\u2019m going to hijack their section this week to talk about the team they blew out on Saturday.<\/p>\n

What was that, Edmonton?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have a great answer beyond \u201cnothing good,\u201d but Daniel takes a deeper look in the aftermath of disaster<\/a>. Instead, I\u2019ll make the same point I\u2019ve made a few times on the podcast: Imagine if Connor McDavid hadn\u2019t signed yet, and we were doing the whole \u201cEvery game is a referendum on the future of the franchise\u201d thing right now. If Oilers fans think this is bad (and it is), that alternative universe is infinitely worse.<\/p>\n

*Goals differential without counting shootout decisions like the NHL does for some reason.<\/p>\n

Not ranked: New York Rangers \u2013<\/strong> There are two teams headed in opposite directions in the Metro. The first is pretty close to unbeatable, sitting at 7-1-1 with a +12 goals differential. That team has beaten some good opponents, including the Habs, Penguins, Red Wings and Oilers. That team is really good.<\/p>\n

The other teams stinks out loud, sitting at 0-6-1 and a horrific -17. Worse, they\u2019ve been shut out five times in those seven games. They lost to the Sharks and Flames. They got absolutely smoked by the Islanders.<\/p>\n

The twist, of course, is that both teams are the Rangers. The first one, the good one, is the Rangers when they\u2019re on the road. The second one is those same Rangers on home ice.<\/p>\n

Does that make sense? It does not. Then again, this is the same team that went from winning the Presidents\u2019 Trophy in 2024 to missing the playoffs in 2025, so maybe the whole duality thing is just kind of their vibe. The New York Rangers: They contain multitudes.<\/p>\n

The problem is one of those multitudes is embarrassingly bad. We saw it again on Saturday, when the Rangers welcomed their arch-rival Islanders to Madison Square Garden. And I mean that literally \u2014 they were extremely welcoming. Come in, make yourself at home, score a few late goals to run up the score.<\/p>\n

That said, the game did give us this thing of beauty:<\/p>\n

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Zoom in on the crowd. https:\/\/t.co\/njZsaztaDZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sean Cuthbert (@seanyhockey) November 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tag yourself, I\u2019m a combination of the woman looking at her phone and the Oilers fan who doesn\u2019t realize how much worse his day is going to get in a few hours.<\/p>\n

Those five home shutouts are close to incomprehensible, especially since the Rangers aren\u2019t exactly a team that should have a ton of trouble scoring. Think of it this way: Somewhere in New York, there might be a Rangers fan who\u2019s spent a ton of money to go to five different home games this year, and if you asked them what the team\u2019s goal song was they\u2019d answer, \u201cYou know, it\u2019s never actually come up.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what now? We can probably pencil ourselves in for another two or three J.T. Miller \u201cthis isn\u2019t good enough\u201d speeches, and that\u2019s good because those have obviously been super-effective. Beyond that, the bad news is they\u2019re at home tonight against the Predators, so start Juuse Saros in fantasy if you\u2019ve got him. But after that, they\u2019re on the road for seven of their next nine, which means we get the good Rangers. And Mike Sullivan and friends get a chance to figure out what exactly is going on with one of the league\u2019s very weirdest teams.<\/p>\n

The bottom five<\/p>\n

The five teams headed towards dead last and the best lottery odds for Gavin McKenna.<\/p>\n

Wait\u2026 is this about the race for Gavin McKenna? The teenage phenom has been the presumptive first pick in the 2026 draft for a few years now, but the early returns on his college career have been merely good instead of historically great. That\u2019s led to some muttering about whether someone could catch him in the rankings by next summer. Our prospect guys talked it through on \u201cThe Athletic Hockey Show,\u201d which you can watch here<\/a>, and Scott has an article digging deeper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. Buffalo Sabres (5-6-4, -9) \u2013 <\/strong>They heard us all complaining about how ridiculous it was to have the entire Eastern Conference at .500 or better, and they volunteered as tribute. Ah well, at least their leading scorer is a pending UFA who\u2019s apparently going to cost a trillion dollars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. Nashville Predators (5-8-4, -16) \u2013 <\/strong>This week, we officially hit a pair of important milestones in any nightmare season: Literally finding a brand-new way to lose<\/a>, and a veteran leader looking like he regrets every life choice that led him to this<\/a>. The good news is they get a fun trip to Europe this week, followed by a few days off. May I suggest booking a fun team activity? Maybe a concert<\/a>?<\/p>\n

