NHL Power Rankings: Golden Knights, Oilers Lead the Way With Hurricanes and Lightning Right Behind

The cream, to steal a line from Randy Savage, is beginning to rise.

The top two teams in the NHL's overall standings to begin the week were the two teams, Vegas and Carolina, that battled for the Stanley Cup a few months back. And each of the top 10 teams in terms of points percentage on Monday morning was a participant in the tournament that followed the 2025-26 season.

The B/R hockey staff was heading toward midseason form, too, as it put together the latest installment of Power Rankings.

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

Statistics through games of Monday, Oct. 19.

ANA | BOS | BUF | CAR | CBJ | CGY | CHI | COL | DAL | DET | EDM | FLA | LAK | MIN | MTL | NJD | NSH | NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SEA | SJS | STL | TBL | TOR | Utah Mammoth | VAN | VGK | WPG | WSH

Their start has been lousy by any measure, but captain Drew Doughty is hoping a road trip that began Tuesday in Washington will turn things around for the Kings. "Just the boys getting together, going for dinner," he said , "it's a good time for us to gel."

They'd lost six of seven, so of course the Flames would earn win No. 2 (No. 1 on home ice) against the champs. "They're putting in a lot of good work in different areas and tonight it was nice to see them get rewarded," coach Ryan Huska said .

It's home sweet home for the Canucks, who had a minus-15 goal differential in regulation on a six-game trip. "The execution of details within our game," coach Manny Malhotra said , "things that we've continuously talked about that are just non-negotiable."

Flyers Regretting Their Offseason Moves 🤦‍♂️

Break up the Flyers, who not only defeated Colorado on Monday but also got two goals from Matvei Michkov as trade rumors swirled. "Our team goes with the young guys and the steps that they take," defenseman Travis Sanheim said .

A recent skid continued for the Penguins on Monday in Utah, and seven losses in eight games (1-6-1) were enough for coach Dan Muse to circle the wagons. "We're facing some adversity right now," he said . "We have to stay together."

A two-game win streak was ended by visiting Dallas, but coach Jeff Blashill was pleased with the opportunities the Blackhawks had. "We have to find a way to have one of those end up in the net," he said , "just from a momentum standpoint."

The difference between effort and execution was the difference between winning and losing, according to coach Rick Bowness at Minnesota. "We worked very hard," he said . "But the execution—we couldn't get any real flow going to the game."

A three-game trip that began with seven goals in a win at Ottawa ended with losses in which the Blues allowed 10 goals in Minnesota and Nashville. "We just didn't have the patience necessary to play the right way," coach Jim Montgomery said .

The skidding Ducks lost at Madison Square Garden on Monday after a 15-hour travel day thanks to an airport change and plane maintenance. "It was definitely different, but nothing you can do about it, obviously," Jackson LaCombe said .

Michigan native Alex DeBrincat signed a seven-year extension worth $91 million on Oct. 13, then began paying it off four days later with a late tying goal that enabled Detroit to beat San Jose in a shootout. "I love being a Red Wing," he said .

A 3-1-0 start devolved to .500 after a loss in Toronto in the third game of what will be six on the road before the Sharks are home on October 27. "I think we're all right," coach Ryan Warsofsky said . "We know we can feel it. We're not scoring right now."

Things changed on Tuesday night with a comeback OT win in Montreal, with Macklin Celebrini tallying twice, including the game-winner.

The Maple Leafs had lost three in a row heading into Monday (0-2-1), but all it took for Gavin McKenna was a duel with the player drafted after him in 2026. McKenna scored the game-winner against San Jose. Ivar Stenberg was minus-1 on the night.

It only took 48 hours for the Devils to tumble from a seven-goal output in a defeat of the New York Rangers to scoring just twice in a loss to Washington. "I don't know if we won a puck battle the entire second period," coach Sheldon Keefe said .

The Devils rebounded on Tuesday at home, topping the Avs.

Three straight near misses (0-1-2) came to an end for the Predators in Nashville, where they buried five of 24 shots against St. Louis. "It's a big win for us," coach Andrew Brunette said . "We've got a few days to breathe a little bit."

