NHL Power Rankings Sees Avalanche and Stars Continue to Set the Pace
One team has made the playoffs for eight straight seasons and was parade-worthy in the spring of 2022, while the other has reached the Western Conference Final in each of the last three years and was in the title round as recently as 2020.
So it should be no surprise that both the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are playing like legitimate championship contenders again to start 2025-26.
Their preeminence is reflected in B/R's NHL Power Rankings, where the Avs and Stars were 1-2 on every ballot on the way to taking those spots on this week's list, which is based on statistics compiled and games played through Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
32. Nashville Predators
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Previous Ranking: 32
Overall Record: 9-13-4
The wins have come a bit more frequently lately for the Predators, and they got to celebrate a milestone for veteran Steven Stamkos during the most recent one, a 5-1 triumph over visiting Calgary on Tuesday.
Stamkos, the top overall pick in the 2008 draft, became the sixth active player and 53rd in league history to reach 1,200 points when he scored in the second period.
"It's special," he said. "You enjoy it more in a win and get to celebrate a little bit. I think it's more of a thing that you kind of look back on when your career is over."
31. Calgary Flames
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Previous Ranking: 31
Overall Record: 9-15-4
A brief stretch of prosperity has turned back into a struggling routine for the Flames, whose 5-1 loss at Nashville on Tuesday was their third in four games (1-2-1).
Calgary had won three straight and four of six (4-1-1) from Nov. 13-23 while allowing just 14 regulation goals. The team has given up 14 in four games since, including four on 16 shots by Devin Cooley against the Predators before he was pulled after two periods.
30. Vancouver Canucks
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Previous Ranking: 30
Overall Record: 10-14-3
The Canucks took a 1-0 lead against red-hot Colorado in a Tuesday night visit to Ball Arena, but didn't score again in what would up as a 3-1 loss—their sixth in seven games.
"Wins are the most important thing," captain Quinn Hughes said. "If you lose but you lose 3-1 and not 5-1 or whatever, or not, you're still losing."
29. St. Louis Blues
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Previous Ranking: 29
Overall Record: 9-11-7
The search for a first three-game win streak of the season continues for the Blues, who'd won two straight before dropping a 4-1 decision to visiting Anaheim.
Goalie Jordan Binnington's difficult season continued, and he was pulled after allowing two goals on five shots.
The 32-year-old is 6-6-5 in 18 appearances and has posted an in-game save percentage of .900 or better only six times overall, and just three times since the end of October.
28. Edmonton Oilers
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Previous Ranking: 25
Overall Record: 11-11-5
If it's not one problem, it's another for the still-foundering Oilers, who'd bounced back from an eight-goal nightmare against Dallas with a shutout of Seattle, but were then blanked offensively for the first time this season against Minnesota.
"We only gave up one," forward Connor McDavid said. "Usually, when you give up one, you're going to win a lot of games. We didn't."
27. Buffalo Sabres
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Previous Ranking: 27
Overall Record: 11-12-4
It looked as if the Sabres had righted the ship, but a 5-2 loss to the Flyers on Wednesday derailed Buffalo's momentum.
A major boarding game misconduct penalty on Rasmus Dahlin put the Sabres behind the eight ball, a deficit they failed to overcome.
Buffalo is 6-4-0 in the last 10.
26. Florida Panthers
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Previous Ranking: 18
Overall Record: 12-12-1
Plenty of teams will line up to confirm that Amerant Bank Arena is not an easy place to visit, but it's become slightly less daunting lately amid Florida's home losing skid that was extended to four with a 4-1 defeat by Toronto on Tuesday.
The Panthers are 8-6-1 on home ice this season after winning 27 times in 41 home dates in 2024-25 and 15 times across the last two postseasons.
25. Utah Mammoth
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Previous Ranking: 13
Overall Record: 13-12-3
The team results have been uneven, but among the consistent contributors for the Mammoth has been youngster Logan Cooley, who scored four goals against Vegas on Nov. 24 and had 14 through his first 28 games this season.
Now 21, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft had 20 and 25 goals in his first two NHL seasons and entered Wednesday on a pace to score a career-best 43.
