.jpg?w=2560 "1 Word for Every NHL Team After the 1st Month of the Season")
We're one month into the NHL season, and it has already delivered on and off the ice.
Tuesday night alone, the Jets avoided a 10-game losing streak and made NHL history with four late goals in 126 seconds to erase a four-goal deficit and eventually win it in overtime. Meanwhile, Cutter Gauthier scored his second hat trick in two games, and Jason Robertson scored a natural hat trick. Both brought the NHL's hat trick total to 21 so far this season, which is the second-highest total at this stage of a season in the past 30 years.
Scoring is up; Connor McDavid has more assists than anyone has points, and Connor Hellebuyck is a Devil. There's so much to discuss as we assign one word to every NHL team one month into the season.
Anaheim Ducks: Immature
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Nobody is doubting that the Ducks' young core has a bright future. We've seen it shine offensively and on the power play through the first month of this season. But their defense just isn't even close to where it needs to be, as they sit near the bottom of the league, allowing nearly four goals (3.80) per game. They're fun to watch between their high-scoring affairs and all the Gauthier hat tricks, but they'll have to learn this season that there's another end of the ice.
Needing a second hat trick in two games out of Gauthier to beat the Canucks 5-4 isn't exactly a recipe for longevity.
Boston Bruins: Electric
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If the Bruins hadn't yet convinced you of their legitimacy, Monday's 3-2 win over the Golden Knights should've done the trick.
Whether you saw them coming this year or not, they are sitting firmly atop the Atlantic with their 11-4-1 record and plus-20 goal differential, and the full team keeps passing the necessary tests. Captain David Pastrňák has eight goals and 20 points in 16 games, rookie James Hagens put together a Calder Trophy-worthy first month, and both Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro look fantastic in net.
Buffalo Sabres: Understaffed
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The Sabres have been turning things around lately with three straight wins, but even then it's going to take more work for them to climb out of their 7-4-3 hole. Goaltending remains an issue, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had just one game over .900 in his last five starts, and backup Colten Ellis is unpredictable.
Losing the Connor Hellebuyck sweepstakes stings, as do all of the offseason departures that gave this roster a little more meat. We'll see if the Sabres keep gaining traction and start eyeing the trade market.
.jpg?w=2560 "NHL Power Rankings")
Calgary Flames: Huh
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Don't look now, but the Flames have climbed out of their terrible start with a 7-3-0 record in their last 10. It's not like they're going to make some elaborate playoff run now — that was never the goal — but the fight they're showing now is a good sign for the future.
They own the fifth-best power play in the league with a 30.6 percent success rate, and Devin Cooley has been giving Dustin Wolf some help in a down year.
Carolina Hurricanes: Wagon
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The Hurricanes are 12-3-2 and leading the NHL in standings points one month into the season. They look poised to go back-to-back, not just because of the early success, but because of how they're doing it.
Pyotr Kochetkov is looking like he's arrived, setting a franchise record with a 10-game winning streak to start the 2026–27 season. According to MoneyPuck.com, he ranks third among netminders league-wide with 9 goals saved above expected. The Hurricanes as a whole are No. 2, averaging just 2.29 goals against per game.
On the offensive side, they're No. 3 league-wide with a 3.76 goals-per-game average. Jackson Blake has continued to grow on his post-season magic with a point-per-game average; Sebastian Aho has had a great start to the season with nine goals and 21 points in 17 games; and the best-oiled machine in the league is looking near-perfect.
Chicago Blackhawks: Curtains
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If you thought 2026 Patrick Kane was going to be the answer to Connor Bedard's winger prayers, it appears you were wrong. Kane's got just one goal, a team-worst -15 rating, and 14 penalty minutes in 15 games as the Blackhawks continue to struggle. What's worse: the future Hall of Famer is going to be sidelined with an upper-body injury.
There's only so much we can expect out of 37-year-old Kane, but showtime is looking more like a curtain call this season in Chicago.
Colorado Avalanche: Yikes
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Should the Avalanche panic at this point? Not exactly. They're still tied with Dallas for third in the Central, and they've got enough wiggle room and star power to rise above this rocky period. But it's certainly a rocky period for the Avalanche, as they've gone 5-4-1 in their past 10, and a 7-2 loss to the flailing Blue Jackets is exactly what you don't want to see in that situation.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Sad
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Don't let a big win over the Avalanche distract you from the fact that the Blue Jackets are 6-7-0 with a -12 goal differential and struggling to score. The 7-2 win Tuesday could be the gateway to unlocking some of the offensive power this team is sorely lacking, but the lack of Kirill Marchenko on this roster is palpable.
