NHL Power Rankings: Capitals, Jets and Oilers in Tight Battle at the Top

The home rinks for the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks are more than 2,800 road miles apart on opposite sides of the United States.

And the competitive gap between the teams may be even greater, as evidenced by a second consecutive week in which they occupy the top and bottom spots, respectively, in both the NHL's overall standings and the B/R Power Rankings.

The Capitals swept the first-place ballots and the Sharks were last on each as the B/R hockey staff awarded 32 points for a first-place vote all the way down to a single point for team 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, Jan. 28.

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 15-32-6

A six-game skid and a particularly galling stretch in which they'd allowed six goals in four straight games ended at least for the moment when the Sharks beat visiting Pittsburgh.

San Jose's 3.62 goals-against average was worst in the league through Monday.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 16-29-5

Chicago fired a coach, tumbled to last in the Central and is again at the bottom of the league thanks to misfires on some contracts, but general manager Kyle Davidson contends that Connor Bedard and Co. still warrant optimism.

"I wish we did have a little more success here in the first half than we have," he said. "But it doesn't diminish the progress I think we're making big-picture."

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 19-26-5

It's been a difficult season for the Sabres and a rough week for sports fans in general in the region, but spirits in Buffalo perked up Tuesday when Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka became the first teammates of 2024-25 to produce hat tricks in the same game: a 7-2 rout of Boston.

The Sabres hadn't had two hat tricks in the same game since Derek Roy and Drew Stafford netted three apiece in January 2008.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 18-23-7

A playoff run still seems miles away, but it was a first stretch of prolonged positives for the Predators, who won five straight from Jan. 14-23 before a loss in Anaheim.

Nashville's 5.20 goals per game during that sequence were tops in the league and well ahead of its season-long pace of 2.69.

"It was a good run there. We found ways to win," forward Ryan O'Reilly said.

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 22-27-3

Allowing 10 goals in two games is almost never a recipe for winning and it hasn't been lately for the Kraken, who gave up four in Edmonton and six at home against Anaheim.

Philipp Grubauer was beaten five times on 22 shots against the Ducks and is 0-5-1 since beating Utah on Dec. 30. His 3.83 goals-against average through 21 games is more than a goal higher than his career mark of 2.66.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 20-24-8

Veteran center Evgeni Malkin was placed on injured reserve and is week-to-week with a lower-body injury he suffered in Saturday's loss at Seattle.

The 38-year-old has 34 points in 47 games this season but just three points in eight games since the start of 2025.

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 21-23-6

Suddenly, the Ducks are an offensive powerhouse, or at least they've resembled one during a three-game win streak in which they've scored 16 goals.

Meanwhile, Mason McTavish is up to 12 goals for the season after getting six in his last four games.

"You're seeing 10 to 12 guys every night with the forward group feeling really confident with the puck and making really good plays," forward Ryan Strome said.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 23-24-4

A three-game losing streak dropped the Blues five points off the Western playoff radar and cost veteran forward Brandon Saad his job when the 32-year-old was unconditionally waived Tuesday, with the purpose of terminating what's left on a five-year deal worth $22.5 million.

He has 16 points in 43 games this season.

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 21-21-7

Clayton Keller was a 2016 first-round pick, and he's been playing like a seventh overall selection across a point streak that extended to seven games on Sunday in Ottawa.

The 26-year-old Missouri-born center is on pace for 30 goals and a career-high 91 points.

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 23-22-6

It was a productive return for forward Scott Laughton, who missed three games for personal reasons before claiming a goal and an assist against New Jersey.

The 30-year-old has 10 goals for the season but had scored just once in his previous 10 games.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 24-22-4

It's hardly a crisis, but it's certainly not good news that the Rangers have lost two in a row to end a 10-game point streak that had seen them go 7-0-3 and climb back into playoff relevance from Jan. 5-23.

New York entered Wednesday's games three points off the Eastern cutline after finishing first overall and winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24.

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 22-20-7

The blue-line reinforcements are arriving for the injury-ravaged Islanders, who signed free agent Tony DeAngelo for the rest of the season and acquired Scott Perunovich from St. Louis for a fifth-round pick.

"It's honestly laughable at this point," forward Mathew Barzal said. "It's just, like, when's it going to stop?"

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 24-21-5

The Canadiens had found some level of consistency for the past two months, but some regression has arrived in the form of a three-game losing streak (0-2-1), which is their first since going 0-5-1 from late October into November.

Montreal's 20-10-2 record across 32 games in the interim was tied for fifth-best in the league, and its 3.25 goals per game from Nov. 10 through Jan. 22 were also fifth.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 22-17-10

It's one thing to navigate a rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, but it's an entirely different thing to suggest team captain and Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes could be out, too, if a total rebuild is in order.

But that's what hockey operations boss Jim Rutherford told Gary Mason of the Globe and Mail (h/t The Hockey News) amid a 4-5-1 run that leaves the team below the Western cutline.

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 24-21-5

It's another week and another streak for the Red Wings, whose 5-2 defeat of Los Angeles on Monday was their third straight win.

Detroit won seven in a row from Dec. 29 through Jan. 12 and begins a four-game Western Conference road trip on Thursday in Edmonton.

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 25-21-6

Funny how a run of three wins in four games can be erased by one bad display, in this case a 7-2 loss at Buffalo in which two Sabres produced hat tricks and goalie Jeremy Swayman was beaten six times on 32 shots.

