NHL Power Rankings: Red-Hot Devils; Sabres and Rangers Continue Struggles

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The latest version of B/R's Power Rankings have a decidedly familiar 2024-25 feel to them, though there was a fair bit of tumult in the weekly voting process.

Four of the five teams at the top of last week's rankings stayed among the elite quintet but the party was crashed by the red-hot New Jersey Devils, who climbed eight spots to move from No. 10 all the way to No. 2. They trail only the Winnipeg Jets, who'd been the stalwarts of the early season before dipping to No. 4 last week.

The Jets moved back to the top at the expense of the Minnesota Wild, who conversely fell from No. 1 to No. 4. Staying near the lead were the Washington Capitals, who fell from second to third; and the Vegas Golden Knights, who dropped to fifth from third. Carolina is on the outs to make room for New Jersey, falling from fifth to sixth.

Making the biggest positive move of the week were the Ottawa Senators, who leapt nine spots to No. 15 from No. 24. Meanwhile, the biggest plunges were taken by the Buffalo Sabres—down from No. 27 to No. 31—and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who also fell four spots from No. 22 to No. 26. Also feeling the pain are the New York Rangers, who began the season among the top five but have plummeted to 23rd amid a 3-11-0 tailspin.

Votes were cast that awarded 32 points for first place all the way down to a single point for No. 32. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.

*Votes were tallied after games played on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 9-17-6

Even a flicker of success counts for the Predators, who've won two of three after dropping into the league basement with eight straight losses (0-5-3). A 25-save shutout against the Rangers was the third of the season for Juuse Saros, who'd not won since November 23.

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 11-17-4

An impromptu visit from owner Terry Pegula didn't stop the bleeding for the Sabres, who were on the wrong end of a five-goal deficit in Montreal on Tuesday—their 11th straight loss (0-8-3). "No legs, no jump, no energy," defenseman Connor Clifton said.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 11-19-2

There haven't been many positives for the Blackhawks, but a big one came Tuesday against Washington when they rallied from 2-0 down for a 3-2 win. "It's great because we've been in spots where we've been up a couple goals and end up losing," center Ryan Donato said.

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 11-18-5

The present—two straight losses and five in six games—isn't great, but the future looks increasingly promising when it comes to No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini. He has 11 goals and 22 points and already has seven multi-point games, a franchise record for an 18-year-old player.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 11-14-4

A nearly 1,000-game era in Anaheim ended when the Ducks traded veteran defenseman Cam Fowler to St. Louis for a player and a 2027 pick. Fowler was drafted 12th overall in 2010, debuted later that year and played 991 games over 14-plus seasons with the franchise.

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 12-16-3

Patrik Laine's power-play production continued for the Canadiens on Tuesday when he scored three goals—all with Montreal up a man—in a 6-1 defeat of Buffalo. He has six goals in seven games since his season debut on December 3, all on the power play.

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 12-15-5

It's not good when a coach questions his team's mettle, but that's where Dean Evason was after a 5-3 defeat at Tampa Bay—a fifth straight for Columbus (0-3-2)—in which it trailed 4-0. "We were soft and looked like we were intimidated for whatever reason," he said.

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 12-14-4

The goaltending shuffle continues for the Red Wings, who've missed starter Cam Talbot for all but two games in December. Alex Lyon was activated from injured reserve after not playing since late November. Detroit's 3.13 goals-against average is 22nd in the league.

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 12-14-7

Goalie Ilya Sorokin has been anything but consistent for the punchless Islanders, allowing four goals in three straight starts and surrendering four or more eight times in 23 games. It happened only 14 times in 62 games when he was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2022-23.

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 15-15-1

It's hard to believe the Rangers were actually 12-4-1 through 17 games given the depths of their subsequent despair, including a 2-0 loss at bottom-feeding Nashville on Tuesday. New York is 3-11-0 in its last 14, leaving coach Peter Laviolette to ponder his job status.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 15-16-2

Consistent offense continues to be absent for the Kraken, whose 3-0 home loss to Ottawa on Tuesday was the fifth time they've been blanked this season. They've scored zero goals or one goal in three of the past four games and are 21st in scoring average (2.88 per game).

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 14-14-5

The Penguins have crept back to the NHL's version of .500 with a 7-2-1 stretch over 10 games, including an OT win over visiting Los Angeles on Tuesday. Pittsburgh is tied for the league lead in goals (41) since November 25 and has averaged 30.4 shots per game.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 15-15-3

The Blues were 4-0-1 in their first five games after hiring Jim Montgomery to replace Drew Bannister behind the bench, but a subsequent rough patch extended to 2-3-1 with a Tuesday loss to visiting New Jersey. "We've got to become a little more resilient," Montgomery said.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 14-13-4

The excitement generated by Russian import Matvei Michkov as the season began is returning. The 20-year-old had a respectable eight points in his first 13 NHL games but had 17 points and was a plus-11 in his next 16 after healthy scratches on November 7 and 9.