Dallas Stars: Climbing
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Things haven't been perfect for the Stars to start the season, and that's shown in the standings as the Mammoth and Wild have gone back and forth with the first two Central spots for most of October and early November.
But we're starting to see the consistency we all know from Dallas peak out again. The team is 7-3-0 in its last 10 games and third league-wide, averaging just 2.33 goals against. Maybe Tuesday's six-goal explosion and Jason Robertson's hat trick are an indication that better days are to come offensively.
Detroit Red Wings: Messy
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If you're living under a rock, former Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin is now sitting out of the Red Wings lineup until his trade request is honored. The Red Wings haven't played too shabby in the meantime: They're 6-2-2 in their last 10, an improvement on the beginning of the season.
Their recent upswing is just another reminder that they'll be better off when this limbo ends, and everyone can move on.
Edmonton Oilers: Insanity
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With nine goals and 31 assists for 40 points in 16 games, Connor McDavid isn't just leading the league in points by 11 -- he has more assists than anyone else has points.
Guess who's 11 points behind him for No. 2 in scoring? Teammate Leon Draisaitl, with 13 goals and 29 points in 16 games. No. 3, you ask? Evan Bouchard, who is leading all defensemen with 28 points in 16 games.
There was concern that Mike Babcock coming in as head coach might've made the Oilers reinvent the wheel and stray from the high-scoring game they're known for, but instead, so far, they've managed a whole new level of scoring. It's working, as they're leading the Pacific with an 11-2-3 record and a +19 goal differential.
Florida Panthers: Decent
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The Panthers have started to figure it out after a sloppy start to the season. They haven't been perfect, but their defense is stepping up even with Aleksander Barkov and Jacob Markstrom currently out with injuries.
While their usual league-best depth scoring is struggling to get chances right now, the overall clean defense and top-10 PK percentage are signs that the Panthers could bounce back and go on a decent run later on in the season.
Los Angeles Kings: Old
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Look, it's not polite to drag someone for their age, and we don't mean to keep ragging on the Kings for their aging roster. But it's no individual player's fault that GM Ken Holland chose to sign as many veterans as he did, and the team as a whole has suffered for it.
The team has needed oomph and some youthful quickness to get past the first round. Management went in the opposite direction in the offseason, and now it's looking like the Kings won't even make it to their yearly first-round exit.
Minnesota Wild: Accelerating
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As the season keeps trudging along, the Wild are looking more and more legit. They've climbed to the top of the Central thanks to some epic performances that just won't slow down. Kirill Kaprizov is nearly netting a goal per game for 26 points in 17 games overall; meanwhile, Matt Boldy is heading up with two goals and six points in his last five games.
They're pulling away with control over the Central, and it's deserved.
Montreal Canadiens: Trending
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Flukey collapse to the Jets aside, the Canadiens are doing exactly what they need to be doing after an inconsistent start. Jacob Fowler is emerging as a Calder Trophy candidate in net and is giving the Habs the goaltending they need as things stabilize. According to MoneyPuck.com, he's second among all NHL goaltenders with 9.8 goals saved above expected.
Nashville Predators: Standard
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Roses Are Red
Violets Are Blue
The Predators are the best of the bad Central teams
With a goal differential of -2
New Jersey Devils: Unstoppable
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The Devils just feel inevitable right now as they continue their ascent in their second week with Hellebuyck in net.
They're 8-2-0 in their last ten and second in the Metro behind the immovable object that is the Hurricanes. They're receiving production from everywhere, they're playing a sound defensive game, and now they're getting world class goaltending. Watch out, world.
New York Islanders: Sound
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The Islanders are playing some very defensively sound hockey right now, which is a step in the right direction under head coach Pete DeBoer. They'll take it for now, and they're hovering around a playoff spot, but they're going to need to build on this offensively if they're to make a meaningful playoff run. Could they scour the trade market for some scoring help for Matthew Schaefer?
New York Rangers: Cooked
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Losing Igor Shesterkin at the beginning of a season that felt promising for the Rangers stunk, but it's just the reality of the situation. And that reality is showing that it's extremely difficult for a team that's going through changes and looking for a new identity to survive without its world class goaltender.
The Rangers are still in the middle of the pack in the Metro due to their hot start, but they're trending down and you can't blame them given the circumstances.