The Mammoth righted things with a commanding 7-0 win over the Ducks on Wednesday.
24. Toronto Maple Leafs
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Previous Ranking: 28
Overall Record: 12-11-3
Perhaps some early-season consternation is what the Maple Leafs needed, given that a Tuesday road win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions made it three victories in their last four games.
It was the first time Toronto had met Florida since bowing out in Game 7 of the second round of last spring's playoffs, and it marked the continuation of a curious stat, with the Maple Leafs scoring on their first shot for the third consecutive game.
23. Winnipeg Jets
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Previous Ranking: 19
Overall Record: 13-12-1
It'll be a happy return home for the Jets, who wrapped up a five-game road trip on Wednesday in Montreal and will play five of their next six at the Canada Life Centre. They dropped the finale in a 3-2 shootout defeat.
A continued overarching concern, though, is the absence of goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who has not played since Nov. 15 and hasn't resumed skating after an arthroscopic knee procedure to address an issue that has lingered since training camp.
Winnipeg's 3.57 goals-against average from Nov. 16 through Tuesday's games was 25th in the league, while its per-game scoring average of 2.57 in that same stretch was 26th.
22. Detroit Red Wings
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Previous Ranking: 17
Overall Record: 14-11-2
It was a welcome return to the winning side of the ledger for veteran goalie John Gibson, who made 34 saves in Detroit's 5-4 defeat of visiting Boston on Tuesday.
Gibson had made seven starts since last winning on Oct. 28 against St. Louis. He'd gone 0-5-1 in those games with a 3.93 goals-against average and an .856 save percentage.
21. New York Rangers
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Previous Ranking: 26
Overall Record: 14-12-2
A difficult first half won't get any easier for the Rangers without former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, who was placed on long-term injured reserve after sustaining an upper-body injury during a Saturday game against Tampa Bay.
Fox left the ice holding his left arm and will miss at least 10 games and 24 days.
New York defeated Dallas in its first game without Fox on Tuesday.
20. San Jose Sharks
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Previous Ranking: 23
Overall Record: 13-12-3
It's still pretty early in an 82-game schedule, but the Sharks entering Wednesday in a Western Conference playoff spot is a significant leap from their place in the league's overall basement last season.
And it's not hard to find a primary reason.
Top 2024 draft pick Macklin Celebrini was second in the league in scoring through Tuesday's games with 14 goals and 26 assists. He had 25 goals and 63 points as a rookie last season and would finish with 43 goals and 121 points if he maintains his current pace the rest of the way.
19. Chicago Blackhawks
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Previous Ranking: 21
Overall Record: 11-9-6
Goalie Laurent Brossoit got one step closer to a long-awaited NHL return when he was activated and loaned to Rockford of the AHL for a conditioning assignment.
Now 32, Brossoit hasn't played since the 2024 playoffs when he was with Winnipeg. He signed a two-year deal with the Blackhawks two months later, but has undergone three surgical procedures since, most recently a hip procedure this past offseason.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets
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Previous Ranking: 24
Overall Record: 12-9-5
Raise your hand if you had the Blue Jackets ending a four-game winless skid (0-1-3) with a win against the front-running Devils in New Jersey on Monday.
Columbus trailed 2-0 less than four minutes in the game but rallied to score five of the next six goals for a 5-3 triumph.
"It was just us sticking up for each other and having each other's back," defenseman Zach Werenski said. "I think that's important in a long season, and it's a great win for our group."
17. Boston Bruins
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Previous Ranking: 22
Overall Record: 15-13-0
An undisclosed injury has kept superstar forward David Pastrnak off the ice for the Bruins since he had 18:35 of ice time against the New York Islanders on Nov. 26.
He still leads the team with 29 points in 25 games, but missed his third straight game on Tuesday, and his status going forward is still up in the air as Boston preps for a three-game road trip to St. Louis, Winnipeg, and Minnesota that begins on Tuesday.
"We were hoping he could skate by now," coach Marco Sturm said, "but he didn't, so that's why. We'll see how it is the next few days, but he will not travel."
16. Seattle Kraken
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Previous Ranking: 10
Overall Record: 11-7-6
It was a particularly punch-less week for the Kraken, who've dropped three straight (0-2-1) and have been shut out twice in the process.
