NHL Power Rankings: Will A Clear-Cut No. 1 Please Stand Up?

The inherent difficulty in weekly NHL power rankings is that there always has to be a team ranked No. 1 when sometimes it’s not so obvious. 

The Devils, for example, looked primed to take over the top spot from the Golden Knights, but they narrowly beat the Avalanche at home after blowing a 2-0 lead and were then subsequently buried in Denver, 8-4. The Avs take the top spot this week, but before their big win, they went 0-1-3.

We will certainly see more separation between teams after the first month, but the point is that there is no clear-cut No. 1 team just yet. There are five teams tied at the top with 16 points apiece. This time last season, the Jets were the lone league leader and over the next five-and-a-half months basically never relinquished the lead.

This week’s top 10 includes some usual suspects but also three new teams: the Canadiens, Mammoth and Penguins. While the current standings suggest they should be higher on the NHL power rankings, note the sample size is still rather small. It has not discounted at all what they’ve accomplished so far – in the pre-season power rankings, they ranked 16th, 17th and 28th, respectively.

They’ve clearly elevated themselves from the murky middle, with half the league sitting at 10 to 12 points. A lot can change in a week, and there will be a lot of volatility in the power rankings early in the season, but, ultimately, the power rankings are about ranking teams based on sustained success, not just a hot week or a hot month. 

As October concludes, it has reaffirmed certain notions, such as the Avs, Knights and Hurricanes being top-tier contenders. There are others who belong in this group, such as the Stars, Panthers and Oilers, but they have not played to expectations. 

Upstart teams such as the Mammoth and Habs bring a lot of intrigue, but they haven’t had the same sustained success as the previously mentioned teams, and so we should view them with some skepticism. And are we sure the Wild and Blues are this bad?

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll get a better idea of who the contenders and pretenders will be. Here are this week’s NHL power rankings.

1. Colorado Avalanche (6-1-4, +11. PR: 3)

This offense is simply unstoppable, pumping eight goals against the Devils to avenge a previous overtime loss. They have lost all of their games by just one goal and Mackenzie Blackwood’s imminent return will further strengthen their goaltending. 

2. New Jersey Devils (8-2-0, +9. PR: 5)

Even following an 8-4 loss to the Avs, the Devils definitely still look like a Cup contender. The injury to Brett Pesce means the Devils might have to try and keep outscoring their problems, but that shouldn’t pose a big challenge with Jack Hughes in the Rocket Richard race and Nico Hischier’s line looking very solid. 

3. Winnipeg Jets (7-3-0, +9. PR: 4)

A familiar spot for last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners, perhaps? They have the odd bad game, but they’re generally few and far between. It doesn’t look like the Jets miss Nikolaj Ehlers at all, and their top line has combined for 15 goals, nearly half their entire output.

4. Vegas Golden Knights (6-1-3, +9. PR: 1)

It was not a good week for the Knights, but they did make a statement with a 6-3 win against the Canes. They have lost only one game by multiple goals this season, which I think is a testament to how consistent they’ve really been.

5. Dallas Stars (6-3-1, -2. PR: 8)

The Stars are doing just fine, but they have been more streaky than usual and having to grind out wins. After a bit of a shaky start, Jake Oettinger has allowed only two goals in his past two games.   

6. Carolina Hurricanes (6-3-0, +6. PR: 2)

After starting 5-0-0, the Canes are 1-3-0 since last Monday with zero regulation wins. The good news is Andrei Svechnikov is finally on the board after going the first eight games without registering a single point.

The Wraparound: Can Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov Break His Slump? Emma Lingan, Michael Augello and Stephen Kerr discuss Svechnikov's zero points so far, trade speculation about Kadri, Zacha and Stamkos and much more.

7. Detroit Red Wings (7-3-0, +4. PR: 7)

There was a short but scary stretch where the Wings lost twice and were outscored 11-4, and you wondered if they were crashing back down after overachieving. However, thanks to the Blues, they managed to right themselves pretty quickly. They’re winning games in spite of some lackluster goaltending and a rotation that has yet to make much sense.

8. Montreal Canadiens (8-3-0, +7. PR: 11)

Cole Caufield might be the most dangerous player in overtime, and the Habs are off to a great start, with some thanks to Jakub Dobes’ goaltending. Martin St-Louis is making a strong early-season case to win the Jack Adams. 

9. Utah Mammoth (8-3-0, +10. PR: 16)

Their brilliant seven-game run ended against the Oilers, but we’ve seen enough to respect their offense. Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther look like a duo that might terrorize the league for the next 15 seasons.

10. Pittsburgh Penguins (7-2-2, +10. PR: 18)

The Penguins have not suffered a regulation loss for two weeks and easily could be 6-0-0 instead of 4-0-2. They have been, by far, the most impressive team so far this season. I’d like to see them do this for a couple more weeks before really moving them up in the top 10, but they’re close. The key litmus test game is Nov. 8 in New Jersey.

Surging Penguins Are The 'Wheeze Kids' Of The NHL With "legends of the game" resurging on offense and young players exceeding expectations, these Pittsburgh Penguins have had their best October in years.

11. Washington Capitals (6-4-0, +5. PR: 6)

An ugly 7-1 loss to the Sens was followed by up a shutout loss to the Stars, and they’re missing a big piece in Dylan Strome. However, their goaltending continues to be a strong point, and Logan Thompson is making a very strong case to be Team Canada’s top goalie. 

12. Columbus Blue Jackets (5-4-0, +1. PR: 15)

The Jackets are only one game over .500, but they could easily be better than that, with three of their four losses coming against elite teams: the Devils, Avs and Caps. The scary part is Zach Werenski and Adam Fantilli have yet to really get going. 