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 14-11-5

Few seem to have benefited from the move to Utah more than 21-year-old winger Dylan Guenther, who had 29 points in his first 30 games this season. "I want him to be a superstar and I want him to dominate," teammate Mikhail Sergachev said. "He's got all the tools."

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 18-15-0

Consistency has been fleeting for the Avalanche, who surged after a woeful start but have recently followed a three-game win streak with two losses in three games. Mikko Rantanen is red hot, though, with 12 points in a six-game streak and 47 for the season.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 15-11-6

A brief skid has become a bigger concern for the Flames, who blew a two-goal, third-period lead against visiting Boston on Tuesday for their fourth loss in six games and eighth in 11. Goalie Dustin Wolf is 1-3-1 in his last five starts, and Dan Vladar is 2-2-2 in his last six.

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 16-13-2

There's no team hotter lately than the Senators, who got a 30-save shutout from Linus Ullmark on Tuesday at Seattle and have won four straight and six of seven. Ullmark hasn't lost in regulation since November 23 and has allowed just five goals in his last six starts.

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 17-13-3

A western trip that started poorly has gotten better for the Bruins, who won at Calgary Tuesday to make it two straight. Boston started with losses at Winnipeg and Seattle in which they were outscored 13-2 but have since won in Vancouver and defeated the Flames.

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 16-9-5

TSN's Pierre LeBrun is suggesting the Canucks, who'll be without defenseman Filip Hronek for another six weeks after a lower-body injury, are already on the hunt for a top-four blue-liner and a winger. "I think they're ready to act here if they can get that done," he said.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 18-11-2

It's the most wonderful time of the year, again, for the Oilers, whose 8-2-0 run over 10 games is the league's best. Edmonton won 16 straight last season from December 21, 2023 to January 27, 2024 and will play their next three against visiting Boston, San Jose and Ottawa.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 17-10-2

Free-agent prize Jake Guentzel is playing up to his big contract these days for the Lightning, in the form of a seven-game goal streak. He has scored nine times during the heater—the league's longest this season—and is on pace for a career-high 51 across 82 games.

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 19-11-2

The defending champs were shut out in Vancouver and Calgary in games two and three of a western trip, but they revved the engines upon arrival in Edmonton and left with a 6-5 win. It was Florida's first 2024-25 meeting with the team it beat to win the Stanley Cup in June.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 19-10-2

It'll be an extended stay on the shelf for veteran goalie Anthony Stolarz, who'll miss four to six weeks with a knee injury suffered last week. The 30-year-old's .927 save percentage was tops in the league through Tuesday, and his 2.15 goals-against average was tied for first.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 19-11-0

Big-bodied defenseman Alexander Petrovic is back in the NHL for the Stars thanks to a Wednesday call-up that coincides with Matt Dumba being placed on injured reserve. Dumba hasn't played since suffering an upper-body issue against Calgary on December 8.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 18-9-4

The engines have cooled just a bit for the Kings, who've followed six straight wins with two losses in three games. Goalie Darcy Kuemper, though, is 3-0-1 in four starts with a .943 save percentage since returning from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for several weeks.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 20-10-1

He's unsung beyond Raleigh, but goalie Pyotr Kochetkov has played a huge role in helping Carolina stabilize after Frederik Andersen's knee injury. Kochetkov shut out the Islanders on Tuesday and is 11-4-0 in 16 games since Andersen last started on October 26.

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 20-8-3

The Golden Knights emerged from a battle of early-season titans with a win at Minnesota that boosted them to 5-1-0 in their last six and maintained their lead in a competitive Pacific. Backup goalie Ilya Samsonov has won four of five starts since going 3-2-1 in his first six.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 20-7-4

The Wild are enviably deep in goal thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury and youngster Jesper Wallstedt, but the situation with Filip Gustavsson does bear watching after a lower-body injury scratched him from a Sunday game with Vegas. He's 14-5-3 in 22 starts this season.

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 21-8-2

A Midwestern trip wasn't particularly kind to the Capitals, who lost at Dallas and had to stay overnight before leaving late for Chicago and arriving just hours before a loss to the Blackhawks. It's just the second time this season Washington has lost two straight games.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 21-10-3

Make it three wins in a row and points in seven of 10 (6-3-1) for the Devils, who've surged to first in the Metropolitan and second overall. New Jersey is seventh in offense (3.35 goals per game), fifth in defense (2.56 goals allowed) and second on the power play (30.1 percent).

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 23-9-1

It's back to 2024-25 normal for the Jets, who are 5-1-2 in their past eight games after a 3-7-0 stretch followed by a 15-1-0 start. A Tuesday win at San Jose was Connor Hellebuyck's 20th in his 26th game, making him the fastest U.S.-born goalie in history to reach 20 in a season.