Seattle was 0-for-6 on the power play in a 4-0 loss to Edmonton and failed in five chances while losing to Dallas, 3-2, last Wednesday.
The Kraken's 2.33 goals-per-game average is last in the league, and their 16.7 percent conversion rate on the power play is tied for 22nd.
15. Montreal Canadiens
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Previous Ranking: 16
Overall Record: 14-9-3
Leaky goaltending continues to be an issue for the Canadiens, who gave up five in a Tuesday loss to Ottawa just 72 hours after allowing seven in a rout by Colorado.
Montreal's 3.60 goals-against average is 31st in the 32-team league since the beginning of the season, and it's even worse, 4.07, since the start of November.
The team allowed 3.00 goals per game in the season's first month while scoring 3.64 goals per game, which was fifth-best in the NHL.
The Habs did get back on the winning track Wednesday with a shootout win against the Jets.
14. Ottawa Senators
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Previous Ranking: 15
Overall Record: 13-9-4
It's hardly a surprise that Brady Tkachuk's return to the scoresheet yielded a return to winning for the Senators, who'd dropped two straight before the forward's goal in a 5-2 win at Montreal.
Ottawa's captain was playing in his third game of the season after missing 20 with a broken right thumb. The team had lost two straight games, but the defeat of the Canadiens allowed it to finish a seven-game road trip at 4-3-0.
13. New York Islanders
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Previous Ranking: 7
Overall Record: 14-10-3
The Islanders turned to Ilya Sorokin to end a recent funk, and the Russian-born goalie delivered, making 27 saves in New York's 2-1 defeat of Tampa Bay that ended a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) and began to level a prolonged homestand that the team had begun with four losses in five games (1-3-1).
Sorokin, now 8-8-2 in 18 starts this season, had lost three straight since a 29-save shutout at Detroit on Nov. 20. He allowed seven goals on 53 shots (.868 save percentage) in subsequent games against St. Louis, Boston and Washington.
12. Los Angeles Kings
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Previous Ranking: 11
Overall Record: 12-7-7
Veteran Drew Doughty is on track to end a two-plus week absence when the Kings wrap up a four-game homestand on Thursday against Chicago.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old defenseman (his birthday is Monday) hasn't played since sustaining a lower-body injury while blocking a shot against Ottawa on Nov. 15.
Los Angeles won that game but has lost five of seven (2-2-3) since.
11. Philadelphia Flyers
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Previous Ranking: 14
Overall Record: 15-8-3
It's not everyone's cup of logistical tea, but former video game cover boy Trevor Zegras seems to have rediscovered his game in Philadelphia since arriving from Anaheim via trade in the summer.
He produced 25 points in his first 25 games with the Flyers heading into Wednesday night, putting him on a pace to exceed the 61- and 65-point production he had in his first two seasons.
"I feel better than that guy," Zegras said. "For sure. Not that that guy wasn't great, just different. I see the game differently. I look for things that I wasn't looking for back then."
The Flyers are sitting in a playoff spot and third in the Metro after Wednesday's big win over the Sabres.
10. Vegas Golden Knights
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Previous Ranking: 8
Overall Record: 12-6-8
Carter Hart appeared in an NHL game for the first time in nearly two years and looked like he'd not missed a beat, stopping 27 shots in a 4-3 defeat of Chicago on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.
The former Philadelphia Flyer, who hadn't played in the league since Jan. 20, 2024, was 1-2-0 with an .839 save percentage in three appearances with the Golden Knights' affiliate in the AHL.
"I settled in a little bit and just got back to playing my game," Hart said. "The guys did a really good job of battling around the netfront, tying up sticks, and got some huge blocks."
9. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Previous Ranking: 12
Overall Record: 13-7-5
The combination of productive special teams and a rivalry game was ideal for the Penguins, who scored three power-play goals and killed off six penalties in a 5-1 win on Monday at Philadelphia.
It was Pittsburgh's first game since a 7-2 home loss to Toronto.
"I think when you have a game like that," forward Sidney Crosby said, "you just want to respond regardless of who you're playing. But I think it helps."
