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

Look at the Columbus Blue Jackets. While their victory over the Montreal Canadiens should be taken with a grain of salt, they’ve been playing better as of late. However, this is largely due to some trends which might not continue. The first is the incredible play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. He’s been nothing short of brilliant this season, ranking fifth among goalies with at least 150 minutes in even strength save percentage (94.58 percent). While Bobrovsky has a Vezina Trophy on his resume, this probably isn’t going to continue because Columbus is one of the worst possession teams in the NHL. Secondly, they rely a bit too much on their power play. You can have success like this (see: Washington Capitals), but you also need to be at least solid at even strength. Columbus doesn’t have that going for them.

Due to injuries to Jack Eichel and Evander Kane, the Buffalo Sabres have been a bit shorthanded so far. Despite that, they’ve been playing very well as of late. Their even strength xGF percentage of 52.56 reflects this. This is largely due to the impressive play of Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo. It’s been up to them to produce consistently and carry a significant load on a nightly basis. They’ve been up to the task. Robin Lehner has been extraordinary for them, proving to be a quality NHL starting goaltender.