NHL Power Rankings Week 5: Rangers rise, Canucks are terrible

Even though the Minnesota Wild had a winless week, it isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds. Their defense is still playing extremely well, allowing just three goals in their two losses. However, the offense simply went cold, scoring just one goal. Minnesota’s offense is too talented to stay cold for an extended period of time. Bruce Boudreau is too good of a coach to allow a blip on the radar affect how he does business. Their 49.66 even strength xGF percentage is a bit concerning, but looking at Boudreau’s resume, it’s safe to say that will change. As long as they continue to play sound defense, their offense should be able to score enough to win.

What a difference a week makes. Last week, the Tampa Bay Lightning were on life support after losing three straight games. They rebounded by beating the New York Islanders 6-1 and getting a point in three of their four games last week. However, the Lightning’s defense is a bit concerning. While their offense has been fine, scoring over three goals per game, Tampa Bay has allowed 2.85 goals per game, the 11th most in the NHL. They have to play better than that if they want to beat the Capitals, Penguins, and Rangers in the playoffs.