Aside from the Colorado Avalanche leading the NHL power rankings and a few bottom dwellers, are we really sure where each team stands a month-and-a-half into the season?
There are more than 20 teams (!) within four points of each other and 27 teams with a points percentage of .500 or better.
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Keep in mind American Thanksgiving is this time next week, which means those outside the playoff picture better get into a groove soon and start banking points.
Check out these select stats as of Wednesday morning at the quarter mark of the 2025-26 season per NHL Public Relations:
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76 games have been tied after 55 minutes of action, the second-most ever at the quarter mark
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90 games have required overtime, the most at the quarter mark
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81 percent of the games have been considered “close games,” meaning they were decided by a one-goal margin or a two-goal margin with an empty-netter, the highest rate in history
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43 percent of the games have featured comeback wins, a top-three rate in history
Just an insane amount of parity. Let’s dive into this week’s NHL power rankings.
1. Colorado Avalanche (13-1-5, +31. PR: 1)
The Avs are on pace for 133 points, which would be the second-highest total in the cap era behind the 2022-23 Bruins, which finished with 135. I looked at the power rankings for that season, and since Oct. 26, the Bruins never ranked lower than third. I think this Avs team is better, which is a pretty scary thought.
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2. Dallas Stars (12-5-3, +9. PR: 6)
The Stars are 6-2-1 so far this month and, in one week, turned a minus-1 goal differential into the seventh-best in the league. One storyline that’s not getting enough attention is Jason Robertson’s staggering offensive output that’s reminiscent of his 2022-23 season, where he finished fourth in Hart voting.
3. Winnipeg Jets (12-7-0, +12. PR: 5)
After losing three straight in California – more a testament to how much they’ve improved, honestly – the Jets went 3-1-0 and remain incredibly consistent. Their three-game losing streak is the longest they’ve had since March of last season, playoffs included.
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4. Carolina Hurricanes (13-5-2, +15. PR: 2)
They Hurricanes were absolutely robbed by Jesper Wallstedt on Wednesday night, but the cracks were showing a little bit with a loss to the Oilers just 19 seconds into overtime and then narrowly beating the Canucks in a comeback overtime win.
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5. Anaheim Ducks (13-6-1, +11. PR: 3)
A bit of a hiccup with a three-game losing streak, and if it were last season or the season before, it would’ve snowballed into something worse. Instead, they gutted out two comeback wins against the Mammoth and Bruins. These Ducks are built different.
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6. Los Angeles Kings (10-6-4, -1. PR: 7)
Pretty impressive stretch in their road trip so far, going 4-1-0 with some really close wins thanks to solid goaltending. When the Kings defend like they do – even without Drew Doughty – and get goaltending like that, they’re hard to beat. But, please, can someone tell Jim Hiller to play Brandt Clarke on the power play?!
7. Tampa Bay Lightning (10-7-2, +3. PR: 10)
They keep rolling even without several key players, and they’re now 9-3-0 since starting 1-4-2. It’s a slight concern for the Lightning and Team Canada, but Brayden Point has three goals and a minus-10 rating through 19 games.
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8. Chicago Blackhawks (10-5-4, +15. PR: 14)
This is the best stretch of hockey the Hawks have played in seemingly eons, going 5-0-1 with some dominant performances from Connor Bedard. OK, NHL, now you can put them back in the Winter Classic again because they’re fun to watch.
9. New Jersey Devils (13-5-1, +5. PR: 4)
Yes, the Devils have 13 wins, but it was a lucky Groundhog Day of sorts. Consider these performances over the past two weeks: needed a late-game goal from Timo Meier against the Habs to force overtime, blew a 1-0 lead against the Pens but won in a shootout, needed a late-game goal (and all-time performance) from Simon Nemec against the Hawks to force overtime, blew a 2-0 lead against the Caps but won in a shootout. And they capped all that off with a 5-1 loss to the Lightning and devastating news that Jack Hughes would miss up to eight weeks due to a freak accident where he cut his finger on glass. Wild scenes.
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10. Pittsburgh Penguins (10-5-4, +12. PR: 9)
Not a lot to work off of with only two games played over the past week, but they nearly swept the Global Series and again keep defying the odds. Worth noting the Pens are tied-second in regulation wins with 10, trailing only the Avs.
11. Detroit Red Wings (12-7-1, even. PR: 15)
Is there another goalie who makes everyone look stupid after getting written off every season more than Cam Talbot? The veteran Wings netminder keeps getting cast aside, but you’re telling me the Oilers or Flyers couldn’t use this guy? He’s tied-fourth in wins and tied-11th in GAA among goalies with at least 10 appearances.
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12. San Jose Sharks (9-8-3, -6. PR: 18)
Other than the Avs, name a more entertaining team right now. The Sharks are 9-4-1 after another horrific start, but the mindset has completely shifted from “let’s not lose by too much” to “we can definitely win this game.” Bedard-versus-Celebrini outdoor game, who says no? By the way, the Sharks and Hawks don’t face each other until Feb. 2, which is way too late, but they do play each other twice in the last week of the regular season, including the Hawks’ season finale.
13. Minnesota Wild (10-7-4, -4. PR: 22)
The “Wall of St. Paul” has taken over the crease, and Jesper Wallstedt stole a win from the Canes on Wednesday to give the Wild their seventh win in nine games. They’re 7-1-1 so far in November.
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14. Montreal Canadiens (10-6-3, -3. PR: 8)
Growing pains or simply coming back down to earth? The Habs suddenly cannot score, and they’re 2-3-3 with only one regulation win.
