Metro Division Power Rankings: Throw Them in a Hat and Pick Them From There

After a week off, the Metropolitan Division power rankings are back (in fact, our plan is to do this every other week now, to prevent overkill and keep the sanity of the writer). So let's go ahead and take a look at the standings and see what we got here.

Well, uhhh... this isn't going to be easy. I might have to get a sorting hat for this.

With the Rangers and Hurricanes, among others, turning in nice runs, things have really become tight in the division, making it nearly impossible to pick one team over the other.

But we didn't sign up for this thinking it would be easy. So without further ado, here's one man's ranking of the Metro Division as its teams reach the quarter pole on the 2017-18 season.

1. Columbus Blue Jackets (12-7-1, 25 points): Let's not lie here, the Columbus Blue Jackets have some issues. They've scored just five goals in the last three games, even though they've all been wins. Such big guns as Nick Foligno, Alex Wennberg and Cam Atkinson aren't scoring like expected. They need another center, they can't seem to figure out what to do with Sonny Milano, and what was once a shutdown defensive pair in Jack Johnson and David Savard doesn't seem that way anymore. Yet, this is a team that is still controlling shot counts in impressive fashion, and it has a goaltender simply playing out of his mind right now in Sergei Bobrovsky. Seeing such players as Zach Werenski, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Josh Anderson step up has given the Blue Jackets strong depth, and the team has been more consistent than the others around it in the standings.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins (11-8-3, 25 points): OK, if you've been reading throughout the year, I've had real trouble deciding what to do with the Pens. It's worrying the team has given up 75 goals, worst in not just the division but the Eastern Conference. But it's also worth pointing out most of that damage was done in a three-game bundle in which the Pens gave up 24 goals to Chicago, Tampa Bay and Winnipeg. Take out those numbers and Pittsburgh's defense doesn't look nearly as bad, and Matt Murray's 2.46 goals-against average in November shows a team that's starting to play much better defense. Offensively, we all know how powerful the team is, and Phil Kessel is on a hot streak with 11 points in nine games this month. So for the time being, I'm willing to put the Pens here even with the team's shortcomings.

3. New Jersey Devils (11-5-3, 25 points): It's hard not to be impressed by the start had by the Devils, who have been at or near the top of the division pretty much all season. I'm just not sure how long it's feasible. The team's possession metrics aren't terribly inspiring, and the team is starting to run into scoring issues with just 23 goals in nine November games. While Taylor Hall is still really good and Nico Hischier has impressed with eight points this month, there isn't a lot of star power outside of that. New Jersey has lost six of eight (though three of those losses were in overtime), and it's fair to wonder if the team will start regressing to the mean a bit.

4. New York Islanders (11-7-2, 24 points): Well, I might just have to say I was wrong about the Islanders. Earlier this year, I saw a team that was going to struggle to get scoring, and even had the Isles at the bottom of the power rankings. Since then, the team has been among the strongest in the Metro, with points in seven of the last 10 games and a recent three-game winning streak. They're also showing strong possession numbers for the most part, are plus-7 in goal differential, and the offensive depth has been buoyed by strong Novembers for Mathew Barzal (11 points in seven games) and Josh Bailey (nine points). I'm not sure what this team's ceiling is, but it appears to be playing a better game than Washingtons and the New York Rangers of the world right now.

5. Carolina Hurricanes (9-6-4, 22 points): Earlier this year, the Canes had played fewer games than their Metro brethren and it was hard to get a read on the squad. Now, they're catching up, and showing good signs. Start with player shot rates, where the Canes have dominated at 5-on-5 (for example, Noah Hanifin checks in about plus-20 in Corsi For over every 60 minutes of ice time). The early-season concern was about whether there were enough goals to be found, but suddenly Carolina is 5-1-1 in its last seven games and has 25 goals in that span. I said such youngsters as Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho would have to step up; in nine November games, Teravainen has a 5-18-13 line and Aho is at a not-too-shabby 4-8-12. If the team keeps it up, it'll be in the top half of these rankings rather quickly.

6. Washington Capitals (11-9-1, 23 points): There's probably a higher ceiling here than on Long Island or in Carolina just because of the proven talent involved – Ovechkin, Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Holtby, et al – but the new-look Caps still haven't quite put it all together. The team is 6-3-0 in November, so that's progress, but Washington also was blitzed for six goals last week in back-to-back games by Nashville and Colorado. Braden Holtby has been great this month (6-1-0, 2.35, .924) so some of the defensive issues the team faced earlier this year could be getting cleaned up, but such players as Ovechkin and Kuznetsov just aren't generating offense like you'd think (each are above minus-10 in Corsi per 60 minutes). The team is leaning awfully heavy on John Carlson, who is playing 27 minutes per game this month.

7. New York Rangers (10-9-2, 22 points): The Rangers are 7-2-0 in their last nine, a needed turnaround after a dreadful 3-7-2 start. They could be higher on the list here based on the way they're playing right now, but I'm not sure who I'd put them over, especially as the team has struggled to own possession at 5-on-5. Rick Nash has at least woken up, with five goals in eight November games, and Henrik Lundqvist is playing at a more King-like level in the month with a 6-2-0 mark, 2.32 GAA and .927 save percentage. That's the kind of game the Rangers need to be successful, and it's the kind of game the team simply wasn't playing earlier this year. It will be fascinating to see how the Metro shakes out now that the Caps and Rangers are playing better hockey.

8. Philadelphia Flyers (8-8-4, 20 points): 8-8-4 doesn't sound so bad until you consider it's really just 8 wins and 12 losses on the season. November hasn't been kind to Philadelphia, with the Flyers owning a 2-3-3 record. Losing all three of your overtime games in a month will hurt, as those are points you just can't make up. The team's defense has been fine and the Flyers are one of the best teams in the league when it comes to shot prevention, but scoring has been a problem with Philadelphia potting just 15 goals in eight November games. Any team that plays as well defensively as this team does could turn it around, especially with some of the forward talent on hand that the Flyers have, but its hard to win games when Wayne Simmonds and Shayne Gostisbehere have combined for zero goals this month.