NHL Power Rankings: Vegas Golden Knights Obliterating Notion of Stanley Cup Hangover
It's not easy to repeat in professional sports.
It's particularly difficult in the NHL, where only two teams—the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021)—have accomplished it in the 21st century.
So it was easy to begin 2023-24 with the notion that the league's incumbent Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, would be off the pace.
As it turned out, the notion couldn't be more wrong.
Coach Bruce Cassidy's team has not just thrived through the first two weeks of the schedule, it's dominated.
The Golden Knights were the league's lone 7-0-0 team through Tuesday's games, and that pristine mark has already yielded the first repeat of the season, atop B/R's weekly Power Rankings.
Vegas swept the first-place votes to close six points ahead of second-place Colorado in the balloting, which awards 32 points for first-place votes down to one point for a No. 32 vote.
The Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils rounded out the weekly top five, with the Stars and Devils displacing the plummeting Carolina Hurricanes (second to 20th) and Pittsburgh Penguins (fifth to 26th) from last week.
Scroll through to see where your favorite team wound up and drop a rankings thought of your own in the comments.
32. San Jose Sharks
1 of 32
Previous Ranking: 32
Overall Record: 0-5-1
Expectations were low for the Sharks, and the results have been similar, with a Tuesday loss at Florida dropping the record to 0-5-1. San Jose is 31st in scoring and 27th in goals-against average.
31. Chicago Blackhawks
2 of 32
Previous Ranking: 19
Overall Record: 2-5-0
The Blackhawks ran up against the league's three remaining unbeaten teams and went 0-for-3 while being outscored 12-3 in losses to Colorado, Vegas and Boston.
30. Washington Capitals
3 of 32
Previous Ranking: 23
Overall Record: 2-3-1
He'll get there eventually, but Alex Ovechkin started this year in the slow lane in the chase for Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. He did move to two in six games after Wednesday's win over the Devils.
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29. Anaheim Ducks
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Previous Ranking: 26
Overall Record: 2-4-0
The team has managed just two wins in six games, but you can't fault red-hot winger Frank Vatrano, who's scored five goals and added an assist. His career-high in goals was 24 and came in 2018-19.
28. Edmonton Oilers
5 of 32
Previous Ranking: 18
Overall Record: 1-4-1
So, about that "Cup or bust" thing. It'd be hard for things to be more dismal these days in Edmonton, where the Oilers are second-worst in goals-against average (4.50) and Connor McDavid is out for a week or two because of an upper-body injury.
27. Calgary Flames
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Previous Ranking: 17
Overall Record: 2-4-1
It's a full-on skid for the Flames, who've lost three straight and five of six. Tuesday's loss to the New York Rangers saw Jacob Markstrom allow three goals on 20 shots, dropping his save percentage below .900.
26. Pittsburgh Penguins
7 of 32
Previous Ranking: 5
Overall Record: 2-4-0
Eleven goals in the first three games have devolved into just six across the last three for the punchless Penguins, who netted just one of 39 shots in a 4-1 home loss to Dallas on Tuesday.
25. St. Louis Blues
8 of 32
Previous Ranking: 21
Overall Record: 2-2-1
Jordan Binnington stopped 26 of 29 shots on Tuesday in Winnipeg, but two that got past him within 18 seconds drew the ire of coach Craig Berube. "We fell asleep there for the two goals," he said.
24. Seattle Kraken
9 of 32
Previous Ranking: 29
Overall Record: 2-4-1
The up-and-down Kraken got back on the winning side after blowing a 3-1 lead before recovering for a 5-4 OT win at Detroit on Tuesday. They've scored 12 goals in two wins and four in five losses.
23. Nashville Predators
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Previous Ranking: 30
Overall Record: 3-4-0
The uneven road continues for the Predators, who split their first two, lost two and won two before dropping a 3-2 nod to Vancouver. Nashville is home Saturday before a five-game western swing.
22. New York Islanders
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Previous Ranking: 6
Overall Record: 2-2-1
A perfect first week devolved into a winless second for the Islanders, who lost twice in regulation and once in OT. "I don't know if we need a system overhaul," defenseman Ryan Pulock said. "I think we just need to clean it up."
21. Arizona Coyotes
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Previous Ranking: 31
Overall Record: 3-3-0
Clayton Keller has scored in three straight games and already has seven points, but it doesn't help when your starting goalie allows three on nine shots, which happened to Connor Ingram on Tuesday.
20. Carolina Hurricanes
13 of 32
Previous Ranking: 3
Overall Record: 3-4-0
It's not easy starting with six road games in your first seven, and the Hurricanes have felt the impact, dropping four of those half-dozen contests. "We've got to find that team game that we've done so well over the years," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "It certainly hasn't been there this year."
19. Buffalo Sabres
14 of 32
Previous Ranking: 25
Overall Record: 3-4-0
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen became the third goalie to start a game for the Sabres on Tuesday and earned his first win after stopping 34 shots against Ottawa. He won 17 times in 32 starts last season.
