Since Dec. 29, the Panthers are averaging six goals per game, and they have scored nine goals twice in that stretch. Some shooting luck has certainly contributed to that, but the Panthers are simply outplaying opposing teams. Their 55.91% expected goals share at five-on-five is evidence of that.
2Colorado currently sits in first place in the Central Division, despite having played four fewer games than the Predators. The scary thing about this Avs team is that the goaltending has been below average to average so far. If Darcy Kuemper can settle in, Colorado will be almost impossible to beat.
3Who leads the Lightning in individual expected goals at five-on-five? It's not Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli or Ondrej Palat. Instead, 36-year-old Corey Perry is tops in that department, and he has been great at creating chances for the Bolts.
4Evgeni Malkin made his triumphant return to the Penguins' lineup on Tuesday night, and all he did was notch a pair of goals and an assist. Pittsburgh has been brilliant without Malkin, so if he is back at full health, the team could make a run at the top spot in the Metro Division.
5Auston Matthews has five goals in his last four games, which brings him to 25 on the season. He is now just one goal behind Alex Ovechkin and Leon Draisitl for the league lead, and Matthews still maintains his NHL lead in expected goals created at five-on-five (10.78).
6The Bruins are 8-1-0 in their last nine games, and they have been utterly dominant over that run. Their 60.78% expected goals share at five-on-five since Jan. 1 leads the league. With Tuukka Rask returning to the lineup, Boston is going to be a problem for the East throughout the rest of the season.
7This Rangers team is built around a few cornerstone pieces, and Adam Fox might be the most important. In the 694 minutes Fox has been on the ice at five-on-five, the Rangers have scored 32 goals and allowed 23. In the 1,200 minutes without Fox, that goal differential craters to -11.
8The Hurricanes laid a massive egg in a 6-0 loss to the Blue Jackets, but they bounced back nicely in a 4-2 win over the Canucks. Carolina will have a chance to make a statement on Tuesday night when it heads to Boston for a showdown between two of the best teams in the conference.
9After getting off to a hot start, Jordan Binnington has been somewhat disappointing. Since Nov. 11, he has started 13 games and allowed three or more goals in 10 of those starts. The Blues have been able to overcome those struggles, but can they keep that up?
10The Golden Knights are 1-2-2 since Jan. 1, but they have been getting rather unlucky. Vegas has out-chanced every opponent in that stretch, but it hasn't quite gotten the wins to go with those strong efforts.
11It was a weird week for the Predators. A thrilling win over the Avalanche and an overtime loss to the Bruins aren't reasons to drop a team in the rankings, but giving the Sabres their first win since Dec. 16 is.
12The wins have been spaced out quite a bit, but the Wild have now won three games in a row, and it looks like they're starting to get back on track. Speaking of getting back on track, Kevin Fiala now has six points in his last five games. After a slow start, Fiala was rumored to be on the trade block, but would that change if he finds his game?
13The Kings are doing their part to make things interesting in the Pacific Division. Since the NHL resumed play on Dec. 28, Los Angeles has controlled 60.15% of the expected goals at five-on-five. New pieces like Viktor Arvidsson, Phillip Danault, and Alex Edler have had a big hand in that success.
14Washington is now 1-3-2 since the calendar flipped to 2022, and the team has been playing middling hockey over that time. Alex Ovechkin has cooled off somewhat since his torrid start to the season, but he has notched goals in back-to-back games.
15The Jets have only played four games since Dec. 20, but they have fared pretty well in those contests. Winnipeg will really have the chance to prove itself this week with road games against the Capitals, Predators, Bruins, and Penguins.
16The Ducks have lost three in a row and eight of their last 10, and it looks like they may be coming back down to Earth after a surprising start. Anaheim is tied for the second most goals allowed since Jan. 1 (26), and a defensive corps that had some questions coming into the season has begun to leak of late.
17Dallas is about to have to make a decision on its season. The Stars are just four points out of a playoff spot, but they also have to jump four other teams to get there. That's possible, but the team may also look to sell off some veterans who could return value in a trade. Sportsnet's Jeff Marek has already reported that Dallas is actively shopping defenseman John Klingberg.
18The Bruce Boudreau Canucks got their first major test last week, and it did not go very well. In a gauntlet that featured games against the Panthers, Lightning, Hurricanes, and Capitals, Vancouver went 1-3-0.
19The Flames' skid continued with a loss to the Senators last week. Calgary hasn't had enough games to play its way out of this slump, and a brutal stretch won't get any easier with a game against the Panthers on Tuesday night.
20If there is any good news for the Islanders these days, it's that Mathew Barzal has warmed up after a disastrous start to the season. He has 14 points in his last 10 games, and the team has controlled 58.77% of the expected goals with him on the ice over that span.
21The Sharks still have some work to do, but they have put themselves in position to battle for a playoff spot in the second half of the season. That has a lot to do with Time Meier, who is second in the NHL in expected goals created at five-on-five with 10.7.
22Chicago has won four straight games, and Marc-Andre Fleury has been stellar in goal for those victories. It's too late for Chicago to make the playoffs, but Fleury could still increase his trade value if the team wanted to shop him before the deadline.
23The Senators are in the midst of a mini run right now, having won two games in a row and six of their last 10. More importantly, young players like Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk have flashed with both of them scoring eight goals over the team's last 12 games.
24The Red Wings have surrendered more high-danger chances at five-on-five than any other team this season, and it is coming back to bite them now. Detroit is 3-5-2 in its last 10 games, and the gap between the team and a playoff spot is gargantuan.
25Just when you think things can't get any worse for the Oilers, they lose to the Senators. Edmonton still can't buy a save, and none of the team's goaltenders are above sea level when it comes to goals saved above average this season.
26Even with a 6-0 win over the Hurricanes, Columbus' goal differential got worse this week after a 9-2 beatdown at the hands of the Panthers. If it's any consolation, the Blue Jackets didn't let them hit double digits.
27The Flyers' losing streak is now seven, and they have yet to win a game in 2022. Their defense has been a mess all season, but especially lately. Ryan Ellis hasn't been healthy, Rasmus Ristolainen has taken a step back after a surprising start, and Ivan Provorov hasn't been able to dig out of an early hole.
28The Coyotes were feisty this week. They beat the Maple Leafs and took the Avalanche to a shootout. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka gets a special shoutout for saving a whopping 4.89 goals above expected in that win over Toronto.
29New Jersey's underlying numbers have actually been decent this season, but the goaltending has really let the team down. If the Devils were getting average goaltending, the Eastern Conference playoff race might not be so boring.
30The Kraken have now lost six straight games, and nothing is working for them these days. Not only is the goaltending still at the bottom of the league, but the offense has fallen off a cliff too. It's hard to win when you can't score or stop other teams from scoring.
31Buffalo was on the wrong end of one of the most lopsided games of the season when the Lightning beat them 6-1. In that loss, the Sabres mustered just 0.55 expected goals at five-on-five while allowing 2.30 expected goals in those situations. To Buffalo's credit the team came back strong with a win against the Predators just two days later.
32Montreal has collected just one win and five points since Dec. 1, which is dead last in the NHL. The good people of Quebec have already started digging into film on Shane Wright and the other top prospects in the 2022 draft.
