NHL December power rankings: Flyers on the rise, Sabres in freefall

American Thanksgiving is over and the NHL has entered its third month of play. Here’s where all 31 teams stand as the holiday season comes into view.

The NHL has officially passed American Thanksgiving on the calendar this past week. Hockey is in full swing, as the quarter mark of the 2019-20 NHL season has come and gone as teams have settled into the game.

Sunday marked the first day of December as we near the NHL’s second full month of play. Much of the news that dominated the past week had little to do with on-ice hockey games, but hockey games have been played and the standings have seen quite a shakeup since we last did these power rankings.

With the holiday season in full swing, here’s how we’ve ranked the NHL’s 31 teams at the beginning of December.

The Red Wings have lost seven straight and have a 1-7-2 record in their last 10 games. Tank mode in full effect here as Detroit has the league’s worst goal differential at minus-53 on the season.

With the news that the Devils are starting to field offers on Taylor Hall, New Jersey’s playoff hopes have effectively been dashed. Last place in the Metropolitan Division and second-last in the NHL is a deep hole to climb out of.

The Ducks slide 11 spots backward this month after a horrific month of November. Anaheim won three games all month and have been playing terrible hockey after a strong start to the season.

The Kings have the NHL’s worst road record on the season and the league’s third-worst power play percentage through 27 games. Not much change here for Los Angeles, sadly.

The Blue Jackets have the NHL’s fifth-worst goal differential (-14) on the season. Joonas Korpisalo played better in net in November, but the netminder has only crested the 30-game threshold once in his career and will be depended on a lot in Columbus in order to make the playoffs.

Chicago started out November hot, but have trailed off at the end of the month, winning just one of their last six games to close out the month. The Blackhawks are not a great road team as well, with a 3-5-3 record away from the United Center this year.

Ottawa ranks in at 25th thanks to a better month of November with eight wins to their name. However, the Senators have lost their last four games and have no real avenue to a playoff berth.

The Wild didn’t have a losing streak above two games in the month of November, but didn’t have a winning streak above two games the entire month either. Minnesota does have a 7-1-2 record at home and are just two points out of a wild card spot.

The firing of Bill Peters was likely on the way regardless of what came to light last week. The Flames have only two double-digit goal scorers on their roster, plus had a six-game losing skid in mid-November.

The Rangers have been better as of late, as the team is three points out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Artemi Panarin, however, is the lone scorer to hit double-digits in goals on the season, and that can’t continue if they want success this year.

Vegas managed to snag just five wins in the month of November, pushing them far down the rankings after starting strong this season. Backup goaltending behind Marc-Andre Fleury continues to be a problem for this team.

The Predators have also fallen far in the power rankings this month. Nashville had a six-game losing streak in November, and the heathy scratching of Kyle Turris remains a problem for this team.

Buffalo won three games in November and have slid out of our good graces after a 9-2-2 start to the year. Carter Hutton has imploded in net, and backup Linus Ullmark hasn’t been much better for the team.

An eight-game losing streak has followed Montreal out of the month of November. The Canadiens got into the extra frame three times during that stretch, but have yet to win a game in regulation since Nov. 15.

The Lightning have played better in the month of November, but are still on the outside looking in on the playoff race. The two-spot drop comes more from the teams that have jumped them in the standings than any fault of their own.

The Sheldon Keefe era has started well for Toronto, as the Maple Leafs have picked up wins in four of their last five games. A six-game losing streak in mid-November cut into their potential to make a jump, but the team is in third place in the Atlantic after stabilizing.

The Sharks lost just four times in the month of November, completing a turn-around many believed to be a difficult task after how poor the team looked in October. San Jose is well within striking distance of the top spot in the Pacific, but still have the potential to be volatile.

The Canucks had a tough November after starting off the 2019-20 NHL season with a 8-3-1 record. Vancouver gave up four or more goals six times during the month of November, not at all a recipe for success.

Winnipeg made a big jump up the standings in the month of November. The team added 10 wins over their last month of play as 23-year-old Nikolaj Ehlers has emerged as the Jets’ top scorer this season.

The Panthers have the NHL’s third-worst goals allowed per game (93) this season, and yet are still holding on to a playoff spot. The scoring touches of Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov are keeping them in this thing.

A slew of injuries has not stopped the Penguins from keeping ahold of a key wild card spot this season. The team’s goal-differential of plus-15 is a testament to the team’s system, with a 10-3-2 home record helping too.

Dallas makes the jump into the top 10 this month after a disastrous start to their 2019-20 season. The Stars lost just three times in November and comfortably sit in a wild card spot after being left in the dust in October.

The Coyotes have a secure hold on the second place spot in the Pacific Division. Arizona has gone 8-3-3 on the road this season, and are getting stellar netminding from their duo of Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta.

Carolina has stumbled a bit since opening the first month of the season with a 8-3-1 record. The Hurricanes still have a hold on the Eastern Conference’s first wild card spot, and have a solid plus-12 goal differential this year.

The Flyers are the NHL’s fifth best team coming into December after having the most points in the NHL in the month of November. The blown leads that lead to extra time are a bit concerning, but the team is finding ways to win despite it all.

Colorado ended November by winning five of their last seven games, and while the team has dealt with injuries this year, their goal-differential of plus-22 is best in the West after 26 games played. Nathan MacKinnon has yet to slow down this year as the team’s best point producer with 42 points on the season.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are single-handedly dragging Edmonton to a playoff spot, with 49 and 48 points respectively for the two of them this season. The breakout goaltending of Mikko Koskinen has also helped the Oilers this season keep their top standing in the Pacific.

The Blues are succeeding without Vladimir Tarasenko in their lineup, quite an incredible feat. St. Louis has the third-most goals for on the season this year, as Brayden Schenn has helped lead the charge on offense.

Offense isn’t the Islanders strong-suit this season, as the team has the sixth-worst goals-for on the season. Even still, the Islanders rattled off a 17-game point streak from mid-October to late-November as they’ve allowed a league-fewest 58 goals against this season.

Washington has been incredibly consistent this season, with just four losses in the month of November. Alex Ovechkin is on pace for another 50-plus goal season and defenseman John Carlson remains the team’s top scorer.

The Bruins remain on top of December’s power rankings after an impressive month of November. Boston has the league’s best goal differential (+32) and have yet to lose a game by more than two goals this season. So far this year, no one has been able to stop the duo of David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.