NHL Power Rankings: Capitals Break Into Top 5; Penguins in Free Fall

They make up one of the NHL's legendary player rivalries.

Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

They came into the league a year apart as No. 1 overall picks, are its active leaders in goals and points, respectively, and they've met in the playoffs four times--with each of those series won by the team that ultimately went on to hoist the Stanley Cup.

These days, though, they're traveling in opposite directions.

Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals are off to a surprisingly strong start after the season's first couple of weeks, and the 39-year-old is fewer than 40 flashing red lights away from becoming the league's all-time leader in goals. Meanwhile, Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins won just three of their first 11 games and reached Halloween far closer to the league's cob-webbed basement than to the elite air of its penthouse.

The B/R hockey staff took the pulse of the Caps, the Pens and all the rest while fulfilling its weekly Power Rankings duty, casting ballots that awarded 32 points for a first-place vote all the way down to a single point for a No. 32 position.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 2-7-2

The 0-7-2 was not ideal, but it's all about the wins since for the Sharks, who went to OT to get their first at Utah and came back Tuesday for another against visiting Los Angeles. "It doesn't matter where it is. We want to win hockey games here," coach Ryan Warsofsky said.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 3-7-1

It's early-season peril for the skidding Penguins, who've followed a 3-2-0 start with six consecutive losses to plummet within a point of the league basement. "I think it's a number of things, but it starts with the decisions we make with the puck," coach Mike Sullivan said.

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 3-6-1

Tuesday's trip to Boston yielded big things for the Flyers, whose 2-0 win ended a streak of 19 games in which the Bruins had gotten at least a point (15-0-4) against Philadelphia at home. Also, the shutout made Samuel Ersson the third Philly goalie to get one on Boston's ice.

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 3-6-1

A 1-2-0 week is nothing to celebrate, but it ended well with the Blackhawks traveling to Denver and ending a skid by defeating the Avalanche. The win for Petr Mrazek ended a run in which he'd lost three straight and allowed 12 goals on 93 shots (.870 save percentage).

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 3-5-1

OK, progress is being made. Two wins and a tie in three games were a fine tonic for an inglorious 1-5-0 start, and summertime acquisition Steven Stamkos made an emotional return to Tampa Bay and produced his first two assists of the season against his former team.

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 3-4-2

It's a familiar tale for the Islanders, who've struggled to find consistent offense and had already been shut out three times and been held to one goal once in their first nine games. They scored 14 goals in their first three wins but had just eight in their first six losses.

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 4-5-1

File this under weird stats: The Canadiens have been blown out on consecutive Tuesdays, dropping a 7-2 decision to the Rangers on October 22 and following with an 8-2 drubbing by Seattle this week. "We have a tough time with Tuesdays," coach Martin St. Louis said.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 4-5-1

It'd be a good time to reach out to your Oilers fan friends, who may be in the midst of panic given a left ankle injury to Connor McDavid that prompted him to head home to Edmonton while the team continued its road trip in Nashville. He'll miss two to three weeks.

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 4-5-1

Three wins in five games to start the season have evaporated into a mini-slide for the Bruins, who were shut out at home by Philadelphia on Tuesday to fall to 1-3-1 in their last five. Boston's 10 percent power play over those five games is 26th in the league since October 19.

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 4-5-1

A measuring-stick game against the champs didn't go so well for the Sabres, whose three-game win streak ended with a 5-2 home loss to Florida. On the positive side, forward Tage Thompson is red-hot with six goals and five assists in a seven-game point streak.

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 4-4-1

Coach Derek Lalonde's tinkering produced a second line of Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane that started strong and netted two goals in an OT loss to Edmonton. "Obviously you are going to get some looks playing with two really smart players," Copp said.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 4-4-1

Plummeting to earth after a 3-0-0 start is bad enough, but blowing a late three-goal lead in losing to previously winless San Jose on home ice is simply unacceptable for Utah coach Andre Tourigny. ""That's not who we are and that's not who we want to be," he said.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 3-4-1

A weekend trip to the East Coast wasn't exactly idyllic for the Ducks, who scored just three goals in losses at the New York Rangers and New Jersey on Saturday and Sunday. Anaheim has just 18 goals across its eight games, the lowest output in the league.

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 5-5-0

Games nine and 10 weren't at all pleasant for the Blues, who allowed five goals to Montreal before giving up eight against Ottawa. "It's pretty plain and simple, kind of, in our minds," captain Brayden Schenn said. "Just soft in the battles and soft kind of all over the ice."

