.jpg?w=1280 "Power Rankings")
NHL Power Rankings Have Canadiens and Ducks in Top 4, Panthers and Rangers Fall Again
Welcome to the second month of the NHL season.
And while some of the narratives from the 32 cities remain surprising, the latest edition of B/R's Power Rankings reveals slightly less league-wide tumult.
The Anaheim Ducks made the biggest move into November's first week with a nine-spot jump from 12th to third, while the reignited Boston Bruins were a six-spot riser from No. 27 to 21.
On the flip side, the Chicago Blackhawks nosedived nine places from 15th to 24th, and the two-time defending champs from Florida plummeted seven spots from 20th to 27th in balloting by B/R's hockey staff, which assigned 32 points for a first-place vote down to a single point for a 32nd-place nod.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
(All stats and records are updated through games on Tuesday, Nov. 4.)
32. Calgary Flames
1 of 32
Previous Ranking: 32
Overall Record: 4-9-2
A trip out east didn't make a difficult start any easier for the struggling Flames, who went 0-2-1 at Toronto, Ottawa, and Nashville before finishing the four-game jaunt with a 2-1 win at Philadelphia on Sunday.
"It was great work ethic (against the Flyers)," defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. "I thought the guys were committed to playing the right way. That's our standard here. That's Flames hockey."
31. St. Louis Blues
2 of 32
Previous Ranking: 30
Overall Record: 4-8-2
Sixteen days isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it's an eternity for an NHL team on a seven-game (0-5-2) skid and looking for a positive, which the Blues finally got with a two-goal rally to beat Edmonton on Monday.
St. Louis scored 19 goals during the seven games but allowed 32 for a 4.57 goals-against average that was worst in the league from Oct. 18 through Nov. 1.
30. Minnesota Wild
3 of 32
Previous Ranking: 29
Overall Record: 5-6-3
The path toward success begins with consistency for the Wild, who strung together consecutive wins for the first time on Tuesday, overcoming a late regulation goal by visiting Nashville to defeat the Predators in overtime.
"It's the first time we won back-to-back games," coach John Hynes said. "I liked the way we gathered ourselves after the second in the third. But I would say that the takeaway from a coaching perspective is that we understand we got the two points, which is important, but then there's also dynamics of the game that we'd like to address."
29. San Jose Sharks
4 of 32
Previous Ranking: 31
Overall Record: 5-6-3
The sophomore slump is a non-factor for 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, the top pick in the 2024 draft, who's registered 18 points in his first 13 games as a second-year player. He's the first teen to have 17 points in a 10-game span since Patrik Laine did it with Winnipeg in 2017-18.
His early pace would measure out to 44 goals and 114 points over 82 games after he produced 25 and 63, respectively, in 70 games as a rookie.
28. Nashville Predators
5 of 32
Previous Ranking: 28
Overall Record: 5-6-4
Putting the puck in the net has become the primary issue lately for the Predators, who've scored more than two goals just twice in their last six games while allowing 20 regulation goals in that same stretch and going 1-3-2.
Nashville's 2.53 goals per game was 30th-best in the league through Tuesday's games, ahead of only Calgary (2.14) and the New York Rangers (2.21).
27. Florida Panthers
6 of 32
Previous Ranking: 20
Overall Record: 6-6-1
The early-season scuffles continue for the injury-riddled Panthers, whose brief three-game point streak (2-0-1) came to an end with a four-goal loss on Tuesday night in Anaheim.
It was the third time in 13 games that Florida allowed four or more goals, and the team has won just three times in 10 games since reeling off three straight victories to begin the schedule last month.
26. New York Rangers
7 of 32
Previous Ranking: 25
Overall Record: 6-6-2
It's gone from bad to worse to whatever comes next for the Rangers, who dropped a 3-0 decision to visiting Carolina on Tuesday and tied a franchise record for the longest winless streak to start the season on home ice.
