Edmonton Oilers v Florida Panthers — NHL Power Rankings 2023/24: Count out Flyers at your own peril, Oilers extend winning streak and more for Week 10

NHL Power Rankings 2023/24: Count out Flyers at your own peril, Oilers extend winning streak and more for Week 10

Modified Dec 14, 2023 14:41 GMT

By the midpoint of December, 31 of the 32 NHL teams have skated in at least 25 games, leaving the Ottawa Senators as the lone exception.

Moreover, when we look at the NHL standings, we can see that only 21 teams have a win percentage over .500, with the remaining 11 teams striving to reach a certain level of respectability.

Furthermore, many newsworthy events in the NHL have occurred over the past week, including several suspensions. So, whether your favorite team is on a winning or losing streak, here's a breakdown of the latest power rankings.

(win percentages listed in parenthesis)

32. Chicago Blackhawks (.339)

Connor Bedard and Connor McDavid met for the first time on Tuesday, but the Chicago Blackhawks were easily handled in a 4-1 loss. Although the future is bright, getting there will be a long, slow process.

31. Anaheim Ducks (.357)

Despite all the young talent in the lineup, including Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson, the Anaheim Ducks are currently on a 1-9-0 stretch, and there's no discussion about a coaching change.

30. San Jose Sharks (.362)

After a dismal start, the San Jose Sharks are no longer the NHL's easiest win, scrapping together a few upset victories recently over projected Stanley Cup contenders, improving to 6-2-2 in their past 10 games.

29. Columbus Blue Jackets (.383)

As the statistically second-worst team in the Eastern Conference, the Columbus Blue Jackets will have to continue without captain Boone Jenner, who will be out for two months with a facial injury.

28. Seattle Kraken (.417)

Surprisingly, the Seattle Kraken have the NHL's third-worst goal differential at minus-23, which is quite a step back for a franchise that almost advanced to the Western Conference Finals and finished last year with a plus-33 in the same category.

27. Calgary Flames (.448)

Unfortunately, it's been a bad week and a half for the Calgary Flames, who lost their star goalie, Jacob Markstrom, and are now without their top defenseman Chris Tanev. Despite some great games, they are just 1-4-1 in December.

26. Buffalo Sabres (.450)

Although the Buffalo Sabres remain only six points out of a wild card spot, this is not the position the franchise or fan base thought it would be in by early December despite the abundance of talent in the lineup.

25. Minnesota Wild (.462)

After firing their coach on Nov. 27, 2023, the Minnesota Wild are 5-2-0 and clawing their way back to an even record after starting the season 5-10-4 and finding themselves in the bottom third of the league.

24. Ottawa Senators (.478)

Interestingly, the Ottawa Senators are another franchise that has disappointed in 2023-24, the year the team was projected to take the next step by being NHL playoff contenders. Now, they sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

22. St. Louis Blues (.482)

On Tuesday night, the St. Louis Blues fired the coach (Craig Berube) who won them the Stanley Cup in 2019, hoping that a new voice can spark a change in a team that seems to be going backward instead of forward.

23. Montreal Canadiens (.483)

The Montreal Canadiens have the worst goal differential (minus-21) in the Eastern Conference, which was expected based on the growing pains this franchise is experiencing after Carey Price left.

21. Arizona Coyotes (.500)

Even though the Arizona Coyotes are currently on the NHL's longest losing streak (four games), they managed to build themselves a cushion early on and maintain a wild card spot thanks to a 13-13-2 record.

20. Tampa Bay Lightning (.517)

The Tampa Bay Lightning survived the first months of the NHL season without Andrei Vasilevskiy but can't seem to get out of a rut that has them fighting desperately to stay in the wild card race in December.

19. Pittsburgh Penguins (.518)

Despite employing four future Hall of Famers in the lineup, the Pittsburgh Penguins are just struggling to stay above .500, and despite the recent pitfalls, it appears head coach Mike Sullivan isn't going anywhere.

