NHL Power Rankings Week 7: Blue Jackets rising, Islanders at rock bottom

Just as the New Jersey Devils were hitting cruise control, they hit a significant speed bump when they lost Taylor Hall for the next few weeks. Even without him, they barely got a win over the Dallas Stars. However, their lack of offense has shown in recent losses to the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. Losing someone of Hall’s caliber is heartbreaking, but it’s been especially tough on the Devils. Still, Cory Schneider is a phenomenal goaltender. Maybe phenomenal enough to help them tread water without him. Devils fans should be thankful for a lot of things, but especially Hall and Schneider.

The San Jose Sharks have struggled so far this season. Pretty much nobody on their team is scoring outside of Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, and Joe Thornton. And even then, Thornton isn’t producing points at his usual level. Luckily, San Jose has been phenomenal defensively. So they certainly have a bit of a leash to get their offense going. Their xGF percentage (54.29 percent) and expected goals per 60 minutes (xGF60) of 2.74 suggests things will get better. But these are the Sharks, so no one would be surprised if they’re terribly unlucky for the whole season. San Jose fans, as always, should be thankful for the glorious beards of Thornton and Burns. Best two beards in the NHL.