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The amazing circus assist set up the goal.
Sonny Milano scored a highlight-reel goal when he hit the puck over the net. (0:51)
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers have made a jump in the rankings this week, as the NHL season continues.
Every team has had its fair share of surprises during the campaign, so we set out to identify the biggest of them for all 32.
A panel of analysts, reporters and editors rate teams against one another, and those results are used to produce a list.
The previous ranking for each team is from last week's edition. The points percentages are for Tuesday's games.
1. The Florida panthers.
The previous ranking was 2.
The points percentage is 0.760
Upcoming games: vs. OTT and ARI.
Florida has handled adversity well so far. Is the head coach quitting? Andrew Brunette entered. Who will get hurt with a bounce-back season? Next man up. The panthers have not lost more than two games in a row all season.
2. The Toronto Maple Leafs.
The previous ranking was 4.
The points percentage was 0.704.
Upcoming games: vs. CHI, vs. TB, and vs. EDM.
Jack Campbell has been very good for Toronto. His current surge, which has him sitting atop the NHL goalie field through 20 games with a.942 save percentage and 1.78 goals-against average, hasn't lessened the surprise of his current surge.
3. The Flames are from Canada.
The previous ranking was 6.
The points percentage was 0.673.
Upcoming games: vs. CAR, vs. BOS, and vs. NSH.
The most surprising team of the season is the Flames. Period. Andrew Mangiapane is the NHL's most unexpected star. The squad has used great defense, excellent goaltending and red-hot offensive performances to go from "bubble playoff contender" to "could they go all the way?" In 25 games, Mangiapane has 17 goals.
4. The Washington Capitals are a team.
The previous ranking was 3.
The points percentage is 0.731.
Upcoming schedule is against PIT and BUF.
Nicklas Backstrom, one of the NHL's best centers, hasn't played a minute for the Caps this season due to injury. Surprise! Washington is not missing a beat. The Caps are humming right along, thanks to Alex Ovechkin and the resurgence of Evgeny Kuznetsov.
5. The Carolina Hurricanes.
The previous ranking was 1
The points percentage was 0.729
Upcoming schedule: at CGY, at EDM, at VAN, and at MIN.
The Hurricanes had a great start. They had only lost two games all season before falling in overtime to San Jose. The most surprising blip out of Carolina this season was the 1-4-1 record with losses to Seattle and Ottawa.
6. The New York Rangers.
The previous ranking was 10.
The points percentage was 0.771.
Upcoming games: vs. COL, BUF, and NSH.
The Rangers' young offensive stars have struggled to score this season, and there is an element of surprise about it. The real shock is that of Shesterkin. Shesterkin has blown away the expectations of being New York's best player.
7. The Minnesota Wild is from Minnesota.
The previous ranking was 7.
The points percentage was 0.740
Upcoming games: vs. CAR, LA, and SJ.
The Wild are the top scoring team in the NHL. The balanced attack has gotten them there. The Minnesota Wild had just two players with more than 10 goals through 24 games, while 14 players had contributed at least three markers, and 12 were in double-digit point totals.
8. The Lightning are from the state of Florida.
The previous ranking was 8.
The points percentage is 0.720.
Upcoming games: vs. LA and OTT.
It's shocking that the people of Tampa are not rattled. Since Game 3, Nikita Kucherov has been out. Victor Hedman has begun to rebound from a bad start. Point's out. Joseph missed time. Gabriel Fortier has come in as a reinforcement, Anthony Cirelli is embracing opportunity, and Andrei Vasilevskiy is. They go.
9. The Eskimos.
The previous ranking was 5.
The points percentage was 0.667.
Upcoming schedule: vs. CAR, CAR, and TOR.
It's surprising to see that talent-laden Eskimos still struggle with a pattern of inconsistency -- start slow, scramble into the second and attempt a third-period comeback. It didn't work in the playoffs last spring and it's not doing them much good this season. When trailing after the first period and giving up the first goal, the Eskimos are 0-6-0.
10. The Colorado Avalanche.
The previous ranking was 9.
The points percentage was 0.636.
Upcoming games: vs. DET, vs. NYR, and vs. FLA.
