Avs back on top of Power Ranking; Sens drop down to 32nd

By Sportlogiq Staff (@Sportlogiq)

For a fourth straight week, there is a new No. 1 atop our Power Rankings as the Colorado Avalanche sit on top of the mountain. 

The Avs finished last week with a pedestrian 1-1-1 record, but other teams near the top of our list didn’t fare any better so Colorado sits in first for now. The Avalanche lead the NHL in points percentage and rank Top 3 in goal differential and expected goal differential, so their position on our list is hardly unjustified. That said, the race for top spot is close so they will need a strong showing on their Eastern road trip this week to stay ahead of the pack in our ranking.

An overtime win over Colorado on Saturday night helped push the Calgary Flames up a spot from third to second on our list. Our model continues to think highly of the Flames, who rank sixth in points percentage. Calgary has a busy week as it gets set to play five games in seven days, starting with a home game against Edmonton tonight. It will be a grueling week for the Flames but if they can manage three or four wins, they might be able to bump the Avs from first place.

Following a win over Washington last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced two opponents, neither of whom are in playoff spots. The Leafs lost both games, conceding eleven goals total. As a result, the Leafs fall from seventh to eight on our list.

In the last two months, the Leafs have the worst team save percentage in the league at .878. Of 39 goalies with at least 500 minutes played in that time, nobody has a worse goals saved above expected than Jack Campbell. He has allowed 1.04 more goals than expected per 60 minutes since January 7. Whether it’s the team defence in front of the goalies or the play of Campbell and Petr