NHL Power Rankings: Perfect Jets and Red-Hot Rangers Lead the Way

It's the early going in the NHL season, so upheaval is to be expected.

But for the moment anyway, the B/R Power Rankings planets are aligned.

The Winnipeg Jets earned themselves a clean sweep from the voting panel to take the penthouse perch this week and they were followed closely by the New York Rangers, who were the second choice on all but one of the ballots.

In fact, of the 25 possible votes for the top-five teams in our poll, 24 of them went to the Jets and Rangers alongside the Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, who round out the elite quintet after the season's second week. Only one fifth-place vote for the Washington Capitals spoiled the consensus, which came after the aforementioned Jets, Rangers, Flames, Wild and Stars combined to go 25-2-4 through Tuesday's games.

Dallas, Calgary, Winnipeg and New York were holdovers from last week's top five while the Wild skipped from 11th to fourth to dislodge the Vegas Golden Knights, who fell to eighth.

A first-place vote netted 32 points and a 32nd-place tally yielded one. The vote/point totals are reflected by the rankings, and we invite you to take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.

Editor's note: Votes were tallied after games played on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 0-5-2

Well, that didn't take long, did it? The Sharks weren't expected to stray too far from the NHL's basement this season and they've already got it all to themselves after two weeks as the league's lone winless team. San Jose has managed 13 goals in seven games and rookie Macklin Celebrini is still at least weeks away with a lower-body injury.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 1-5-0

It's pop the corks time in Music City, where the offseason champion Predators finally picked up their first win of the real season on Tuesday night against Boston. Not surprisingly, it was a Jusse Saros-authored triumph, with the Finn stopping 33 shots for his 24th career shutout.

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 1-5-1

The Flyers followed a season-opening win at Vancouver with three straight losses before returning home in southeastern Pennsylvania, where the buzz for teenage rookie Matvei Michkov is real. "It's impressive," president of hockey operations Keith Jones said. "He has a certain aura about him."

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 2-4-1

A 2-4-1 start wasn't exactly cause for celebration anyway but the news isn't much better when it comes to Juraj Slafkovský, the No. 1 pick from the 2022 draft who'll miss a week with an upper-body injury that kept him from Tuesday's game against the New York Rangers. The 20-year-old had a goal and five assists in his first six games.

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 2-4-1

The Oilers are 2-1-1 since a ghastly skid to start the season but a 2-0 lead after two periods against Carolina on Tuesday wound up as a frustrating OT loss despite Connor McDavid's first multi-goal game of 2024-25. He's got three goals and five assists since going pointless in the opener.

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 2-4-1

A 1-1-1 start was nothing to write home about but it seems a distant happy memory these days for the Blackhawks, who've lost three of four and been outscored 15-8 in the process. Chicago is 25th in scoring (2.57 goals per game) through seven games and 21st in goals against (3.43).

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 3-4-0

The Avalanche clearly didn't enjoy their stint in the Power Rankings basement, climbing six spots from last week's indignity with three straight wins. Superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are already firing on all cylinders with seven-game point streaks and a combined five goals and 21 assists.

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 3-4-1

It was a free-falling second week for the Penguins, who started with three wins in five games but have since gone 0-2-1. The "1" was particularly irritating in that it came in a game at Calgary that Pittsburgh led into the final minute before allowing a 6-on-5 goal and losing in a shootout.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 3-4-1

The Edmonton-to-Buffalo run has been a good one so far for speedy forward Ryan McLeod, who scored in his fourth straight game on Tuesday in the Sabres' defeat of Dallas. Buffalo earned just one win in its first six games but has now won two straight. McLeod, who scored 12 goals in 81 games last season, is on (an admittedly early) pace for 41.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 2-2-2

Forward Anthony Duclair will be unavailable for the "long term," according to GM Lou Lamoriello, with a lower-body injury suffered against Montreal on Saturday. Duclair split last season between San Jose and Tampa Bay and arrived in New York as a free agent when he signed a four-year deal in July.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 3-3-0

A quick two-game road trip was successful in different ways for the Red Wings, who scored five times in a win at Nashville before buckling down for a 1-0 shutout triumph at the New York Islanders. Alex Lyon made 30 saves for Detroit, which had just 11 shots of its own.

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 3-3-1

A .500 start through two weeks is partially a product of a 1-1-1 mark on a three-game road trip for the Bruins, who won at Colorado and went to OT in Utah before dropping a 4-0 decision at Nashville on Tuesday. "It's a long season," coach Jim Montgomery said. "We've got to keep grinding."

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 3-3-0

The Columbus start has been respectable considering all that's gone on with the franchise in recent months but the on-ice product won't be helped by the absence of defenseman Erik Gudbrandson, who left a game against Florida earlier this month and underwent shoulder surgery on Monday.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 3-2-2

It wasn't a great finish to an arduous seven-game season-opening road trip for the Kings, who fell 6-1 at Vegas and plunged six spots in the rankings. Los Angeles will be home for four of its next five games and won't play outside of California again until a November 4 date at Nashville.

