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If you were wondering how long it would take for the pitchforks to make an appearance in Toronto, the answer was 20 games. After a promising start, the Maple Leafs have lost four in a row and six of their last seven.
One of the key factors in this early slide is the play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Who could have guessed that signing a 38-year-old goalie to a big-money contract was a bad idea? Bobrovsky ranks 62nd in the NHL with -3.68 goals saved above average, and his .881 save percentage is tied for 42nd.
It's been a concerning stretch for Bobrovsky, but he also doesn't shoulder all of the blame for this skid. The Leafs have scored just 17 goals in their last seven games, and a forward group that lacks depth has been devastated by the loss of Kirill Marchenko.
Gavin McKenna has looked like the rookie he is on a regular basis, John Tavares has been banged up and Easton Cowan has cooled down after a hot start.
Toronto is now in jeopardy of falling behind in a competitive Atlantic Division. Only the Detroit Red Wings have been worse, and that organization has been a dumpster fire for months now. The Leafs have just a couple weeks to turn things around before Thanksgiving, a key date in the NHL season as the playoff picture begins to solidify.
As the Maple Leafs flounder early, here are the updated NHL Power Rankings.
Expected goals goals saved above average data via Natural Stat Trick.
Biggest Movers
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurricanes | Jesperi Kotkaniemi tallied nine points in 42 games last season. He was a complete non-factor in the playoffs when he wasn't watching the game in street clothes. Now, Kotkaniemi has 10 points in the first 17 games, and it looks like he's played his way off the trade block. | -- | 14-3-2 |
| 2 | Oilers | So, it's early, but Connor McDavid is on track to challenge Wayne Gretzky's single-season points record of 215. McDavid has 48 points in 19 games, which puts him on pace for 212 points. Even that would tie him with Gretzky for the second-most in a single season. These are historic numbers we're seeing in Edmonton. | 1 | 13-3-3 |
| 3 | Bruins | Hampus Lindholm is having a bounce-back season for the ages on the blue line. With Lindholm in the game at five-on-five, the Bruins have a plus-13 goal differential and 59.0% expected goals share. Dominant stuff from Lindholm right now. | 2 | 13-4-1 |
| 4 | Wild | As we approach the quarter mark of the NHL season, Jesper Wallstedt is the leader in the clubhouse for the Vezina Trophy. Wallstedt ranks first in goals saved above average at 15.0, which is almost five goals better than the next closest goalie. | 2 | 13-3-4 |
| 5 | Devils | We have a new record for the most egg-headed excuse for star a player to duck his former team. Expected win probability? For a game in early-November? The Devils deserved to lose for sitting Connor Hellebuyck, and the hockey gods delivered justice. | 1 | 13-6-0 |
| 6 | Lightning | Far be it from me to tell Jon Cooper what to do, but he should probably keep Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point together more often. With those two in the game at full strength, the Bolts are outscoring opponents 15-5. Who cares about balanced lines when you're getting results like that? | -- | 11-4-2 |
| 7 | Stars | Scoring depth, once a strength of this Stars team, has turned into a weakness. Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz have combined to score 52.1% of the team's 48 goals. That trio needs some help. | 1 | 10-5-2 |
| 8 | Golden Knights | The goalies, which remain a question for Vegas, have really settled into the season. Carter Hart and Adin Hill have combined to save 5.44 goals above average. That's not awe-inspiring, but it's good enough to win a lot of games. | 1 | 12-5-2 |
| 9 | Canadiens | It's been a frustrating start for Juraj Slafkovsky, who has just two goals in 18 games after hitting the 30-goal mark last year. Slafkovsky is shooting 4.8%, which is well below his career average, and he's posted 5.92 expected goals. The dam should break soon. | 2 | 11-3-4 |
| 10 | Avalanche | It brings me no joy to announce that Father Time may finally be catching up with 41-year-old Brent Burns, who has posted a minus-1 goal differential and a 44.6% expected goals share at five-on-five. | 4 | 11-6-2 |
| 11 | Capitals | Alex Ovechkin is still sitting on just one goal. One the one hand, that makes me feel a little sad and a little old. On the other, it speaks to the Capitals' scoring depth that they've been able to chug along without Ovechkin scoring at a 30-goal pace. | 5 | 10-6-0 |
| 12 | Mammoth | Veteran additions Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee haven't been putting up huge numbers, but they've given the Mammoth excellent forward depth. They've combined for 18 points while posting strong underlying numbers, which is all this core of great young players needed. | 5 | 10-7-1 |