18. Montreal Canadiens
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Previous Ranking: 27
Overall Record: 3-2-1
The injury news wasn't good for David Savard, who'll be out six to eight weeks after breaking his hand in a win at Buffalo on Monday. Savard also missed 20 games in each of the last two seasons.
17. Winnipeg Jets
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Previous Ranking: 24
Overall Record: 3-3-0
Coach Rick Bowness left the team to care for his ailing wife and the Jets responded with a 4-2 defeat of visiting St. Louis, including an assist from Mark Scheifele to extend his point streak to six games.
16. Ottawa Senators
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Previous Ranking: 14
Overall Record: 3-3-0
A five-game homestand ended sourly for the Senators, who saw Anton Forsberg pulled after allowing five goals on 18 shots in a loss to Buffalo. "Obviously, you want better," coach D.J. Smith said.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets
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Previous Ranking: 28
Overall Record: 3-2-1
Break up the Blue Jackets! The boys from Columbus have managed seven of a possible 12 standings points, and rookie Adam Fantilli notched his first multi-point game on Tuesday against Anaheim.
14. Florida Panthers
19 of 32
Previous Ranking: 22
Overall Record: 3-3-0
Anthony Stolarz returned to the NHL for the first time since last winter with a 27-save defeat of San Jose. He made 12 starts with Anaheim last season but didn't play after an injury in early February.
13. Philadelphia Flyers
20 of 32
Previous Ranking: 16
Overall Record: 3-2-1
The Flyers lost late in Vegas on Tuesday, but the early going has been largely successful thanks to goalie Carter Hart, who's posted a 2.21 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in five starts.
12. Minnesota Wild
21 of 32
Previous Ranking: 11
Overall Record: 3-2-1
A five-goal third period was enough for a 7-4 win over Edmonton on Tuesday and was the third time the Wild have done it in franchise history. It was Minnesota's fourth game (of six) with at least four goals.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning
22 of 32
Previous Ranking: 20
Overall Record: 3-2-2
The Lightning need the goaltending to stand up until Andrei Vasilevskiy returns from his back injury, and Jonas Johansson did his bit on Tuesday—stopping 32 Carolina shots for his second career shutout in a 3-0 win.
10. Vancouver Canucks
23 of 32
Previous Ranking: 9
Overall Record: 4-2-0
The Canucks finished off an early five-game road trip in style, winning at Florida and Nashville to go back home with a 3-2 slate. "We're just starting to have that confidence," captain Quinn Hughes said.
9. Los Angeles Kings
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Previous Ranking: 15
Overall Record: 3-2-1
It took four games, but the Kings finally found the recipe for success at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday. They got goals from six players to win for the first time on home ice after an 0-2-1 start.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
25 of 32
Previous Ranking: 13
Overall Record: 4-2-0
If you had Joseph Woll in your pool for Toronto's starting goaltender, take a bow. The 25-year-old has posted sterling numbers—1.44 goals-against average, .957 save percentage—in his first three games.
7. New York Rangers
26 of 32
Previous Ranking: 8
Overall Record: 4-2-0
Two straight wins have gotten a season-long five-game road trip off to a good start. And speaking of good starts, Artemi Panarin has three goals and five assists in a six-game point streak.
6. Detroit Red Wings
27 of 32
Previous Ranking: 12
Overall Record: 5-1-1
An OT loss to Seattle on Tuesday was frustrating, but the Red Wings have been historically prolific for two weeks. Their 34 goals in seven games are the league's second-highest total in the last 30 years.
5. New Jersey Devils
28 of 32
Previous Ranking: 10
Overall Record: 3-2-1
Veteran forward Tyler Toffoli was brought in to score goals for the Devils and he's done so, netting six in his first six games—including three on Tuesday for his fifth career NHL hat trick.
4. Dallas Stars
29 of 32
Previous Ranking: 7
Overall Record: 4-0-1
The Stars are among the favorites in the West, and they've gotten right to the business of showing why, winning four of their first five—including a 38-save gem from Jake Oettinger in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
3. Boston Bruins
30 of 32
Previous Ranking: 4
Overall Record: 6-0-0
You might have thought it was time for a fall-off in Boston, but the Bruins disagree. In fact, coach Jim Montgomery's team won Tuesday to match an 86-year-old team record with a 6-0-0 start.
2. Colorado Avalanche
31 of 32
Previous Ranking: 2
Overall Record: 6-0-0
All the news is good for the Avalanche, who won on Long Island on Tuesday night to set a league record for consecutive road wins at 15. It's their longest season-opening win streak since 2013-14.
1. Vegas Golden Knights
32 of 32
Previous Ranking: 1
Overall Record: 7-0-0
Seventh in scoring. Second in goals-against average. Second in goal differential. First in the Pacific Division by six points. All the numbers are good for the Golden Knights, who play six of their next eight at home before a five-game road trip begins on November 14.
Votes compiled ahead of Wednesday's game.
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