Is Nazem Kadri in the top five in scoring? Didn't think that was going to happen. Nathan MacKinnon was out with an injury, and the Avs went 7-1-0. Another shock. The depth of the Avs has blossomed more than expected, and they look formidable because of it.
11. The Anaheim Ducks.
The previous ranking was 12.
The points percentage was 0.611.
Upcoming dates: CBJ, PIT, and STL.
Anaheim has been good in the process of rebuilding. Troy Terry has a surprising point-per-game average. There is a case for the Calder Trophy. Ryan Getzlaf had his best season in years before he was injured last week. John Gibson has been the best netminder. A rebuild is usually not very good.
12. The Dallas Stars.
The previous ranking was 19
The points percentage was 0.636.
Upcoming games: vs. LA, vs. SJ, and vs. STL.
The biggest surprise of the season? Jake Oettinger. Dallas needed a net addition for veteran Braden Holtby and it found it in Oettinger. After being recalled, the 22-year-old went 5-0-0 with a 1.41 goals-against average and.951 save percentage. Dallas is moving up the table.
13. The Pittsburgh Pens.
The previous ranking was 17
The points percentage is 0.580.
Upcoming schedule: vs. ANA, WSH, and MTL.
We should be talking about the run of Jake Guentzel. Guentzel had points in 20 of his first 24 games, scored a hat trick against the Canuck last week and is on a three-game point streak.
14. The Boston Bruins.
The previous ranking was 16.
The points percentage is 0.595
Upcoming games: vs. VGK, vs. VAN, and vs. CGY.
Through 21 games, the Bruins are not in a playoff spot. It was a little surprising. More shocking? Brad Marchand is still the Bruins' top scorer and provocative as ever.
15. The Golden Knights of Vegas.
The previous ranking was 13
The points percentage was 0.583.
Upcoming games: against DAL, PHI, and MIN.
The team's bad start was a shock because the idea was for Vegas to be a strong Western Conference contender. The Golden Knights are on the rise because of a pleasant surprise. Consistency was brought to the Golden Knights by the forward who led Vegas with nine goals and 22 points in 24 games.
16. The Jets are from Canada.
The previous ranking was 11.
The points percentage is 0.560
Upcoming games: vs. BUF and SEA.
The Jets have not been able to score goals. The Jets were shut out three times in a row and were 30th in goals per game before last weekend's wins. The tide seems to have begun to turn though, and that's not a surprise given what Mark and his team are capable of doing.
17. The St. Louis Blues.
The previous ranking was 14.
The points percentage was 0.600.
Upcoming schedule: vs. DAL, ANA, and DET.
It's surprising that St. Louis is still in the race for the Central Division title. There were five straight wins to start, then a stretch of seven losses in 10 games, including to Arizona. Through 24 games, the Blues were very much in the mix for the playoffs. That's something.
18. The Nashville Predators.
The previous ranking was 21.
The points percentage is 0.580.
Upcoming games: NYI, NJ, and NYR.
Is the return of Matt Duchene a more pleasant surprise for Nashville? Probably not. The Preds have been waiting for the emergence of Duchene, who has 13 goals and 24 points in his first 24 games. Nashville is off to a better start than expected in the tight Central Division race.
19. The Detroit Red Wings.
The previous ranking was 24.
The points percentage was 0.558
Upcoming games: vs. NYI and STL.
Detroit was not expected to be a playoff contender. The rookies helped propel Detroit into a wild-card spot through 25 games. That is shocking.
20. The Los Angeles Kings.
The previous ranking was 22.
The points percentage was 0.500.
Upcoming schedule: vs. DAL, MIN, and TB.
The Kings' camp must have been shocked by the fact that prospect Brandt Clarke was left off Canada's World Junior Championship roster. He is a projected future star. Another shock? Drew Doughty is coming back from an injury a month ahead of schedule. No matter who you are, that's impressive.
21. The Blue Jackets are from Columbus.
The previous ranking was 15.
The points percentage was 0.542.
Upcoming schedule is against ANA, SEA, and VAN.
