With the end of the calendar year looming, the playoff race is beginning to intensify. Let’s see how each team stacks up against one another with one week to go in December.
1. Colorado Avalanche
Record: 26-2-7
Previous Ranking: 1
If there was any doubt about Colorado’s superiority in the Central Division before, there certainly is none now after they cooled off the red hot Minnesota Wild on Sunday night. In less than half the amount of games he’s played compared to last season, Nathan Mackinnon is two goals away from matching his 2024-2025 total.
2. Dallas Stars
Record: 25-7-5
Previous Ranking: 3
When your team ranks top five in both power play percentage and penalty killing, it’s going to be very hard for any team to beat you. It is absolutely ridiculous the Stars aren’t the best team in their own division. Dallas’ goalie by committee approach with Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith has worked beautifully.
3. Minnesota Wild
Record: 22-10-5
Previous Ranking: 5
You’re reading that correctly, each of the top three teams in the power rankings come from the Central Division. Quinn Hughes has been the perfect addition to a roster that has all the pieces to compete for a Stanley Cup. They are playing basically perfect hockey right now, as they scored 33 goals during their seven game win streak while not allowing more than two goals in any game (win streak was snapped by Colorado Sunday night).
4. Carolina Hurricanes
Record: 22-10-3
Previous Ranking: 2
Brandon Bussi’s impact cannot be understated, as the 27 year old rookie is 11-1-0 in 13 starts with a .913 save percentage. He, along with Pyotr Kochetkov, have provided some much needed goaltending stability in Raleigh. Carolina’s power play has also begun to turn a corner, having scored a power play goal in each of their last four games.
5. Anaheim Ducks
Record: 21-14-2
Previous Ranking: 7
Despite recent struggles from Lukas Dostal, the young Ducks remain atop the Pacific Division standings as we close out 2025. Considering Anaheim finished with 80 points last season and 59 the season before, things have gone basically as good as possible for first year head coach Joel Quenneville. Dostal will need to return to his early season form if the Ducks are to make a deep playoff run.
6. Detroit Red Wings
Record: 21-13-3
Previous Ranking: 12
The Red Wings’ top end talent has them sitting at the top of a very competitive Atlantic Division. Alex Debrincat, Lucas Raymond, and Dylan Larkin are all having stellar seasons, and Detroit’s penalty killing is much improved from a season ago. I am still worried about their goaltending down the stretch, but if the big guys continue to produce, it should be enough for Detroit to end their long playoff drought.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning
Record: 20-13-3
Previous Ranking: 8
The Lightning got the much needed return of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy from injury this past week. Tampa Bay has gotten usual contributions from guys like Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel. A big surprise for the Lightning has been the offensive production from defenseman Darren Raddysh. Raddysh, who has a career high of 37 points, has 8 goals and 19 assists on the season.
8. Vegas Golden Knights
Record: 16-8-10
Previous Ranking: 4
It’s incredibly hard to figure out this Vegas team, as they now have more overtime/shootout losses than regulation losses. They’ve had no problems scoring, as Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Mark Stone have all been outstanding. The goaltending has been inconsistent at best, and it remains unknown what their plan is at that position moving forward.
9. Washington Capitals
Record: 19-12-5
Previous Ranking: 9
New week, same story for the Capitals. Their even-strength play, along with goalie Logan Thompson, have them sitting second in the Metropolitan Division standings. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun is on pace for a 30 goal season, while Tom Wilson is continuing a career season with 17 goals and 34 points up to this point.
10. Montreal Canadiens
Record: 19-12-5
Previous Ranking: 10
Jacob Fowler has come in and provided some solid goaltending for Montreal, something they’ve been lacking all season. Fowler has a .915 save percentage in four starts. Sam Montembault has been so bad this season that he was sent to the AHL, and he will remain there through the upcoming break.
11. Edmonton Oilers
Record: 18-13-6
Previous Ranking: 17
Connor McDavid has gone absolutely bonkers in the month of December. The three time Hart Trophy winner has singlehandedly brought Edmonton back into the playoff race with 26 points in his last 10 games. Leon Draisaitl is widely considered to be the best passer in the league, and if 19 assists in 10 games doesn’t prove that, I’m not sure what will.
12. New York Islanders
Record: 19-13-4
Previous Ranking: 6
Injuries have plagued the Islanders as of late, hence their three game losing streak. Simply put, it’s going to be hard to win games when your best scorer and star goaltender are out with injuries. Once Bo Horvat and Ilya Sorokin come back, the Islanders should see much better results moving forward.
13. Florida Panthers
Record: 19-14-2
Previous Ranking: 21
The red hot Panthers are finding their groove at the best possible time, with star power forward Matthew Tkachuk nearing his return to the lineup. They seem to get better and better each and every week, which isn’t a surprise at all considering Paul Maurice’s teams have never been known for hot starts.
14. New Jersey Devils
Record: 20-15-1
Previous Ranking: 14
Jack Hughes finally made his return to the lineup Sunday night. Keep in mind, the Devils looked like the best team in the Metro before Hughes went down with a freak hand injury a little over a month ago. New Jersey has the top end talent for a potentially second half run, and it would surprise nobody if they finished the season atop the Metro.
15. