NHL Power Rankings: Bruins, Devils and Golden Knights Continue Top-Spot Battle
Take a bow if you saw this coming.
It's one thing for NHL forecasters to have expected strong early-season showings by either the perennially competitive Boston Bruins or the gold standard when it comes to recent expansion teams—the Vegas Golden Knights.
After all, the Bruins have reached the playoffs in six straight seasons and 13 of the last 15, and the Golden Knights were Stanley Cup finalists after their first run through the NHL schedule in 2017-18 and didn't miss the tournament until their fifth season of existence.
But the New Jersey Devils are another story.
Though long past the "Mickey Mouse" tag once hung on them by Wayne Gretzky, the lone major sports franchise carrying a Garden State moniker hasn't made the postseason since 2018 and hasn't won a series since an ultimately unsuccessful run to the Cup final a decade ago.
Nevertheless, the team constructed by first-time general manager Tom Fitzgerald and led by veteran coach Lindy Ruff is the talk of the NHL town these days thanks to a 10-game winning streak that's given it a penthouse view atop the league's exclusive Metropolitan Division.
Only the Bruins and their 14-2 mark through Tuesday's games were better than the 12-3 record strung together by the Devils in the Eastern Conference, and the Golden Knights' 13-3 start is tops in the West—making it predictable they'd go 1-2-3 in the latest edition of B/R's Power Rankings.
Three of five voters had Boston first in this week's balloting while New Jersey claimed the other two first-place votes and Vegas was third on all five. The Winnipeg Jets crashed the top-five party on the strength of four fourth-place tallies, while the Carolina Hurricanes hung on for fifth thanks to top-five inclusion on three of five ballots.
Our panel of five voters awarded 32 points for first place and one point for 32nd in coming up with the weekly list. A team's ranking from last week and its subsequent move are listed alongside each updated placement. Scroll through to see where your favorites landed and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.
Nos. 32-26: Ducks, Blue Jackets, Senators, Canucks, Sharks, Blues, Coyotes
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32. Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 28 / Move: -4)
The stretch in which the Ducks were contending for playoff position in the West last winter feels further away by the moment. Anaheim has won just five times in 2022-23 and has the league’s worst goal differential at minus-25. But Troy Terry is still prolific with 19 points in 16 games.
31. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 31 / Move: 0)
The positivity of Johnny Gaudreau’s arrival as a free agent has been stifled by a difficult start for the Blue Jackets, but the former Calgary star is still optimistic. “I'm not putting it past our team to get out of this funk,” he told ESPN, “but I also know whatever happens, we have a lot to look forward to."
30. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 30 / Move: 0)
The Senators were among the league’s elite for the first few games but have gone through a prolonged skid that’s seen just one win in nine games entering Wednesday and a plummet to the lower tier. A raft of injuries on the blue line has GM Pierre Dorion claiming he’ll be “very active” in looking to shore up the defense.
29. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 27 / Move: -2)
Five wins in 10 games isn’t exactly a huge uptick, but it’s a significant improvement on the early nightmare in Vancouver. The Canucks went just 2-3 on a trip east but finished strong with a 5-4 victory at Buffalo on Tuesday even though they nearly blew a multi-goal lead for the seventh time.
28. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 29 / Move: +1)
Losing five of six games (three in OT/shootouts) on a homestand was less than ideal, but San Jose bounced back with three wins in a four-game trip to St. Louis, Dallas, Minnesota, and Vegas. A move could be imminent with defenseman Erik Karlsson after GM Mike Grier said he’ll “listen” to trade offers.
27. St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 32 / Move: +5)
The perfect tonic for a dizzying eight-game skid that dumped the Blues in the NHL cellar? The three straight victories they’d earned heading into a Wednesday night date in Chicago. St. Louis allowed seven goals in the three wins after surrendering five or more goals five times in the eight-game losing streak.
26. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 24 / Move: -2)
The Coyotes began a season-long 14-game road odyssey with consecutive wins at Washington, Buffalo and the New York Islanders before dialing back with losses at New Jersey and the New York Rangers. Nine more road games follow before Arizona returns to its new home against Boston on December 9.
