We usually talk about the top five and bottom five here, but what about the brigade stuck in the middle? Who are the most mediocre teams so far this season?
We did this just last year around this time, and I feel like it was a pre-holiday tradition. So before we get into the good and bad, let’s spend a little time on just a few minor points.
That may be a more difficult question than you think. First, unlike other leagues in the world, .500 does not mean mediocrity in the NHL. Thanks to loser points, a .500 scoring percentage is often pretty bad. Instead, I like to just look at wins and losses. When you combine goal difference, some basic stats, and bonus points for teams that rarely have streaks, you can get a good idea of which teams are performing the best. Or worse. Or somewhere in between. I understand.
And if you feel insulted by seeing your team on this list, remember that this time last year, the best mid-major team in the league was the Florida Panthers, and they were having a pretty good season.
Bonus 5: The 5 most mediocre teams ever.
5. Edmonton Oilers — We have to include them because they have 13 wins and 15 losses with a nearly even goal difference of -1. But they’ve spent the entire season going back and forth between the 1985 Oilers or the 2010 Oilers, so it feels wrong to call them mediocre.
4. Ottawa Senators — They have 11 wins and 15 losses, which is worse than mediocre because the loser has a zero in the points column. However, they have maintained a positive goal difference for most of the season, so things are a little more balanced.
3. People of the New York Islands — They have won 14 of 30 games, including eight of 17 at home and six of 13 on the road. Loser points make them a playoff contender despite a seven-game losing streak in November, but they’re pretty average overall.
2. Carolina Hurricanes — I’m just as surprised as you, but they won 16 of their 30 games and lost on goal difference. It’s not where anyone expected them to be. More details are provided below.
1. Arizona Coyotes — They have won just half of their 30 games and have a middling plus-5 goal difference. They also reached Game 19 before their winning or losing streak went beyond two, but they’ve been on even more winning streaks recently. Still, given the expectations heading into the season, I can see them being one of the teams that wouldn’t be a disappointment to feature on this list.
Not ranked: The Wild feel like the biggest upset of the year.
That’s enough for the mushy time in the middle. Back to the extreme…
road to cup
The 5 teams most likely to win the Stanley Cup.
Congratulations to the Stars on their major acquisition.
(Explanation of what actually happened It is here. )
5. Colorado Avalanche (19 wins, 10 losses, 2 draws, real goal difference +17*) — There aren’t many teams that would be scared off by trading away a veteran. But if the Avs send Tomas Tatar to Seattle, you’ll wonder what they’re freeing up cap room for. They may not need help right away, as they won’t face a team with more wins than losses until the Dallas game in early January, seven games from now.
4. Los Angeles Kings (17-6-4, +31) — They suffered their first real instability of the season with three straight losses following a shootout win over the Kraken. They should get back on track as they play San Jose/Seattle/Calgary over the holiday break.
3. Boston Bruins (19-5-5, +19) — They have lost three of their five games, but each of their losses this week have resulted in bank points. One of those losses came to the Rangers in a game where David Pastrnak was thrown to take a hit from behind.
2. New York Rangers (21-7-1, +16) — They have won three of their four games, but their only loss was a 7-3 loss at home to the Maple Leafs. And yes, the Leafs are so close to top-five status right now that all the anti-Toronto weirdos should start stocking up on canned goods. Meanwhile, the Rangers will get a chance for revenge tomorrow night in Toronto.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (21-6-5, +32) — Well, look who has crawled back onto the bandwagon.
*For some reason, unlike in the NHL, shootout decisions are not counted and the difference in points is counted.
Unranked: Carolina Hurricanes — do you remember?
They were all on the short list for the Cup, so you’ll read it when you read the preseason preview. That makes sense, as they have won at least one round in five straight seasons and easily topped the 110-point mark two years in a row. they would be really good. We all knew this.
Except this year, they haven’t. It’s certainly not terrible, but it’s been hovering just north of true .500 for most of the season. That included a disastrous four-game trip to Western Canada, followed by more closed-door meetings (One) is greater than point (zero).
All of this really hit home over the weekend. The Athletic‘s hockey team has released its latest updated set of predictions. Before the season began, the Hurricanes ranked second in Cup picks at 30.3 percent. In November, it fell to 16.7%. now? zero. Needless to say, the league’s top pick rate of 41.9 percent was the biggest disappointment. They’re still picked by 90.3 percent of us to make the playoffs and picked by one of us to win the East, so they want it. That’s still a steep decline.
