The first Canadian snapshot of the season has a familiar name at the top, but the way the Edmonton Oilers are getting there looks different.
With Mike Babcock behind the bench, Edmonton has opened 11-2-2 and landed second overall in the first Power Rankings of the year. The Oilers are the top-ranked Canadian club, and the early evidence points to a team that has tightened up without losing its bite. Connor McDavid is still driving the offense, but the bigger surprise is how much sturdier the group has looked away from the puck.
McDavid has already put together a 15-game assist streak, an NHL record, and has piled up 39 points in 15 games. At the same time, Edmonton is allowing the fewest rush chances in the league and sits in the top 10 in slot shots, expected goals, and goals against. That’s a very different profile from the Oilers teams that fell short against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final twice.
Montreal is the next Canadian team in the mix, checking in seventh after a 9-3-2 start. The Canadiens have won five in a row, and they’ve done it without captain Nick Suzuki, who is out with an injury.
A big reason for the Habs’ rise has been the play of rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler. He’s 7-1-1, ranks second in save percentage at .932, and his 8.61 goals saved above expected trails only Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild when shot quality is factored in.
Toronto sits 13th at 8-6-2, and the ranking feels generous when the underlying numbers are pulled apart. The Maple Leafs own the eighth-best per-game goal differential, but their expected goal differential is 24th.
Auston Matthews has been the bright spot, sitting top five in both goals and points and looking much closer to the vintage version of himself that made 50 goals seem routine. Sergei Bobrovsky, meanwhile, has struggled to keep the puck out of the net.
Ottawa dropped to 16th after blowing a three-goal lead in Anaheim on Sunday night. Linus Ullmark had the Senators looking like one of the East’s better teams before a lower-body injury, but the goaltending since then has been below average. Even so, the Sens remain one of the tougher teams to play against, and when healthy, they can be expected to move into the top 10.
Calgary comes in at 26th with a 6-8-0 record, but the Flames have stayed in the neighborhood of .500 thanks to strong special teams. Their power play is scoring on one out of every three chances, which ranks third in the league, and the penalty kill is 12th. Joel Farabee is tied for the team lead with five goals and leads all players with six breakaways.
Winnipeg has fallen all the way to 30th and is winless in nine straight. The Jets are 4-8-3 and are coming off a 7-0 loss to the Hurricanes as they finish a grueling four-game road trip in Montreal on Tuesday night. They’ve given up five or more goals in four straight games, and the questions are piling up fast.
At the bottom of the board, Vancouver sits last in both the standings and the rankings at 3-12-1. The Canucks are deep into a rebuild and are likely headed for a lottery finish. Still, Elias Pettersson has given them something to hang onto, averaging a point per game with four goals and 12 assists in 16 games.
In Other News...
Phillip Danault Is Making This Canadiens Decision Much Harder
Phillip Danault has opened the season in a way that has complicated what looked like a straightforward Canadiens decision. With a teammate out of the lineup, his role has grown, and the added responsibility has only underscored how useful he remains to Montreal at a time when many expected this to be his last year in town.
The bigger question now is whether the Canadiens can afford to treat him like a short-term piece when his play is making a longer look harder to ignore. There has been speculation the club could revisit its plans, even as his trade value would not bring much back, which leaves Montreal weighing present value against whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Found October Hope In One Rising Star And A New Twist In Net
October gave the Canadiens a few reasons to feel better about where theyre headed, and the biggest ones came from the familiar core and a young defenseman who kept pushing the pace. Nick Suzuki was driving the offense before injury cut into his month, while Lane Hutson continued to look like a major part of Montreals future by leading the blue line in scoring. For a team that spent the month sorting through uneven stretches, those two provided a steady reminder that the foundation is still there.
The other encouraging development came in goal, where Jacob Fowler made a strong first impression after being recalled from Laval. His arrival added a fresh layer to Montreals October story, giving the Canadiens a new look in net at a time when they needed one. The larger question now is how much of that momentum can carry forward, especially with the club still trying to turn promising individual performances into something more consistent as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Keep Winning While Demidovs Absence Keeps Getting Murkier
Ivan Demidovs absence has become one of the quieter storylines around a Canadiens team that keeps finding ways to win without him. The young forward remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and Montreal has not offered a recent update on where he stands, even as the calendar has moved past the original expected timeline for his return.
The uncertainty leaves the club in a familiar holding pattern: playing well, staying patient, and waiting for Demidov to work his way back into the picture. His earliest projected return is now set for Nov. 7, but for now the Canadiens are pressing on without one of their most closely watched players, and the lack of fresh information only adds to the intrigue around his recovery. [Read more 🡒]