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In just around three weeks, the NHL will get a mini-break for the holiday season. In the meantime, teams are just looking to get better everyday. The month of December will be huge for several teams. Here are this week's top 10 teams:
10. Vegas Golden Knights: With a 16-9-1 record and 33 points, Vegas continue to play good hockey. They use their speed to their advantage. Malcolm Subban continues to stay steady in the net and it looks like Marc-Andre Fleury is about to return from his concussion.
Last week's ranking: 10.
9. New Jersey Devils: Getting shutout 5-0 against the Arizona Coyotes wasn't a good thing for the Devils. Nonetheless, Scott Wedgewood was the goalie for Arizona and Wedgewood was traded from New Jersey's system earlier in the season. New Jersey are still a threat in the Eastern Conference with a 15-7-4 record and 34 points.
Last week's ranking: 6.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin returned from his upper-body injury and scored a goal on Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres. Players like Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Phil Kessel, and Patric Hornqvist have been on a tear lately. Goaltender Matt Murray will be sidelined for the next couple of weeks with a lower-body injury after Jakub Voracek collided with him in last Monday's game. Tristan Jarry is the starter for now and he shutout the Sabres 4-0 on Friday. His record is 4-0-2 with a .937 save percentage and a 1.99 GAA, along with one shutout. They have big games this week against the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Toronto Maple Leafs, all at home. Pittsburgh's record is 15-10-3 with 33 points.
Last week's ranking: not ranked.
7. Los Angeles Kings: After falling back down to earth a little bit, the Kings have won five consecutive games to take back first place in the Pacific Division with a 17-8-3 record and 37 points. The Kings have scored 85 goals and given up 61 this season. That is the second best differential in the NHL.
Last week's ranking: not ranked.
6. Nashville Predators: The Predators' style of play can be frustrating for other opponents. Filip Forsberg leads the Predators with 27 points (13 goals and 14 assists). The biggest assist of the week was Viktor Arvidsson who helped a Predators fan propose to his girlfriend. Nashville's record is 16-7-3 with 35 points.
Last week's ranking: 8.
5. Columbus Blue Jackets: Artemi Panarin leads the Blue Jackets in points with 20 (seven goals 13 assists). Different players contribute for Columbus each night and they don't rely on one player getting it done. The one player that does get it done every night though is Sergei Bobrvosky. His record is 14-6-1 with a .931 save percentage and a 2.02 GAA along with three shutouts. Columbus's record is 17-9-1 with 35 points.
Last week's ranking: 4.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto's offence continues to be the Maple Leafs' story of the 2017-2018 season. They lead the league with 99 goals scored. Toronto were surprisingly slowed down in a 2-1 loss the other night against the Vancouver Canucks but they continue to roll out four solid lines and have defenseman that can score as well. Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri, and James van Riemsdyk each have 13 goals scored this season. Toronto's record is 17-10-1 with 35 points.
Last week's ranking: 3.
3. St. Louis Blues: The Blues have slowed down just a tad but they still have a very good record (17-8-2 with 36 points). They are 9-5 at home and 8-3-2 on the road. St. Louis play in a tough Central Division with the Nashville Predators and the Winnipeg Jets.
Last week's ranking: 2.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning: Tampa Bay's top line continues to dominate. The Lightning have the best goals scored/goals against differential in the NHL with +28. The Lightning's record is 18-6-2 with 38 points.
Last week's ranking: 1.
1. Winnipeg Jets: Winnipeg shutout Ottawa 5-0 last night. The Jets are the most surprising team in the NHL this season and are very dangerous. Winnipeg's record is 17-6-4 with 38 points. Blake Wheeler continues to lead by example for the Jets. He has scored seven goals and recorded 28 assists so far this season with a plus/minus of 7.
Last week's ranking: 5.
