NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands at the All-Star Break

And suddenly, there's some separation in the NHL.

Maybe not in the standings, where seven teams were within nine points of the No. 1 overall position heading into Saturday's All-Star Game in Las Vegas. But certainly when it comes to B/R's NHL Power Rankings, where the Colorado Avalanche seized the top spot for the third straight week.

In fact, the Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers are 1-2-3 for the third straight week as well after the B/R panel gave Colorado all but one first-place vote; the Hurricanes received a first, two seconds and a third; and the Panthers got two seconds and two thirds.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were the only other team to earn a top-three vote and wound up fourth overall, while the Minnesota Wild jumped up three places from eighth to fifth.

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 we got it right or not.

Note: Votes were recorded before Wednesday night's games.

Nos. 32-26: Canadiens, Devils, Coyotes, Kraken, Sabres, Senators, Flyers

David Becker/Associated Press

32. Montreal Canadiens (Last Week: 32nd)

Runs of three losses in a week and six in a row overall are becoming increasingly common for the Canadiens, who have won just eight times in 44 games. The latest buzz surrounds Jeff Petry, who could be on the move via trade. The defenseman has three years and more than $18 million remaining on his contract.

                      

31. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 26th)

The first 13 games of 2022 have yielded just three wins for the Devils, who have dropped six in a row since beating the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 22. "We're going to have to take this break to regroup and come back and be ready to play," defenseman Damon Severson told reporters.

                                   

30. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 31st)

If you figured the Coyotes would finally halt Colorado's home winning streak after 18 games, take a bow. That's exactly what happened in a Tuesday shootout after goalie Scott Wedgewood made 38 saves. "We have a group with a lot of pride, a lot of character and a lot of leadership," coach Andre Tourigny told reporters after the victory.

                     

29. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 30th)

The first three games of an East Coast trip brought a single win and six goals for the Kraken, who passed the season's midway point deep in the Pacific Division basement. "If you look at the math, the task is pretty daunting to make the playoffs," Seattle general manager Ron Francis told The Athletic. "... "Our goal is to come to the rink, win games and play hard. On the flip side, wherever we end up [in the final standings], we want to make sure we can get the best player possible."

              

28. Buffalo Sabres (Last Week: 28th)

Four straight road losses—in which they have scored just four total goals—were the pre-break fare for the Sabres, though a 5-2 defeat in Vegas saw ex-Golden Knight Alex Tuch score his fifth goal in 13 games. "We have to learn from that experience [against a competitive team], and we have to try to get to that level someday," he said.

              

27. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 27th)

A four-game homestand yielded five of eight possible points for the Senators, who went to New York in their pre-break finale and lost a 4-1 decision to the Islanders. "We've got to recharge and come back with that same [next-man-up] mentality. Play every game right to the end of the year, hard," coach D.J. Smith said.

                

26. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 29th)

Losing streak? What losing streak? The Flyers finally ended a franchise-record 13-game skid with an overtime defeat of the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday and then made it two straight heading into the break with a win over Winnipeg. "I think guys have done a good job of sticking together," forward Scott Laughton said.

Nos. 25-21: Blackhawks, Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Canucks, Islanders

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

25. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 25th)

Three losses heading into the break weren't good optics—particularly Wednesday's 5-0 drubbing by Minnesota—but news is being made off the ice, where ex-players Eddie Olczyk, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp will be advisers in the search for a successor to general manager Stan Bowman, who left in October. "The perspective this group will provide is instrumental to this process, and we are excited to have them assist the club," CEO Danny Wirtz said.

             

24. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 23rd)

Fifteen goals allowed in losses to Chicago (eight) and Toronto (seven) were a concern for the Red Wings, but backup goalie Calvin Pickard was resilient. His first start of the season couldn't have gone much better, as he made 36 saves in regulation and overtime and saved all three shots in the shootout to defeat Pittsburgh two days after allowing three in a relief role against the Blackhawks.

        

23. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 24th)

It's been scoring feast or famine for the Blue Jackets, who scored 11 goals in two wins and surrendered 14 in two losses. Columbus has allowed 4.36 goals per game since January 1, second-worst in the league. "It's fun to have this break and just mentally be prepared for the last push," forward Patrik Laine said. And some push it'll have to be, as Columbus sits 14 points behind the current No. 8 seed Boston Bruins.

          

22. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 22nd)

The Canucks went 2-1-1 in four road games and ran coach Bruce Boudreau's record to 12-4-4 since he arrived. They'll play six of seven at Rogers Arena after the break. "We're going to get some home cooking here when we come back, so we'll look forward to that," forward Matthew Highmore said.

        

21. New York Islanders (Last Week: 20th)

One-goal losses to Los Angeles and Minnesota got the week off to a bad start, but the Islanders climbed back to statistical .500 (38 points in 38 games) with a win over visiting Ottawa heading into Wednesday night. Though they're the only team yet to play at least 40 games, that 11-game winless streak from November to early December might be too big of a hole to climb out of.

Nos. 20-16: Jets, Sharks, Stars, Oilers, Ducks

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20. Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 19th)

One win in eight games, including a loss to a skidding Flyers team, wasn't exactly the ideal way for a disappointing Winnipeg team to reach the season's midway point. "You're going to have that sour taste in your mouth a little bit," forward Paul Stastny said. "We know we've got to refresh, refresh mentally."

          

19. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 21st)

A four-game eastern trip started with a win at Washington, but three straight one-goal losses against Florida (in OT), Carolina and Tampa Bay (in OT) reduced it to four of a possible eight points. "We have a lot of work to do, and we know we can't win one, lose one on the way in," coach Bob Boughner said.

         

18. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 14th)

The Stars won five of seven heading into the break, but it could have been six had it not been for a three-goal rally by Calgary on Tuesday. "It would have been huge for us to come away with two points," defenseman Joel Hanley said. "I think we just have to move past this and look to the future."

          

17. Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 18th)

Edmonton was on a four-game win streak as the week began and then dropped an OT decision at Ottawa in Evander Kane's second game. They responded with an impressive 5-3 win before the All-Star Break in Washington with Kane, Leon Draistadl and Connor McDavid all scoring goals.

             

16. Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 17th)

Four games yielded two wins and two extra-time losses for the Ducks, who reached the break in second place in the Pacific Division and seven points up on the non-playoff horde. "That's a [heck] of a road trip, to go three time zones, play some good teams and battle it out," coach Dallas Eakins said.

Nos. 15-11: Kings, Flames, Bruins, Golden Knights, Capitals

Joe Puetz/Associated Press

15. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 16th)

The first five games of a six-game trip provided three wins and two OT losses before Wednesday's visit to Detroit. "When we play a good, structured game, when we're checking well and we're not giving too much to the team across from us, it leads to offensive success," forward Trevor Moore said following Sunday's victory over the Penguins.

          

14. Calgary Flames (Last Week: 15th)

Calgary won four of five heading into its pre-break finale at Arizona, including two shutouts and another game in which one goal was allowed by Jacob Markstrom. The 32-year-old's seven shutouts lead the NHL, and his goals-against average and save percentage are both among the league's top 10.

         

13. Boston Bruins (Last Week: 11th)

The final eight games prior to the break were up and down for the Bruins, yielding four wins and four losses after a five-game win streak ended in mid-January. Boston eked all out all four of their wins, each one coming by just a single goal. Their losses, however, were much less exciting—the Bruins conceded at least four goals in each game and 22 overall. 

          

12. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Week: 13th)

The Golden Knights won three of five and picked up seven of a possible 10 points heading into the break, and their post-break return moves the focus to the on-ice arrival of Jack Eichel. "Whenever he's ready, he's ready, and we'll get him in there," president of hockey operations George McPhee said.

          

11. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 12th)

A Wednesday battle of superstars matching Alex Ovechkin and Edmonton's Connor McDavid was snuffed out when Ovechkin tested positive for COVID-19. He'll also not play in the All-Star Game in Las Vegas, where he was scheduled to captain the Metropolitan Division team. Even with their three-time Hart winner, the Caps have been a little inconsistent—they haven't strung together at least three wins since late November. 

Nos. 10-6: Blues, Predators, Penguins, Rangers, Lightning

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

10. St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 9th)

The Blues hit the hiatus with four wins in six games—though the two losses saw them allow 11 goals while the four wins meant just five goals allowed. Ville Husso started each of the wins and made 125 saves on 130 shots. "I haven't seen a better goalie in the league lately," forward Brandon Saad said after last Thursday's win over the Flames.

        

9. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 10th)

A run of four wins in five games heading into the break erased the taste of a four-game skid for the Predators, who allowed just 10 goals in the five games. The final win was the 100th in the NHL career of goalie Juuse Saros. "It's pretty cool," he said. "You don't really think about those things growing up."

     

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 4th)

Four straight one-goal losses, including three in extra time, followed a six-game win streak across the final 10 pre-break games for the Penguins. Even after Tuesday's overtime loss to the Capitals, coach Mike Sullivan was pleased with his team's performance. "For the most part, everything we could control, we did, and we just didn't get the result. If we put that game on the ice consistently, we're going to win a lot of hockey games," he said.

          

7. New York Rangers (Last Week: 6th)

The Rangers started the week with losses to Columbus and Minnesota but rebounded against Seattle and Florida. Winger Chris Kreider scored twice against the Panthers and reached the break tops in the league in goals (33) and power-play goals (17). He's scored 12 goals in 10 games since mid-January.

           

6. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 5th)

The Lightning got points in four straight games—three wins and an OT loss—entering the break, including a defeat of San Jose on Tuesday. Tampa Bay won't play again until February 10, which could mean the return of forward Nikita Kucherov, who's been out since January 22 in COVID-19 protocol.

Nos. 5-1: Wild, Maple Leafs, Panthers, Hurricanes, Avalanche

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

5. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 8th)

Few teams in the league were as hot over the final 10 pre-break games as the Wild, who'd gotten points in all but one game in 2022. Rookie Matt Boldy has helped fuel that run, recording four goals and five assists in his nine games. "I think how we're playing right now, and with our team everywhere on the ice, it makes it pretty easy," Boldy said.

         

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 7th)

If any team was unhappy to get a break in the action, it was the Maple Leafs. In fact, Toronto won its final five games before the extended weekend and scored 27 goals in doing so. "We talked about going into the break with a good mindset and putting forward a great effort," forward Mitch Marner said after crushing the Devils by a margin of 13-5 in back-to-back games to enter the break.

         

3. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 3rd)

Florida's four-game win streak was cut short by a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers heading into the two-week vacation, but the Panthers still lead the Atlantic Division by three points over Tampa Bay. Despite the loss, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar remained positive. "We've set ourselves up for a good final stretch," he said.

        

2. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 2nd)

Carolina headed to the break with four straight wins and is one of only two teams in the NHL with single-digit losses. "Our record speaks for itself, and I think our record is that good because our goaltending has won us a bunch of games," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. The duo of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta has been phenomenal, as they both rank in the top five in the league in GAA.

         

1. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 1st)

They had an 18-game home win streak. They have the fewest losses in the NHL. And when the Avalanche resume play on February 10, it'll be nearly two months (December 16) since they last lost a game in 60 minutes. Even after their shootout loss to the lowly Coyotes, coach Jared Bednar wasn't too disappointed. "It would have been nice to win this one going into the break feeling great and all that, but we're due for a break. ... I think our team's excited to get off for a little while," he said.