NHL Power Rankings: A New No. 1 Team With Rangers in Free Fall

It's official. And we'll go ahead and call it a landslide.

The Winnipeg Jets, long-term incumbents atop B/R's Power Rankings thanks to a 15-1-0 start to the 2024-25 NHL season, were resoundingly tossed from that office by a panel of voters who placed them no higher than third and as low as eighth on this week's ballots.

The upheaval dropped the Jets all the way to fifth by the time voting had finished, though that wasn't the week's biggest fall. Instead, the Buffalo Sabres hold that dubious honor after crashing from No. 16 to No. 24, while both the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes took six-spot dives from ninth to 15th and second to eighth, respectively.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, was the week's biggest jumper with a vault from 30th to 22nd.

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.

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 8-15-2

The team hasn't performed so well in terms of the standings, but veteran goaltender Petr Mrazek has thrived as a workhorse for the Blackhawks. The 32-year-old had a 2.79 goals-against average and .908 save percentage through 18 starts for a team that's 31st in scoring.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 7-12-6

It doesn't impact the starter's net, but the Predators made a backup goalie trade when they dealt Scott Wedgewood to Colorado for Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick in 2025. The 24-year-old Finn is 16-9-2 in 29 career games across parts of four NHL seasons.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 9-13-3

A subpar start to the season got a successful jolt on Tuesday, when the Canadiens welcomed winger Patrik Laine into the fold for his first game. He missed the first 24 games with a preseason knee sprain that followed an August trade with Columbus.

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 10-13-5

It may come as a shock, but the Sharks have been one of the league's better teams for more than a month. San Jose was 0-7-2 after a loss in Vegas on October 26 but is 10-6-3 since, which is tied for fourth in the league and trails only Washington, Minnesota and New Jersey.

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 10-12-2

The surge hasn't come yet but the faith remains for the Senators, who went 1-1-1 on a three-game Western swing. "We have full belief in this group that things are going to turn for us," captain Brady Tkachuk said, "and it's just time to dig in and dig deep."

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 10-11-4

Not maxing out the points available is wearing on coach Derek Lalonde, whose Red Wings are 0-1-2 in their last three and 3-2-3 in their last eight. "It's a pretty good pace," he said, "but I think there are stretches in our game that we play really well, and you got to want it more."

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 10-11-4

The artists formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes crept to the .500 mark with a 2-0-1 run across three games before a 2-1 loss to Dallas on Monday. Center Nick Schmaltz is starting to heat up, though, with three goals in two games after not scoring in the first 23.

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 9-10-7

It's weird-stat time for the Islanders, who've had 10 games go past regulation. The bad news? They've lost seven. "It's all possession, you see that," captain Anders Lee said. "You get possession in overtime and you control a few seconds there, you have a few opportunities."

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 11-12-2

Losing four straight is bad. Losing the fourth after blowing a 4-0 lead is worse. And Buffalo's Alex Tuch is frustrated. "It just [stinks], honestly," he said. "We have to be better. Each and every guy needs to be better." The Sabres have been shut out in nine of 12 periods.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 12-13-1

A visit to Carolina was a daunting task for a Kraken team in the midst of a three-game skid, but Seattle responded for a 4-2 win that left coach Dan Bylsma ebullient. "It takes a 60-minute effort to beat a Carolina team. ... That was probably our best 60 of the year."

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 11-12-4

If eight losses in 10 games was the awful side of the spectrum for the Penguins, then the four in a row they've won since is the great side. A 5-4 defeat of Florida on Tuesday included a goal from Evgeni Malkin, whose tally made Spencer Knight his 150th goaltender victim.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 10-10-3

It took a while for winger Frank Vatrano to find his touch but it seems to be returning for the 30-year-old, who had four goals in four games through Tuesday after having just two in his first 18. Vatrano scored 22 in his first season with the Ducks and spiked to 37 in 2023-24.

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 12-12-2

It wasn't a move they were happy to make, but the firing of coach Drew Bannister and the decision to bring on ex-Boston boss Jim Montgomery has paid instant dividends for the Blues. A 4-1 win in Winnipeg on Tuesday lifted them to 3-0-1 since he arrived last month.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 11-10-3

A four-game road trip is hard enough for any team, but it was a particularly difficult start for the Blue Jackets on Tuesday in Calgary, where they remembered fallen teammate and ex-Flame Johnny Gaudreau. "Emotional circumstance there," forward Cole Sillinger said.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 13-11-3

It's another success story in Boston, where the Bruins are 5-2-0 since making Joe Sacco the interim boss after Montgomery's exit. "I think we're playing for each other," defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. "I thought we were disconnected before. That's what wasn't working."

