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

The Montreal Canadiens’ historic start to their season ended in about the worst way possible – a 10-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. They didn’t fare too much better on Saturday, though they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4. Last week, the Canadiens started to show their flaws. Carey Price and Al Montoya have perhaps spoiled Montreal by masking some issues. Every one of those issues reared its ugly head last week. Price is the main reason why they beat the Canucks 3-0. Their defense and penalty kill were abysmal against the Blue Jackets and Flyers. Montreal has not been playing nearly as well as their record suggests. That’s concerning considering this is what happened to them last season. The difference? This year they have Price.

Give credit to the Chicago Blackhawks. Head coach Joel Quenneville and the players realized they had issues. They worked them out and enter the week with a six game winning streak. During the streak, they have outscored opponents 22-8. Chicago’s penalty kill has been improving after being historically bad. This is why the Blackhawks are consistently good. They adapt better than any other NHL team and know how to solve issues.