American Thanksgiving has passed, which is typically a good litmus test in terms of if your team is in or out come playoff time. A few teams hit that mark with ease, while a wealth of teams are on the edge. Where did your team land in Week 7 of the TWC NHL Power Rankings?
TWC Power Rankings explained
If you’re new to our power rankings, this is how it all works.
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.
We got some excellent feedback over the course of last season from our readers as to how we could improve this model moving forward. This year we have slightly altered the weightings of the statistical categories, but also re-worked the recency component to make sure that each week the teams that are riding hot streaks are more appropriately demonstrated in the rankings.
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.
Have any suggestions for the TWC Power Rankings for next season? Leave us a comment and let us know. Without further ado, this week’s power rankings are below!
Week 7 NHL Power Rankings
| Rank | Change | Team | Team Name | Last Week | Record | TWCScore |
| 1 | +1 |  | New Jersey Devils | 3-1-0 | 18-4-0 | 867.6 |
| 2 | -1 |  | Boston Bruins | 2-1-0 | 18-3-0 | 857.5 |
| 3 | +5 |  | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3-0-1 | 13-5-5 | 749.6 |
| 4 | -1 |  | Vegas Golden Knights | 2-2-0 | 16-6-1 | 745.1 |
| 5 | +4 |  | Seattle Kraken | 3-0-0 | 13-5-3 | 740.6 |
| 6 | +1 |  | Colorado Avalanche | 2-1-0 | 12-6-1 | 732.5 |
| 7 | +6 |  | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1-1-0 | 12-7-1 | 728.6 |
| 8 | -3 |  | Winnipeg Jets | 3-1-0 | 13-6-1 | 728.2 |
| 9 | -5 |  | Carolina Hurricanes | 1-1-2 | 11-6-5 | 725 |
| 10 | +5 |  | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2-1-0 | 11-8-3 | 717.9 |
| 11 | +3 |  | New York Islanders | 4-0-0 | 15-8-0 | 703.4 |
| 12 | -6 |  | Dallas Stars | 1-1-2 | 12-6-4 | 701.9 |
| 13 | -2 |  | Florida Panthers | 1-0-1 | 10-8-3 | 699.7 |
| 14 | +7 |  | Detroit Red Wings | 2-0-0 | 11-5-4 | 692.2 |
| 15 | +1 |  | Los Angeles Kings | 1-1-1 | 12-9-3 | 683.2 |
| 16 | -6 |  | New York Rangers | 1-2-0 | 10-8-4 | 683.1 |
| 17 | +2 |  | Minnesota Wild | 2-1-0 | 10-9-2 | 662.8 |
| 18 | – |  | Edmonton Oilers | 1-2-0 | 11-10-0 | 653.4 |
| 19 | +1 |  | St Louis Blues | 2-2-0 | 11-10-0 | 650.8 |
| 20 | +6 |  | Montreal Canadiens | 2-1-0 | 11-9-1 | 643.2 |
| 21 | -4 |  | Nashville Predators | 1-1-0 | 9-9-2 | 637.2 |
| 22 | -10 |  | Calgary Flames | 1-2-1 | 9-9-3 | 636.5 |
| 23 | +2 |  | Vancouver Canucks | 3-1-0 | 9-10-3 | 622.1 |
| 24 | – |  | Washington Capitals | 2-1-0 | 9-11-3 | 618.9 |
| 25 | +4 |  | Ottawa Senators | 2-2-0 | 8-12-1 | 612 |
| 26 | -4 |  | San Jose Sharks | 1-2-1 | 7-13-4 | 597.8 |
| 27 | -4 |  | Buffalo Sabres | 2-1-0 | 9-12-0 | 576.6 |
| 28 | -1 |  | Columbus Blue Jackets | 0-2-0 | 7-12-1 | 567.5 |
| 29 | -1 |  | Philadelphia Flyers | 0-3-1 | 7-10-5 | 538.3 |
| 30 | +2 |  | Arizona Coyotes | 1-1-2 | 7-10-3 | 533.6 |
| 31 | -1 |  | Chicago Blackhawks | 0-2-1 | 6-11-4 | 518.8 |
| 32 | -1 |  | Anaheim Ducks | 1-3-0 | 6-15-1 | 494 |
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Week 7 Highlights
Despite losing their thirteen-game win streak coming to an end last week, in quite dramatic and somewhat gruesome fashion, the New Jersey Devils jumped back up into the number one position on our list this week. The Devils are first in the NHL in HDCF%, third in CF% and SCF%, and fourth in SV%. They are simply well rounded and well deserved of being back in the number one spot after a 3–1–0 week.
The Boston Bruins swapped spots with the Devils this week, after going 2–1–0, to land at second this week. They sit tied with the Devils in points, but have a slight edge in P%. Of course, a slightly worse record last week combined with a few statistical categories in which they are behind the Devils put them just a small step behind. That being said they are an absolute force to be reckoned with and still have not lost on home ice.
Coming in third this week are the Toronto Maple Leafs who have skyrocketed up our rankings the last few weeks. Despite being absolutely clobbered by injuries, the Maple Leafs are rolling. A 3–0–1 week, and 6–3–1 in their last ten, have them just behind the Bruins in a tight Atlantic Division. This team faced adversity early, but we all know their test will come in the first round.
The Vegas Golden Knights went 2–2–0 last week, which was their first off week of the season, causing them to drop just one single spot on our list. Still the kings, or should we say knights, of the Western Conference, their lead has now just decreased to four points in terms of TWCScore over the fifth placed team—also hailing from the Pacific Division.
That team of course is the surprising Seattle Kraken—who would have thought. After 21 games, the Kraken have a 13–5–3 record and have won five in a row. Going 8–1–1 in their last ten games is equally as impressive, as the second year squad continues to defy all of the outside noise. They have found their scoring touch, thanks to Andre Burakovsky’s 21 points in 21 games. Of course their biggest MVP this year has been Martin Jones, who in a return to form is 11–4–2 to start the season.
Moving down our list, the Tampa Bay Lighting raised a few eyebrows this week on our list. Despite just a 1–1–0 record, the Lightning jumped six spots in our model. The reason for this was most likely due to two reasons, one being that other teams around them fell off significantly, while also due to them having a strong placing in our HDCF% that simply pushed them above other teams. Not to say the Lightning aren’t deserving of the spot, but an interesting ranking to say the least.
The Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes fell off a bit from last week’s pace, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders were able to improve their rankings. Bigger drops occurred for the Dallas Stars (1–1–2 last week) and the New York Rangers (1–2–0) with the latter blowing a massive 3–0 lead in the third period to the Edmonton Oilers.
In more positive news, the Detroit Red Wings were one of the rare unbeaten teams last week with a 2–0–0 record. That pushed their winning streak to four games, and has them third in the Atlantic Division. Their underlying numbers aren’t phenomenal, which means this recent win streak is pushing them up our rankings far more than it would be for similar ranked teams. They are an improved squad, but for sure need a bit of work still.
Finally, the biggest loser this week are the Calgary Flames dropping a whopping ten spots to 22nd on our list. A 1–2–1 week, capped off by two regulation losses, have the Flames still searching for what type of team they will be. What was holding them together this year was their strong underlying numbers, which they still have in fifth ranked CF%, but their offensive numbers have cratered. Combine that with the league’s 28th ranked SV% and the Flames are just not who they thought they would be this far into the season.
Past 2022–23 Power Rankings
Check here for how teams have done over past weeks and stay tuned for upcoming power rankings.
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