8. Washington Capitals
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Previous Ranking: 20
Overall Record: 17-9-2
This just in: Alex Ovechkin scores a lot of goals.
The ageless forward has lit the lamp 14 times in 29 games this season, pushing his NHL record to 911 and establishing a pace that'll get him to at least 30 for the 20th time in his career.
Wayne Gretzky, whose 894 goals were the league's all-time best until last season, had 14 seasons with 30 or more goals. Ovechkin's 19 times with 30 or more are already the league's best, and only he, Mike Gartner (17) and Jaromir Jagr (15) had more than Gretzky.
Meanwhile, the Caps are on fire, riding a six-game winning streak after Wednesday's demolition of the Sharks.
7. New Jersey Devils
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Previous Ranking: 6
Overall Record: 16-10-1
He's not the highest-profile player in the league, but there's little argument to suggest forward Jesper Bratt isn't one of the most effective.
The 27-year-old's 26 points entering Wednesday's games were tops on the New Jersey roster, and his 111 career multipoint games—the most recent of which came Monday against Columbus—have him tied with Aaron Broten for sixth-most in history for the Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts franchise.
As for the Devils themselves, they're in a slide with three losses in a row.
6. Minnesota Wild
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Previous Ranking: 9
Overall Record: 15-7-5
It's not quite a record-setting run, but it has to feel like one for goalie Jesper Wallstedt, whose shutout of Edmonton on Tuesday night was his fourth in his last six starts and fifth in 10 career NHL victories.
The win lifted the Wild to 10-0-2 in a 12-game point streak, during which Wallstedt and Filip Gustafsson have combined for a league-best 1.33 goals-against average.
5. Anaheim Ducks
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Previous Ranking: 4
Overall Record: 16-10-1
The Ducks have compiled a cache of young talent over the last several drafts, and it's largely responsible for the team's sudden jump to the league's upper echelon.
Twenty-year-old center Leo Carlsson was at the front of the line in scoring for the team through its first 27 games, totaling 36 points.
The second overall pick in the 2023 draft entered Wednesday on an early pace to finish with 44 goals and 114 points, which would exceed his combined numbers (32 goals, 74 points) from his first two NHL seasons.
The Ducks suffered a big setback on Wednesday, getting crushed by Utah.
4. Carolina Hurricanes
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Previous Ranking: 3
Overall Record: 16-7-2
The embarrassment of goaltending riches continued for the Hurricanes, who got a first-career shutout from 27-year-old rookie Brandon Bussi in his eighth career appearance.
Claimed by Carolina in October after he was waived by Florida, Bussi is 7-1-0 in eight starts with a 2.11 goals-against average that's sixth in the NHL among goalies with at least eight appearances.
The Hurricanes have three goalies with at least four victories this season and their collective 2.76 goals-against average is 10th-best in the league.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Previous Ranking: 5
Overall Record: 16-8-2
Significant edges in both shots on goal and high-danger scoring chances weren't enough for the Lightning in a 2-1 loss to the Islanders that ended a seven-game win streak, leaving coach Jon Cooper frustrated but not despondent.
"I thought we played pretty well, to be honest," Cooper said. "You grab me the team in this league that goes 82-0, I want to see that team."
2. Dallas Stars
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Previous Ranking: 2
Overall Record: 18-5-5
Most of the news in Dallas has been good considering the team's superb start to 2025-26, but things took a negative turn Tuesday when veteran forward Tyler Seguin sustained a knee injury that'll shelve him indefinitely.
"Haven't spoken to Tyler yet," coach Glen Gulutzan said, "but probably just letting everybody know that he's going to be out for a significant amount of time. Probably the rest of the season."
The Stars responded to the news with a convincing 3-0 win over the Devils in New Jersey on Wednesday.
1. Colorado Avalanche
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Previous Ranking: 1
Overall Record: 19-1-6
The gap between the Avalanche and the rest of the league keeps getting wider amid the team's prolonged point streak, which reached 17 games (14-0-3) in a Tuesday night victory over visiting Vancouver.
It's the second-longest streak in franchise history for Colorado, which went on a 19-game heater in the 2021-22 season on the way to a Stanley Cup parade.
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