NHL Power Rankings: Oilers and Maple Leafs rising, Blues on top

While the New York Islanders are not off to an ideal start, there is still hope for them. Their defense is playing quite well. That was supposed to be the primary problem with the team going into the season, so it’s encouraging their defense is playing well. Jarsoslav Halak and Thomas Greiss have both shown they are capable of playing well enough to keep their team in games.

That said, their offense has to get it together. Probably the biggest issue is a lack of consistency. John Tavares is one of the best centers in the NHL. He doesn’t deserve to have a merry-go-round of right wings. Tavares needs to build chemistry with someone. It’s not happening so far. Head coach Jack Capuano has to pick someone and give them an extended chance.

The Arizona Coyotes are a hard team to judge because they’ve only played one game. This forces judgment of a team based on an extremely small sample size. But even though they beat the Philadelphia Flyers, it was a very ugly win.

What’s concerning is the Flyers dominated the game. Without looking at the score, the Flyers were the better team. They dominated possession and Mike Smith had to be very strong between the pipes to get them a win. The way they kept fighting and got the win is certainly an encouraging sign, so take this NHL power ranking with a grain of salt.