This week's NHL power rankings have the New York Rangers and Los Angeles in the top two as the Bruins fall. Jason Chen ranks every team and lists their MVP so far.

Welcome back to the ever-popular NHL power rankings at The Hockey News. Published every Wednesday, all 32 teams will be ranked from best to worst with an emphasis on their weekly performances.

It was appropriate that the NHL’s 328th game, officially the quarter mark of the 2023-24 season, was a weird one. 

Featuring the Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs, the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw and headed for the shootout, where Evan Rodrigues slipped the puck under Joseph Woll’s pad on a deke in the fifth round. It would’ve been the second win in as many nights for the Panthers, and a poor showing for the Leafs, who had two days’ rest facing the team that beat them in October and eliminated them last spring.

Except Rodrigues’ would-be winner was called back for a double-tap, and it would be Noah Gregor – who has 29 goals in 198 career games – who scored the winner in the sixth round after the shootout resumed. Woll’s terrific performance was not wasted, but it also goes to show how thin the line has been between winning and losing in a week that featured plenty of upsets already.

There’s a bunch of good teams at the top but no standout after the Bruins lost three straight with 17 goals allowed, knocking them off the top spot. With seven wins in their past eight, the Avalanche are also back after ranking outside the top five in the three previous weeks.

The new No. 1? The Rangers, who put up seven goals against the Bruins and have not lost consecutive games all season. The Kings move up to No. 2 on the back of their five-game winning streak. It’s the first time both teams have ranked this high in the NHL power rankings this season, with the Bruins stumbling and the Knights, who have won only twice in regulation over the past three weeks, losing tons of ground in the Pacific.

However, with a seven-game losing streak, the Ducks fall straight to the bottom, so I guess some things really don’t change.

We shall see how the standings shake out with December around the corner. With three coaches already replaced this season, Patrick Kane signing with the Red Wings and a minor trade that sent Anthony Beauvillier from the Canucks to the Blackhawks, teams are already making moves. 

It seems appropriate now to consider which players have been the most indispensable to their teams through the first quarter of the season.

(All fancy stats are 5-on-5 and courtesy naturalstattrick.com. CF% stands for Corsi-for percentage and xGF% represents expected goals-for percentage.)

1. New York Rangers (15-4-1, +17 goal differential. CF% league rank: 18, xGF% league rank: 19)

On pace to score well over 100 points, which would be the first time he’s hit the century mark, Artemi Panarin’s offense has jumped to another level. His expected goal rate per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 has never been higher.

2. Los Angeles Kings (13-3-3, +29. CF%: 3, xGF%: 1)

With such a balanced lineup, they needed someone to come out of nowhere to add surplus value and push them over the edge. That’s Cam Talbot, who’s tied for second in the NHL with 10 wins and ranks second in save percentage among goalies with at least 10 starts.

3. Boston Bruins (14-4-3, +16. CF%: 20, xGF%: 13)

It's hard to split the MVP between Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman since they’re equally valuable, but how about David Pastrnak continuing to carry their offense? Over the past three seasons (min. 2,000 TOI), Pastrnak has the 13th-best individual points percentage – he’s scored a point in 77.18 percent of the Bruins’ scoring plays when he’s on the ice – and ranks second in total shots with 510, trailing only Auston Matthews.

4. Colorado Avalanche (15-6-0, +21. CF%: 6, xGF%: 6)

Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are elite players, but their top player is undoubtedly Cale Makar, who ranks fourth in points and averages over 24 minutes per game.

5. Vegas Golden Knights (14-5-4, +17. CF%: 19, xGF%: 16)

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by Adin Hill’s fantastic 2023-24 season. He was, after all, the one who backstopped them to the Cup last season.

6. Dallas Stars (13-5-2, +11. CF%: 11, xGF%: 5)

It’s a balanced team with no real weakness, but Roope Hintz edges Joe Pavelski with his ability to drive play and in analytics, too. When Pavelski plays away from Hintz, his numbers plummet.

7. Winnipeg Jets (12-7-2, +10. CF%: 9, xGF%: 15)

It's great to see Kyle Connor back on pace to score 40 goals again. He’s by far the best goal-scorer on their team and is having a nice bounce-back season after scoring “just” 31 goals last season.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs (11-6-3, +2. CF%: 16, xGF%: 20)

There’s no question in my mind it’s William Nylander. He’s not a perfect player, but he’s the most noticeable and consistent on a nightly basis. Something something contract year.

9. Florida Panthers (13-7-2, +7. CF%: 5, xGF%: 9)

He’s missed three games, but there’s no denying Aleksander Barkov drives this team. Sam Reinhart’s enjoying an incredible spike in shooting percentage, but Barkov is arguably their most indispensable player as their captain, top center and two-way force.

10. Vancouver Canucks (15-7-1, +34. CF%: 14, xGF%: 18)

Think about every scoring record by a defenseman in their franchise history, no matter how obscure. From most goals in a season to most career points, Quinn Hughes will smash all of them.

11. Tampa Bay Lightning (10-8-5, -1. CF%: 10, xGF%: 17)

We really take Nikita Kucherov for granted because the expectations for him are so high and for the Lightning. He remains top-five in points per game over the past five seasons and trails only Jack Hughes in this campaign.

12. Detroit Red Wings (11-6-3, +14. CF%: 24, xGF%: 23)

All Dylan Larkin needed was better linemates. It was a chore to get to 70 points most seasons, but with Alex DeBrincat, and perhaps Patrick Kane, on his wings, he’s on pace to set career highs in offensive categories and remains an excellent two-way player.

13. Carolina Hurricanes (13-8-0, +3. CF%: 1, xGF%: 2)

It’s always tough to pick because the Canes do everything by committee, and by default, the answer is almost always Sebastian Aho. He’ll likely never score more than a point per game, but he’s one of the league’s most well-rounded players, and he’s the only forward to average 20 minutes per game on a team where nobody averages more than 22 minutes.

14. New Jersey Devils (10-9-1, -2. CF%: 2, xGF%: 4)

He missed a bit of time, but there’s no question this team’s different when Jack Hughes is in the lineup. He’s the league leader in points per game and a one-man offensive machine. If the Devils are a top-three team in the Metro, he will get NHL MVP consideration.

15. Calgary Flames (9-10-3, -11. CF%: 7, xGF%: 12)

Would it be crazy to say it’s, um, Jacob Markstrom?! With a punchless offense and an underwhelming defense relative to its talent, Markstrom has been one of the few bright spots and manages to at least keep the Flames in games.

16. Arizona Coyotes (10-9-2, +4. CF%: 28, xGF%: 25)

The easy pick is Clayton Keller, and Connor Ingram deserves consideration now that he’s (finally) taken over the No. 1 job, but I’m going to cheat and say that the Matias Maccelli-Nick Bjugstad-Lawson Crouse line is the collective MVP for their consistency and potency.

17. Edmonton Oilers (8-12-1, -7. CF%: 4, xGF%: 3)

It's no surprise the Oilers are winning games with Connor McDavid going off and scoring 15 points in his past five games. Few players are as terrifying as McDavid when he decides to just take over the game himself.

18. Washington Capitals (10-6-2, -6. CF%: 25, xGF%: 24)

Imagine if this team didn’t have John Carlson, who leads the league in ice time at 26:10 per game, plays PP1 and PK1, and is still somehow plus-1 on a team with a minus-6 goal differential.

19. Buffalo Sabres (10-10-2, -7. CF%: 17, xGF%: 21)

The only player who’s exceeded expectations so far is Casey Mittelstadt, who leads the team with 20 points in 22 games. He’s been elevated to the top line after Dylan Cozens failed to stick in Tage Thompson’s absence.

