Welcome back to The Hockey News’ NHL power rankings, where we rank all 32 teams based on their weekly performance.
The Bruins are good, and the Kings aren’t, just like everyone predicted, right?
We must not overreact to what’s going on in October – it’s hard, I know – but we are just merely a week into the 2025-26 NHL season. This time last season, the Oilers and Avalanche were a combined 0-6-0.
As in years past, the NHL power rankings see significant movement in the first few weeks while the league sorts itself out. There have been plenty of upsets, but it always requires some recalibration as we see teams for the first time in games that matter.
Here are this week’s NHL power rankings.
1. Dallas Stars (3-0-0, +5 goal differential. Previous Rank: 3)
They’ve basically run the gauntlet of the Central, defeating the Jets, Avs and Wild with no fewer than five goals scored in each game. The Stars are one of only two teams to have a perfect 1.000 points percentage so far this season.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (3-0-0, +8. PR: 5)
It has not been one of the toughest schedules at all, but once again, the Hurricanes are proving to be a regular-season buzzsaw. And they’re doing this with Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers combining for zero goals.
3. Florida Panthers (3-1-0, +3. PR: 1)
A road loss to the Flyers was the lone blip, but otherwise, the Panthers are rolling even without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Don’t ever count out the Panthers making another big move, though.
4. Edmonton Oilers (2-0-1, +3. PR: 2)
Once in a while, Stuart Skinner will have a really good game and make you wonder if he really has the goods to backstop this team to the Cup.
5. Colorado Avalanche (3-0-1, +5. PR: 8)
Nathan MacKinnon is a man on a mission, and Scott Wedgewood has held the fort nicely in Mackenzie Blackwood’s absence. A contract stand-off looms with pending UFA Martin Necas, who is tied with MacKinnon with eight points in four games. The situation is reminiscent of Mikko Rantanen’s last season; what lessons did the Avs learn from that negotiation, I wonder?
6. Vegas Golden Knights (2-0-2, +1. PR: 4)
Their power play has been awesome, but their defense and goaltending… not so much. The Knights seem a bit more careless than usual with turnovers, and Adin Hill left last night’s game due to an injury, which will put the Knights’ goalie depth to the test… but what depth?!
7. Winnipeg Jets (2-1-0, +3. PR: 6)
They nearly battled back from a 5-1 deficit in the season opener against the division rival Stars and completed a comeback to beat the Kings. Injuries have not made it easy on the Jets, but they’re powering through OK so far.
8. Washington Capitals (3-1-0, +2. PR: 9)
The Caps aren’t scoring a ton and they’re also allowing a lot of scoring chances, but the biggest difference so far this season has been their goaltending. Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren rank third and sixth, respectively, in goals saved above average at 5-on-5, according to naturalstattrick.com.
9. Minnesota Wild (2-2-0, even. PR: 10)
The Wild‘s power play (10-for-21, 47.6 percent) has been otherworldly, and there’s no better combo right now than Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. However, despite outchancing and outshooting their opponents by significant margins, they’ve also allowed 12 goals in their two losses.
10. Toronto Maple Leafs (2-2-0, +2. PR: 7)
A public tongue lashing was enough to get William Nylander and Auston Matthews going, who combined for five points in a 7-4 win against the Preds. We cannot deny, however, that the absence of Mitch Marner has had an effect. The Leafs are one of three teams that have yet to score a power-play goal.
Why Easton Cowan Looks Like He Just Might Stick On The Maple Leafs’ Top Line
It took two games for Easton Cowan to finally get in the lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. And another two games for the rookie winger to show that he has the skill — and tenacity — to potentially fill Mitch Marner’s coveted spot on the top line.
11. St. Louis Blues (2-1-0, even. PR: 13)
The Blues rank second with 30.33 hits per 60 minutes entering Wednesday’s games, and with some line juggling, they have managed to produced nine goals in two games after getting shut out in the season opener. They haven’t stormed out of the gates, but they’re still an intriguing dark horse given their physical play and scoring ability.
12. New Jersey Devils (2-1-0, even. PR: 14)
After a shaky start in a 6-3 loss in the season opener, the Devils have flipped the script and won two straight. They have a tough schedule in the first month, and they need Jacob Markstrom to have a strong season.
13. Montreal Canadiens (3-1-0, +3. PR: 16)
After a season-opening loss, the Habs quickly regrouped and beat the Wings and closed out two close wins against the Hawks and Kraken. Their offense has yet to really get going, too. Lane Hutson doesn’t have a point on the power play, Juraj Slafkovsky has only one goal and Patrik Laine has one assist.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (1-2-1, -3. PR: 11)
Remember, the Lightning didn’t have a great start in their previous season either (7-6-1 after the first month) so there’s no panic yet. But it is hard to shake the feeling that an aging Lightning core is bound to drop off at some point. Andrei Vasilevskiy is winless through three games with a .870 SP. Fun stat: the Lightning had the third-lowest winning percentage (.370) in one-goal games last season, and they have one win in three one-goal games so far this season.
15. Detroit Red Wings (2-1-0, even. PR: 21)
It was an ugly start with a 5-1 loss where the Wings were outshot 31-17. Then came back-to-back victories against the Leafs. It’s a young team, especially on defense, but trust the process and make sure you keep benching Travis Hamonic.
16. Columbus Blue Jackets (1-2-0, +1. PR: 18)
The Jackets lost both their games by just one goal, but the early signs are very encouraging with strong goaltending from Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins. The pre-season diagnosis was that this was the weakest part of the Jackets’ roster, and it’s not even an issue right now. A tough four-game test looms with Colorado, Tampa Bay, Dallas and Washington.