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 12-10-3

Goaltender Samuel Ersson has missed 11 of the past 13 games, but the Flyers have held up well in the net thanks to the anonymous duo of Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. They've combined to go 7-4-1 in 12 games and each has a save percentage of .900 or better.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 14-12-2

A goalie change worked well for the Avalanche on Tuesday, when they inserted newcomer Scott Wedgewood upon falling behind 4-0 in Buffalo and rallied for a 5-4 win. Alexandar Georgiev has allowed 11 goals on 62 shots (.823 save percentage) in his last three starts.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 13-10-1

The Rangers have lost six of seven, and it'll take a shift in mindset to snap the skid, according to forward Vincent Trocheck. "Guys that are usually playmakers and scoring goals have got to chip it in and grind it out," he said. "Guys that aren't usually hitting have to start hitting."

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 13-10-2

The Oilers had won three straight games and scored 14 goals while doing so before they were blanked, 1-0, by the Golden Knights on Tuesday in Vegas. Edmonton had 28 shots, including 16 in the final period, but were shut out for the fourth time in 10 regulation losses.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 12-9-2

The injury bug has bitten the Lightning hard up front, where Nikita Kucherov remains day to day with an undisclosed issue that kept him out of a Saturday game with Toronto. Meanwhile, Nick Paul has missed six games with a lower-body problem but could return Thursday.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 13-9-4

Getting back home was just the remedy needed for the Flames, who went 0-3-1 on a four-game road trip but returned to Calgary to blank Columbus on Tuesday. It was a sixth straight win at the Scotiabank Saddledome, where the hosts are 10-3-0 this season.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 15-9-2

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky didn't accompany the Panthers on a two-game trip to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia while awaiting the birth of a child. Backup Spencer Knight was lit up for five goals on 16 shots against the Penguins on Tuesday and is just 1-3-1 in his last five starts.

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 13-7-4

The Canucks righted their ship on a six-game trip in which they got nine of a possible 12 points by going 4-1-1. Vancouver had gone 2-4-0 in six games preceding the exodus, which took it to Ottawa (W), Boston (W), Pittsburgh (L), Buffalo (W), Detroit (W) and Minnesota (OTL).

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 14-8-3

The Kings play one more in L.A. before an epic seven-game trip that takes them to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and the District of Columbia before they're back home on December 28. They're 6-6-2 on the road this season after going 22-15-4 in 2023-24.

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 16-8-1

The return of goalie Pyotr Kochetkov from a concussion didn't help the Hurricanes in Tuesday's 4-2 home loss to Seattle, their third in a row and fifth in seven games. "We stunk," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Our top guys have got to come, and that includes everybody."

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 15-7-2

The Maple Leafs were without Auston Matthews for an extended stretch in November and they could be getting fellow forwards Max Domi and Max Pacioretty back soon, too. Domi hasn't played since November 16 and Pacioretty has been out since November 9.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 17-9-2

A 5-1 rout of the Rangers at Madison Square Garden was the final trip outside of New Jersey before a five-game homestand for the Devils, who'll host Seattle, Colorado, Toronto, Los Angeles and Chicago through December 14. They're 6-5-2 at home and 11-4-0 on the road.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 18-8-0

A trickle of adversity has become a torrent for the Jets, who were 15-1-0 after 16 games but have gone 3-7-0 since. A 4-1 home loss to St. Louis on Tuesday was their fourth in a row and fifth in six games. They've scored one or zero goals six times in the aforementioned last 10.

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 16-7-3

The Golden Knights are a top-10 team when it comes to nightly offense but they can play a defensive game, too, as evidenced by a 1-0 defeat of Pacific rival Edmonton. They're also tough to beat in Las Vegas, where they improved to 10-3-0 after going 27-12-2 in 2023-24.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 16-8-0

The Stars' recent status as one of the league's deepest teams will be tested in the absence of forward Tyler Seguin, who'll be out four-to-six months with a hip injury that'll need surgery. The 32-year-old played against Winnipeg on Sunday but missed Monday's game with Utah.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 17-6-2

He's missed seven games so far and will miss several more before it's over, but Alex Ovechkin's rehab from a broken left leg took a step forward when he returned to skating on Monday. The Capitals were 4-2-1 without the 39-year-old, who had 15 goals in 18 games.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 17-4-4

Still waiting for the early-season momentum to wear off? It may be a while. An OT win against Vancouver was the Wild's fourth straight and continued another torrid stretch in which they're 6-1-1 in the last eight. Winger Kirill Kaprizov is tied for the league lead with 39 points and is on pace for a career-high 132.