The Blue Jackets have good goalies. Elvis Merzlikins was the top NHL starter with a.920 save percentage. The injured Joonas Korpisalo has been replaced by Daniil Tarasov, who has a................... The Columbus team has been top five in shots against this season.
22. The New JerseyDevils are a team.
The previous ranking was 18.
The points percentage was 0.500.
Upcoming schedule: vs. NSH, NYI, and PHI.
The power play is not effective for the Devil when you consider who is available to play. Jack Hughes was missing for weeks, but other people weren't. New Jersey was 31st on the power play through 23 games, with a 131% success rate. It was very bad.
23. The San Jose Sharks.
The previous ranking was 20.
The points percentage was 0.558
Upcoming games: vs. MIN, DAL, and SEA.
San Jose surprised with a hot start in the Pacific, and they are still in the playoffs as of this week. That's despite not having their leading scorer from last season and dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak early on. It's a credit to James Reimer's resurgence. Through his first 14 appearances, he was
24. The Chicago Blackhawks are from the city.
The previous ranking was 26.
The points percentage was 0.400.
Upcoming games: vs. CGY and MTL.
After a disastrous 1-10-2 start, the Chicago team is back on track with the help of their coach. The first 13 games of the season were a success for the Hawks, and they could still make a difference. Jonathan Toews has not scored a goal in his first 24 games.
25. The Philadelphia Flyers are from Philadelphia.
The previous ranking was 23.
The points percentage was 0.435.
Upcoming games: NJ, ARI, and VGK.
TheFlyers have been average in the face of a lot of potential. The Philadelphia Eagles didn't have a player with more than 10 goals after 23 games, and it's one of the NHL's lowest- scoring teams. It's shocking that one of the least successful power plays is in the league.
26. The New York Islanders.
The previous ranking was 29
The points percentage was 0.405.
Upcoming games: vs. NSH, NJ, and DET.
The Islanders' slide this season isn't surprising. The road trip to open the campaign took its toll. The New York Islanders are one of the NHL's lowest scoring teams, their power play is at the bottom of the league, and their defensive game is inconsistent. Not what you would expect from a team that nearly made the Cup Finals.
27. TheVancouverCanucks
The previous ranking was 27.
The points percentage was 0.385.
Upcoming games: vs. BOS, WPG, CAR, and CBJ.
The biggest shock? The lack of production from the two stars has contributed to the team's poor start. The second biggest shock? It took until this week for the changes to be made in the city.
28. Seattle is called Seattle Kraken.
The previous ranking was 28.
The points percentage was 0.400.
Upcoming schedule: against WPG, CBJ, and SJ.
It's difficult to be surprised by anything from a team that didn't exist before this season. It's not a scenario that many would have predicted for Philipp Grubauer going from Vezina Trophy finalist to struggling starter. Even on an expansion club roster.
29. The Senators are from Canada.
The previous ranking was 30.
The points percentage was 0.313.
The schedule includes a game vs. TB and a game vs. FLA.
Pierre Dorion said before the season started that the rebuild was done in Ottawa. Very. After 23 games, the Senators were 32nd in goals against and 31st in shots against, Matt Murray has been sent to the minor league and there aren't enough players to stop the bleeding.
30. The Montreal Canadiens are from Canada.
The previous ranking was 31.
The points percentage was 0.278.
The schedule includes a game against the Chi on Dec. 9 and a game against the PIT on Dec. 11.
The surprise of the season is that the Canadiens are the worst. Their front office was torn down in less than six months. A shocking turn of events.
31. The Buffalo Sabres.
The previous ranking was 25.
The points percentage was 0.380.
Upcoming games: vs. NYR, WSH, and WPG.
Buffalo's 5-2-0 start was the most surprising thing they did. If Craig Anderson hadn't been hurt, the free fall wouldn't have been so dramatic. Without Anderson, the Sabres' goaltending has been terrible, especially from the first seven appearances of the rookies, including Malcolm Subban's first start.
32. The Arizona Coyotes.
The previous ranking was 32.
The points percentage was 0.240
Upcoming games: vs. FLA and PHI.
Three of Arizona's five wins came against teams in the playoffs. That is a surprise.
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