The NHL power rankings continue to see lots of movement, with the Islanders and Flyers moving up, the Oilers and Maple Leafs climbing, the Hurricanes slipping and more.

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’s the holiday season, but not every team will be happy. 

After suffering their fourth straight loss, including two games to bottom-five teams, the Blues fired head coach Craig Berube. He is the third coach to be fired during the season, following Jay Woodcroft in Edmonton and Dean Evason in Minnesota, though in all three cases, you could easily assign as much blame on the coaches as poor puck luck or poor roster construction.

Nevertheless, the bright side is Kris Knoblauch and John Hynes have turned the ship and guided their teams to winning records, and the hope is that Drew Bannister, named interim head coach following a promotion from AHL Springfield, will do the same.

The Blues were never able to get much momentum during the season, and they’re one of the biggest fallers in this week’s power rankings, dropping nine spots to 29th. The Coyotes, who parlayed a Connor Ingram hot streak to a winning record but have since lost four straight, and the Hurricanes, who might as well use a shooter tutor in net, are the other big fallers.

The biggest risers are the Islanders, who deserve a mea culpa after going 8-1-2 in their past 11 games, though three of their past five wins have come in overtime. The Flyers are also big risers, rarely taking nights off. In an unpredictable sport with plenty of ups and downs from each team already, their consistent effort has translated to a winning record.

(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. Vegas Golden Knights (20-5-5, +32. CF% league rank: 17, xGF% league rank: 8)

With a 4-0-0 week, the Knights reclaim the top spot after a four-week absence. It wasn’t without some luck, though, with two of their most recent wins coming via shootout and overtime. Their offense has led the charge, scoring at least five goals in all four wins.

2. Boston Bruins (18-5-3, +22. CF%: 23, xGF%: 14)

They’ve played just twice over the past week, and it’d be unfair to drop them after just one loss to the Sabres, but certainly, other teams need to be rewarded for their strong play. Did you know, though, that the Bruins have not lost four straight games since December 2019?

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (15-6-5, +10. CF%: 20, xGF%: 23)

Yours truly does not reside in Toronto or anywhere near Ontario, so this can’t be a homer pick. But logic dictates the Leafs should be up here after defeating the Rangers – made more difficult with Martin Jones in net – and went 3-0-1 overall this past week. All wins were in regulation, in case you had any doubts.

4. New York Rangers (19-7-1, +11. CF%: 16, xGF%: 16)

Tough stretch for the Rangers with three losses in their past four and getting outscored 17-5 (!) in those games. This is the first time they’ve really stumbled this season, however, so there’s no reason to panic.

5. Los Angeles Kings (16-5-4, +32. CF%: 2, xGF%: 1)

Their impressive road record wasn’t going to last, especially at the tail end of a four-game road trip. The Kings have a good chance to get back on track quickly, facing the Kraken and Sharks twice each over the next two weeks.

6. Florida Panthers (17-9-2, +12. CF%: 3, xGF%: 7)

A surprising 4-0 defeat to the Kraken aside, the Panthers have been playing very well with a 5-2-1 record over the past two weeks. Part of the reason they’re doing so well is because, quite amazingly, they don’t have a single player who’s injured or sick.

7. Vancouver Canucks (19-9-1, +37. CF%: 21, xGF%: 19)

The Canucks have never been this resilient. After almost battling back in a 6-5 loss to the Devils, they’ve won three straight against three pretty strong teams. Their core rivals the quality of any team in the league, and when their top players are playing at such an elite level, they’re hard to beat.

8. Colorado Avalanche (17-9-2, +13. CF%: 6, xGF%: 9)

This is a flawed team with little depth and mediocre goaltending, but they find ways to win before it gets out of hand. What’s a little worrying is their wins have been close shaves, but their losses have been blowouts.

9. Dallas Stars (16-8-3, +11. CF%: 9, xGF%: 5)

They’re staying afloat, but if their play slips any more, they’ll slip right out of the top 10. The Stars are 5-5-2 since mid-November, erasing all the early-season gains and have since relinquished the Central Division lead to the Avs. They haven’t been consistent on offense or in net.

10. Winnipeg Jets (16-9-2, +14. CF%: 11, xGF%: 18)

Losing Kyle Connor is going to hurt a lot. In their first game without their top goal-scorer, they mustered just one goal against the Sharks, who are allowing a league-high 3.93 goals per game.

11. Detroit Red Wings (15-9-4, +14. CF%: 29, xGF%: 24)

Here’s an idea: stop the non-sensical three-goalie rotation, give the net to Alex Lyon for as long as he’s able to stay hot, and trade James Reimer. That, and getting Dylan Larkin and J.T. Compher back sooner rather than later, will keep the Yzerplan in motion.

12. Edmonton Oilers (13-12-1, +7. CF%: 4, xGF%: 2)

That’s eight straight wins for the Oilers, and nobody is surprised because they’ve got Connor McDavid. Do you know how many goals they allowed during that span? 13. Do you know how many goals they allowed in their first three games of the season? 13.

13. New Jersey Devils (14-11-1, -3. CF%: 5, xGF%: 6)

What a huge difference having Jack Hughes in the lineup can make. They’re 6-2-0 over the past two weeks despite some spotty goaltending and the absence of Dougie Hamilton. Now, imagine if they can get Timo Meier going…

14. New York Islanders (13-7-7, -4. CF%: 30, xGF%: 21)

The Isles have a negative goal differential, and their possession metrics are terrible, but they’ve made a feast of overtime and the loser point. It’s a little strange to think the Isles are better on offense than defense because that really hasn’t been their M.O. in recent years, but who are we to nitpick? You are (usually) what your record says you are, and the Isles are second in a tight Metro Division.