| 13 | Panthers | With the Panthers battling so many injuries again this season, they probably need more from Anton Lundell, who still has yet to really take the next step. Lundell has eight points in 18 games, and three of his four goals came in one game. | 3 | 10-7-2 |
| 14 | Predators | Adam Edstrom has come out of absolutely nowhere to be a great bottom-six piece for Nashville. Edstrom already has a new career high in goals with six and has controlled play at five-on-five. | 6 | 9-4-5 |
| 15 | Sabres | Josh Doan was a big reason for the Sabres' magical run last season, but he's been far less effective so far this season. Doan is sitting on just one goal and three assists, but the most concerning aspect of Doan's game is his ineffectiveness at five-on-five -- an area where he excelled in 2025-26 | 3 | 8-6-3 |
| 16 | Ducks | Cutter Gauthier is the hottest scorer in the league. He's riding a six-game goal streak, and in that span he has three hat tricks and 13 total goals. That's one way to shake off a cold start. | 8 | 10-7-1 |
| 17 | Senators | I thought Thomas Chabot was a bit underwhelming last season, but he's been the Senators' best defenseman thus far. His plus-8 goal differential at five-on-five ranks second on the team, and he's already up to nine assists on the year. | -- | 11-6-2 |
| 18 | Kraken | Now in the first year of his $34.5 million contract, Bobby McMann is struggling. He's recorded one point in his last nine games, and his five-on-five expected goals share is sitting at a minuscule 41.1%. | 5 | 9-6-1 |
| 19 | Rangers | Mika Zibanejad has one goal in his last 11 games, and although he's still been impacting the game as a distributor, the Rangers need more scoring out of him. New York just doesn't have the scoring depth to be effective if Zibanejad is cold. | -- | 10-8-1 |
| 20 | Islanders | That Kyle Palmieri is still a top-six option speaks to the issues on Long Island. The 35-year-old has just three goals on the year, and the Islanders really don't have any good replacement options. | 2 | 7-6-4 |
| 21 | Blues | Mason McTavish got off to a torrid start for the Blues, but he's cooled off a lot lately. McTavish has just one goal and one assist in his last eight games. It certainly doesn't help St. Louis that Dylan Holloway has also gone silent. | 1 | 8-8-2 |
| 22 | Maple Leafs | Since Kirill Marchenko went down with injury, the Maple Leafs are 1-5-0 with just 15 goals scored in that span. Marchenko was off to a hot start, but I didn't realize he was a load-bearing structure for the entire Toronto offense. | 7 | 8-10-2 |
| 23 | Flames | It's been an interesting start for rising star Zayne Parekh, who owns a great 54.1% expected goals share with a miserable minus-8 goal differential at five-on-five. Parekh has been better than the results would indicate. | -- | 8-9-1 |
| 24 | Jets | That win over the Devils had to feel good -- even if Connor Hellebuyck wasn't in goal on the other side. The Winnipeg fans still got their shots in with Hellebuyck on the bench, and former Devil Dawson Mercer tallied a pair of goals. | 5 | 8-8-3 |
| 25 | Red Wings | One of the biggest surprises of the early season has been Moritz Seider's struggles. Seider was a five-on-five monster last season, but his numbers in those categories have cratered across the board. Losing Simon Edvinsson may have something to do that. | 4 | 7-9-3 |
| 26 | Sharks | The seat underneath Ryan Warsofsky is getting rather warm. The Sharks are occupying the Western Conference basement, and that simply can't happen at this stage of the rebuild. San Jose was poised to take a step forward in a weak Pacific Division. | 1 | 8-11-1 |
| 27 | Blue Jackets | No team has scored fewer goals than the Blue Jackets, who are tied for last in that category with the Blackhawks. Matthew Knies hasn't scored since his two-goal performance on opening night. | 1 | 7-9-0 |
| 28 | Penguins | Who could've predicted that the goaltending duo of Sergei Murashov and Arturs Silovs would struggle?! Those two have allowed a combined 7.44 goals above average, and that's a reason why it's getting late early in Pittsburgh. | 1 | 6-10-2 |
| 29 | Kings | Kevin Fiala is nearing a return for the Kings, and that can't come a moment too soon. Slotting him into the top-six along with Artemi Panarin makes that group look much more formidable, and third place in the Pacific is still up for grabs. | 1 | 5-9-2 |
| 30 | Flyers | Just when you think it can't get any uglier in Philadelphia, Matvei Michkov is arguing with Nick Seeler on the bench and now reportedly wants out of town. "As the Flyers Turn" is the NHL's hottest soap opera. | -- | 5-10-5 |
| 31 | Blackhawks | It's always a good sign when a team has to re-affirm the coach's job security 18 games into the season. But hey, when you can keep a guy who is 33-52-15 behind the bench, you've just got to do it. | -- | 4-13-1 |
| 32 | Canucks | I can't keep doing this for 84 games. The Canucks are just too sad to watch -- except for Jonathan Lekkerimäki. He's been pretty good! Something positive! | -- | 3-16-1 |
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