NHL Power Rankings: Injuries Pile Up For The Contenders

Welcome back to The Hockey News' NHL power rankings, where we rank all 32 teams based on their weekly performance.

Oh, the injuries! After ranking first in the previous week, the Stars missed a key piece in Matt Duchene, who missed last Thursday’s game against the Canucks, came back for Saturday but again sat out on Tuesday.

The Hurricanes, which ranked second, lost Shayne Gostisbehere, who was sent home early in the middle of their road trip and missed a key matchup against the Golden Knights. Speaking of the Knights, they also suffered injuries to key players, including captain Mark Stone for multiple weeks and potentially starter Adin Hill. 

With a cramped schedule due to the Olympic break in February, you wonder if this will be a running theme all season. Obviously, staying healthy is one of the key ingredients to winning, and it feels like one of those seasons where the champion will be the team with the healthiest roster.  

Here is this week’s NHL power rankings. 

1. Vegas Golden Knights (5-0-2, +10 goal differential. Previous rank: 6)

Injuries to Mark Stone and Adin Hill couldn’t have struck at a more inopportune time with a three-game road trip coming up against Eastern Conference contenders. The Knights were rolling before that and have yet to lose in regulation. 

2. Carolina Hurricanes (5-1-0, +9. PR: 2)

The loss to the Knights cost the Canes a chance to move up to No. 1, but make no mistake, they still look like the East’s best team. Key tests are coming up in Colorado and Dallas, and a revenge game awaits on Tuesday against the Knights at home. 

3. Colorado Avalanche (5-0-2, +10. PR: 5)

The Avs have yet to lose in regulation after Martin Necas picked a corner from an impossible angle to force overtime. I, for one, am very intrigued to see how the Avs handle the impending UFA when the trade deadline approaches.

4. Winnipeg Jets (5-1-0, +10. PR: 7)

Connor Hellebuyck has been utterly dominant since a loss in the season opener with a .947 SP and 1.50 GAA. He’s the biggest reason why the Jets are where they are despite getting outshot in every single game this season.

5. New Jersey Devils (5-1-0, +7. PR: 12)

What a force to be reckoned with – and I’m not just talking about Brian Halonen’s monster right hand. Jack Hughes’ hat trick powered the Devils to their fourth straight win and the third time this season they’ve scored five goals. When healthy, this team has the makings of a contender.

Don't Be Surprised If Devils' Jack Hughes Has A Monster Season In The NHL And Olympics Jack Hughes' hat trick against the Maple Leafs and his healthy shoulders are signs that he's about to have a season the NHL – and maybe Team USA – won't soon forget. Watch today's video column for more.

6. Washington Capitals (5-2-0, +8. PR: 8)

Remember how Logan Thompson was an absurd 31-6-6 last season? We’re looking at an encore right now in Washington.

7. Detroit Red Wings (5-1-0, +6. PR: 15)

Hockeytown. Seventh-round picks making an impact. A young Swedish defenseman who can read plays and shows exceptional skill. The Red Wings are back, baby. 

8. Dallas Stars (3-3-0, -3. Previous Rank: 1)

After a great start, things have suddenly been really rough for the Stars with three straight losses and five goals scored during that span. Running into hot goalies is one thing, but being unable to score when you have arguably the league’s deepest offense is another.

9. Florida Panthers (4-4-0, -4. PR: 3)

Despite some up-and-down play – understandable, considering the circumstances – the Panthers are still the most fearsome .500 team in the league. What they need right now is some offensive consistency; Carter Verhaeghe scoring his first after six games is a good start. 

10. Edmonton Oilers (3-3-1, -2. PR: 4)

Jake Walman returned to the lineup with a bang and scored the OT-winner to save what would’ve been a brutal road trip for the Oilers. 

11. Montreal Canadiens (5-2-0, +5. PR: 13)

This is an extremely likable team with a flair for the dramatic, namely Cole Caufield’s performance against the Preds when he tied it with 20 seconds remaining in regulation and then won in overtime with three seconds remaining.

12. St. Louis Blues (3-2-1, -4. PR: 11)

No reason to panic at all because I think the Blues have played some good games, but it is a little perplexing how many of their players alternate between having good games and bad games. They’re controlling games but having trouble scoring, and once in a while, their defense and goaltending just blow up.

13. Minnesota Wild (3-3-1, -3. PR: 9)

What a weird (wild?) team. First, their offense goes gangbusters in the first three games, and then they muster just four goals over the next three. Their power play has cooled off – 0-for-8 in their past three games – and their 5-on-5 play has been poor.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs (3-3-1, -1. PR: 10)

We’re not even past the first month, and Anthony Stolarz is already calling out his own team. For a team with so much firepower – yes, even without Mitch Marner – they’ve scored a paltry two (!) power-play goals this season. They ranked 11th last season.

Maple Leafs' Stolarz Wasn't Wrong In Calling Out His Teammate — He Was Wrong In Walking The Comments Back Years after former Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe walked back criticism of his stars, Anthony Stolarz did the same with his comments about William Nylander.