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15. Ottawa Senators (9-6-4, -1. PR: 17)
The Sens are 3-1-3 so far in November, but it’s been a rollercoaster ride. It’s somewhat concerning how many leads they’ve blown, or even nearly blown, during that time. The good news is Brady Tkachuk seems ready to return soon.
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16. Boston Bruins (12-10-0, -1. PR: 16)
The Bruins might be the streakiest team in the league. After winning seven straight, they’ve lost three of their past four and lost Charlie McAvoy indefinitely after he took a puck to the face. I’m not sure how they manage to rank 10th in goals-for per game with only two scoring threats right now in David Pastrnak and *checks notes* Morgan Geekie.
17. New York Islanders (11-7-2, even. PR: 23)
The Isles are 5-1-0, but three were overtime wins, and it was a truly bizarre finish in Dallas where a game-tying goal by the Stars with 0.1 seconds remaining was called back because no one knows what goalie interference really is. Still, it’s a good result as they conclude their seven-game roadie.
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18. Vegas Golden Knights (9-4-6, +5. PR: 11)
The Knights are at times brilliant and at times perplexingly bad, especially when it comes to taking care of the puck, which is frustrating considering their talent. They’re 4-4-2 since their four-game winning streak, with sweeps by the Panthers and Lightning, two teams they just can’t seem to beat in the regular season.
19. Florida Panthers (10-8-1, -1. PR: 20)
After starting the season 3-0-0, the Panthers have won consecutive games just once. A bit of a tough team to figure out sometimes because they won when they got outshot against the Knights and Caps, and also won when they allowed five goals on 15 shots against the Canucks.
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20. Washington Capitals (10-8-2, +7. PR: 19)
Caps coach Spencer Carbery might’ve found some combos that work with a 3-1-1 record after losing Pierre-Luc Dubois. Given the goaltending landscape, Logan Thompson is further cementing his spot on Team Canada, including head-to-head wins against two other hopefuls in Darcy Kuemper and Stuart Skinner.
21. Utah Mammoth (10-7-3, +1. PR: 12)
I had a feeling this would happen because the Mammoth are such a young team that can be really streaky. They’ve lost three straight in overtime – a bit of bad luck there – to bring their record to 2-5-3 since their seven-game winning streak.
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22. Philadelphia Flyers (9-6-3, even. PR: 13)
The Flyers still somehow have a winning record even though they haven’t been particularly good or consistent. For such a low-event team, though – few shots, fewer goals – they’ve been pretty entertaining to watch at times.
23. Seattle Kraken (9-5-5, -3. PR: 27)
Yes, they look like a pretty decent team, but no, I’m not buying their stock. The Kraken should hang around the playoff race all season, alternating wins and losses, but this team still hasn’t taken that extra step. They had a head start against the likes of the Ducks, Sharks and Blackhawks with favorable expansion rules, but they’ve clearly fallen behind.
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24. New York Rangers (10-9-2, +1. PR: 24)
I’m convinced the true engine of this team is Vincent Trocheck, who’s been excellent since returning. A 6-3 win on home ice brought hope the Rangers could score again, but they got outshot 42-19 and scored only one goal against the Wings in their next home game.
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25. Toronto Maple Leafs (9-9-2, -4. PR: 21)
Maybe Joseph Woll can turn this ship around, but it’s been a pretty ugly stretch for the Leafs so far. They say good goaltending can mask a lot of issues – it clearly did last season – but the number of injuries has also exposed a lack of quality depth.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (10-8-2, -3. PR: 26)
The Jackets are playing quite well but don’t really have the results to show for it, and they’ve had some bad bounces along the way. On the bright side, Adam Fantilli seems ready to be a full-time No. 1 center.
27. Edmonton Oilers (9-9-4, -15. PR: 25)
Some ugly stats for a team that’s playing really ugly right now. The Oilers are tied-last with only four (!) regulation wins. They have allowed the most goals in the league, even though they have the 11th-best PK and allow the sixth-fewest shots per game. Their .870 save percentage at 5-on-5 this season is the lowest in league history since naturalstattrick.com started keeping track in 2007-08, and virtually no team has been below .890.
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28. Vancouver Canucks (9-10-2, -10. PR: 28)
You can’t fault the Canucks for their effort, and they rely far too much on Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson to do everything. They’ve been horrible defensively, which is funny because Adam Foote in his prime would’ve never allowed this.
29. Buffalo Sabres (7-9-4, -13. PR: 30)
The return of Rasmus Dahlin certainly gives the Sabres a boost, but they’re also still missing four players who could play in their top six and a top-four defenseman who could really round out their defense. For a team that allows a lot of shots and goals, trying to juggle a three-goalie rotation doesn’t make things any easier.
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30. St. Louis Blues (6-9-5, -23. PR: 29)
Nobody in the world could’ve stopped that William Nylander winner in overtime, but the Blues continue to show very little consistency. The Blues nearly allowed the Flames to stage a comeback win, blew a two-goal lead twice against the Flyers and got thoroughly outplayed by the Knights.
31. Calgary Flames (6-13-3, -18. PR: 32)
The good news is Matt Coronato’s found his groove, but Dustin Wolf still isn’t nearly as good as he was last season. If you’re going to be bad, at least be somewhat entertaining, and the Flames can’t even do that with the league’s worst offense in goals-for per game and power-play efficiency.
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32. Nashville Predators (6-10-4, -21. PR: 31)
The only thing getting smashed in Smashville these days is themselves.
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