Daily Faceoff midseason NHL Rankings #4-1: The… Calgary Flames?

Welcome to the Daily Faceoff midseason report cards. Here, we’re going to be using some analytics to find out which teams are struggling and who is at the top of the class. Teams are graded on how they stack up against league average in a variety of key metrics both offensively and defensively. The best team is given a score of 100 and the worst is given 0. To determine team OVR, all five metrics (5v5 OFF, 5v5 DEF, PP, PK and Goaltending) are combined.

4 – Pittsburgh Penguins

Backed by elite defence and some rock solid special teams, it’s no big surprise to see the Penguins hanging around. They’ve been pretty beat up this year, but could make some serious noise down the stretch.

3 – Toronto Maple Leafs

Far from a perfect team, the Leafs overcome their defensive inadequacies with some of the best offense in the league.

2 – Carolina Hurricanes

The Bunch Of Jerks continue to hum along. There are very few flaws in their game and they should be a contender all season long.

1 – Calgary Flames

Color me surprised. The Flames have quietly had a very strong season this year with Darryl Sutter back behind the bench. They play very sound defense and are all-stars on the PK, but the best goaltending in the league has played a big part in their success.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.