Power Rankings: Canadiens, Connor McDavid keep cruising, Wild leap all the way to No. 3
— -- Welcome to the final Power Rankings for October. Next week, Pierre LeBrun takes over the rankings reins, which is a little like waking up to find that the extras from "The Walking Dead" are in charge of the operation. So enjoy the last semblance of order and logic to the weekly listings, where I once again give a nod to elite teams north of the border and a guy named Sidney Crosby, and send my heartfelt good thoughts to Craig Anderson and his family.?
1. (Last week: 1)? Montreal Canadiens, 8-0-1
2. (2) Edmonton Oilers, 7-2-0
3. (19)? Minnesota Wild, 6-2-1
The Wild have made immediate improvement under head coach Bruce Boudreau, including winning three in a row, all courtesy of Devan Dubnyk shutouts. Minnesota owns a Western Conference-best plus-13 goal differential, not to mention the league's best penalty-killing unit. The loss of Zach Parise, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, is a major one, though.
4. (10)? Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-2-1
5. (16) San Jose Sharks, 6-3-0
6. (4) St. Louis Blues, 5-2-2
7. (6) Washington Capitals, 5-2-1
8. (8) New York Rangers, 6-3-0
9. (21) New Jersey Devils, 4-2-2
10. (14) Ottawa Senators, 5-3-0
11. (5) Detroit Red Wings, 6-4-0
12. (3) Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-4-0
13. (13) Chicago Blackhawks, 5-3-1
14. (11) Colorado Avalanche, 4-3-0
15. (17) Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-3-1
16.(7) Florida Panthers, 4-4-1
17. (26) Los Angeles Kings, 4-5-0
18. (22) Buffalo Sabres, 3-3-2
19. (25) Winnipeg Jets, 4-5-0
20. (30) Calgary Flames, 4-5-1
21. (18) Dallas Stars, 3-4-1
22. (12) Boston Bruins, 4-4-0
23. (15) Philadelphia Flyers, 4-5-1
24. (24) Anaheim Ducks, 3-4-2
25. (23) New York Islanders, 4-5-0
26. (9) Vancouver Canucks, 4-4-1
27. (28) Carolina Hurricanes, 2-4-2
28. (20) Nashville Predators, 2-5-1
29. (27)? Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-4-3