Swayman's 3.03 goals-against average is a half-goal higher than last season's 2.53, and he's allowed six or more goals four times in 37 starts.

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 24-19-7

An OT win over visiting Los Angeles was a brief pit stop for the vagabond Blue Jackets, who'd gone 1-2-1 in four road games prior to defeating the Kings and will begin a four-game trip Thursday that will take them to Vegas, Utah, Dallas and Buffalo.

Columbus has won five straight at home and is 17-5-3 at Nationwide Arena but just 7-14-4 in 25 road games.

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 24-18-7

It's a back-and-forth life these days for the Flames, who have dropped two in a row after a three-game win streak and find themselves on the playoff edge–just a point up on Pacific rival Vancouver for the final Western spot after 49 games.

Calgary gave up both a shorthanded goal and a power-play goal in Tuesday's loss to Washington and sat 29th in the league killing penalties entering Wednesday.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 26-20-4

Ten games in 16 days would be a deal-breaker for a lot of teams, but the Senators have fared well as a whole, going 6-0-0 in back-to-backs over the last three weekends and 7-2-1 overall.

Finland-born rookie Leevi Merilainen has been a revelation along the way and is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts while filling in for injured star Linus Ullmark.

The 22-year-old has not lost consecutive appearances this season.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 26-20-3

The Lightning's recent rough patch stretched to 1-4-0 across five games with a desultory 4-1 loss to visiting Chicago on Tuesday night, a game starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy missed with an illness, leaving replacement Jonas Johansson to make 16 saves.

Tampa Bay has scored just seven goals in its last four games and was coming off a shutout loss at Detroit. Still, the team's 3.49 goals per game are second in the league behind only Winnipeg.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 29-21-2

The Avalanche won six straight games to bridge December into January, but there's not been much subsequent celebration during a 5-6-2 run that has yielded four losses in their last five and two in three since Mikko Rantanen was dealt to Carolina.

Colorado's 2.62 goals per game since Jan. 4 are 25th in the league.

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 28-18-6

The Devils may be without team captain Nico Hischier for a little while after he left Saturday's game against Montreal and missed a subsequent date with Philadelphia.

The 26-year-old has a team-best 24 goals and is averaging 20:21 of ice time, second among the team's forwards.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 26-15-6

A two-goal lead on Monday in Detroit turned into five straight goals against for the slumping Kings, who have dropped to third in the Pacific and far closer to the Western cutline than the top of the Pacific.

"I think we should be frustrated," coach Jim Hiller said.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 29-19-3

It was feast or famine on a four-game Western trip for the Panthers, who scored 12 goals in wins at Anaheim and San Jose but just two in losses at Los Angeles and Vegas.

"I'm glad the [road trip] is over," coach Paul Maurice said. "When we go .500 (2-2-0), we're not going to brag about that."

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 29-17-4

It was a brief three-game return for leading Wild scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who'd missed nearly a month and is out for at least another four weeks after surgery to deal with a lower-body injury.

Minnesota was 7-5-0 without him between Dec. 24 and Jan. 22.

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 30-18-2

Anthony Stolarz was off to a career-best start with a league-best .921 save percentage before a knee issue early in December, but he's on his way back and participated in a full practice Tuesday for the first time since the injury.

Coach Craig Berube said his 31-year-old goalie could return prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 31-15-5

The mid-winter doldrums continue for the residents of the Nevada desert, in the form of a 2-4-2 stretch over eight games that included a frustrating loss to Dallas on Tuesday after Vegas had a two-goal lead.

The Golden Knights were still tied with Edmonton for third overall in the league heading into Wednesday, but they have, technically at least, slid behind the Oilers in the Pacific thanks to one more game played.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 31-16-4

The Hurricanes picked up a proven playoff commodity when they plucked Mikko Rantanen from Colorado in a blockbuster trade.

The 28-year-old is fourth among active players with 1.25 postseason points per game and instantly makes Carolina a stronger bet to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2005-06.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 32-17-1

The trends have been going the right way lately for the Stars, who went the dramatic route for a Tuesday win in Vegas that stretched an active streak to three in a row and was also their fourth in fifth games.

Dallas was down, 3-1, early in the second period before rallying to force OT and beating the Golden Knights on a Wyatt Johnston goal with 20 seconds remaining in the extra session.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 32-15-3

A stellar start to 2025 continues for the Oilers, whose 10 regulation wins since Jan. 1 are tops in the league and have allowed them to gain six points on Vegas to move into the top spot in the Pacific.

Edmonton went 2-1-0 with Connor McDavid lost to a suspension, but No. 97 returned with a goal in the team's Monday defeat of Seattle that was its seventh win in nine games.

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 35-14-3

It's another week at the top of the Central Division for the streaking (again) Jets, whose 4-1 win at Montreal on Tuesday was their eighth in 11 games.

Winnipeg, which led the Central by eight points heading into Wednesday, continues its road trip on Thursday at Boston and Saturday at Washington.

The Jets are tied with the Capitals atop the overall standings with 73 points but have played two more games.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 34-11-5

Logan Thompson's climb to the top of the league's goaltending ranks paid off on Monday when he signed a six-year, $35.1 million contract.

The 27-year-old was traded from Vegas for two draft picks in June after playing 103 games across parts of four seasons.

Thompson was second in goals-against average (2.05) and tied for first in save percentage (.927) after Tuesday's games.