Yep, we’re shifting the NHL Standings into something a little more interesting today, comparing the St. Louis Blues and the league’s other 31 teams by goals allowed. Why this experiment? It’s a good way of measuring a correlation, so far at least, in the 2024-25 season of just how important solid defense and goaltending might be to an NHL team’s early-season success.
Are the best teams in the league allowing the fewest number of goals, or are they all high-octane squads? This experiment will tell us whether the Blues goaltenders need to step it up more than I think or if this unit just needs to start scoring more consistently.
The 30 & Under Club
- NY Rangers: 24
- Dallas Stars: 27
- Carolina Hurricanes: 27
- Winnipeg Jets: 30
So far, it looks like to be one of the best in the league, you need to stop opponents from finding the net as opposed to scoring four-plus goals per game to win. The Rangers, Stars, Hurricanes, and Jets are among the NHL’s best teams, and they’re making it tough for opposing groups to score on them.
Between 32 and 39
- Minnesota Wild: 32
- Vancouver Canucks: 33
- Washington Capitals: 35
- Anaheim Ducks: 36
- Detroit Red Wings: 36
- Ottawa Senators: 38
- Toronto Maple Leafs: 39
- Vegas Golden Knights: 39
Once again, we’re seeing a lot of good hockey teams here, with only the Anaheim Ducks looking like outliers. The Wild and Canucks, despite seeming like they would take a step back this season, have done the opposite, and neither the Red Wings nor the Senators are groups anyone wants to sleep on this season.
The Maple Leafs aren’t that good, especially when they’re playing the Blues, but I can name a few teams that are faring worse. Plus, they’re still more than legitimate playoff contenders. And as usual, the Golden Knights are playing like one of the NHL’s most relevant hockey teams.
The 40-45 Group
- Columbus Blue Jackets: 40
- NY Islanders: 40
- St. Louis Blues: 40
- Calgary Flames: 40
- LA Kings: 40
- Florida Panthers: 41
- New Jersey Devils: 42
- Buffalo Sabres: 43
- Tampa Bay Lightning: 43
- Nashville Predators: 44
- Chicago Blackhawks: 45
- Seattle Kraken: 45
- Edmonton Oilers: 45
- Utah Hockey Club: 45
Here, we see a lot of middle-of-the-road teams at the moment, with the outliers being the Kings, Panthers, Lightning, and Devils. That said, they’re among the top-scoring groups in the NHL, so it shows you don’t always need stellar defense and goaltending to make an impact.
But, judging from the teams we’ve seen ranked in the top two tiers, it’s much easier to be a surefire playoff contender when you’re not allowing so many goals. And when you take one look at this list, you’ll see more solid units, at best, like the Blues, than you will see elite ones.
46 and going on 50-plus
- Boston Bruins: 46
- Philadelphia Flyers: 50
- San Jose Sharks: 50
- Montreal Canadiens: 52
- Pittsburgh Penguins: 52
- Colorado Avalanche: 54
None of the teams listed in this last tier have been relevant for the most part this season, not even the Bruins and Avalanche. And it goes to show that yes, so far in 2024-25, if you want to be an early contender and perhaps, in time, even a true contender, you got to stop the puck from finding twine in your own zone.