17. Boston Bruins (3-1-0, +4. PR: 29)
Surely, the Bruins are the most surprising team through the first week of 2025-26. They nearly staged a comeback win after trailing 3-0 against the Lightning with their backup in net, and they’re getting contributions from nearly every single player. Of their 12 forwards, nine of them have already scored a goal. Could they rank higher? Maybe, they already made the biggest jump in the rankings this week with 11 spots, and we mustn’t overreact in October.
18. Seattle Kraken (2-0-1, +2. PR: 26)
I really think Matty Beniers looks different this season. He’s faster, generating more offense and, perhaps most importantly, getting more deployment for offensive-zone draws. The Kraken had some really close games, and I’m still not convinced they’re playoff material, but grinding out a low-event overtime win against the Knights was encouraging.
19. Los Angeles Kings (1-2-1, -4. PR: 12)
Is it a shocker that the Kings’ third pair has been a problem? They have zero regulation wins through four games, spotted their opponents a 3-0 lead in two games after two periods, nearly blew a lead against the Knights and blew one against the Jets. Aside from a six-goal outburst against the Knights, the Kings have scored six goals in three games, echoing last season’s inability to score.
20. Anaheim Ducks (2-1-0, even. PR: 23)
Joel Quenneville, Chris Kreider, Beckett Sennecke, Mason McTavish… it looks like the Ducks have made all the right calls so far this season. If there’s a young team ready to upset the established order in the West, the Ducks look like a strong candidate.
21. Ottawa Senators (1-2-0, -6. PR: 15)
Horrible news coming down the pipeline Tuesday that captain Brady Tkachuk would miss at least four weeks with a hand injury. Linus Ullmark has struggled in the early going (.842 SP, 4.07 GAA) and needs to get those goals against numbers down.
22. Utah Mammoth (1-2-0, -2. PR: 17)
The Mammoth are not delivering the high-octane offense I was expecting, scoring just four goals in regulation through three games. The upcoming four-game homestand is vital to generate some rhythm since eight of their next nine games will be on the road.
23. Vancouver Canucks (1-2-0, -1. PR: 19)
The Elias Pettersson revenge tour hasn’t manifested itself, and that’s a problem because Quinn Hughes can only do so much. The saving grace so far this season has been Thatcher Demko, who’s a Vezina-caliber goalie for the Canucks when he’s healthy.
24. Calgary Flames (1-3-0, -7. PR: 20)
They can’t generate consistent offense, and even the prospective return of Jonathan Huberdeau doesn’t bring a ton of optimism. The Flames are cooked if Dustin Wolf – currently the worst goalie in the league based on goals saved above average at 5-on-5 per naturalstattrick.com – can’t replicate last season’s form.
25. New York Rangers (2-3-0, +3. PR: 22)
The Rangers set a new NHL low with three straight shutout losses at home. Kreider, meanwhile, has four goals. And you’re telling me he was the problem?! Somebody save Igor Shesterkin from this mess – he deserves better.
26. Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-0, -2. PR: 27)
Somehow, they’re not that bad? The Pens nearly went 3-1-0 but blew a 2-0 lead to the Ducks. I still think the Pens are on a path to a rebuild, but if winning more games and foregoing a chance at Gavin McKenna means keeping Sidney Crosby around just a little longer, then why not keep doing what they’re doing?
The Top 100 CHL Players To Watch In 2025-26
For years, I’ve done a top 100 NCAA hockey players to
watch list, and for some reason, despite the fact the CHL has about the same
number of teams, I always felt a major junior list would be harder.
27. Nashville Predators (2-1-1, even. PR: 30)
Juuse Saros looks as good as he’s ever been, bouncing back from a horrendous 2024-25. That alone will keep the Preds competitive, and keep in mind the Preds only play their tough Central opponents seven times from now until the end of November, so don’t be surprised if they’re a lot more competitive in the standings than anticipated.
28. Philadelphia Flyers (1-1-1, +1. PR: 28)
The good part is that their goaltending actually doesn’t look terrible, and Trevor Zegras is already generating plenty of buzz. The bad part is they still might have some trouble scoring on a consistent basis while Rick Tocchet figures out his offense. Matvei Michkov has already drawn his ire.
29. Chicago Blackhawks (1-2-1, -1. PR: 32)
Connor Bedard looks like he’s gained a step and gotten a little quicker, but Frank Nazar has taken the biggest leap so far. It’s shaping up to be a breakout season for Nazar, and more importantly, he is taking some pressure off Bedard’s shoulders as a legit No. 2 center for the Hawks.
30. New York Islanders (0-3-0, -6. PR: 24)
Ilya Sorokin looks a bit uncomfortable out there, having allowed 12 goals in three games. The Isles have no chance if their elite goalie can’t perform up to standard. The goal to shelter Matthew Schaefer lasted just one game – after playing 17 minutes in the season opener, he played 26 minutes in the subsequent two games. There’s the silver lining.
31. San Jose Sharks (0-1-2, -6. PR: 31)
At this pace, the Sharks are on their way to being one of the 10 worst defensive teams in the cap era for the third (!) time. They can score goals in bunches when Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith drive their offense, but their defending is weak, and their goaltending inconsistent. Could you imagine, though if they add Gavin McKenna to a core of Celebrini, Smith and Michael Misa?
32. Buffalo Sabres (0-3-0, -8. PR: 25)
I am so, so sorry, Buffalo fans.
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