Another week as some old giants are now at the bottom. The rankings . . .
#31 Pittsburgh Penguins (7-8-4, -2, LW: 24)
One of the rough parts about winning consecutive championships in the modern day is the beating it takes to win just one, let alone two. Add in what it took to get by Washington in the second round every year and one can see why the Penguins are struggling early on this season. I hope there are no Penguins fans who don’t appreciate what they have witnessed these last few years. Sid the Kid and Malkin will be honored one day in Toronto, regardless of what happens from this year going forward.
#30 Vancouver Canucks (10-11-2, -14, LW: 20)
#29 Anaheim Ducks (8-9-5, -17, LW: 26)
#28 Los Angeles Kings (7-12-1, -20, LW: 30)
#27 Edmonton Oilers (9-10-1, -9, LW: 21)
#26 St. Louis Blues (7-9-3, -3, LW: 16)
#25 Vegas Golden Knights (9-12-1, -10, LW: 29)
#24 New Jersey Devils (8-9-2, -6, LW: 27)
#23 Chicago Blackhawks (8-8-5, -14, LW: 31)
#22 Philadelphia Flyers (9-9-2, -8, LW: 13)
#21 Arizona Coyotes (9-9-1, +1, LW: 22)
#20 Carolina Hurricanes (9-8-3, -6, LW: 25)
#19 Ottawa Senators (9-9-3, -13, LW: 28)
#18 Detroit Red Wings (9-9-2, -8, LW: 11)
#17 Washington Capitals (10-7-3, +1, LW: 17)
#16 Montreal Canadiens (11-6-4, 0, LW: 23)
#15 Dallas Stars (11-8-2, +5, LW: 18)
Jim Montgomery is trying to take over for the guy who won the Stars a Cup. Granted, this season marks 20 years since then, but still . . .
Anyway, the Stars have missed the playoffs each of the last two years, but this season they are in position to qualify. This is actually kind of surprising. Dallas is a huge media market, yet last year:
The Mavericks missed the NBA Playoffs
The Stars missed the NHL Playoffs
The Cowboys missed the NFL Playoffs
The Rangers missed the MLB Playoffs
I will allow everyone else to show me how common this is in the era of expanded playoffs for major markets.
#14 New York Islanders (10-7-2, +8, LW: 9)
#13 Colorado Avalanche (10-6-4, +12, LW: 19)
#12 Florida Panthers (8-7-3, -1, LW: 6)
#11 Boston Bruins (11-6-3, +9, LW: 7)
#10 Minnesota Wild (12-7-2, +8, LW: 3)
#9 San Jose Sharks (11-7-3, +4, LW: 12)
#8 New York Rangers (11-8-2, -2, LW: 14)
#7 Calgary Flames (12-8-1, +6, LW: 15)
#6 Tampa Bay Lightning (14-6-1, +15, LW: 5)
#5 Columbus Blue Jackets (12-7-2, +4, LW: 8)
#4 Buffalo Sabres (13-6-2, +5, LW: 10)
#3 Nashville Predators (15-5-1, +21, LW: 1)
#2 Winnipeg Jets (12-5-2, +13, LW: 4)
#1 Toronto Maple Leafs (15-6-0, +21, LW: 2)
Since this is my last post of the evening, I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you who have taken the time to read my mind numbing jibberish this year. It’s my first without my dad, so this year will definitely be different. For those of you who will be away from your loved ones, please know that our thoughts and prayers here at Talk Back Fans are with you all. Enjoy the holiday.