15. Nashville Predators (16-13-0, +2. CF%: 18, xGF%: 12)

Juuse Saros has found his mojo, and that’s all the Preds really need to win games. Since Nov. 18, they’re an NHL-best 11-3-0 and rank only behind the Isles in points percentage (.818 vs. .786). They just need to make up for some lost ground.

16. Philadelphia Flyers (15-10-3, +9. CF%: 14, xGF%: 4)

How could this team not exceed the lowly expectations? John Tortorella’s squads play hard, and they got a No. 1 center (essentially) for free with Sean Couturier returning from injury. They’ve got nice depth, even if the pieces move around a lot and, more importantly, really solid goaltending.

17. Buffalo Sabres (12-14-3, -12. CF%: 15, xGF%: 20)

They’ve lost seven of their past 11, but maybe a hot streak is coming with Devon Levi taking over as the starter (again). At some point, their goaltending’s going to fall off (again) in an up-and-down season, but you wonder if that vaunted offense can get going like they did last season.

18. Tampa Bay Lightning (13-12-5, -10. CF%: 12, xGF%: 17)

Even without Victor Hedman on Tuesday in Vancouver, Darren Raddysh was the only defenseman other than Mikhail Sergachev to play 20 minutes, and only Raddysh and Calvin de Haan played more than 17 at even strength. And Nikita Kucherov played 26 (!) minutes. That’s a problem coaching can’t fix.

19. Pittsburgh Penguins (12-12-3, +8. CF%: 7, xGF%: 11)

It’s constantly one step back and one step forward with the Pens, who, aside from early November, can’t string together three wins. What’s interesting is their positive goal differential and decent possession metrics indicate this team should be a lot better than their record indicates, but they’re very, very mid.

20. Arizona Coyotes (13-13-2, +4. CF%: 28, xGF%: 26)

The shine has worn off a little in the desert. It’s tough when you lose your best two-way center in Barrett Hayton, but the Coyotes have become really streaky lately. After winning five straight, they’ve now lost four straight.

21. Washington Capitals (14-8-3, -8. CF%: 26, xGF%: 25)

For a veteran team, they can be wildly inconsistent, and you keep wondering if they’re just too old in a young man’s league. A team with a winning record and a negative goal differential usually indicates goaltending is bailing them out, and that’s been the case many nights.

22. Minnesota Wild (10-12-4, -7. CF%: 13, xGF%: 13)

The Wild still have a long way to go, and it’s tough when Kirill Kaprizov’s playing like his injuries are still bothering him. We shall see if the new coach bump lasts, but they’ve faltered some with two losses in their last three games.

23. Calgary Flames (11-14-4, -17. CF%: 8, xGF%: 10)

They’ve yet to win three straight games, but some of it’s been just bad luck. It is slightly concerning they’ve won just twice in regulation over the past two weeks, but note three of their last five losses have also been by just one goal. Can Dustin Wolf save them?

24. Carolina Hurricanes (15-12-1, +1. CF%: 1, xGF%: 3)

Truly, there hasn’t been a team in recent memory that has been sunk more by bad goaltending than the Canes. Defensive breakdowns and lackluster efforts are also a big part of it. It’s actually kind of strange there’s been little talk about the Hurricanes in the rumor mill because they’re one team that should consider making a move, especially with Andrei Svechnikov expected to miss time again.

25. Ottawa Senators (11-12-0, +5. CF%: 19, xGF%: 22)

Brady Tkachuk is too busy getting tripped up (and teed up) after a failed penalty shot, but the Sens are really watching their playoff hopes slip away. They’re last in the Atlantic and one of three teams who’ve yet to earn those valuable loser points.

26. San Jose Sharks (9-17-3, -53. CF%: 32, xGF%: 32)

Impressive stuff from the Sharks; it once again proves the old adage about not being as bad as you think you are at your lowest point is true. They were so bad at the beginning of the season that they’re still tracking to have one of the worst goal differentials in the cap era. I’m not quite sure winning games is in their best interests, however.

27. Columbus Blue Jackets (9-16-5, -19. CF%: 24, xGF%: 29)

Boone Jenner is the heart and soul, and it wouldn’t surprise anybody if the Jackets just continue to lose without their captain. It’s crazy that their young all-Russian line of Dmitri Voronkov, Yegor Chinakhov and Kirill Marchenko’s combined 41 points is their highest-scoring combo.

28. Chicago Blackhawks (9-18-1, -32. CF%: 31, xGF%: 31)

Once a game, Connor Bedard will do something spectacular. You just hope he does it early in the first period so you can switch to another game.

29. St. Louis Blues (13-14-1, -14. CF%: 27, xGF%: 30)

It’s not just the losses but who they lost to that ultimately sealed Craig Berube’s fate. The Blues have been rudderless in the years following their Cup title.

30. Montreal Canadiens (12-13-3, -21. CF%: 25, xGF%: 28)

The Habs were working a three-goalie rotation like clockwork when suddenly Martin St-Louis threw a head fake and started Samuel Montembeault in consecutive games. Whatever it takes to keep people interested, I guess, because their games certainly aren’t.

31. Seattle Kraken (9-14-7, -23. CF%: 10, xGF%: 15)

Joey Daccord’s shutout against the Panthers kept the Kraken from the depths of the NHL power rankings for the second straight week. It’s obvious what the Kraken need – a game-breaking scoring forward – but they’ve been so reluctant to make moves. Then you remember their GM is Ron Francis, and suddenly it clicks.

32. Anaheim Ducks (10-17-0, -21. CF%: 22, xGF%: 27)

Last season, I started sharing duck recipes because I had run out of ways to roast the Ducks without using colorful language that would’ve drawn the ire of my editor. Did you know it’s been nearly a month since the Ducks have won in regulation?