Nos. 25-21: Sabres, Penguins, Capitals, Predators, Blackhawks
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25. Buffalo Sabres (Last Week 19 / Move: -6)
The wheels have come off the momentum bus in Buffalo, where the Sabres lost all four games on a homestand before heading to Ottawa. The team surrendered four or more goals in three of those games and sat in a 25th-place tie with a 3.56 goals-against average before Wednesday’s game.
24. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 26 / Move: +2)
The Penguins have won twice in 11 games, and coach Mike Sullivan is addressing it with line changes. He broke up Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust at a Wednesday practice and paired “The Kid” with Guentzel and Richard Rakell. “We try to find combinations that can have success,” he said.
23. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 18 / Move: -5)
A dearth of goals would not have been the predicted state of the union in Washington through the initial 18 games, but the Capitals have averaged just 2.83 per game—good for a tie for 24th in the league entering Wednesday. Alex Ovechkin is on pace to score 36, his lowest in a full season since 2016-17 (33).
22. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 25 / Move: +3)
Nashville went 2-3 on a trip west but returned with consecutive 2-1 defeats of the New York Rangers and Minnesota in which Juuse Saros stopped 66 of 68 shots. The No. 3 man in last season’s Vezina voting is still pedestrian for the season with a 3.03 goals-against average and .907 save percentage.
21. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 22 / Move: +1)
An up-and-down early season continued for the Blackhawks, who lost in OT at Los Angeles and won in Anaheim to finish a road swing before losing 3-0 to Carolina at home. The return of Seth Jones to the blue line is less certain, given that he’ll have another X-ray on an injured hand in 7-10 days.
Nos. 20-16: Wild, Canadiens, Flyers, Red Wings, Flames
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20. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 23 / Move: +3)
It’s collective held breath in Minnesota, where goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury missed practice Tuesday and is being evaluated for an upper-body injury. The Wild begin a seven-game homestand on Thursday against Pittsburgh and may need to call backup Filip Gustavsson (2.81, .914) into extended action.
19. Montréal Canadiens (Last Week: 20 / Move: +1)
A three-game win streak got the Canadiens above .500 before a 5-1 loss to streaking New Jersey dimmed the lights a bit. Montreal had scored 13 goals in wins against Detroit, Vancouver and Pittsburgh before Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek held them to just one on 26 shots.
18. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 7 / Move: -11)
The Flyers had already lost three in a row—including two at home—before the streak reached four in OT at Columbus to open a three-game trip. Coach John Tortorella showed his fiery colors during an in-game interview, saying “We suck. We haven’t forechecked; we have not done anything as of right now.”
17. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 10 / Move: -7)
The Red Wings saw a recent non-winning skid stretched to four games thanks to a blown lead and a 3-2 loss to hapless Anaheim. Three of the losses have come by one goal—including another in a shootout—alongside an 8-2 drilling by the visiting New York Rangers last Thursday.
16. Calgary Flames (Last Week: 21 / Move: +5)
A stunning, nightmarish skid for the Flames reached seven games (two in OT) before Calgary bounced back with consecutive home wins against Winnipeg and Los Angeles. The Flames will head to Florida for a two-game trip that’ll include a visit to Matthew Tkachuk’s new home on Saturday.
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Nos. 15-11: Rangers, Kings, Oilers, Kraken, Lightning
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15. New York Rangers (Last Week: 17 / Move: +2)
Five wins and five losses in the last 10 games is a sign of the inconsistency that’s dogged the Rangers. They’re hoping to find a groove on a four-game western swing that’ll bring them to Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. "This is one of my favorite road trips," defenseman Ryan Lindgren said.
14. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 15 / Move: +1)
A four-game win streak that had seen the Kings allow just eight goals came to a halt when Calgary got to Jonathan Quick six times in 30 shots in a 6-5 win. The 36-year-old has allowed four goals or more six times in 12 starts and his .895 save percentage is lower than he’s posted since 2018-19 (.888)
13. Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 14 / Move: +1)
Edmonton returned home to face Los Angeles on Wednesday night after an uneven four-game trip in which they allowed 12 goals in losses at Washington and Carolina, but just four in wins over Tampa Bay and Florida. Youngster Stuart Skinner is playing well enough to create a mini-goaltending controversy.
12. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 6 / Move: -6)
The Kraken have boosted the offense and tightened the defense through 16 games compared to last season, winning eight times, and losing by a single goal six times. Offseason arrival Martin Jones has been a revelation while posting a 2.38 goals-against average and winning seven times in 13 games.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 13 / Move: +2)
Two straight prolific wins capped off the week for the three-time Eastern Conference champs, who scored 11 times in wins over Washington and Dallas. Steven Stamkos reached 500 career assists in the defeat of the Stars and is 11 goals short of scoring 500. “I’ve gotten an opportunity to have a lot of great memories in this league and hopefully many more,” he said. “So it’s pretty cool.”
Nos. 10-6: Panthers, Avalanche, Maple Leafs, Stars, Islanders
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10. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 16 / Move: +6)
It’s been a tale of two locations for the Panthers, who’d not lost in regulation at home until Saturday against Edmonton but are just 4-5 in their first nine away from metro Miami. Among the happiest homebodies is Matthew Tkachuk. “I couldn’t be happier. I’ve absolutely loved my time here,” he said, “more than I could ever have imagined.”
9. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 12 / Move: +3)
The Stanley Cup champs were looking like the Stanley Cup champs during a four-game run in which they scored 20 goals before the run ended with a 3-2 loss to St. Louis in which they were stoned for 45 saves by Jordan Binnington. Three games at Carolina, Washington and Dallas are an imminent challenge.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 11 / Move: +3)
It was risky to split Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but the Maple Leafs have won twice against Pittsburgh and Vancouver since sliding William Nylander alongside Matthews and Marner with John Tavares. "We think it makes sense to continue with it for a little bit here," coach Sheldon Keefe said.
7. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 9 / Move: +2)
A 1-2-1 stretch has followed a three-game win streak for the Stars, who’ve allowed five goals in each of the three losses. Nevertheless, Dallas is still tied for sixth in the league with a 2.69 goals-against average and Jake Oettinger is seventh or better in goals against (2.12, third), save percentage (.929, tied for seventh) and shutouts (1, tied for fourth).
6. New York Islanders (Last Week: 8 / Move: +2)
The Islanders have fallen to just 12th in the league in scoring, but their trademark stinginess has remained good for fifth with a 2.53 goals-against average. New York hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game since October 29, a stretch in which they’ve gone 6-2.
Nos. 5-1: Hurricanes, Jets, Golden Knights, Devils, Bruins
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5. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 4 / Move: -1)
The Hurricanes are typically strong at home in Raleigh, and they’ve added a layer this season with a 6-3-1 start on the road. A 3-0 win at Chicago on Monday was the first shutout of Pyotr Kochetkov’s career and lifted him to 4-0 on the road in five career NHL appearances. “I think he’s going to be a star in this league for a long time, especially for our team,” teammate Andrei Svechnikov said.
4. Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 5 / Move: +6)
The Jets have climbed the ladder thanks to a 4-1 run in November that’s seen them outscore opponents 17-8. But they’ll have to continue the momentum without Mason Appleton, who was injured in a win at Seattle on Sunday and could be out 8-12 weeks after having wrist surgery on Wednesday.
3. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Week: 1 / Move: -2)
The Golden Knights’ nine-game win streak was snuffed by losses to St. Louis and San Jose. Vegas led the Sharks, 2-1, entering the third period and coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t happy the lead was wasted. “Our record indicates we're a good team, and I believe that," he said. "I just walked off the bench 10 minutes ago pretty unhappy that we let a third-period lead get away. Good teams do not do that.”
2. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 3 / Move: +1
No one in the NHL universe is hotter than the Devils, who got their win streak to double digits with a 5-1 rout of Montreal on Tuesday. Five-on-five dominance has been a hallmark of the streak, with New Jersey scoring a league-best 29 goals and allowing just 11 (tied for first with Boston) with both teams at full strength.
1. Boston Bruins (Last Week: 2 / Move: +1)
Only a 2-1 loss to Toronto on Nov. 5 has separated the Bruins from a 12-game win streak. Boston won seven in a row before that setback and has rebounded with four more wins since in which they’ve allowed five goals while scoring 14.
And now would-be No. 1 goalie Jeremy Swayman returns to the team after an injury to team with Linus Ullmark, who’s been spectacular with an 11-1 record, a 1.96 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage in 13 games.
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