TWC Power Rankings: Week 21

Welcome to Week 21 of the TWC Power Rankings! Here at TWC, we use a statistical model to effectively rank teams on a week to week basis. The model takes into effect winning percentages, CF%, SCF%, HDCF% as well as SV%. Each statistical category is weighed and scored differently, giving each team a unique TWC Score that determines their ranking after each week. The formula puts the highest emphasis on winning percentages over other statistics. All numbers are taken in all situations, to incorporate special teams into the fray. Don’t like where your team is ranked? Unfortunately, they will have to turn it around on the ice, as we take zero personal opinions into effect.

Rank	Change	Team		Last Week	Record	TWCScore
1	–		Tampa Bay Lightning	3-1-0	50-12-4	882.5
2	–		Calgary Flames	2-1-0	41-17-7	825.7
3	+2		Boston Bruins	3-0-0	39-17-9	811.8
4	-1		San Jose Sharks	2-1-0	39-19-8	811.4
5	-1		Toronto Maple Leafs	3-1-0	40-21-4	809.2
6	+1		Carolina Hurricanes	3-0-0	36-23-6	793.1
7	+7		Vegas Golden Knights	4-0-0	36-26-5	781.5
8	-2		New York Islanders	1-3-0	37-21-7	769.4
9	+4		Pittsburgh Penguins	2-0-1	34-22-9	766.9
10	+1		Winnipeg Jets	2-1-0	39-22-4	765.1
11	-3		Nashville Predators	2-2-0	38-25-5	762.6
12	+3		Washington Capitals	3-0-0	38-21-7	758.5
13	-1		Montreal Canadiens	2-2-0	35-24-7	754.4
14	-5		St Louis Blues	1-2-0	34-25-6	753.5
15	-5		Columbus Blue Jackets	1-3-0	36-26-3	746.7
16	–		Minnesota Wild	2-0-1	32-27-7	745.8
17	+3		Philadelphia Flyers	3-0-1	32-26-8	731.2
18	–		Dallas Stars	2-1-0	33-27-5	726.0
19	+3		Arizona Coyotes	3-0-0	32-28-5	711.7
20	-3		Colorado Avalanche	1-2-1	28-26-12	708.4
21	-2		Buffalo Sabres	1-3-0	30-27-8	700.8
22	-1		Florida Panthers	1-1-3	28-26-11	699.2
23	+1		Edmonton Oilers	2-1-1	28-30-7	678.8
24	-1		New York Rangers	0-1-2	27-27-11	676.2
25	+1		Vancouver Canucks	1-2-1	27-30-9	658.8
26	-1		New Jersey Devils	1-3-0	25-33-8	655.6
27	–		Chicago Blackhawks	1-2-0	27-30-9	651.2
28	+2		Los Angeles Kings	1-1-2	24-33-8	633.8
29	–		Anaheim Ducks	1-3-0	25-32-9	623.8
30	-2		Detroit Red Wings	0-2-0	23-33-9	622.2
31	–		Ottawa Senators	1-3-0	23-38-5	613.5

Power Ranking Notables

The Arizona Coyotes have clawed their way up in spite of having their entire roster injured for much of the season. They even held a wild card spot for a few minutes on Saturday night before the Minnesota Wild took that spot back. Wherever the Coyotes end up this season, it’s undoubtedly clear: they have faced much adversity and they’ve done an admirable job staying in a race they had no business being in.

The standings swap between the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders is reflected by TWCScore too. One team has strung together a good stretch of hockey, the other, not so much.

Consider the three races for the top spot in a division and what each TWCScore might suggest. The Calgary Flames lead the San Jose Sharks by a sizable gap. However, the Capitals are right there behind the Islanders now. The Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators? Nearly identical. It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out for these teams down the stretch.

Biggest Gainer and Loser

Gainer: Vegas Golden Knights (+7)

After being the biggest loser last week, the Vegas Golden Knights are now surging up our list and the Pacific Division. The blockbuster acquisition of Mark Stone has now made this team a legitimate threat yet again. Marc-Andre Fleury is playing at a Vezina calibre, while the forward depth on this team is as deep as ever. They are dominating play and their opponents, and after a 4-0-0 week they are up seven spots on our list.

Loser:  St. Louis Blues & Columbus Blue Jackets (-5)

The St. Louis Blues have fallen back down to earth a bit after going on a ridiculous tear in February. Their 1-2-0 week isn’t awful, but now has the third spot in the Central division race a bit closer than originally expected. The Columbus Blue Jackets, on the other hand, elicit a massive cringe. After going all out at the deadline, and leaving themselves with virtually no draft selections in June, the Jackets have gone 1-3-0 and now are out of a playoff spot. Could you imagine the hysteria should this team miss the post season? The surging Hurricanes have pushed the Jackets out of their division, but if a team is built to make a late season push; it would be Columbus.

What are your thoughts? Are you surprised where your team landed this week? Let us know at @wincolumnblog.

Related:

TWC Power Rankings:

Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

All data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.