18. Edmonton Oilers (.519)

After all the doom and gloom in October and November, the Edmonton Oilers are the hottest team in the NHL, with eight straight victories. Unfortunately, this stretch still has them one point out of the playoff picture.

17. Nashville Predators (.552)

The Nashville Predators have a buffer as the top wild card team in the Western Conference and are 7-3-0 in their past 10. Surprisingly, they were nowhere near this position a month ago after a 5-10-0 start.

16. Carolina Hurricanes (.554)

It was challenging to be a Carolina Hurricanes fan over the last week and a half, not only because of a horrible four-game losing streak but because Andrei Svechnikov will miss time with an upper-body injury.

15. New Jersey Devils (.574)

The New Jersey Devils are 7-3-0 in their past 10 games, which is a solid stretch after going just 5-5-0 before that. Considering the young talent in the lineup, this team can still make some noise before the end of the NHL regular season.

14. Philadelphia Flyers (.589)

The Philadelphia Flyers are sticking around despite what the experts think and may not fade down the stretch as initially thought. Even though they have been up and down, this isn't the same rebuilding team we've seen for the past decade.

13 Detroit Red Wings (.607)

Although the Detroit Red Wings have ushered in the Patrick Kane era, the results are mixed with a 1-2-1 record and the future Hall of Famer chipping in just two points and registering a minus-five rating after four games.

12. Washington Capitals (.620)

Surprisingly, the Washington Capitals are 14-8-3, and Alex Ovechkin has just five goals. Although the franchise has been in the news for relocation plans after the 2028 season, the team has more significant concerns, including who will score goals to win games this year.

11. New York Islanders (.625)

Only one team has a longer win streak (four games) than the New York Islanders, and that team is the Oilers. Despite a goal differential of minus three, they keep collecting points and are in contention for an NHL division title after the quarter mark.

10. Winnipeg Jets (.643)

The Winnipeg Jets continue to impress early in the season, collecting the sixth most wins (17). However, this upcoming stretch of hockey will determine how they handle adversity with Kyle Connors on the shelf for a while.

9. Florida Panthers (.643)

Whether you like them or hate them, the Florida Panthers will be a thorn in the side of many NHL teams across the league and won't be a wild card team this year as they continue to push for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.

8. Dallas Stars (.648)

The Dallas Stars are clinging to a top-three spot in the Central Division, even though they are playing mediocre hockey right now. Luckily, this team is built on experience, which will help them down the stretch.

7. Colorado Avalanche (.643%)

Despite earning a 5-3-2 record in their past 10 contests, the Colorado Avalanche are loaded with talent and are just one of four teams with over 100 goals. Moreover, with one of the best goalies, they are among the toughest teams to beat in the NHL.

6. Vancouver Canucks (.672)

Currently, there are only four teams with win streaks over three games, and the Vancouver Canucks are one of them. Additionally, they are the highest-scoring team in the NHL, with 111 goals.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs (.673)

Despite boasting an All-Star caliber lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs are battling through injuries to their goalies and need every point to stay ahead of their closet competition, the Panthers, Red Wings, and Lightning in the standings.

4. Los Angeles Kings (.692)

The Los Angeles Kings came within a period of tying an NHL record for consecutive road wins in the regular season. Still, since that loss, they have dropped two more games while remaining a top-three team in the Pacific Division.

3. New York Rangers (.722)

Surprisingly, the New York Rangers remain in control of the Metropolitan Division despite former Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin playing the worst hockey of his career.

2. Boston Bruins (.741)

Heading into the weekend, the Boston Bruins have some key matches up in the New York City area and will face off against the Rangers on Saturday with the top spot in the Eastern Conference on the line.

1. Vegas Golden Knights (.750)

The Vegas Golden Knights have a comfortable five-point lead at the top of the NHL standings and owe that to an impressive 6-1-3 record in their past 10 games. Despite injuries to key players like Adin Hill and Shea Theodore, they are on the path to repeating as Stanley Cup champions.