Originally posted on The Score
This is the 12th in-season edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2023-24 campaign. Check back for updated rankings every other Monday.
In this edition, we're highlighting one eyebrow-raising statistic for each squad.
Previous rank: 7
Nathan MacKinnon has been absurd on home ice this season. He has 28 goals, 76 points, and is a plus-22 in only 34 appearances at Ball Arena. With a point in every home contest so far, he's got a legitimate shot at reaching Wayne Gretzky's record 40-game home point streak.
Previous rank: 2
Artemi Panarin is one point away from 100, which will be a first in his career. When the Russian pulls it off - likely in his next game - he'll be the first Ranger to hit the century mark since Jaromir Jagr did it in 2005-06.
Previous rank: 6
The Hurricanes have allowed the fewest shots on goal per game (25.9). Carolina's lead is sizeable, too: The team allows nearly two fewer per contest (1.7) than the second-ranked Philadelphia Flyers.
Previous rank: 3
Vancouver has 98 points with 11 more games to go, which is already a 15-point improvement from last season. Most people expected the Canucks to be better in 2023-24, but did anyone expect them to be this much better?
Previous rank: 1
Remember when Matthew Tkachuk only had five goals in the 2023 portion of the season? The Panthers star has 18 since the turn of the calendar and went into Sunday tied for fourth in the league in points over that span.
Previous rank: 5
The Stars' once-vaunted defense has declined this season, but it's not as ho-hum as their 13th-ranked goals against per game (entering Sunday's action) would indicate. In fact, the Stars started the day with the league's third-fewest expected goals against per 60 minutes, allowing only 2.3 per night through 72 contests.
Previous rank: 4
Could the Bruins' surprisingly strong season be a mirage? Sure, Boston's winning plenty of games, but the club is barely driving possession. The Bs sat 15th in the league in expected goals for percentage (50.64) going into Sunday. That doesn't bode well if they want to avoid a second straight first-round upset.
Previous rank: 9
Connor McDavid is only nine assists away from 100, and he has 13 games to hit the mark. If he pulls it off, he'll be the first player to do it since Wayne Gretzky in 1990-91, and just the fourth player all-time to accomplish the feat alongside the Great One, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr.
Previous rank: 11
The Predators have gone 15-0-2 in their last 17 games, a run which has been well-documented. That's a standout stat on its own, but Filip Forsberg has been an animal over that stretch, totaling 14 goals and 25 points. He's four tallies and seven points away from establishing new career highs.
Previous rank: 8
Gabe Vilardi has played 32 fewer games than Pierre-Luc Dubois this season, but has more goals and trails him in points by only four. That's without factoring in Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and the extra second-round pick that allowed the Jets to go out and get Tyler Toffoli at the deadline. What a home-run deal for Kevin Cheveldayoff.
Previous rank: 12
In what's been an up-and-down campaign in L.A., Quinton Byfield's breakout remains one of the Kings' most important developments. The 2020 second overall pick has 19 goals and 51 points in 68 games this season - he had just eight goals and 33 points in 99 career contests prior.
Previous rank: 14
The Lightning have picked up at least one point in their last seven games to help solidify their hold on a wild-card spot. Nikita Kucherov has racked up an outlandish 17 points over that span, including back-to-back four-point outings. Gross, dude.
Previous rank: 10
Auston Matthews scored his first empty-net goal of the season on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. Before that, he was on pace to score 70 with every single tally having been scored against a netminder.
Previous rank: 13
No Mark Stone, no problem for Jonathan Marchessault. The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner is having a career year, but he's really turned up the dial since Stone went down. Marchessault leads Vegas with 10 goals in 14 games since Feb. 21. That's an increase from 0.54 per contest to 0.71.
Previous rank: 17
Alex Ovechkin had only eight goals through 43 contests this season, forcing some to question whether he'd actually chase down Gretzky's goal record. With 16 goals in his last 23 outings, Ovechkin has reminded us that he'll inevitably become the NHL's all-time goal king.
Previous rank: 16
The fastest player in the NHL this season isn't Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon. It's Owen Tippett. The rapid winger has the highest top speed all season at 24.2 miles per hour, according to NHL Edge.
