NHL Power Rankings after Week 15: Bar trivia for all 31 teams
Trade season is officially underway, and while we look ahead to what might transpire, it’s never a bad time to have some fun with trivia facts about every team in the league. Think of this as a supersized version of “Sach got your number” from the ESPN On Ice podcast.
How we rank: We use a panel of voters, and these rankings reflect which teams voters think would win head-to-head matchups. Higher-ranked teams are favored over lower-ranked teams. A run of wins doesn’t guarantee a jump, and a couple of losses doesn’t guarantee a fall.
Previous ranking: 1
If the Lightning win the Cup with their current group, they will be the first team since the 1989 Flames to not have a previous Cup winner on the roster.
Previous ranking: 3
Three different Flames have been named the NHL’s First Star of the Week, the most of any team. They are Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano.
We start this episode by reviewing Emily Kaplan’s piece on “Hockey Butts,” which drew reaction from around the sports world. Former NHL Goaltender Marty Biron weighs in on the Sabres’ struggles, including the future of Jeff Skinner in Buffalo (14:12). Rangers defenseman Marc Staal joins to talk about his family’s NHL success, as well as his future in New York (33:00). Listen »
Previous ranking: 5
Want to silence the crowd? The Predators have scored six empty-net goals on the road, most in the NHL.
Previous ranking: 4
Sharks forward Evander Kane leads the NHL with 26 penalties committed. Despite this, the Sharks have spent the eighth-fewest minutes on the penalty kill.
Previous ranking: 7
The Jets lead the league with 12 first-round picks on their roster, led by 2016 second overall pick Patrik Laine.
Previous ranking: 2
The Maple Leafs have attempted the 18th-most shots (1,423) but have missed the net wide on 43 percent of them, highest in the league (612 misses wide).
The NHL trade season is underway. Get caught up on the assets, restrictions and potential moves for every team ahead of the Feb. 25 deadline.
Mark Giordano bolstered his Norris Trophy case. Morten Jürgens wowed us with a shootout move. But the St. Ignatius College Prep star takes the prize.
One line doesn’t make a Stanley Cup champion — but it certainly doesn’t hurt. We debate the top trios around the league.
Previous ranking: 8
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury leads the league in wins. At age 35, he could finish the season as the oldest leader since Martin Brodeur at age 37 in 2009-10.
Previous ranking: 6
The Capitals have had 235 minutes of power-play time this season, and Alex Ovechkin has been on the ice for 88.5 percent of that (208 minutes, 46 seconds). This is the highest percentage in the league.
Previous ranking: 9
Don’t look away when this team gets the man advantage. The Penguins have the No. 5 power-play rate (25.8 percent) but have also surrendered the most short-handed goals (10).
Previous ranking: 11
The Blue Jackets are the youngest team in the league despite having only one rookie on the active roster, center Kevin Stenlund.
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Previous ranking: 10
Has the local pro team taken a side in a collegiate rivalry? Boston College and Boston University have both produced 18 active NHLers, however the Bruins feature three former BU Terriers and no former BC Eagles.
Previous ranking: 12
Is this Canada’s team? The Islanders have the most Canadian provinces (seven) represented on their active roster.
Previous ranking: 16
The Canadiens have had 20 left-handed shooting players appear for the team this season, most in the league.
Previous ranking: 14
Before CEO Jim Lites’ profane comments, the Stars had a shooting percentage of 9.0 percent and averaged 2.7 goals per game. After the comments, those fell to 6.7 percent and 2.2 goals per game.
Previous ranking: 13
Before this season’s streak, Buffalo’s last 10-game winning streak was in 2006-07. Jason Pominville was there for both.
Previous ranking: 15
Nathan MacKinnon has been on the ice for 94 goals by his team, most in the NHL among forwards.
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Previous ranking: 17
There are 721 wild animal species native to Minnesota, 20 higher than the combined number of wins (regular season plus playoffs) in franchise history.
Previous ranking: 19
Elias Pettersson is tied for the league lead in game-winning goals (seven). No rookie has ever led the NHL in that category in the modern era.
Previous ranking: 20
The Hurricanes have committed the fewest dollars of any team on their forward group yet still lead the NHL in shots per game.
Previous ranking: 21
The Oilers are 6-9-1 against Pacific Division foes, the second-worst record of any team against its own division. They are 16-12-2 against everyone else. Prorate that “everyone else” record over 82 games, and they’d be a 93-point team.
Previous ranking: 28
The Blues have the heaviest roster in the league, with an average of 204 pounds, and the fifth-tallest roster, with an average height of 6-foot-1.
Previous ranking: 18
Thirty-one players have suited up for the Ducks this season, most for any team in the league.
Previous ranking: 23
The Rangers have participated in 15 fights, second most in the NHL, led by forward Cody McLeod, tied for the league lead with five fights.
The NHL trade season is underway. Get caught up on the assets, restrictions and potential moves for every team ahead of the Feb. 25 deadline.
Mark Giordano bolstered his Norris Trophy case. Morten Jürgens wowed us with a shootout move. But the St. Ignatius College Prep star takes the prize.
One line doesn’t make a Stanley Cup champion — but it certainly doesn’t hurt. We debate the top trios around the league.
Previous ranking: 24
Opponents might be wishing they could just decline penalties. In addition to having the NHL’s best penalty kill (88.7 percent), the Coyotes lead the league in short-handed goals (14).
Previous ranking: 25
The Devils and the Jets are the only two teams this season to win a game in five different time zones.
Previous ranking: 22
The Panthers have the worst winning percentage this season when scoring first, at .350.
Previous ranking: 27
The Red Wings have spent 52 minutes, 35 seconds more on the penalty kill (253:32) than on the power play (200:57), the worst differential in the league.
Previous ranking: 26
The Blackhawks’ roster has eight nationalities represented, tied with the Blue Jackets for most in the NHL.
Previous ranking: 30
The Flyers recently picked up all-time regular-season win No. 1,993. That was also a notable year, as it was Eric Lindros‘ first full season with the Flyers, and the year current blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere was born.
Previous ranking: 29
The Kings feature a member of the 2012 Devils (Ilya Kovalchuk) and the 2014 Rangers (Carl Hagelin), the two teams they defeated to win the Stanley Cup.
Previous ranking: 31
Thirty players drafted by the Senators were active in the NHL this season, most of any team’s draft picks. Unfortunately, 14 of them play for other teams.