New York is 0-5-1 at Madison Square Garden and has been shut out in four of the games while scoring just once in another. A 6-5 OT loss to San Jose on Oct. 23 is the only time it's scored more than once in a home game this season.
25. Vancouver Canucks
8 of 32
Previous Ranking: 26
Overall Record: 7-8-0
Perhaps some team bonding on the road has been the cure for what ailed the Canucks during a playoff miss last season. Vancouver picked up five of its first seven wins this season away from home, including an OT win in Nashville on Monday after losing a two-goal lead.
"I liked the way we hung in there," coach Adam Foote said. "We were resilient."
24. Chicago Blackhawks
9 of 32
Previous Ranking: 15
Overall Record: 6-5-3
It's the first bout of extended adversity in the early season for the Blackhawks, who'd started 5-3-2 through the first 10 games before losing the first three on what'll be a season-long road trip.
"It's an everyday league," coach Jeff Blashill, in his first season with the Blackhawks, said, "and we just got to make sure we're coming every night, every single night."
23. Ottawa Senators
10 of 32
Previous Ranking: 21
Overall Record: 6-5-2
The climb toward relevance continues for the Senators, who lost in OT in Montreal on Saturday but have registered at least one point in six of their last seven games (4-1-2) heading into a Thursday night trip to Boston.
"It doesn't matter if you get down two, it doesn't matter if you get down three, we push back every single game," forward Tim Stutzle said.
22. Buffalo Sabres
11 of 32
Previous Ranking: 23
Overall Record: 5-4-4
The Sabres have been putting in extra work, figuratively and literally, during a unique recent streak that's seen them play five consecutive OT games.
Buffalo is 1-0-4 during the stretch, which began on Oct. 25 in Toronto and had yielded three 4-3 losses and a 4-3 victory before a 2-1 loss to Utah on Tuesday that lasted 47 seconds beyond regulation.
21. Boston Bruins
12 of 32
Previous Ranking: 27
Overall Record: 8-7-0
It's been difficult to get a good read on the Bruins, whose shootout win against the Islanders on Tuesday night in New York was their fourth straight.
Boston began the season with three victories, then lost seven of eight before a 5-2 home defeat of the Islanders on Oct. 28 started the recent stretch in which it's scored 13 regulation goals while allowing just nine.
20. Edmonton Oilers
13 of 32
Previous Ranking: 17
Overall Record: 6-5-4
It was more of the same for the maddening Oilers on Tuesday night, when they lost yet another two-goal lead on the way to dropping a 4-3 shootout decision in Dallas. Edmonton had lost another two-goal lead the night before in St. Louis and had lost four games when leading by multiple goals within the first 15 games.
"It's one thing if the opposition is making good plays and beating your coverage," coach Kris Knoblauch said. "But we're just making mistakes where we're giving them opportunities."
19. New York Islanders
14 of 32
Previous Ranking: 24
Overall Record: 6-5-2
A shootout loss in Boston on Tuesday ended a mini two-game win streak for the Islanders, but it was another week to celebrate defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who was named the league's rookie of the month for October.
The 18-year-old has 11 points in his first 13 NHL games and has produced three goals and one assist across his last four games alone. He's had at least one point in nine games and multiple points twice.
18. Tampa Bay Lightning
15 of 32
Previous Ranking: 22
Overall Record: 6-5-2
It had to end at some point for the resurgent Lightning, who'd stumbled from the gate at 1-4-2 but won five in a row before dropping a 3-2 decision at Colorado.
Tampa Bay beat Anaheim, Vegas, Nashville, Dallas, and Utah in the streak, allowing just nine goals across five games to bring its goals-against average to 2.77, good for 11th in the league. Its mark through Oct. 23 was 3.43, tied for 23rd.
17. Washington Capitals
16 of 32
Previous Ranking: 14
Overall Record: 7-5-1
Alex Ovechkin had been struggling to score his 900th goal of his illustrious career, but the Great 8 delivered on Wednesday night against the Blues.
