The Montreal Canadiens began the 2019-20 season two weeks ago. Now that we have several viewings of the Habs, we are taking a look at where they rank against their division rivals in our third edition of the power rankings.
The Atlantic Division was a three-headed monster last season for most of the year. The Tampa Bay Lightning ran away with it, winning 62 games but they are not duplicating that success early this season. They are 2-2-1 which is fine, but not when you set a record for most wins by an NHL team last season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs also have been up and down to begin the year. They are 3-2-1 but have some concerns with their ability to defend. They also sent rookie Rasmus Sandin down to the Toronto Marlies, making room for Kevin Gravel to step into the lineup. I’m not sure that will be a huge help.
The one top team that hasn’t started slowly is the Boston Bruins. They have been excellent defensively, just got a four goal effort from star winger David Pastrnak and look identical to the team that went all the way to game seven of the Stanley Cup Final last spring.
The teams have played five or six games so we have several viewings of everyone, but it’s difficult to forget about how good the Lightning were last season when ranking them. They are actually 7th in the eight team Atlantic Division, but are they the 7th best team in the division? Obviously not. Are they the best team in the division? I guess you’ll have to read ahead to see what we think about that.
So, who is the top team in the Atlantic Division now? Where do the Habs rank? Is there actually a team in worse shape than the Ottawa Senators? Let’s take a look at the third edition of the Atlantic Division power rankings.