A big part of the problem lies in the goals. Some wonder if the Hurricanes have cracked the code on talent evaluation, a position that has traditionally had players who exceed expectations. With Freddie Andersen out, Piotr Kochetkov and (especially) Antti Raanta are struggling to fill their roles. As always, a weak goal is the biggest weakness of any player in the field, as it overwhelms everything else, but somehow all it takes to fix it is to find one player. It is also the greatest weakness.
Will the Hurricanes try?That’s the problem, and we It’s not the first time I’ve asked thatThat was especially true after Raanta was fired on Saturday.
The Hurricanes aren’t the only team that could use some goaltender reinforcement, and they aren’t actively pursuing Vezina at this point. But the story is noteworthy in Carolina, especially with a team that was once a surefire playoff contender still looking dangerous.
bottom 5
The last five teams heading to the dead, and the best odds in the lottery, are Macklin Celebrini.
On Friday, the Los Angeles Chargers fired their head coach. In a statement, the team’s owner acknowledged that it was a difficult decision, but justified it by saying, “Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I would take.”
I know it’s the NFL, not the NHL. I wanted to leave it here for Senators fans to ponder.
5. Seattle Kraken (10-14-8, -15) — As Dorrance explains here, the Tomas Tatar trade makes sense. This will be the 33-year-old’s sixth team with Colorado, where he scored just one goal in 27 games.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (10-17-5, -20) — It’s not boring, and I don’t necessarily mean it as a compliment. This week they managed to pick up two points in the strangest game of the year, losing Patrik Laine to injury and firing up Jack Hughes.
Meanwhile, Pascal Vincent continues to coach this team like a grizzled cup contender rather than an aggressive rebuild.
3. Anaheim Ducks (11-19-0, -23) — They flirted until the end, but an impressive win in New Jersey on Sunday gave them some breathing room.
2. San Jose Sharks (9-19-3, -51) — Some said it was impossible. Some said it would never happen. Some already had access to a small spreadsheet that he uses to track weekend rankings, and he had pre-populated the Sharks into the bottom five each week for the rest of the season, one by one. But folks, they did it. The sharks crawled out of the basement.
At least for a week.
Importantly, they have won six of 11 games, including this week’s decision against the Jets. They started the season with 11 straight losses and got yelled at by the GM, but the team has been a .500 team ever since. The question of which Sharks team is the worst has been resolved, but the answer is not this.
(They were destroyed last night, but let’s focus on the positives.)
1. Chicago Blackhawks (9 wins, 20 losses, 1 draw, -38) — The Sharks’ promotion leaves this spot open for the Hawks, who have been pointless in their past four games, and will now move into the underground.perhaps A few more closed meetings It would be helpful. Other than that, I’m with Mark: We want Phil.
Unranked: St. Louis Blues — This week we had our third coaching change of the season, and it was a big one. Craig Berube led the Blues to their first and only Stanley Cup in 2019. It will buy time for the players. It wasn’t endless, starting 13-14-1 after missing the playoffs, and a four-game losing streak was enough to end it.
That’s a tough ask for Doug Armstrong, and he needs to add more heat to the GM position. At the moment, this squad isn’t the most powerful, and Berube may not have squeezed every last drop out of them, but it’s hard to say that their performance was significantly inferior.
This change also led to an uncomfortable situation with Jordan Caillou. Dropped a disappointing soundbite Following Berube’s sending off, there was some booing from the home crowd in the next game. It was clearly bothering him, much more than we usually get a glimpse of.
As expected, Caillou received a much more positive reaction from the crowd on Saturday. These things almost always blow away, so there’s probably water under the bridge. Still, this is definitely not a scene you want to see for the struggling 25-year-old, who is under contract until 2031.
As always, Jeremy will be here to cover all things Bruce. Here’s Jeremy’s take on the Cairou situation and an exclusive chat with Berube.
Meanwhile, new coach Drew Bannister put the Blues on a winning track in their first two games. This is a good sign and suggests the Blues could face the same backlash from a new coach that the Oilers and Wild have already experienced. Despite all the drama, they’re still firmly in the West of the Wild Card mix-out, so they could use that. They are perfect for their job as they head to Florida this week to visit the Lightning and Panthers and pick up the Stars and Avalanche right after the break.
(Top photo of Thomas Hertl and Pyotr Kochetkov: Adam Hunger/Associated Press; Brett Holmes/USA Today)
