NHL Power Rankings: Kraken and Panthers rise, Jets and Wild fall

We see some familiar teams this week when assessing the NHL’s power rankings. 

The biggest risers were last week's biggest fallers, and one of this week’s biggest fallers was the number one riser last week. The top two teams remain the same, but we see the bottom two teams switch positions. With the NHL All-Star weekend, there are only six games this entire week. 

With help from our friends at Daily Faceoff, let's take a look at the biggest risers and fallers in their weekly power rankings.

Jump ahead here:

• Week 16 risers
• Week 16 fallers
• Week 17 preview

Let's dive in!

Risers

Seattle Kraken

25th -> 18th (+7) 

Last Week's Record: 2-0-1. +5 points. 

Wednesday: 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks (32nd) 

Friday: 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues (23rd) 

Sunday: 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets (29th) 

Division Standings: Fifth in the Pacific (+1), 7 points behind the Edmonton Oilers. 

Wild Card Standings: Fourth in the wild card (+1), two points behind the St. Louis Blues. 

Player of the Week: Jared McCann 

Entering week 16, McCann carried a three-game point streak - he extended that streak to six games by the end of the week. With all the current Kraken injuries, McCann got an opportunity at the first-line centre role - and he sure took advantage of this elevation. Point prop bettors would have cashed his point prop in all three games this week, as he finished with two goals and five points during the Kraken's light schedule. Honourable mention to Joey Daccord, who finished with 30+ saves in both Kraken wins this week. 

Kraken Week 17 - 18 Schedule: San Jose Sharks (31st) - Philadelphia Flyers (15th)

Florida Panthers

9th -> 3rd (+6) 

Last Week's Record: 4-0. +8 points. 

Monday: 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators (14th) 

Wednesday: 6-2 win over Arizona Coyotes (22nd) 

Friday: 3-2 shootout win over the Penguins (17th) 

Saturday: 3-2 overtime win over the Islanders (20th) 

Division Standings: Second in the Atlantic (-), four points behind the Boston Bruins. 

League Standings: Fourth in the league (+1), five points behind of the Vancouver Canucks. 

Player of the Week: Sam Reinhart 

This man just can't stop scoring. Reinhart had goals in all four games this week and finished with five points total. Dating back further, he has goals in 12 of his last 13 games. A goal streak like this is a hard one to ignore. Shot prop bettors would have cashed his over in three of four games. 

Honourable mention to Matthew Tkachuk, who finished with four goals and eight points in the four Panthers games this week. 

Panthers Week 17 - 18 Schedule: Philadelphia Flyers (15th), Washington Capitals (21st), Colorado Avalanche (4th)

Read more: NHL Hart Trophy odds

Fallers

Winnipeg Jets

5th -> 9th (-4) 

Last Week's Record: 0-2-1. 1 point. 

Monday: 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins (1st) 

Wednesday: 1-0 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs (11th) 

Saturday: 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs (11th)

Division Standings: Third in the Pacific (-2), two points behind the Colorado Avalanche. 

League Standings: Sixth in the league (-3), six points behind the Vancouver Canucks.

Let Down of the Week: Kyle Connor 

With Mark Scheifele out with a lower-body injury, Kyle Connor has been leaned on to provide offensively for the team, but he failed to do so this week. In the three Jets games this week, Connor failed to register a point, finishing with a -1 rating in 20:01 minutes of time on ice (TOI). Granted, the Jets only scored three goals all week - nonetheless, a poor week for Connor and the Jets. Shot prop bettors would have been disappointed in the Jets forward, only cashing his shots on goal line in one of three games. 

Jets Week 17 - 18 Schedule: Pittsburgh Penguins (17th), Philadelphia Flyers (15th), and Pittsburgh Penguins (17th)

Minnesota Wild

22nd -> 26th (-4) 

Last Week's Record: 1-2. 2 points. 

Tuesday: 5-3 win over the Washington Capitals (21st) 

Thursday: 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators (14th) 

Saturday: 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks (30th) 

Division Standings: Seventh in the Central (-), 18 points behind the Winnipeg Jets. 

Wild Card Standings: Seventh in the wild card (-), seven points behind the St. Louis Blues.

Let Down of the Week: Filip Gustavsson

Gustavsson played all three games for the Wild this week and finished with a 3.07 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. Two of these three games were to the bottom half of the league teams, who, after the previous week's resurgence, they should have put up a better fight against. Allowing three goals on 25 shots to the league's 30th-ranked team will certainly land you on this list. 

Wild Week 17 - 18 Schedule: Chicago Blackhawks (31st), Pittsburgh Penguins (17th), and Vegas Golden Knights (10th)

Week 17 Preview

With only six games this week in the NHL, let's see if there is any value in the futures market. 

Florida Panthers to win the Atlantic division (+320) 

It's a tall task to say that the top-seeded Boston Bruins will fall out of first place in their division, but this price on the Panthers overtaking the Atlantic is too favourable to ignore. There are only five points separating the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers in the division standings, with the Panthers holding the tiebreaker of regulation/overtime wins over the Bruins. 

These two teams have met twice already this season, the Bruins winning both games. However, two pivotal games remain between these rivals. Boston is up against it to end the season as they have the second most difficult remaining strength of schedule (SOS), while the Panthers have the 10th hardest remaining SOS. 

Nathan MacKinnon to win the Hart Trophy (-130) 

A bet in the futures market with minus odds is rarely attractive, but with the play of Nathan MacKinnon over this season, he should be a heavier favourite. MacKinnon is currently second in the NHL in scoring, with 84 points in 49 games played. He is on pace to shatter his career-high that he set last season of 111 with 140 points this season. 

Taking a look at this Avalanche team, they seem to be heavily reliant on their top three guys: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Just to show how dominant MacKinnon has been this season, he has 18 more points than Rantanen and 26 more points than Makar. The Avalanche currently sit first in their division and fourth in the league - if they are to win their division, this bet should be locked up.

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.