20. Nashville Predators (11-10-0, +4. CF%: 21, xGF%: 10)

Filip Forsberg is having an incredible season, and no one’s talking about it. On pace for a little over 100 points with a shooting percentage (13.3 percent) that’s in line with his career average (12.9 percent), he’s been a huge benefactor of the Preds’ desire to play faster than ever.

21. Pittsburgh Penguins (10-10-1, +10. CF%: 8, xGF%: 8)

They’re really better than their record indicates, and Sidney Crosby remains one of the best players in the league. He’s never averaged less than a point per game in any season, and he’s in his age-36 season. If there’s one guy who can play until he’s 40 and still play top-line minutes, it’s Crosby.

22. St. Louis Blues (11-9-1, -4. CF%: 31, xGF%: 29)

Robert Thomas has taken the reins and very much looks like a No. 1 center (on most nights). He’s one of 30 forwards who are averaging over 20 minutes per game.

23. Philadelphia Flyers (11-10-1, +3. CF%: 13, xGF%: 7)

Full marks to Carter Hart and Travis Konecny, but Travis Sanheim has arguably been their most important player. He’s skating a ton of minutes and living up to the big contract the Flyers handed him.

24. New York Islanders (8-7-6, -11. CF%: 30, xGF%: 22)

Noah Dobson has emerged as a bona fide top-pairing defenseman. On a team (still) starved for offense, being able to get 18 points in 21 games from Dobson on the blueline has been a massive help, and he’s the power-play quarterback they’ve been yearning for in eons.

25. Ottawa Senators (8-9-0, +1. CF%: 22, xGF%: 28)

There’s no question it’s Tim Stutzle, though this team is replete with talent. He’s one of the few players who’s not underperforming and averages more ice time than any other forward in the league at 22:17 per game. Yes, more than MacKinnon (21:55) and McDavid (21:40).

26. Montreal Canadiens (9-10-2, -16. CF%: 27, xGF%: 30)

It would’ve been Sean Monahan earlier in the season, or Cole Caufield when he goes on his scoring runs. But their best all-round contributor is Mike Matheson, who continues where he left off last season and plays five more minutes per game than anyone else on his team.

27. Minnesota Wild (6-10-4, -18. CF%: 15, xGF%: 14)

This one’s pretty easy; it’s Joel Eriksson Ek. Maybe he’s struggling on the PK, but so has the entire team in that department. On the bright side, he plays well on both sides of the puck, and he’s their most reliable forward.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets (7-12-4, -12. CF%: 26, xGF%: 26)

What can’t Boone Jenner do? Miscast as a No. 1 center, he still continues to produce like one with 11 goals in 23 games. He plays hard minutes and wins a ton of faceoffs. However, not to take anything away from Jenner, but when he’s your best player, it’s a problem.

29. Chicago Blackhawks (7-13-0, -20. CF%: 29, xGF%: 31)

I bet you nobody outside of Chicago can name a single player on this team other than Connor Bedard, who is on pace to be just the second player in the cap era to score 50 goals in their rookie season.

30. Seattle Kraken (8-10-5, -17. CF%: 12, xGF%: 11)

They’re so balanced that it feels like each player takes a turn being the MVP from week to week, kind of like how the Wild used to have monthly rotating captains. That being said, Vince Dunn is unlike the rest because of his ability to generate offense from an otherwise one-dimensional defensive corps.

31. San Jose Sharks (5-15-2, -54. CF%: 32, xGF%: 32)

Tomas Hertl is undoubtedly their best player, but I think Mackenzie Blackwood having a save percentage over .900 is an incredible feat. He gives the Sharks some respectability and ranks 13th among goalies in minutes played, running away with the No. 1 job when everyone thought it’d be a timeshare with Kaapo Kahkonen.

32. Anaheim Ducks (9-13-0, -17. CF%: 23, xGF%: 27)

Mason McTavish is a franchise player, but it’s going to take some time before the Ducks are a competitive team. They’ve fallen back down to earth like they’ve just been hit by the NES Zapper and are right back where they started after finishing 32nd in the final edition of the NHL power rankings last season.