Ottawa Senators: Wavering
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The Senators started out the season atop the Atlantic, but they've been a bit shaky recently -- especially after the loss of William Eklund. Tim Stützle's emergence has been a treat and he's chipped in nine goals and 21 points in 16 games to show his team that life will go on after Brady Tkachuk. Beyond the first two lines, though, the Senators are going to need more production to get back on a consistent track.
Philadelphia Flyers: Callow
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Had to pull out the thesaurus to describe just how unequipped these young Flyers are to return to the playoffs. Their brutal start to the season has culminated in the worst goal differential in the East (-21). They're mostly struggling to score at a league-worst 2.18 goals per game.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Unpromising
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The Penguins aren't total garbage, but there's nothing particularly inspiring coming out of Pittsburgh this season. They're in a three-way tie for last in the Metro with a 5-8-2 record and a -3 goal differential, and the wheels appear to be falling off amid this three-game losing streak. They just don't seem to have it in what was supposed to be the last hurrah for the elders.
San Jose Sharks: Concerning
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This hasn't been the start the Sharks wanted, with a 7-8-1 record and a -12 goal differential. Macklin Celebrini is only one person who can only do so much, and the rest of the roster needs to be able to at least generate some chances while he's not on the ice.
This team just may not be ready yet for its first playoff appearance in the Celebrini era, unless the depth players figure it out and the defense tightens up.
Seattle Kraken: Confusing
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The Kraken are in a decent spot with an 8-5-1 record sitting in a Wild Card spot out West. "Decent" is exactly how it feels, and their goal differential of precisely zero tells that story.
They are allowing a whopping 3.71 goals per game which is bottom-five league wide. They're also scoring 3.57 goals per game. It's pretty much all coming out in the wash. The good news? It's a clean page for newcomer Matthew Wood to paint some goals on. The bad news? it's yet another year in which we're waiting for a Kraken player to make a splash and make us less confused about the direction of the team in the process.
St. Louis Blues: Typical
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The St. Louis Blues are 5-5-0 in their last 10 with a goal differential of 0 as they sit at third-worst in the Central. All is par for the course for the most underwhelming hockey team of the mid-to-late 2020s.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Baffling
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All should be well in theory for the Lightning: They're third and in a playoff spot in the brutal Atlantic, and they're scoring at the fourth-highest clip in the NHL with 3.71 goals per game.
Star and reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov apparently isn't satisfied with the way his contract talks are going. His early-season trade request makes things awkward as the Lightning look poised for the playoffs, even if he's still intending to play.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Nostalgic
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Are the Leafs back to their old selves? Auston Matthews is sure looking like it, with 11 goals and 26 points in 17 games. The offense as a whole is, too, sitting at No. 5 league wide averagine 3.65 goals per game.
The Atlantic is so tough that they're 8-7-2 and just one point away from last in the division, but things are at least looking a bit more hopeful in Toronto right now.
Utah Mammoth: Exciting
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The Mammoth (10-6-0) have managed to hold their own in the Central, hovering over the beasts like the Avalanche and the Stars for most of the season.
They've got some work to do and you wonder if they're going to seek a new goaltending direction at the trade deadline. But it's exciting to see them thrive in the most top heavy division in the league.
Vancouver Canucks: Womp-womp
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The Canucks are just as bad as everyone anticipated, sitting in the basement of the Pacific with the worst goal differential in the league. They're letting in 4.5 goals per game, far and away the worst goals against average in the NHL.
With Elias Pettersson enjoying a bit of a bounce-back, though, could they trade him and look towards the future?
Vegas Golden Knights: Mid
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The Golden Knights have had an alright start to the season that just hasn't been much to write home about for last season's Cup losers. They've never quite had to put the foot on the gas early to find success later on in the season, so there's no real concern, here. But the Oilers sure look better than ever, so it could end up backfiring.
Washington Capitals: Oomph-less
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The Capitals have hovered around the middle of the Metropolitan Division and are staying in the playoff conversation to start the season, but something just feels off game-by-game. They're struggling against top opponents like the Wild and the Stars.
Maybe the lack of oomph is in Alex Ovechkin's performance: He's got just one goal in 14 games to start his last NHL season.
Winnipeg Jets: Historic
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Whether they're being forced to trade their Vezina and Hart Trophy-winning goaltender or losing nine games in a row, the Winnipeg Jets are going to be in your newsfeed nearly every day this season.
The latest? Less than three minutes away from suffering a 10-game winless streak at the hands of Montreal Tuesday, they scored a franchise record-setting four goals over a 126-second span to force overtime where Dylan Samberg delivered the winner to seal it 5-4.
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