Previous rank: 22
The Blues are a respectable 25-16-2 under interim bench boss Drew Bannister, and their .605 points percentage since he took over ranks 13th in the league. It's not as stunning as St. Louis' midseason turnaround in 2019, but it's still pretty good.
Previous rank: 20
Brock Faber has been the Wild rookie receiving the most attention this season - and rightfully so - but let's not overlook Marco Rossi. The 22-year-old pivot has 20 goals and 37 points after recording just one assist in 20 previous NHL contests.
Previous rank: 19
Uh, Patrick Kane's hips seem to be fine. The veteran has 16 goals and 39 points in 40 games after returning from offseason hip resurfacing surgery, a procedure which has not been too kind to NHLers in the past (sending good vibes to Nicklas Backstrom).
Previous rank: 15
Before the March 8 trade deadline, defenseman Noah Dobson was a point-per-game player with 64 in 62 outings. However, he's mustered just one assist in his last nine contests. It's not what we're used to from the rearguard, who forced his way into the Norris Trophy convo earlier this season.
Previous rank: 23
For a team that's struggled with goaltending all season long, Jake Allen's .923 save percentage across five appearances with the Devils is a breath of fresh air. The veteran struggled in his most recent start against the Senators, but he posted a clip above .940 in each of his four previous games.
Previous rank: 21
The Flames' downfall last season was not winning enough one-goal games. They ranked third-last with a .375 win percentage in those situations. Calgary has improved in that regard, but not nearly enough. The club entered Sunday tied for 21st at .458 in 2023-24.
Previous rank: 18
The Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend - a disappointing result after reaching the second round in their second season. But their goaltending situation should inspire some hope. Seattle came into Sunday with the fourth-best save percentage at five-on-five in the NHL (.925). Joey Daccord appears to be a real one.
Previous rank: 24
Rasmus Dahlin has been an absolute workhorse for the Sabres this season. Since Jan. 1, nobody has played more per game. The Swede logged over 30 minutes in three contests, none of which even went to overtime.
Previous rank: 25
Remember when the Penguins acquired Erik Karlsson, making us all think their star-studded power play would be explosive? Well, it's blown up, alright - and not in a good way. Pittsburgh went into Sunday tied with the Flames for the third-worst rate on the man advantage at 14.5%. Jake Guentzel's departure won't likely improve that number down the stretch.
Previous rank: 27
Connor Ingram's first 30 games this campaign were promising, as he went 17-9-1 with a .919 save percentage. But the wheels have fallen off since then. The Canadian goalie is 2-9-2 with a .884 mark in 13 appearances since Jan. 25, and he allowed at least four goals in six of those contests.
Previous rank: 26
Since mid-December, Juraj Slafkovsky has 13 goals and 31 points in 40 outings. The 2022 first overall pick has found his groove on the Canadiens' top line and his recent offensive breakout puts him on a trajectory to be a dominant power forward.
Previous rank: 28
Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets in assists and points this season. But when your leading point producer has only 52 in 71 games, that's not exactly a harbinger of team success.
Previous rank: 30
The Senators have played 30 contests with a save percentage under .880 and are 1-28-1 in those contests. Above that mark, Ottawa is 29-8-3. Those splits are a massive reason why it's another disappointing year for the Senators.
Previous rank: 31
Connor Bedard has amassed 55 points in 57 contests this season, while the Blackhawks have scored 156 tallies in 71 games. That means the rookie has factored in on around one-third of Chicago's goals despite missing time with a broken jaw.
Previous rank: 29
Olen Zellweger wasn't playing a big role when he first came up in January. But things have changed for the 20-year-old defenseman since then. He went into Sunday having averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in his 10 previous outings. The youngster has already worked his way up to the Ducks' top pairing.
Previous rank: 32
There are so many ugly stats associated with the Sharks, but the simplest distillation of their season is their minus-130 goal differential. Even the 31st-ranked Blackhawks aren't in triple digits (minus-99), and the 31-goal gap between them and San Jose is by far the largest among any two clubs in the NHL.
(Analytics sources: Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)
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Originally posted on The Score
Published: 8 months ago
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