Ovi hit the lofty mark in the second period of the Caps' rout of St. Louis in our nation's capital.
16. Philadelphia Flyers
17 of 32
Previous Ranking: 13
Overall Record: 7-5-1
The Flyers went from up three to down one to winning in a shootout in a chaotic Tuesday night visit to Montreal that ended a two-game skid.
"I thought we did a great job keeping our composure and tying it up," forward Trevor Zegras, who has 15 points in 13 games since coming from Anaheim in an offseason trade, said, "and obviously taking it to the shootout."
15. Los Angeles Kings
18 of 32
Previous Ranking: 16
Overall Record: 6-4-4
A weird early streak finally came to an end on Tuesday night for the Kings, who beat visiting Winnipeg, 3-0, to earn their first win of the season on home ice at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles had been 0-3-2 in its first five games at home, not long after it had 31 home wins in 2024-25, which tied Carolina for the highest total in the league.
14. Toronto Maple Leafs
19 of 32
Previous Ranking: 18
Overall Record: 8-5-1
Perhaps it's a blip on the radar, or perhaps it's a moment the team will look back on as a game-changer. Either way, coach Craig Berube's address to the team during the second intermission of a game against Pittsburgh, which it was trailing by three goals before rallying to win, was clearly meaningful.
"We'd been struggling to find our identity the past five or six games before the Philly game," defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "And so, it was just about, 'Hey, let's get real.' And we were able to do that."
13. Columbus Blue Jackets
20 of 32
Previous Ranking: 19
Overall Record: 8-5-0
A five-game cross-continent road trip got off to a particularly challenging start for the Blue Jackets, who allowed two goals in the final 67 seconds to drop a 3-2 decision to the New York Islanders.
Columbus left Long Island for a Wednesday date in Calgary and will continue in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Seattle before returning home to face the Oilers on Nov. 13. The team won just 14 road games in 2024-25, 24th best in the league.
12. Detroit Red Wings
21 of 32
Previous Ranking: 8
Overall Record: 9-5-0
One of the league's hottest teams has cooled off just a bit, with a 1-0 loss at Vegas on Tuesday coming in as the second in three games for the Red Wings.
Detroit, which had lost 5-2 in Anaheim on Friday, had won eight of 10 games since a blowout loss to Montreal on opening night. John Gibson made 33 saves in the loss to the Golden Knights, his most in a game since arriving in a trade on June 28.
11. Dallas Stars
22 of 32
Previous Ranking: 10
Overall Record: 7-3-3
An already up-and-down season is trending up, again, for the Stars, who stretched a point streak to seven games (4-0-3) after rallying from two goals down to defeat visiting Edmonton in a Tuesday shootout.
Winger Mikko Rantanen had two goals and an assist in the win, and the goals pushed him to 301 for his career, making him the fourth Finnish player to reach that number after Teemu Selanne (684), Jari Kurri (601), and Olli Jokinen (321).
10. Pittsburgh Penguins
23 of 32
Previous Ranking: 4
Overall Record: 8-4-2
The "NHL .500" record of 2-2-2 over the last six games doesn't sound as bad but it's still four losses over the last six games for the Penguins since a 6-2 start, which was at least a mild cause for alarm from coach Dan Muse.
"We felt the first two periods is the way we want to be playing," said Muse after a 4-3 loss in Toronto, during which Pittsburgh outshot the Maple Leafs, 25-8, through two periods and led, 3-0. "It has to be a full 60 minutes, though, and we got away from it there."
9. Seattle Kraken
24 of 32
Previous Ranking: 11
Overall Record: 6-3-4
At least some of a surprisingly positive start for the Kraken can be chalked up to a distinct home-ice advantage, which Seattle rode to a 4-0-2 record through its first six games at Climate Pledge Arena.
The team won just 18 of 41 home games last season, which was only good for 27th best in the league. Oddly, the Kraken have never won more than 20 home games in a season since entering the league in 2021-22.