13. Edmonton Oilers (5-4-2, even. PR: 10)

It does seem like the Oilers shoot themselves in the foot more than any other team. Poor goaltending, defensive miscues and the lack of secondary scoring have carried over from season to season to season. 

14. Toronto Maple Leafs (5-4-1, -1. PR: 14)

It certainly looks like the Leafs are turning the corner, but two one-goal wins won’t be enough to placate a nervous fan base. In past seasons, an upcoming schedule with the Jackets, Flyers and Pens would’ve seemed like a cinch, but that’s clearly not the case now. 

15. Anaheim Ducks (5-3-1, +1. PR: 17)

The Ducks are an impressive yet inconsistent group, either blowing leads or coming from behind. It is true, however, that they’re playing more entertaining, high-event hockey, and it suits their young, talented roster.

16. Florida Panthers (5-5-1, -4. PR: 9)

It’s been a pretty uneven season, but who could blame them? What’s perhaps most surprising is their inability to score. Carter Verhaeghe, pegged for a bounce-back season, and Sam Bennett, expected to shoulder much of the load with Aleksander Barkov injured, have combined for three goals. Brad Marchand, still ageless at 37 years old, is their leading scorer. 

17. Philadelphia Flyers (5-3-1, +3. PR: 22)

Trevor Zegras is making highlight-reel plays again, so you know things are going well. I am, however, still stunned by how good the Flyers' goaltending has been. It was all Dan Vladar to start, but Samuel Ersson now has two straight wins and stopped 24 of 26 shots against the rival Pens. 

18. Seattle Kraken (5-2-3, -1. PR: 26)

I still think the Kraken have trouble scoring on a regular basis, and they also blew some early leads. Not having Jared McCann stings, and we’re still waiting on that big breakout season from Matty Beniers and/or Shane Wright. 

19. Los Angeles Kings (5-3-3, -3. PR: 27)

After a tough 1-3-2 start, the Kings went 4-0-1 on their road trip, though their competition hasn’t exactly been stellar. It’s low-event hockey, and the Kings will keep trying to grind out wins, and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that they’re winning with Anze Koptiar back in the lineup. 

20. Chicago Blackhawks (5-3-2, +7. PR: 23)

Connor Bedard heard all the critics, saw Macklin Celebrini score a hat trick against the Rangers and followed it up with a hat trick of his own. There’s no denying the Hawks look much better than they did last season and have now gone 5-1-1 after a 0-2-1 start.

21. Tampa Bay Lightning (4-4-2, -1. PR: 21)

After tumbling to 1-4-2, the Lightning reeled off three straight wins to claw back to .500. Never mind they barely got past the Ducks and beat up on the Preds… a big test is coming with the Stars, Mammoth, Avs, Knights and Caps.

22. New York Rangers (4-5-2, -2. PR: 20)

The Rangers definitely defend a lot better than they did last season, but unless their goaltending bails them out, they’re having a lot of trouble scoring goals. They’re averaging just 2.18 goals-for per game, the 12th-lowest mark in the cap era so far.

23. Vancouver Canucks (5-6-0, -4. PR: 19)

Their injury list is very long. They lost their best player in Quinn Hughes and lost Conor Garland on Tuesday against the Rangers, who’s arguably been their best forward. The Canucks have scored two goals or less five times this season, all of which were losses. The pressure on Elias Pettersson is about to get cranked into overdrive.

24. St. Louis Blues (3-6-1, -15. PR: 12)

My dark horse pick is absolutely flailing with a five-game winless streak. The Blues are inconsistent, their defensive coverage has been lacking, and their goaltending has not been able to keep them in games. With injuries to Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours, the assignment’s just getting harder. 

25. Minnesota Wild (3-5-3, -12. PR: 13)

The Wild have not won in a week, which is not ideal after signing Kirill Kaprizov to the league’s biggest contract. They need to stop turning over the puck, pick up their scoring at even strength – they rank last in 5-on-5 goals – and they can’t seem to get any saves.  

26. Ottawa Senators (5-5-1, -3. PR: 29)

Either the Sens are stomping on opponents or getting stomped on, so sometimes it’s hard to tell how good they really are and which version will show up on a nightly basis. Linus Ullmark has an .858 SP through nine games and somehow has a 4-4-1 record. 

27. Boston Bruins (5-7-0, -5. PR: 25)

They’ve won two of their past three to stop their six-game slide, but they’re getting blown out at an alarmingly regular basis. For a team with Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins should at least be able to defend, though they were missing Hampus Lindholm again. 

28. New York Islanders (4-4-1, -1. PR: 24)

At the very least, the Isles have been really fun to watch and Matthew Schaefer alone is worth the price of admission. Ilya Sorokin, however, is still struggling with a .868 SP. 

29. Buffalo Sabres (4-4-2, -1. PR: 28)

The Sabres are a respectable 4-1-2 after going 0-3-0, so calls for their demise were premature and greatly exaggerated. They have a good team on paper, so this isn’t altogether surprising, but they do need to be more consistent and learn how to hold onto leads.

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30. Nashville Predators (4-5-2, -9. PR: 30)

Predators coach Andrew Brunette bemoaned the lazy penalties they’ve taken, but maybe they should take a closer look at the roster they’ve put together. You can’t expect a team anchored by a bunch of 30-something-year-olds with declining speed and skill to keep up in this league. 

31. San Jose Sharks (2-6-2, -14. PR: 32)

The one thing the Sharks can do is score. They’re still searching for their first regulation win, but their play is trending in the right direction, and they’re must-watch TV for their offense alone. 

32. Calgary Flames (2-8-1, -15. PR: 31)

The Flames have never picked first overall in their history. I say they look more ready than ever to make history.

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