NHL Power Rankings: Rangers sink even lower as disastrous season continues

Wild
As Christmas approaches, it looks like a two-horse race for the Vezina Trophy, and Filip Gustavsson might have the inside track. His 16.8 goals saved above average are second in the NHL, and his .927 save percentage is third among all goalies with more than four appearances. Gustavsson has returned to the dominant form he displayed in 2022-23, but now he’s getting more help from the offense. — 19-5-4
2

Capitals
The Capitals’ gamble on Pierre-Luc Dubois was a risky one, but it seems to be paying off so far. Dubois hasn’t been putting up big numbers on offense, but his play at five-on-five has been tremendous. The Caps have a plus-9 goal differential and control 57.4% of the expected goals when Dubois is on the ice. Dubois has started heating up on the stat sheet with two goals and three assists in his last four games. 2 19-6-2
3

Devils
Luke Hughes seems to have taken a notable step forward in his development. Hughes was good as a rookie last season, but the Devils also gave up some quality scoring chances when he was on the ice. Hughes has cleaned up that aspect of his game, and he has a sparkling 59.9% expected goals share at five-on-five as a result. 1 18-10-3
4

Golden Knights
Vegas went one month without Mark Stone in the lineup due to a lower-body injury, and the team went 9-4-2 in that span. The Golden Knights finally got their captain back in a 3-2 win over the Stars on Friday, and he tallied an assist in his return. Despite its record, Vegas did experience some defensive woes with Stone out of the lineup, but those should start to dissipate now. 3 18-7-3
5

Kings
The Kings have now won six straight, and Adrian Kempe has been one of the hottest players in the league since Nov. 13. In that span, Kempe has nine goals, good for fourth in the NHL. His plus-12 rating is tied with teammate Anze Kopitar for third. Under the hood, Kempe’s numbers have been just as good, if not better. His plus-14 goal differential at five-on-five leads the Kings. 8 17-8-3
6

Maple Leafs
Over the last month, Mitch Marner has played in 11 games, and he has at least two points in eight of them. Marner has been putting up points at a blistering pace, and he leads Toronto with 38, which is 10 clear of second-leading scorer William Nylander. Even with Auston Matthews’ injury troubles, the Leafs have been one of the East’s best teams, and that is due in large part to Marner. 3 17-9-2
7

Stars
Last week, the Stars announced that Tyler Seguin would miss 4-6 months with a hip injury. That’s bad news for Dallas, especially considering Seguin was one-third of the team’s best line. Can Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene keep the good times rolling with Seguin on the shelf? It seems like Logan Stankoven will get the first crack at replacing Seguin on that line, and he needs a jumpstart. 2 17-10-0
8

Hurricanes
Now in his second stint with the Hurricanes, Shayne Gositisbehere has been exception for them. The veteran defenseman has 25 points in 28 games while posting solid five-on-five impacts. The actual results haven’t been quite as good due to abysmal goaltending, but make no mistake, Gostisbehere has been a fantastic addition for Carolina. 2 18-9-1
9

Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk has officially caught fire. In his last seven games, Tkachuk has five goals and 10 assists. That run includes a five-point game against the Flyers last week. Tkachuk has been great for the Panthers again this season, but his offensive production is really starting to come around. 1 18-9-2
10

Oilers
The Oilers find themselves battling for a wild card spot in the West, but they might be leading the Pacific Division with a few more saves. As is the case seemingly every year, Edmonton has been unable to get reliable goaltending. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have combined to allow 4.66 goals above average while posting a .889 save percentage. 1 16-10-2
11

Lightning
J.J. Moser, part of the return in the deal that sent Mikhail Sergachev to Utah, has made an instant impact in Tampa. He’s been paired up with Victor Hedman, and he hasn’t really looked out of place. Moser’s five-on-five impacts have been excellent, and he owns a plus-8 goal differential in those situations. The Sergachev trade was a head-scratcher at the time, but if Moser can keep this going, it will have been a savvy move by the Bolts. 1 14-10-2
12

Avalanche
Mikko Rantanen had gone five games without scoring a goal, but that changed against the Penguins on Tuesday. Rantanen potted a hat trick while adding a pair of assists for a five-point night. Rantanen now has 18 goals and 42 points on the year. He ranks third in both of those categories league-wide. 2 17-13-0
13

Bruins
At the beginning of this month, the Bruins strung together four straight wins against inferior opponents. It was an encouraging step in the right direction. Then they played a team with a pulse. On Tuesday night, the Jets scored a touchdown and converted the two-point play for an 8-1 win over Boston. All the good vibes the Bruins had built throughout that winning streak were quickly washed out in embarrassing fashion. 3 15-12-3
14

Canucks
Over the summer, Dakota Joshua revealed he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, and he missed the start of the season while undergoing treatment. Joshua returned to the lineup on Nov. 14, and he scored his first goal of the season last night. Joshua is fun to watch as a bottom-six grinder with a bit of skill, and it was great to see him light the lamp for the first time in a while. 6 14-8-5
15

Jets
Winnipeg’s five-on-five expected goal share is 48.5%, which ranks 23rd and is just one spot above the last-place Predators. The Jets’ expected goal differential in all situations is minus-7.5. In reality, it’s plus-35. Just something to keep in mind as the second half of the season approaches. 6 21-9-0
16

Kraken
Matty Beniers’ scoring issues have really become inexplicable at this point. He scored 24 goals as a rookie in 2022-23 and has suffered a sharp drop in each of the two subsequent seasons. Beniers now has four goals in 30 games, and he just can’t get anything to go. He’s generated 6.59 expected goals, and his 7.5% shooting percentage is 5.6% below his average. 7 14-14-2
17