8. Carolina Hurricanes
25 of 32
Previous Ranking: 9
Overall Record: 8-4-0
It'd be hard to have a better return than the one experienced by goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who stopped 25 shots to record a shutout in his first start of the season in Carolina's 3-0 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Kochetkov missed the team's first 11 games after a lower-body injury suffered during the preseason. He had a brief stint with Carolina's AHL affiliate in Chicago before recording the 11th shutout of an NHL career that began with three appearances during the 2022-23 season.
7. Utah Mammoth
26 of 32
Previous Ranking: 3
Overall Record: 9-5-0
Winger JJ Peterka didn't get on the scoresheet, but he had three shots across 19 shifts and 15:40 of ice time in Utah's OT win at Buffalo, which was the 23-year-old's first return to his former home since a June trade.
The game was the first on a four-game eastern swing for the Mammoth, which was in Toronto on Wednesday and will visit Montreal and Ottawa before returning home for another game with the Sabres on Nov. 12.
6. Vegas Golden Knights
27 of 32
Previous Ranking: 2
Overall Record: 7-2-3
It's the job of the No. 2 goalie to produce when called upon, and offseason acquisition Akira Schmid did that for the Golden Knights on Tuesday, stopping all 24 shots he faced in a 1-0 defeat of visiting Detroit.
It was Schmid's second career NHL shutout and first since 2023 when he played with New Jersey. The 25-year-old is 6-1-0 in seven starts with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage since joining Vegas in a late June trade.
5. New Jersey Devils
28 of 32
Previous Ranking: 1
Overall Record: 9-4-0
An autumnal vacation didn't go exactly as planned for the previously streaking Devils, who'd started the season with eight wins in nine games before dropping three of four on a western road trip.
New Jersey scored 11 goals in the four games but surrendered 18, including eight and five in back-to-back losses in Colorado and San Jose. The team returns home on Thursday against Montreal.
4. Winnipeg Jets
29 of 32
Previous Ranking: 7
Overall Record: 9-4-0
A first home win for Los Angeles yielded a first road loss for the Jets, who'd taken their first four games outside of Manitoba before dropping a 3-0 decision to the Kings on Tuesday night.
Winnipeg had won three straight games before heading to Southern California to begin a six-game trip that'll also take it to San Jose, Anaheim, Vancouver, Seattle, and Calgary before returning home on Nov. 18.
3. Anaheim Ducks
30 of 32
Previous Ranking: 12
Overall Record: 8-3-1
We're not even through a quarter of the schedule yet, but it may be time to start putting some early respect on the name of the Ducks, who beat two-time champ Florida for the second time on Tuesday for their fourth straight victory.
Cutter Gauthier, who'll be 22 in January, became the fourth-youngest player in franchise history to record a hat trick, following Leo Carlsson in 2023, Sam Steel in 2019, and Isac Lundestrom in 2021. He's produced seven goals and six assists in a career-best seven-game point streak.
2. Montreal Canadiens
31 of 32
Previous Ranking: 6
Overall Record: 9-3-1
They didn't get the victory, but there are mettle points to spare for the Canadiens, who rallied from three goals down in the first period before ultimately losing in a shootout against visiting Philadelphia and ending a three-game win streak.
"We know what we have in this locker room and we know the kind of resiliency we've built over the years," forward Kirby Dach said, "and the belief we have to go out and compete with every team."
1. Colorado Avalanche
32 of 32
Previous Ranking: 5
Overall Record: 8-1-5
Veteran winger Victor Olofsson is beginning to look like one of those low-profile offseason pickups that prove to be a difference-maker all season long.
The 30-year-old joined Colorado as a free agent in August and scored twice in a Tuesday defeat of Tampa Bay, giving him five goals this season. He's on an early pace for 29 across 82 games, which would eclipse the career best of 28 he scored while with Buffalo in 2022-23.
.png?w=480)
