NHL Power Rankings: Rangers, Maple Leafs and Ducks Rise

Once is a coincidence. Twice is a pattern.

And three, well, that just might be the recipe for a juggernaut.

The Carolina Hurricanes has the best points percentage, fewest goals against and best goal differential in the NHL, a statistical trifecta that ensured their place atop the B/R weekly power rankings for a third straight time.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour's team lost just twice in its first 14 games while posting 24 standings points and claiming the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. The pre-Wednesday point total was one off the league-best pace of the Florida Panthers, but the Canes had played two fewer games.

The Panthers were B/R's top team after the first and second weeks of play and ticked up from third to second in the rankings this week. They traded places with the Edmonton Oilers, while the holdover threesome was joined in the top five by the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets.

Florida got one first-place vote among the five ballots, while Edmonton was third on all five.

The Capitals and Jets were seventh and 11th last week, respectively.

"If we play hard every night, we have a real good chance to win," Brind'Amour told Sara Civian of The Athletic following Tuesday's road win over the Vegas Golden Knights. "And if you play it right, which is playing the systems and all that, it really ups your ante on your chances to win. I think there’s a real good belief in that, and I think it’s showing."

Elsewhere, the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs were the week's biggest climbers, each moving up eight spots to wind up at Nos. 6 and 8, respectively. On the flip side, the St. Louis Blues took the biggest dive, plummeting from fifth to 15th.

Read on to see how the remaining spots were filled, and feel free to drop a note or two in the comments section to let our puck heads know where they got it right, and perhaps otherwise.

Editor's note: Votes were recorded before Wednesday night's games.

Nos. 32-26: Coyotes, Canadiens, Senators, Kraken, Blackhawks, Canucks, Islanders

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

32. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 32nd)

The Blues were at least a temporary tonic for the chronically skidding Coyotes, who scored four times in three losses before a 3-2 victory over St. Louis on Tuesday. Barrett Hayton, 21, scored two goals in the victory, marking the first multi-goal game of his young career.

31. Montreal Canadiens (Last Week: 31st)

The 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Nov. 11 is the Habs' lone victory in their past seven games, though head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters Wednesday that goalie Carey Price began skating by himself for the first time since returning to the team earlier in November.

30. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 29th)

The Senators became the first team to have a significant COVID-19 issue this season, and the NHL announced Monday that the team would have three games postponed after a 10th player joined the protocol. They are tentatively scheduled to play Monday in Colorado.

29. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 28th)

Home losses against the Ducks and Wild made it four in a row for the Kraken before Wednesday's 4-2 defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks took the losing streak to five. "I think guys know what's at stake at this point," forward Ryan Donato told the Seattle Times.

28. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 30th)

Home cooking was a good thing for those very Blackhawks, who won three straight at United Center before their victory in Seattle made it four wins from four following head coach Jeremy Colliton's firing. The top forward line of Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach and Patrick Kane combined for 12 points in the four wins.

27. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 27th)

A disastrous road trip in which the Canucks were outscored by a 19-6 clip prompted a meeting between general manager Jim Benning and ownership. That's never a good sign. Vancouver entered Wednesday with the league's sixth-lowest goal output (2.47) and its fourth-worst goals-allowed rate (3.41).

26. New York Islanders (Last Week: 19th)

The unveiling of a new home arena can't come soon enough for the Islanders, who dropped the final four games of a season-opening 13-game road trip. More bad news: Defenseman Ryan Pulock will miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. He signed an eight-year deal worth $49.2 million in the summer.

Nos. 25-21: Penguins, Sabres, Red Wings, Stars, Sharks

D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press

25. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 22nd)

Change could be coming in Pittsburgh following the disclosure that Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox, is working on a deal to purchase the Penguins. DK Pittsburgh Sports reported Wednesday that the price is $900 million. On the ice, despite captain Sidney Crosby's return, the past week brought with it a three-game losing streak.

24. Buffalo Sabres (Last Week: 26th)

The Sabres have slid since a hot start, and some of the blame goes to the power play, which hasn't scored on its past 13 opportunities and is just 11.8 percent in the past 13 games. Goalie Dustin Tokarski, though, is red-hot, stopping 78 of 81 shots in the wins over Edmonton and Pittsburgh.

23. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 20th)

A three-game win streak was followed by three losses in four games for the Red Wings, who also saw captain Dylan Larkin pulled during Tuesday's loss in Dallas and placed into COVID-19 protocol. Larkin scored during that game and has 14 points in 14 games this season.

22. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 25th)

Another city, another prolific top forward line. The Stars' trio of Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson had three of the five goals in the defeat of Detroit and has 24 combined points on the season. Dallas visits Minnesota on Thursday before hosting St. Louis, Edmonton and Colorado.

21. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 15th)

A week that looked ugly after losses to Winnipeg and Colorado saw the Sharks outscored 10-3 turned around with a 4-1 win in Minnesota. Among the bright spots is Timo Meier, who's got 14 points in his first 10 games—a rate bettered by only Owen Nolan (17) and Joe Thornton (15) in team history.

Nos. 20-16: Predators, Avalanche, Golden Knights, Kings, Devils

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

20. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 23rd)

A run of four wins in five games was halted by a shutout loss to the Maple Leafs, though goalie Juuse Saros stopped 31 of 33 shots—a .939 save percentage. In fact, he's had a save percentage of .926 or better in 11 games this year and is at .928 across all 13 games he's started.

19. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 24th)

Is it finally a sign of prosperity for the Avalanche? Colorado was on the short end of a home-and-home sweep by the Columbus Blue Jackets before scoring 13 goals in home wins over Vancouver and San Jose heading into Wednesday's return match with the Canucks.

18. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Week: 21st)

The Golden Knights got a look at the league's early-season best and dropped a 4-2 home decision to Carolina to end a three-game win streak. Off the ice, leading goal scorer Jonathan Marchessault entered COVID-19 protocol Tuesday.

17. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 18th)

An overtime loss in Winnipeg put a stop to the Kings' seven-game win streak, and that was followed by a shutout loss to the Capitals on Wednesday. Head coach Todd McLellan is hoping his team, not recently accustomed to success, will bounce back to show the run was no fluke. "We're watching. We want to see where our guys will go, how they'll handle prosperity," he told the Los Angeles Times.

16. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 13th)

New Jersey has won just four times in its past 10 games, but it's gotten points in six of the past seven and is just a point off the early playoff pace in the Metropolitan Division. It's been a surprisingly successful run without Jack Hughes, who dislocated his shoulder in the season's second game is likely out for several more weeks.

Nos. 15-11: Blues, Blue Jackets, Flyers, Flames, Bruins

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

15. St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 5th)

No team fell further this week than the Blues, who were 0-3-1 including a home loss to the floundering Coyotes on Tuesday. Particularly ugly was the penalty kill, which surrendered two goals to the NHL's 30th-ranked power play. "At times, we just played stupid," defenseman Torey Krug told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

14. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 9th)

An up-and-down homestand began and ended with wins, with two losses coming in between. Columbus travels for three games this week, beginning Thursday in Arizona. "It's just that belief in our room," defenseman Zach Werenski told Bailey Johnson of the Columbus Dispatch. "If you play the right way, you're gonna find ways to win."

13. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 8th)

Six straight games with no more than two goals is a particular concern for the Flyers, though they have managed to go 3-2-1 thanks to stellar goaltending. Carter Hart entered Wednesday tied for seventh in the NHL in save percentage at .935 and has allowed just eight goals on his past 143 shots faced (.944).

12. Calgary Flames (Last Week: 6th)

It was just one official win in four games, but the Flames did manage four standings points thanks to a pair of OT losses. Off the ice, forward Mikael Backlund was fined $5,000 after cross-checking Philadelphia's Travis Konecny on Tuesday and drawing a boarding minor.

11. Boston Bruins (Last Week: 17th)

A 5-3 loss to Edmonton on Thursday was the Bruins' first defeat on home ice this season, but they bounced back with three-goal wins in New Jersey and at home against Montreal. The top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron has 45 combined points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 13 games.

Nos. 10-6: Wild, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Rangers, Ducks

Jason Behnken/Associated Press

10. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 4th)

It's out of the top five and nearly the top 10 for the Wild, whose four-game win streak devolved into two losses in three games. Minnesota scored just three times in the pair of defeats, and its power play (17.4 percent) sits 21st in the league through Tuesday's games after going 0-of-8 in the losses.

9. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 12th)

It's now six wins and two OT losses in eight games for the Lightning since an unseemly 5-1 loss to Buffalo on Oct. 25, a stretch that's seen Tampa Bay climb into third in the Atlantic Division. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed 11 goals on 206 shots in seven games during the stretch, a .947 save percentage.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 16th)

There's no hotter team than the Maple Leafs, who have won nine of their past 10. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said it reflects an increased comfort level. "We felt we needed to score every shift early in the season," he told Sportsnet after Friday's 2-1 win over the Flames. "I think we're settling in here now to the realization of just, it takes time. We've got to be patient."

7. New York Rangers (Last Week: 10th)

Returning east has been an elixir for the Rangers. They have won four straight (three at home, one in Columbus) since a 1-3 visit to Seattle, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. "The team's getting together, knowing each other pretty well now, and it's just clicking right now," coach Gerard Gallant told Newsday.

6. Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 14th)

The only team without a regulation loss in its past 10 games? The Ducks. Anaheim last lost in 60 minutes on Oct. 26, and the 18 points earned since have moved them to the top of the Pacific Division. Franchise win No. 1,000 came Tuesday in Game 2,127, making the Ducks the sixth-fastest to that landmark in NHL history.

Nos. 5-1: Jets, Capitals, Oilers, Panthers, Hurricanes

Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press

5. Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 11th)

Speaking of hot teams, we give you the Jets. Winnipeg has earned at least a point in 12 of its past 13 games, enough to propel it into first in the Central Division. A 5-2 win over Edmonton on Tuesday was its first game against the Oilers since a surprising four-game sweep of Edmonton in last season's playoffs.

4. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 7th)

The Capitals saw a four-game win streak fizzle with an overtime loss in Anaheim on Tuesday. It was their fifth OT loss, in which they have allowed five goals on nine shots. "We have to do a better job at managing the puck," coach Peter Laviolette told the Washington Post. "The whole thing is about puck possession." The West Coast trip picked up Wednesday with a 2-0 win over the Kings.

3. Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 2nd)

It's not panic time after an 11-4 start, but three losses on a five-game road trip wasn't exactly what the Oilers were looking for in their effort to jump from also-ran to contender. "There's not enough juice to our group right now," head coach Dave Tippett told The Athletic. "We need to get home and get some rest."

2. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 3rd)

The news could have been more catastrophic in the aftermath of superstar Aleksander Barkov's knee injury that resulted from a collision with Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield. "Could've been worse," interim head coach Andrew Brunette told NHL.com Wednesday. "We'll deal with it as we go. ... No surgery. We'll evaluate it as we go."

1. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 1st)

Think the Hurricanes were doomed for a prolonged stumble when they went 1-2 following a 9-0 start? Think again. Carolina has answered with two straight wins, at home against St. Louis and in Vegas to begin a six-game road trip. Teen forward Seth Jarvis has two goals and three points in his first seven NHL games.