Penguins
Rickard Rakell is having a bounce-back season for the Penguins with 11 goals in 30 games. He scored 15 goals all of last season, so Pittsburgh has to be happy that Rakell has gotten back to being a reliable source of offense. If things start to go south, I wonder whether Rakell could become a trade chip for the Pens because he could provide nice middle-six depth on a contender. 5 12-14-4
18

Hockey Club
One of the more disappointing players on this Utah team has been Matias Maccelli. A somewhat undersized playmaker, Maccelli broke out for 57 points in 82 games last year. I was excited to see what he could do for an encore, but things have not come together for him at all. Maccelli has just 10 points in 28 games, and his five-on-five impacts are rather pedestrian. 6 12-11-5
19

Blues
Since returning from injury on Nov. 19, Robert Thomas has three goals and seven assists in 10 games. That’s an 82-point pace, and the Blues are outscoring opponents 6-2 with Thomas on the ice at five-on-five. Thomas is the main play-driver in this St. Louis lineup, and I’ll be fascinated to see how he plays as he gets more familiar with new coach Jim Montgomery. 2 14-13-2
20

Flames
For the first time since Nov. 7, the Flames scored more than three goals in a 4-3 win over the Predators on Tuesday. Those two points pushed the Flames back into a playoff spot, and I’m starting to think Ryan Huska should be in the midst of the Jack Adams discussion. No coach has done more with less to this point in the season. 1 14-10-5
21

Flyers
Owen Tippett had one goal in Philadelphia’s first 12 games, and he had just four goals through 24 games. Those numbers have gotten a significant boost lately with Tippett tallying five goals in his last five games as he finally starts to find an offensive rhythm. The Flyers need Tippett, a 28-goal scorer last season, to contribute on a regular basis if they are going to remain in the playoff battle. 6 13-12-4
22

Blue Jackets
Zach Werenski, recently named to the Team USA 4 Nations Face-Off roster, is having himself a season. After a couple of down years in which Werenski was affected by injury trouble, he is healthy and at the top of his game. Werenski leads Columbus with 20 assists and 29 points, and he has a plus-12 goal differential at five-on-five. Werenski is back to being an elite No. 1 defenseman. 2 12-13-3
23

Rangers
The Rangers are an absolute mess right now, but Mika Zibanejad’s play might be the biggest red flag of them all. Zibanejad has a five-on-five expected goals share of 43.6% and a minus-9 goal differential in those situations. That would be tolerable if he were producing offensively, but Zibanejad is on pace for 15 goals, his lowest total since the 2016-17 season. 6 14-12-1
24

Islanders
The Islanders were hoping that Maxim Tsyplakov, brought over from Russia in the offense, could give them a little more scoring punch on the wing. That hasn’t been the case as Tsyplakov has just five goals and 16 points in 30 games despite getting ample ice-time with Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson. 1 11-12-7
25

Senators
I would never want to be accused of “soft tampering,” but if the Senators are unable to make significant progress this season, I’m sure they’ll be getting plenty of calls about Brady Tkachuk. Maybe the Rangers really aren’t sniffing around right now, but that could change if Ottawa is still outside the playoffs in a couple months. 2 12-13-2
26

Red Wings
Bright spots have been hard to come by for the Red Wings, but one of them is the play of rookie defenseman Simon Edvinsson. The 21-year-old has posted impressive five-on-five impacts, including a plus-4 goal differential and a 51.0% expected goals share. Those numbers are especially good when you consider Edvinsson is only 21, and most of his Detroit teammates are underwater at full strength. 2 11-13-4
27

Sabres
Just a couple weeks ago, I wrote that the Sabres had hope of ending their 13-year playoff drought. Then they lost their next seven games. The more things change, the more they stay the same in Buffalo. The Sabres’ losing streak sets up a very sad matchup between them and the Rangers on Wednesday night. 9 11-13-4
28

Canadiens
Juraj Slafkovsky has two goals in 25 games, and it seems like he may have taken a step back following an encouraging sophomore campaign last year. To make matters worse, the Canadiens are getting hammered when Slafkovsky is on the ice at five-on-five. In fairness to Slafkovsky, that is a problem for 90% of the Montreal roster. 2 11-14-3
29

Sharks
With the Sharks trading Mackenzie Blackwood to the Avalanche, it might be time for Yaroslav Askarov to get more starts. The No. 11 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Askarov has been playing well at the AHL level, and he is another young player who figures to lead San Jose back to Stanley Cup contention. — 10-16-5
30

Ducks
Last season, Radko Gudas provided a stabilizing veteran presence on the Anaheim blue line, but things have gone downhill. Perhaps he’s just been swallowed up by the general mess that is the Ducks organization, but Gudas has a 38.5% expected goals share and a minus-9 goal differential. 4 10-12-4
31

Blackhawks
The Blackhawks fired Luke Richardson last week, and it’s tough to blame them. The bar wasn’t all that high for Chicago coming into the season, but the team was still falling short of expectations under Richardson. Maybe the change gives the Hawks a jolt because they need it, especially Connor Bedard. 1 9-17-2
32

Predators
The Predators have just lost their eighth straight game, tying a franchise record. Ryan O’Reilly is hurt. Half of their blue line is hurt, including Roman Josi. The team is on pace for a whopping 56 points on the season. Other than that, everything is going swimmingly in Nashville. 1 7-16-6