NHL Power Rankings: 1-31 poll, plus one stunning stat for every team

Stats don't lie -- but sometimes they can be strange. For this week's ESPN NHL Power Rankings, we identified one stunning stat for each of the 31 teams.

How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1-31, and those results are tabulated to the list featured here. Teams are rated through Tuesday night's games, taking into account overall record, recent success and other factors such as injuries. The previous ranking for each team is its spot in our final edition of 2019.

Note: Standings point pace is as of the games of Jan. 8

1. Washington Capitals

Previous ranking: 1

Standings point pace: 118

Here's one way Washington has dominated the league: The Caps have 17 road wins; that's more road wins this season than any other team has at home.

2. St. Louis Blues

Previous ranking: 2

Standings point pace: 114

Jordan Binnington recorded 58 wins in 2019. That's the third-most wins ever by a goalie in a calendar year, trailing only Marc-Andre Fleury (2009) and Bernie Parent (1974).

3. Boston Bruins

Previous ranking: 3

Standings point pace: 114

David Pastrnak has scored the first goal of a game 13 times, by far the most in the league. The player closest to Pastrnak is Tampa Bay Lightning wingerNikita Kucherovwith six.

4. New York Islanders

Previous ranking: 4

Standings point pace: 111

Isles goalie Thomas Greiss was called for hooking Nikita Gusev in a game against the Devils on Tuesday. It was just the second NHL game ever that the lone penalty came against a goalie.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins

Previous ranking: 5

Standings point pace: 109

Other teams love to get physical with the Pens. Marcus Pettersson, John Marino and Brandon Tanev rank first, third and fourth, respectively, in the league in hits taken this season.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning

Previous ranking: 15

Standings point pace: 105

Andrei Vasilevskiy doesn't do well when he's bored. In games where he faces fewer than 25 shots, the goalie is 2-4 and has a .822 save percentage.

7. Colorado Avalanche

Previous ranking: 6

Standings point pace: 101

In a season of amazing comebacks, the typically dangerous Avalanche are the only NHL team to have not won a game when trailing entering the third period, going 0-10-1.

8. Vegas Golden Knights

Previous ranking: 8

Standings point pace: 96

Ryan Reaves is on pace to deliver 342 hits this season. Reaves also led the league in hits last season, when he finished with 305. (The NHL record, by the way, is 382).

9. Dallas Stars

Previous ranking: 10

Standings point pace: 103

Unlike the Avalanche, the Stars are good at digging out of a hole. When trailing heading into the third period, Dallas has the most wins in the league (seven).

10. Toronto Maple Leafs

Previous ranking: 9

Standings point pace: 98

Auston Matthews has scored 24 of his 31 goals at Scotiabank Arena. That's the most goals at home for a player this season.

11. Arizona Coyotes

Previous ranking: 12

Standings point pace: 98

The Yotes have six players with double-digit goal totals, with none being one of their three highest-paid forwards, Phil Kessel, Derek Stepan and Nick Schmaltz (nor Taylor Hall and his prorated salary, for that matter).

12. Carolina Hurricanes

Previous ranking: 7

Standings point pace: 99

Halfway through the season, the Canes were the only NHL team with four players recording 37 points or more (Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Dougie Hamilton).

13. Vancouver Canucks

Previous ranking: 14

Standings point pace: 95

Three teams have scored six goals in a period this season. Two of those instances (the Penguins on Nov. 27 and the Lightning this week) have come against the Canucks.

14. Winnipeg Jets

Previous ranking: 13

Standings point pace: 97

Patrik Laine has evolved his game and is now on pace for 50 assists this season, well more than double the 20 apples he recorded last season.

15. Philadelphia Flyers

Previous ranking: 11

Standings point pace: 97

In 14 home starts, Carter Hart has a .947 save percentage, the best mark in the league among goalies with at least 10 starts. In 12 road starts, Hart has a .850 save percentage ... which ranks 43rd.

16. Edmonton Oilers

Previous ranking: 18

Standings point pace: 93

Hey, there's at least one guy putting in tough work on the Oilers' blue line.Oscar Klefbomleads the league with 141 blocked shots, 28 more than anybody else.

17. Calgary Flames

Previous ranking: 17

Standings point pace: 93

The Flames have averaged 3.62 goals per road game with Geoff Ward behind the bench, going 7-1-0. Under Bill Peters, they averaged only 1.75 goals per road game, and were 5-9-2.

18. Florida Panthers

Previous ranking: 16

Standings point pace: 93

Jonathan Huberdeau is on pace for 114 points this season. It helps that he shares the league lead with Leon Draisaitl in primary assists (28).

19. Columbus Blue Jackets

Previous ranking: 21

Standings point pace: 93

Zach Werenski is the third defenseman in the expansion era to have three multigoal performances in the span of five games. He joins good company: Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr.

20. Nashville Predators

Previous ranking: 20

Standings point pace: 88

Defenseman Roman Josi is on pace to score 88 points this season. That would break the single-season franchise record for any skater, currently held by Paul Kariya (85 points in 2005-06).

21. New York Rangers

Previous ranking: 22

Standings point pace: 86

The Rangers have never lost with Igor Shesterkin in net.

22. Minnesota Wild

Previous ranking: 24

Standings point pace: 88

The Wild have a minus-11 goal differential but are still only four points out of a playoff spot.

23. Buffalo Sabres

Previous ranking: 23

Standings point pace: 86

Jack Eichel is plus-10 on the season; in his first four seasons in the league, he never finished better than minus-11.

24. Chicago Blackhawks

Previous ranking: 25

Standings point pace: 82

In the second half of back-to-backs this season, the Blackhawks have gone 7-1. It's one area where the Blackhawks have been exceptionally -- albeit strangely -- good.

25. Montreal Canadiens

Previous ranking: 19

Standings point pace: 80

The Canadiens have slumped lately, and they can't even get it done against bottom-feeders. The Habs are 1-4-2 against Detroit, New Jersey and Ottawa this season.

26. San Jose Sharks

Previous ranking: 27

Standings point pace: 77

Evander Kane has scored three career hat tricks, all as a member of the Sharks. He did not record a hat trick in any of his eight-plus seasons with Atlanta, Winnipeg or Buffalo.

27. Los Angeles Kings

Previous ranking: 26

Standings point pace: 69

They have the third-worst points percentage in the league, but the Kings are actually second in the league in shots for percentage, as well as Corsi for percentage.

28. Anaheim Ducks

Previous ranking: 29

Standings point pace: 74

Nicolas Deslauriers has taken nine major penalties through 31 games; no other player in the league has taken more than five.

29. New Jersey Devils

Previous ranking: 30

Standings point pace: 72

The Devils' leading scorer this season is Kyle Palmieri, who has 30 points. Among all skaters in the league, that ranks 95th.

30. Ottawa Senators

Previous ranking: 28

Standings point pace: 71

Thomas Chabot leads the league by averaging 26:22 of ice time per game. Luckily the Sens' blue line is getting healthier, so maybe no more 38-minute outings.

31. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 31

Standings point pace: 47

If only Detroit could play all of their games against the Habs. The Red Wings are 3-0-0 against Montreal, and 8-30-3 against the rest of the NHL.