Consecutive losses to playoff nemesis Montreal weren't good news, but Jack Quinn pulled positives from Buffalo's in-game rallies against the Canadiens. "Just a lot of compete and the belief we have in here that we can come back in games," he said .

As nicknames go, "Mr. Saturday Night" is pretty strong. And it's well-earned for forward Cole Caufield, who scored his 66th goal in 106 Saturday games in a defeat of Buffalo. "The building's electric and these moments never get old," he said .

A weekend win at Toronto was good for the Islanders, but it didn't come without a price. Forwards Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli both sustained lower-body injuries that'll keep them out for a while. Ritchie is d own for 4-6 weeks; Maccelli for 2-4 .

A pleasant 3-0-1 start to a five-game road trip was spoiled a bit by an 8-3 loss at Florida, but coach Lane Lambert was taking away the positives. "(Saturday) was not good, but the trip was good," he said . "Seven out of 10 points? We'll move on."

The Kraken came home and nabbed a 4-3 shootout win over the Red Wings Tuesday.

Jamie Benn is 37 and in his 18th season, but not averse to changing things in pursuit of the Cup he's never won. "When you're younger, you just enjoy playing the game," he said , "and then the older you get, the more you appreciate the game."

Look for drama in Winnipeg when Connor Hellebuyck's suspension for failing to report to training camp reportedly ends Friday, potentially clearing the way for his return after a trade request. "I don't think our whole group is saying, 'Oh, we don't want you. We don't want you,'" coach Scott Arniel said .

Forward William Eklund's first season in an Ottawa uniform will be shorter than his teammates' thanks to a left ankle injury suffered against Philadelphia earlier this month that required surgery to repair a torn tendon. He will miss 10-12 weeks .

Even on a team with offensive talent, some games are going to come down to goalie Logan Thompson. That was the case against visiting New Jersey, when he made 29 saves in a 4-2 win. In his first four 2026-27 wins, he allowed eight goals.

What a difference a year makes for the Rangers, who couldn't buy a goal or a win at Madison Square Garden early last season, but are 6-0-0 there to start 2026-27. They didn't win a sixth home game in 2025-26 until Jan. 26.

The Avalanche are one of the league's elites. But that doesn't mean they can simply show up and win, as evidenced by a road loss to Philadelphia. "Sluggish and sloppy," coach Jared Bednar said . "Execution was a big factor. Sloppy."

Just when it looked like Brady Tkachuk might have forgotten how to play productive hockey, he remembered. The first-year Panther became the third player in NHL history with back-to-back natural hat tricks against Columbus and Vancouver.

Goalie Sebastian Cossa got in for the streaking Mammoth and picked up his first home win in Utah on Monday. "Great, great win by (Cossa)," coach Andre Tourigny said . "Good to get a win in front of our fans for him. A heck of a performance."

It's hard to imagine a better sendoff for a five-game road trip than a fourth straight home win, which is what the Wild got against Columbus. Minnesota won 23 games at home (10th in the NHL) and 23 on the road (seventh in the NHL) in 2025-26.

The streak did come to an end up on Tuesday in an OT loss in Edmonton.

The Bruins made one of the league's longest trips to California but came away with three wins after beating San Jose, Anaheim, and Los Angeles. Boston was tied for 26th in the league last season with just 16 road wins in 41 games.

Nikita Kucherov will soon become the Lightning's all-time point-getter. Tyler Johnson saw it coming when 'Kuch' was a kid. "You could just see how detailed he was in everything he did," he said . "He was thinking about the smallest of things."

A seven-game win streak that included a franchise-best five on the road for the reigning champs came to an end in Calgary, of all places. "You've got to figure it out," coach Rod Brind'Amour said . "This is the no-one-feels-sorry-for-you league."

Don't feel too bad. The Canes rebounded on Tuesday with a big win against the Canucks.

Connor McDavid is playing on another level, even for him. He became the fastest player to 20 points since Mario Lemieux did so during the 1995-96 season. "Everybody is playing really well," he said , "doing things detailed, structured, playing hard."

Goals were coming easily for the Golden Knights, who netted six in consecutive defeats of Calgary and Pittsburgh and 17 across three games. "We've had good starts," forward Jack Eichel said . "We're getting pucks to the net and making plays."