NHL Power Rankings: Oilers ride eight-game winning streak back into Stanley Cup contention

Bruins
Wingers tend to have an uphill battle when it comes to winning the Hart Trophy as the league MVP, but David Pastrnak is doing his best to garner consideration for the award. With 16 goals and 23 assists in 26 games, Pastrnak is on pace for 123 points. Without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci around, Pastrnak has proven he can drive the bus on his own. Few players are more essential to their team than Pastrnak. 2 18-5-4
2

Rangers
The Rangers have scored 88 goals this season, and Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider have combined for 30 of them. That comes out to 34.1% of the team’s scoring, and while those two are excellent finishers, New York probably needs to find a way to diversify its offense. Putting all your eggs in two baskets is fine in the regular season, but it could burn you in the playoffs. Mika Zibanejad is on pace for just 23 goals right now, so if he heats up, that should help quite a bit. — 19-7-1
3

Kings
Age is but a number to Drew Doughty, who is well on his way to receiving Norris Trophy votes at the end of the season. The 34-year-old blueliner is already up to seven goals on the season, and that puts him on a good pace to pass his career high of 14. What’s even better is the fact that his five-on-five metrics continue to be elite. Doughty owns a plus-9 goal differential and 58.2% expected goals shared in those situations. 2 16-6-4
4

Golden Knights
Jack Eichel is riding an eight-game point streak, and he has 13 total points over that stretch. Eichel is having a dominant season so far, and he is a major reason why the Golden Knights have really rounded into form over the last couple weeks. Early in the season, Vegas was getting results with a shaky underlying process. Now, the defending champs are smoking teams on the scoreboard and under the hood. 7 20-5-5
5

Canucks
Hello, regression, my old friend. At the start of the season, everything was finding the back of the net for the Canucks, and Thatcher Demko was stopping every puck thrown his way. That allowed Vancouver to get off to a scorching start, but things have cooled off a bit since. The Canucks are 8-6-0 in the last month as their shooting and save percentages have come back to Earth. Despite that, they still have a 12-point edge over the red-hot Oilers. It’s also good to see the team’s five-on-five play has improved too. 5 19-9-1
6

Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk scored his fifth goal of the season on Sunday, and the Panthers can only hope that means the floodgates are about to open. Tkachuk has hit the 40-goal mark in each of the two previous seasons, but he is currently on pace for just 15 in 2023-24. Tkachuk is shooting a miserable 4.8% this season, which is well below half of his career average. The good news for Florida is that the team is already rolling without Tkachuk lighting the lamp, so imagine what they will look like once Tkachuk gets hot. 2 17-9-2
7

Jets
The Jets had been one of the NHL’s hotter teams lately, winning four games in a row and closing in on the Stars and Avalanche at the top of the division. Now, they might have to hang on for dear life. Following a knee-on-knee collision with Ducks forward Ryan Strome, it’s possible Kyle Connor might be out for several weeks. Connor currently leads the Jets in goals with 17, nearly double his next closest teammate. 2 17-9-2
8

Stars
Jake Oettinger is not in a festive mood right now. Maybe it’s because the Stars’ jerseys look like Grinch costumes, or maybe it’s because he has struggled mightily in his last five appearances. In the month of December, Oettinger has allowed 5.48 goals above average, which ranks last in the NHL over that span. If you’re looking for a reason why Dallas has hit the skids lately, that is one of the biggest factors, but I’d expect Oettinger to get back on track soon. 4 16-8-3
9

Avalanche
The Avalanche don’t need good goaltending to be successful, but Alexandar Georgiev hasn’t even been average this season. In his 23 appearances, Georgiev ranks 64th in the NHL with 4.96 goals allowed above average. His .896 save percentage is tied for 41st among goalies with at least 300 minutes played. Would Colorado consider adding goaltending help on the trade market if Georgiev doesn’t get this sorted out? 3 18-9-2
10

Maple Leafs
John Tavares got the 1,000th point of his career on Monday, and in a fun twist of fate, it came on a late game-tying goal against the New York Islanders. Tavares piled up the first 621 of those points on Long Island, but the fans at UBS Arena weren’t in a congratulatory mood. The Isles faithful booed Tavares and got the last laugh with an overtime win in a display of good old fashioned hatred that you just don’t see much anymore. 2 15-6-5
11

