Blackhawks' blowouts continue slide down Power Rankings

In this week’s power rankings, the Avalanche and Stars remain the class of the league while the Jets and Kraken continue their freefall. These power rankings are determined mostly by a team's win-loss record, but also by their recent performance, injuries, and the strength of the week's schedule. For example, if teams have similar records or point totals, they will receive a higher ranking based on who they played and the margins of victory. Teams will also be ranked higher or lower depending on how they have played over their last 10 games.

The Past Week (1-2-0)

The Blackhawks began their three-game California road trip with a win in Los Angeles. They did a good job of controlling the game, outshooting the Kings by nine and winning 2-1. However, in the next two games, the script was flipped on them. After beating the Kings, the Blackhawks came out against them again and played a good first period, but then forgot to show up in the last two periods as they were outshot 12-25 and outscored 0-6. The next night, the Ducks showed they were not about to be swept in the season series, defeating the Blackhawks by six goals again.

Obviously, the compete level has not been nearly high enough over the Blackhawks’ last five periods, as they have surrendered a staggering 78 shots in that span. Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom have played well while the rest of team has left them out to dry. These two games have shown to be outliers so far this year, while they have been the norm over the last few seasons.

Power Rankings

32 - Vancouver Canucks (11-16-3)
31 - Nashville Predators (11-14-4)
30 - Buffalo Sabres (12-14-4)
29 - Seattle Kraken (11-10-6)
28 - Calgary Flames (12-15-4)
27 - St. Louis Blues (11-13-7)
26 - Winnipeg Jets (14-14-1)
25 - Ottawa Senators (13-12-4)
24 - Chicago Blackhawks (12-11-6)
23 - Utah Mammoth (14-14-3)
22 - San Jose Sharks (14-14-3)
21 - Florida Panthers (14-12-2)
20 - Columbus Blue Jackets (13-11-6)
19 - Montreal Canadiens (15-11-3)
18 - Edmonton Oilers (13-11-6)
17 - New York Rangers (15-12-4)

16 - Toronto Maple Leafs (14-11-4)
15 - New Jersey Devils (17-12-1)
14 - Pittsburgh Penguins (14-7-7)
13 - Los Angeles Kings (14-8-7)
12 - Detroit Red Wings (16-11-3)
11 - Philadelphia Flyers (16-9-3)
10 - Boston Bruins (18-13-0)
9 - Tampa Bay Lightning (17-11-2)
8 - New York Islanders (17-11-3)
7 - Vegas Golden Knights (14-6-9)
6 - Carolina Hurricanes (18-9-2)
5 - Minnesota Wild (16-9-5)
4 - Anaheim Ducks (19-10-1)
3 - Washington Capitals (18-9-3)
2 - Dallas Stars (21-5-5)
1 - Colorado Avalanche (21-2-7)

Eastern Conference Teams Step Up

The Eastern Conference continues to show it is the most dominant, as the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Islanders all had winning weeks. The Buffalo Sabres, who are the team in last place in the conference, would only be three points behind a wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Washington Capitals continue their ascent towards the top of the league, as they are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and have taken sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Blues, Kraken, and Canucks Looking Like Sellers

I’m sure all of us Blackhawks fans have been pretty distraught watching the rough starts from both the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks. The Blues hold the league's worst goal differential at -30, and rumors continue to swirl around the Canucks selling their best players. The Kraken have regressed as well by losing six straight games. The good news for these teams is that they all play in the Western Conference, so a playoff position is not out of reach.

Looking Ahead

The Blackhawks are back home now, utilizing a different lineup than they have all year. They play at home tonight against the Rangers, at St. Louis (12/12), again at home versus Detroit (12/13), and finally at Toronto (12/16). There are definitely some winnable games during this stretch, and it would be good for the team's confidence to score some goals and gain some ground in the division to stay in the playoff race.