Spooky season may be over, but it seems like it’s only beginning for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The first few weeks of the 2022-23 NHL season have passed by in a blur, but November is officially here! The real meat of the hockey season is still to come, as the opening weeks have been quite the feeling out process for the good majority of the NHL.
Of course, there are teams like the Maple Leafs that are facing real hard questions as the first full month of the season begins in earnest. Time will tell if Toronto — and others on this list — can turn things around, but that’s all part of the fun of hockey season, is it not?
So, dig on into that leftover Halloween candy and take a gander at our NHL power rankings for November 2022!
32
Anaheim Ducks (2-6-1)
Last ranked: 22
John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz have a combined .889 save percentage entering November and the Ducks sit second to last in the NHL in goals scored (20) over nine games played. Bad goaltending and an inability to score are two things you never want to see on a NHL team at the same time.
31
Vancouver Canucks (2-5-2)
Last ranked: 21
The Canucks have a whole host of problems to their name. While a pair of wins snapped a seven-game losing streak to open the season, this Vancouver team is in dire straits and in need of a boost, especially on defense.
30
Arizona Coyotes (2-5-1)
Last ranked: 32
As expected, the Coyotes are well and truly tanking, but their early season woes were at least anticipated. And hey, their new (temporary) home at Mullett Arena looks quite nice too!
29
Columbus Blue Jackets (3-7-0)
Last ranked: 23
Johnny Gaudreau may have eight points (5 goals) in nine games, but unfortunately for Columbus he’s the only one contributing on offense right now. All of the Blue Jackets’ losses this season have been by three or more goals as well, making Gaudreau’s warm welcome fall demonstrably flat.
28
San Jose Sharks (3-8-0)
Last ranked: 27
The good news? Erik Karlsson is on a point-per-game pace through 11 games and is starting to look like his old self again. The bad news? Everything else for the Sharks, who continue to be defensive liabilities despite Karlsson’s resurgence.
27
St. Louis Blues (3-5-0)
Last ranked: 12
The Blues lost six straight to close out October and gave up three or more goals in each of those games. Jordan Binnington hasn’t been great recently, but the real problem for the Blues is their scoring, which is dead last in the NHL with just 19 goals in a lethargic effort so far from the St. Louis offense.
26
Nashville Predators (3-5-1)
Last ranked: 13
Juuse Saros had an up-and-down October (2-4-1, .910 save percentage), which is not something you want to see from a former Vezina nominee on a team with playoff aspirations. The bigger let down so far from the Predators is the team’s offense, which was a top-half club last year but has since had trouble getting going, with Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg having scored only two goals each on the season.
25
Seattle Kraken (4-4-2)
Last ranked: 26
It’s fair to say Shane Wright has not had the start he wanted to his NHL career. Wright’s played only five games this season as he continues to be healthy scratched for Seattle, signaling that he just might not be ready for NHL ice time quite yet. That being said, the Kraken are a top-five offense in the NHL (33 goals) thanks to the contributions of Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, and Matthew Beniers. Seattle would rank much higher on these rankings if their goaltending wasn’t costing them close games so far in the early going.
24
Chicago Blackhawks (4-3-2)
Last ranked: 31
Max Domi has seemingly recaptured his old mojo after putting up seven points (four goals) in nine games to start the 2022-23 season. And in net, Alex Stalock (3-2-1, .914 save percentage) has really settled into the starter’s role as well. These Blackhawks won’t be Stanley Cup contenders, that’s for sure, but maybe they’re not a complete dumpster fire like we all thought?
23
Ottawa Senators (4-4-0)
Last ranked: 16
After being one of the big winners of the summer, the Senators have had a disappointing start to the 2022-23 season. The loss of Cam Talbot to injury has meant that Anton Forsberg’s had to step up in net to stabilize the tide and he’s been… perfectly average. The Senators have generated enough offense to be a top-10 goalscoring team entering November, but nothing’s been truly inspiring as of yet.
22
Montreal Canadiens (5-4-0)
Last ranked: 28
Cole Caufield’s tied for second in the NHL scoring race with seven goals in nine games. Nick Suzuki’s doing just fine as the youngest Canadiens captain with 10 points in nine games played as well. October was a good month for this young Canadiens team, but they’ll have to find ways to be consistent in a tough Atlantic Division for me to believe in them as playoff hopefuls.
21
Washington Capitals (5-4-1)
Last ranked: 19
The Capitals may have a winning record, but their October schedule was kind to them after two tough early season opponents in the Bruins and Hurricanes. Injuries have really hampered Washington’s plans this season and it’d be easy to give them a pass because of it, but I’d like to see this team play some harder teams before fully believing in their potential.