Flyers
I continue to be blown away by the job John Tortorella and Flyers are doing this year. I assumed Philadelphia would be one of the worst teams in the NHL this season, and I have a whole carton of eggs on my face at this point. The Flyers are third in the Metro Division — ahead of the Hurricanes and Capitals — and their underlying numbers are exceptional. Their 53.7% expected goals share at five-on-five ranks fifth. People need to start taking them more seriously. 3 15-10-3
12

Hurricanes
The goaltending situation in Carolina has gotten ugly, and it’s costing the team games. With Freddie Andersen on the shelf for the foreseeable future, no one has stepped up and taken over the crease. Instead, Antti Raanta and Petr Kochetkov have surrendered a combined 19.94 goals above average. That is tough for any team to overcome, and it has dragged Carolina out of a playoff spot. 5 15-12-1
13

Oilers
The Oilers have thrust themselves back into the Western Conference playoff race with an eight-game winning streak, and I’ll give you one guess as to who is leading the charge. Connor McDavid is healthy and angry, which is a good combination for Edmonton and a bad combination for everyone else. McDavid is currently riding a 10-game point streak and has a total of five goals and 18 assists over that stretch. That’s an 82-game pace of 200 points. 7 13-12-1
14

Red Wings
The Red Wings hit a three-game skid after signing Patrick Kane, but they put a stop to that with a win over the Blues on Tuesday night. Through his first four games with Detroit, Kane has one goal and one assist, and his mobility does look improved when compared to last year. The Wings are still working things out with Kane at five-on-five, and it might require more shuffling than usual with Dylan Larkin now on IR. 5 15-9-4
15

Lightning
The Lightning are squarely in the middle of the pack these days, and that is not a position with which they’re very familiar. The big guns are putting up solid offensive numbers, but the team’s five-on-five metrics are pretty pedestrian. One of the biggest red flags involves veteran defenseman Victor Hedman, who owns a 45.0% expected goals share at five-on-five. I’m not counting out the Bolts by any stretch, but that is very concerning. 2 13-12-5
16

Devils
Timo Meier is having a rough time in his first full season with the Devils. Meier has only five goals in 19 games, and he is just trying to tread water at five-on-five. With Meier on the ice in those situations, New Jersey has a minus-8 goal differential and a miserable 46.0% expected goals share. Until Meier can get out of this funk, the Devils’ offense won’t fire on all cylinders. 1 15-11-1
17

Capitals
The Capitals are tied with the Sharks for the fewest goals scored this season, but they are somehow still in a playoff spot. Alex Ovechkin has five goals on the year, but they are somehow still in a playoff spot. The power play ranks 32nd, but they are somehow still in a playoff spot. Honestly, I hope Washington can keep this up because it would be one of the more bizarre seasons in recent memory. 1 14-8-3
18

Predators
The Predators’ performance at five-on-five has been lagging lately, but it hasn’t mattered because Juuse Saros remembered he’s one of the best goaltenders in the world. In his last five games, Saros has posted a .954 save percentage, an .889 high-danger save percentage and 8.37 goals saved above average. When he plays like that, it doesn’t really matter what Nashville looks like in front of him. — 16-13-0
19

Islanders
The Islanders are 4-0-1 in December, and three of those games have gone to overtime. The Isles are tallying points any way they can these days, and Bo Horvat has really started to get rolling. Horvat is on a seven-game point streak with five goals and six assists over that stretch. He has helped the Islanders become a bit of an offensive juggernaut over the last few weeks. 4 14-7-7
20

Wild
He might be more under-the-radar than some other candidates for the award, but Brock Faber is absolutely in the Calder Trophy race. At just 21 years old, Faber is playing defense like he’s been in the NHL for a decade. Faber has played more than any of his teammates at five-on-five and has gotten tremendous results, including a plus-9 goal differential and a 55.6% expected goals share. Oh, and he also has one fewer assist than Connor Bedard, Luke Hughes and Logan Cooley. 4 10-12-4
21