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 3-2-1

They'd already gone 2-2-1 through five games but finally getting the power play going was a key for the Ducks to tick about .500. Anaheim was 0-for-20 with the man-advantage before chipping in for a pair in a win over San Jose on Tuesday. The team's 17.9 percent success rate last season was 25th in the league.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 4-3-0

A four-win record through seven games is a positive in St. Louis but the second week ended with a loss to Winnipeg that may be more costly because of the health of Robert Thomas, who left in the third period after blocking a shot and is shelved for the foreseeable future with a fractured ankle. He produced six points in his first seven games this season.

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 4-3-0

Defenseman Vince Dunn's fourth season with the Kraken has taken an undesirable detour since he fell awkwardly in a game against Philadelphia last week. He's not skated since and was placed onto long-term injured reserve on Monday, meaning he won't be available to return until November 12 at the earliest.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 4-3-1

It's amazing what winning a championship will do for job security. Veteran coach Paul Maurice, who took over the Panthers in June 2022 and won a Cup two years later, was rewarded with a multi-year contract on Tuesday. He's taking Florida to the brink of a title in both seasons, losing to Vegas in 2023 before beating Edmonton last summer.

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 4-2-0

The Senators are off to a strong start even without a full-time contribution from goalie Linus Ullmark, who came from Boston in a summertime trade and signed a four-year deal this month. The 33-year-old has made just two starts thanks to what's been labeled an "undisclosed strain," but he did practice on Monday.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 4-3-0

It's still wait and see when it comes to presumed starting goaltender Joseph Woll, who's not played this season thanks to a groin injury. Veteran Anthony Stolarz and 23-year-old Swede Dennis Hildeby have handled the job in the interim, with Stolarz posting a 1.83 goals-against average over five games to Hildeby's 4.03 in two.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 5-3-1

The Devils have earned points in six of their first nine games but the sting of Tuesday's 8-5 home loss to Tampa Bay may linger a bit. Veteran Jake Allen had allowed just one goal through his first two starts before surrendering eight on 37 shots against the Lightning. It was the first time New Jersey allowed eight at home since 1992.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 4-2-1

The artists formerly known as the Coyotes are off to a strong start through seven games but it won't get any easier on the back end in the absence of both Sean Durzi and John Marino. Durzi was injured against New Jersey and may be gone for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, while Marino is out three to four months after he was hurt in training camp.

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 3-2-0

A two-goal rally in the third period got the Hurricanes to OT against the Oilers on Tuesday and led to a victory for goalie Frederik Andersen, who climbed to a ridiculous 18-2-2 in his career against Edmonton. The 35-year-old has a 1.64 goals-against average through his first three starts of 2024-25.

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 3-1-2

An early-season road trip is no picnic but the Canucks handled it with aplomb, wrapping up at 3-1-0 after Tuesday's win at Chicago. And goalie Kevin Lankinen has played a surprising role, going 3-0-1 in his first four appearances with the team since signing a one-year, $875,000 deal in September.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 4-2-1

Swedish-born center William Karlsson netted 30 goals last season, his best number since 2017-18, but his encore has been delayed by an undisclosed injury that kept him out of practice for more than a month. He may return later this week against Ottawa, according to coach Bruce Cassidy.

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 4-2-0

The Lightning are tied for 16th in the league in shots per game (29.2) through their first six this season but they're third in goals per game (4.33). Nikita Kucherov's seven goals through Tuesday led the NHL while Brandon Hagel (5) and Brayden Point (4) combined for another nine of the team's 26.

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 5-1-0

A lot has been going right for the Capitals in the early going, including Alex Ovechkin closing in on Wayne Gretzky's goal record. The Great 8 tallied scored goal No. 855 in Wednesday night's win over the Flyers as Washington won its fifth straight.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 5-2-0

It was a down week by Dallas standards after a pristine 4-0-0 start but the Stars did replenish a bit on Tuesday in Buffalo with returns by both Tyler Seguin and Matthew Dumba. Seguin had missed three games with a lower-body injury while Dumba was shelved for four.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 4-0-2

Raise your hand if you had the Wild pegged to make early-season history. Minnesota's six-game point streak to begin the schedule is the second in franchise history after the 2008-09 group went 5-0-1, and coach John Hynes' team is the second in NHL history (Boston, 1969-70) not to trail in regulation through its first six games.

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 5-0-1

It wasn't expected to be a particularly memorable year in Calgary but the Flames are starting off in style at least, with a late rally on Tuesday against Pittsburgh that forced OT and then a shootout win. Their six-game point streak to begin the season is the second-longest in franchise history and comes after two straight playoff misses.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 5-0-1

It's not an easy formula but it is a predictably simple one for the Rangers, whose 5.17 goals per game are tops in the NHL through Tuesday while their 2.00 goals-against average is fourth best. New York's six-game point streak to begin the season is the longest in the franchise's 98-year history.

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 6-0-0

We needn't remind anyone how little this week's news will matter come April, but it's got to be nice for the Jets to have a league-best "W6" in the standings column that specifies the streak a given team is on. It's a franchise-best break from the gates for Winnipeg, which has won four times at home and twice, including Tuesday at St. Louis, on the road.