20
Philadelphia Flyers (5-2-1)
Last ranked: 29
Carter Hart’s been incredible this season (5-0-1, .938 save percentage) and John Tortorella has clearly given this team a much-needed boost, but no one believes these are the real Flyers, right? It seems like the Flyers are riding on Philadelphia’s overall good vibes these last few weeks because this does not feel sustainable at all.
19
Los Angeles Kings (6-5-0)
Last ranked: 15
Gabriel Vilardi had a breakout October for the Kings, posting eight goals and 13 points over 11 games as Los Angeles rode some ups and downs during the month. This team really is a tale of two stats, as the Kings are first in the NHL in goals scored (40) and second in goals allowed (41). Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
18
New Jersey Devils (6-3-0)
Last ranked: 25
Despite their combined save percentage of .887, Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood have allowed the seventh-fewest goals in the NHL so far this season. As such, the Devils are a bit of an enigma right now. Jesper Bratt had a 15-point month as Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes continue to produce. Time will tell if things are finally clicking for this Devils team or if they’ll regress back to their old ways.
17
Minnesota Wild (4-4-1)
Last ranked: 9
With Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov at the helm, the Wild’s offense has been more than capable throughout the first month of the season. It’s the goaltending, however, that’s let the Wild down so far, as Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson have a combined .878 save percentage after the first few weeks. While Fleury’s been able to close out games for Minnesota (he had a 4-1-1 record in October), backup Gustavsson has not recorded a win yet this season.
16
Toronto Maple Leafs (4-4-2)
Last ranked: 4
Oh, the Maple Leafs. After losing four straight to end October — with a dismal overtime loss to the last-place Ducks to cap it all off — the Maple Leafs are in a spiral of misery once again. Sheldon Keefe is officially on the hot seat after a disastrous West Coast road trip that now has Toronto desperately searching for answers. Will getting back home ease the Maple Leafs’ toiling or is a big shakeup headed Toronto’s way over the next few weeks? It’s hard to say, but for all of you drama lovers out there, the Maple Leafs continue to provide and then some.
15
Detroit Red Wings (4-3-2)
Last ranked: 20
A year removed from stealing Binnington’s job in St. Louis, Ville Husso is once again putting on a show. This time, however, he’s doing it for the Red Wings with a 3-1-1 record and a .926 save percentage after October. The lack of offense is concerning — as are Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond’s slow starts — but great goaltending can carry teams in the NHL and so far, the Red Wings are benefiting big time from Husso.
14
Pittsburgh Penguins (4-4-1)
Last ranked: 10
The Penguins strong 4-0-1 start to the season has since been torpedoed after four straight ugly losses. All four of Pittsburgh’s wins saw the team score six goals each as they beat up on their opponents, but a recent cold streak has the team scoring three goals total over their last three losses. Sidney Crosby and the gang have shown real moments of brilliance this season, but when this team falls apart they’re a mess. The heart of this team, however, probably lies somewhere in the middle.
13
Winnipeg Jets (5-3-1)
Last ranked: 24
Connor Hellebuyck (4-2-1, .931 save percentage) has his groove back and the Jets have come off of the starting block looking stronger than expected because of it. Last month was the best stretch Hellebuyck’s had since November 2021, a good sign for a Jets team that’s been rudderless for some time. As of now, it seems as if Winnipeg is adjusting well to Rick Bowness’s coaching and the lack of a captain, but we’ll see if they can keep up once the bigger powerhouses in the Central start to wake up.
12
Buffalo Sabres (6-3-0)
Last ranked: 30
After a rough development period, Rasmus Dahlin is finally coming into his own at the NHL level. With six goals and 12 points in nine games played — as a defenseman, mind you — Dahlin’s had an incredible start to the season for Buffalo. Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention 41-year-old Craig Anderson, who has seemingly turned back the hands of time after starting the season 3-0-0 with a .946 save percentage. The Sabres have a tough road ahead in the Atlantic, but it feels good to see them making waves early on after so many years of misery.
11
New York Islanders (5-4-0)
Last ranked: 14
Ilya Sorokin’s 41-save shutout of the Rangers was just what the doctor ordered after giving up five to the Lightning in his previous start. This Islanders team scores in bunches, but has been able to win three-straight against legitimate playoff contenders in New York, Carolina, and Colorado to cap off October. If the Islanders can just be more consistent, they could very well be on their way to getting back into the playoff mix.
10
New York Rangers (5-3-2)
Last ranked: 3
The Rangers had a rare four-game skid during October — New York didn’t lose four-straight at all last season — but bounced back nicely with two wins to cap off the month. Igor Shesterkin has yet to lose in regulation (5-0-2, .913 save percentage) and the Rangers offense is still in the top-10 so there’s no need for panic just yet. Still, it would be nice to see more out of this Rangers team because we know just how good they can be.