15. Columbus Blue Jackets (3-3-0, +3. PR: 16)

The Jackets are a fun ride, and it’s worth stressing – again – how solid their goaltending has really been with Elvis Merzlikins (.927 SP) and Jet Greaves (.928 SP). If this keeps up, the Jackets are definitely making the playoffs.

16. Utah Mammoth (5-2-0, +5. PR: 22)

In retrospect, even with the potential of a breakout season from the Mammoth, perhaps they were ranked too low last week? They had a shaky start (1-2-0), but the Mammoth have since charged up the standings with a perfect 4-0-0 record. The first three games weren’t big challenges, but they led for most of the game against the Avs and finished the job in overtime thanks to clutch heroics from Dylan Guenther. The Mammoth have been great at home, and a big test begins now with eight of their next nine games on the road. 

17. Anaheim Ducks (3-2-1, -1. PR: 20)

It certainly feels like the Ducks are flying a little freer after a coaching change, and for a team that could barely score last season, they’re already half a goal better each game. 

18. Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-0, +7. PR: 26)

Certainly, I’m a little stunned. Not only are they getting solid goaltending, but they’re also defensively stout with a mish-mash of players that you’ve never heard of. Seriously, name another Penguins defenseman other than Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang. 

19. Vancouver Canucks (4-3-0, -1. PR: 23)

The good news is the Canucks are winning games even though they’re getting heavily outplayed for stretches. The bad news is they’re missing about half their forwards.

20. New York Rangers (3-4-1, +1. PR: 25)

The Rangers look pretty good at times, but the results just aren’t there. They still have a ton of trouble scoring, averaging just 0.25 goals-for per game at home. The good news is they actually rank 12th in expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, per naturalstattrick.com, so the pucks should start going in soon. 

21. Tampa Bay Lightning (1-3-2, -5. PR: 14)

Really hard to rate the Lightning right now. I know better than to panic, but I’m starting to really grit my teeth. I noted last week the Lightning were awful in one-goal games last season, and it’s the same story this season. Can they get into a rhythm with a three-game homestand coming up despite the awkward start times?

22. Philadelphia Flyers (3-2-1, +2. PR: 28)

Somehow, goaltending has been the story in Philly?! The Flyers went 3-1-0 during their homestand, and five of their next six games will be at home, so that bodes well. Imagine if they can get Matvei Michkov going… 

23. Chicago Blackhawks (3-2-2, +4. PR: 29)

It certainly feels like the Hawks should be higher, and they certainly can move higher in the coming weeks. An 8-3 win against the Blues was impressive, but they collapsed late against the Canucks and Ducks, though they did manage to salvage three points. 

24. New York Islanders (3-3-0, -2. PR: 30)

Ilya Sorokin’s starting to look better, but I implore everyone to tune in and watch Matthew Schaefer. He is absolutely fearless and all over the ice, and he is singlehandedly making the Isles watchable. 

25. Boston Bruins (3-5-0, -2. PR: 17)

I noted last week that we should temper our expectations with the Bruins despite their hot start, and here we are a week later with four straight losses. (Granted, they’ve played some really tough teams.) The Bruins actually don’t allow a lot of shots, but like last season, they’re not getting a lot of stops, either.

26. Seattle Kraken (3-2-2, -4. PR: 18)

Since their season-opening win against the Ducks, the Kraken have yet to win in regulation, though they did come close twice in an overtime and shootout loss. I’m curious to see the Kraken at full strength – they’re missing Jared McCann, Mason Marchment, Kaapo Kakko, Brandon Montour, among others – because I do think they look much better than last year.

27. Los Angeles Kings (2-3-2, -6. PR: 19)

The Kings' games have been close, so that’s a good sign, but so far, still zero regulation wins. Zero. 

28. Buffalo Sabres (2-4-0, -3. PR: 32)

You can sense the Sabres are still trying really hard, and a pair of wins was a really encouraging sign. It’s easy to feel like there’s an impending apocalypse when you’re a Sabres fan, but there’s still some light; Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen should be returning soon once he finishes his conditioning stint. 

29. Ottawa Senators (2-4-1, -11. PR: 21)

Defensively, they’ve been pretty awful, and no more is it apparent than on their PK, which has been scored on 11 (!) times already this season. 

30. Nashville Predators (2-3-2, -7. PR: 27)

It looked pretty promising with a 2-0-1 start, but since then, the Preds have lost four straight and gotten outscored 19-9. They have the league’s worst power play, and scoring was not supposed to be the problem after their big summer spending spree in 2024. 

31. Calgary Flames (1-6-0, -15. PR: 24)

We should give the Flames the benefit of some doubt because they’ve had a tough schedule, and it’s not going to let up for the rest of the month. They can’t score at all, and Dustin Wolf hasn’t been able to bail them out. 

32. San Jose Sharks (0-4-2, -13. PR: 31)

Last season, the Sharks did not win their first game until Oct. 28 in Utah, and their first home game until Oct. 29 against the Kings. They have three more games on their road trip – they won a league-low eight games on the road last season – before returning home. Guess who they face? Yup, the Kings. A little déjà vu, maybe?

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