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 5-5-0

It took a five-game win streak for the Avalanche to reverse a five-game skid, but Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon have been productive since opening night. Makar, in fact, is the fourth defenseman to begin a season with a 10-game point streak and first since 1981.

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 5-4-0

It's only been nine games, but the Senators have been prolific, scoring eight goals in wins over Los Angeles and St. Louis. Ottawa's clip of 4.22 goals per game through Tuesday was third-best in the league and a big leap from last season's 20th-best rate of 3.05.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 4-3-1

Two weeks away may have helped Elvis Merzlikins, who allowed seven goals on 48 shots in two starts through October 15 before returning to hold the Oilers to just one on 32 tries in a 6-1 win. The team's 25 goals allowed were seventh-fewest in the NHL entering Wednesday.

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 5-4-1

There's hardly a better way to start a five-game Eastern swing than with a six-goal victory, which is what the Kraken got on Tuesday in Montreal. Seattle will visit Toronto, Ottawa, Boston and Colorado before returning home to play Vegas on November 8.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 5-4-1

The Maple Leafs ended an 0-2-1 slump in grand style when they handed the front-running Jets their first loss, winning a 6-4 decision at Winnipeg. Toronto has won six straight games in the head-to-head series dating back to the final days of the 2021-22 season.

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 6-4-2

Ending an 0-2-2 slump on the eve of a western road trip was a plus for the Devils, who scored six in beating Anaheim before heading out to visit Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton through Monday. "It's definitely a good feeling for us," forward Dawson Mercer said.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 5-3-2

It's over and done with according to coach Jim Hiller, but it wasn't great optics that forward Kevin Fiala was a healthy scratch from Tuesday's loss at San Jose for missing a team meeting. "I think the statement said it all," Hiller said. "So, there's nothing to add there."

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 5-3-1

Calgary's early success began ebbing as soon as the offense did, with the first three regulation losses (after a 5-0-1 start) resulting in a minus-nine (14-5) goal differential. The Flames averaged 3.83 goals in their first six games, good for seventh in the NHL.

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 6-3-0

The Lightning made it through the Steven Stamkos reunion, and his de facto replacement, Jake Guentzel, has been productive in his new town with nine points in his first nine games. Guentzel signed a seven-year deal the same day Stamkos agreed to a pact with Nashville.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 4-1-3

Three misfires on the power play spelled doom for the Canucks in an OT loss to Carolina that ended a four-game win streak. Vancouver's 20 percent clip with the man-advantage was 16th in the league entering Wednesday and slightly off last season's 22.7 percent pace.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 7-3-1

Only two teams entering Wednesday were any hotter than the Panthers, who'd strung three straight wins in which they scored 14 goals and allowed just six. And in even better news, captain Aleksander Barkov is back after missing eight games with a lower-body issue.

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 6-2-1

The Rangers won their first four road games before Tuesday's loss at Washington, tying a franchise record established in 1931-32. New York's 25 road wins in 2023-24 were just one shy of the league lead shared by fellow conference finalists Florida and Dallas.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 6-2-0

There's nothing like a little drama to cap off a road trip, which the Hurricanes provided when they blew a two-goal lead but managed to win in OT at Vancouver. Carolina finished the six-game journey, which will be its longest of the 2024-25 season, at 5-1-0.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 6-2-0

Alex Ovechkin's chase for Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record was already going to be a thing in Washington this season, but the winning is a bonus. The Capitals are off to a 4-1-0 start on home ice, and their 39-year-old sniper has three goals and six points in those games.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 5-1-2

It was bound to happen eventually for the Wild, who finally dropped their first regulation game when they lost at Philadelphia on Saturday. Minnesota had won four in a row since losing in a shootout to Seattle and in OT at Winnipeg on October 12 and 13.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 7-2-0

It's certainly a bit early for MVP talk, but it's hard to argue Jake Oettinger isn't at least making himself a viable consideration in the early going. The 25-year-old is third in goals-against average (1.84), third in save percentage (.938) and has a shutout in his first six starts.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 7-2-1

It's always been a tough place to play, but T-Mobile Arena has been even more daunting for the opposition in 2024-25, with the Golden Knights winning their first seven on home ice. The franchise record for consecutive home wins is eight, established in 2017.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 8-1-0

The Jets allowed three goals or fewer—including a shutout and two with one goal allowed—while winning each of their first eight games to begin the season. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck had six wins in his first seven starts for the second time. He started 2017-18 with an 8-1-2 run and finished with a career-high 44 wins.