Weekend NHL rankings: Penguins, Sabres and how much should consistency matter?

When it comes to power rankings, does consistency matter?

(Pauses so everyone can make their own “Yeah, consistently wrong” jokes.)

I think it’s a fair question, and it’s one that’s come up a few times over the last few weeks. I leave a team out of the top five or maybe don’t rank them quite as high as their fans think I should. Inevitably, somebody points to a team in a better spot and demands to know how I can think so highly of them. After all, they’re just so … inconsistent.

The Colorado Avalanche get this treatment a lot. And … sure, it’s hard to argue. The Avs started the season 6-0-0, then lost five of seven, then won seven of eight, and then lost three in a row before their current homestand. They’re a lot of things, but consistent isn’t one of them. You could say the same for the Dallas Stars, who started great but haven’t won two straight in weeks.

Then you have teams like the L.A. Kings or New York Rangers. L.A. hasn’t gone without a point in two straight all year, and the Rangers hadn’t either until Saturday. Those teams have been chugging along, racking up wins and avoiding the tough stretch. Anyone can get hot, the argument goes, but consistency is the sign of a winner that’s built for the long haul.

It makes sense. And there’s certainly at least some truth to it. But when I’m putting my rankings together, I tend not to get too caught up in consistency. Given how often it comes up as a criticism, maybe I should explain why that is.

Bonus Five: Reasons why consistency might be (at least a little) overrated

5. It’s early — This one works both ways because it’s true that an inconsistent team with a fluke win streak can have a deceptively flattering record. (Anaheim Ducks fans are all nodding right now.) But we’re also so early that consistency itself can be a fluke. If you want to argue that being consistent over a full schedule is a positive, OK. But we’re only 25 games or so in. That doesn’t feel like enough time to start slapping permanent labels on teams.

4. We can get a little too cute with arbitrary endpoints — You caught me doing that in the intro, right? The Avs have won A of B but lost X of Y, and we’re sometimes mentioning loser points and sometimes ignoring them. That doesn’t mean there’s no signal in the noise, but it is possible to get a little too selective for my liking.

3. This tweet — OK, it’s more about bad teams than good ones, but you have to admit he’s right.

2. Since when has consistency been a thing in the NHL? — OK, maybe in the old days a dynasty would be expected to win every night, but this is the parity era. Any given team can beat anyone else on any night, because randomness is everywhere — bounces, injuries, calls, non-calls, you name it. A lot of people love that about the NHL, because you never know what will happen in any given game. But there’s something weird about watching an inherently unstable sport bounce in front…