9
Tampa Bay Lightning (5-4-0)
Last ranked: 2
We all know the Lightning hit cruise control during the regular season and that’s been no different since the 2022-23 campaign began. After shaking off a 1-3-0 start, Tampa Bay has found its groove once more as Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 12 points in nine games. Andrei Vasilevskiy hasn’t been a world beater yet (3-3-0, .910 save percentage), but there’s been nothing to suggest he won’t once again be one of the top goaltenders in the league by season’s end.
8
Colorado Avalanche (4-4-1)
Last ranked: 1
It’s no real surprise to see the Avalanche also take a bit to find their footing after a long, Stanley Cup winning summer. Colorado has lost four of their last six games, with the team’s offense struggling a bit with a 19th best 3.11 goals for per game through the first month of the season. That being said, so far newcomer Alexandar Georgiev has done his job in net with a 4-1-1 record and a .918 save percentage as he’s seemingly rebounded from his last year in New York in a big way so far.
7
Dallas Stars (5-3-1)
Last ranked: 18
Jason Robertson picked up right where he left off last season, as the 24-year-old forward leads the Stars with four goals and 10 points in nine games played. All that without much practice time either, as Robertson signed a contract for the season just days before the new year began. Sure, the Stars have lost three of their last four games, but it’s hard to be too down on this team right now when Jake Oettinger is putting up a .952 save percentage and a 5-1-0 record. These Stars could very well be the real deal with a revitalized offense and a stud goaltender.
6
Florida Panthers (5-3-1)
Last ranked: 8
Matthew Tkachuk has settled in nicely with his new team, as he leads the Panthers in goals (five) and points (13) as November begins. Much like last year, the Panthers’ goaltending is still a bit suspect, as both Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight sit under .900 in the early goings of the season. While the Panthers offense may not be as juiced as it was last year, if the team can be more consistent and defensively responsible they should continuously be a top team in the NHL with the talent they have.
5
Edmonton Oilers (6-3-0)
Last ranked: 7
As everyone predicted, Connor McDavid leads the NHL in goals (nine) and points (18) after netting two hat tricks in October. The Oilers have the NHL’s fourth-best offense (34 goals) as McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have racked up the points. If you’re an Oilers fan, you have to hope Jack Campbell settles in a bit more after a shaky month — especially after allowing five goals to Chicago — but at least Stuart Skinner’s been incredible in the few games he’s played so far this year.
Sure, the Oilers may allow a five-goal night every so often, but they’ve shown on more than one occasion they can outscore their opponents by sheer force of will.
4
Carolina Hurricanes (6-2-1)
Last ranked: 6
The Hurricanes remain a complete package of a team, even with a glut of injuries to start the 2022-23 season. Andrei Svechnikov is leading the Hurricanes with eight goals and Brent Burns is starting to get into a rhythm on defense after scoring in back-to-back games. A 6-2 dud of a loss to the Islanders is the only major blemish mark on the Hurricanes’ otherwise strong opening month.
3
Calgary Flames (5-2-0)
Last ranked: 5
It feels like the Flames have been quietly good over the last few weeks. Part of that is because the team has only played seven games this season — and two over the last week — but don’t be fooled, Calgary is still as deadly as they come. Nazem Kadri has been as advertised (four goals, nine points) as the team has spread around the scoring wealth in the early goings. The Flames may be wanting for overall goals right now (24, sixth-worst in the NHL) but expect that to change as the team plays more games.
2
Vegas Golden Knights (8-2-0)
Last ranked: 17
There were legitimate reasons to doubt the Golden Knights this past offseason but so far, the team is going above and beyond to prove the haters wrong. Vegas’ top line of Jack Eichel, Chandler Stephenson, and Mark Stone has been lethal together and has been causing opponents fits when matched up on the ice. And the Golden Knights’ biggest question mark — the goaltending — has been stellar so far this season between Adin Hill and Logan Thompson’s combined .941 save percentage. If the Golden Knights can keep up this relentless pace, watch out.
1
Boston Bruins (8-1-0)
Last ranked: 11
Okay Boston, we see you! Brad Marchand made a surprise return to the Bruins lineup from a long injury and scored two goals and an assist in his first game back. David Pastrnak’s also got 17 points already on the season, for goodness sake! If this is how the Bruins are playing without Charlie McAvoy in the lineup, the rest of the NHL should be on notice. It’s safe to say no one could have predicted the Bruins’ stunning first month performance after all the questions they had coming into the season.
You can watch the 2022-23 NHL season streaming on ESPN+.