Coyotes
Folks are howling a lot less in the desert these days. The Coyotes have now lost their last four games, and the dynamic duo of Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller has gone ice cold in that span. Those two have combined for just one point in this slump, and Arizona simply cannot afford to have Keller and Schmaltz go quiet for any stretch of time. That’s especially true when Barrett Hayton and Travis Boyd are out of the lineup. 6 13-13-2
22

Senators
Tim Stützle recently broke a five-game goal drought, and Ottawa needs him to start hitting the mesh more if the team is going to outscore its glaring goaltending problems. Stützle scored 39 goals last season, but he’s currently on pace for just 21 this year. If Stützle can get hot in the goal-scoring department and the Sens can get a few more saves, they could make things more interesting in the East. 3 11-12-0
23

Flames
It seems like Nazem Kadri has finally started to find his groove in Calgary. Kadri has points in his last five games, and he is now up to eight goals and 14 assists on the season. That’s a step in the right direction for a veteran player under a microscope due to a big contract. Unfortunately for the Flames, Kadri hasn’t been getting a ton of help, and it looks like they will watch the playoffs from home again. 4 11-14-4
24

Penguins
The Penguins’ power play has been hard to watch this season, especially throughout the holiday season. Since Thanksgiving, Pittsburgh has converted on just 7.1% of its power plays, which is dead last in the NHL. The Pens did break through on the power play against the Coyotes on Tuesday night, so maybe that’s the spark that unit needs to get going. 2 13-12-3
25

Sabres
If the Sabres are going to make any kind of run before it’s too late, Tage Thompson has to start cooking. Last season, Thompson was borderline unstoppable with 47 goals and 47 assists in 78 games. Thompson has battled injury this year, and he has just seven goals and eight assists in 20 games. That’s not bad for most players, but Buffalo needs more from Thompson if it’s going to hit full steam at any point in 2023-24. 1 12-15-3
26

Blues
Jordan Binnington has started to cool off in a major way, and the Blues have fallen off as a result. St. Louis has now lost four straight games in regulation, and Binnington has a .898 save percentage and -1.12 goals saved above average in his last four appearances. Without Binnington playing out of his mind, the Blues will have trouble winning many games. 5 13-14-1
27

Canadiens
Juraj Slafkovsky, the former No. 1 overall pick, is still waiting to break out at the NHL level. In his second season with the Canadiens, Slafkovsky has two goals and five assists in 28 games. Slafkovsky is still only 19 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to find his game, but Montreal needs him to hit for its rebuild to really take the next step. — 12-13-4
28

Sharks
The Sharks have gone from one of the worst teams in NHL history to surprisingly frisky and exhilarating. They’ve played in some back-and-forth shootouts lately, and they scored game-tying goals with the goaltender pulled in three consecutive games. San Jose has some swagger, especially after a win over the Jets, and it might be worth staying up late and tuning into more of those games. 2 9-17-3
29

Blue Jackets
If you thought things couldn’t get any worse for the Blue Jackets, you would be very wrong. Their captain and leading scorer, Boone Jenner, is expected to miss six weeks with a fractured jaw. Just imagine how sweet it will be to have Adam Fantilli and Macklin Celebrini on the same team. — 9-16-5
30

Kraken
Vince Dunn looked like a bona fide No. 1 defenseman last season, but he appears to have taken a step back in 2023-24. Dunn is still putting up points at a decent rate, but his on-ice impacts have been far less pretty. The Kraken are just breaking even in terms of scoring chances and expected goals with Dunn in the game, and he has a minus-7 goal differential at five-on-five. 2 9-14-7
31

Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are pretty terrible, and they lost the battle of the Connors on Tuesday night. That said, Connor Bedard proved yet again he has what it take to be an all-world player with one of the filthiest shots you’ll ever see. Bedard changed the angle of his blade at the last second to avoid a poke check from Mattias Ekholm and ripped a seed over the shoulder of Stuart Skinner. Do yourself a favor and go watch it ASAP. 1 9-18-1
32

Ducks
As the Ducks shift their focus to the future, Adam Henrique’s name will probably come more often in trade speculation. Henrique is in the final year of his contract, but he has gotten off to a slow start this season. After scoring 22 goals in 62 games last year, Henrique has just five tallies in 26 games this year. He should still have some trade value for a playoff team looking to improve its middle six. 1 10-18-0