3. St. Louis Blues (5-8-3, -18) \u2013 <\/strong>Speaking of bummed-out veterans, Brayden Schenn isn\u2019t exactly thrilled with things either<\/a>. The Blues become the tenth different team to earn bottom five honors so far this season.<\/p>\n

2. San Jose Sharks (7-6-3, -2) \u2013 <\/strong>Somebody refresh my memory, did any of these guys turn out to be any good?<\/p>\n

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Most points by a teenager in first 14 games of a season<\/p>\n

Steve Yzerman (1984-1985) 23
Wayne Gretzky (1980-1981) 23
Sidney Crosby (2006-2007) 22
Macklin Celebrini (2025-2026) 21
Bryan Trottier (1975-1976) 21 pic.twitter.com\/mV6ercOZuR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) November 6, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

1. Calgary Flames (4-11-2, -19) \u2013 <\/strong>\u201cThe big question in the bottom five this year: Will any team other than Chicago or San Jose ever get a chance to hold down the one-spot?\u201d That was me, in the first weekend rankings of the season. Four weeks later, we have our answer. Welcome to the one-spot, Calgary.<\/p>\n

They actually had a decent week, at least by their recent standards. But with the Sharks winning three straight, this is as much about them climbing up as it is about the Flames falling. And if you\u2019re a Calgary fan who wants to see them fight their way out of this spot, there\u2019s good news \u2014 their next two come against the two teams we just listed, St. Louis and San Jose.<\/p>\n

One last note: RIP to former Flame Mel Bridgman, the first overall pick of the 1975 draft, a 14-year NHL veteran and the first GM of the Senators, among other achievements. The NHL Alumni Association announced his passing<\/a> over the weekend.<\/p>\n

Not ranked: Chicago Blackhawks \u2013 <\/strong>Yeah, it\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

Specifically, it\u2019s time to set the Blackhawks free from their spot in the bottom five. They\u2019ve been here a while \u2013 we\u2019ll get to that \u2013 and didn\u2019t exactly come into the season with sky-high expectations. And to be clear, they\u2019re not exactly anybody\u2019s idea of a Cup favorite right now. But that\u2019s OK, because the process of reemerging as a contender has to start somewhere. And in Chicago, it sure looks like it\u2019s starting right now.<\/p>\n

The big story over the weekend was Connor Bedard, who was briefly the league\u2019s leading scorer before being passed by fellow top pick Macklin Celebrini. Seeing those two names on top of the list is great news for the NHL (and maybe also Team Canada), raising the possibility that we could be seeing a true changing-of-the-guard type of season that we haven\u2019t really had since the start of the cap era.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a big-picture question for down the line. For now, Hawks fans can just enjoy a team that\u2019s playing well, and doing it with a non-zero amount of swagger. Mark had more on the mood around the team following their steamrolling of the Flames<\/a>. They do indeed have some dawgs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And yes, they deserve a week off from the list of shame. How long has it been? The last time the Hawks weren\u2019t in the bottom five was almost three full years ago, in November 2022. That\u2019s a streak of 68 straight rankings with the Hawks somewhere in the bottom. Back then, the Bruins were on top of the rankings and a team that no longer exists was on the bottom. It was so long ago that the headline on that week\u2019s post was \u201cWho won the Matthew Tkachuk trade?<\/a>\u201d Yes, children, there really was a time when that felt like an open question. But it was a very, very long time ago, which gives you a sense of how long a slog it\u2019s been for Chicago fans.<\/p>\n

And of course, they might be back. We said we were setting them free, and you know the old clich\u00e9 about how that can go. Maybe the Blackhawks will cool off, go back to looking like a rebuild in progress, and decide they want to come home to the familiar embrace of the bottom five. If so, we\u2019ll have a spot ready for them, with a blanket and a warm cup of tea.<\/p>\n

But until then, they\u2019ve earned a break. The streak is over. Now let\u2019s see where this thing can go.<\/p>\n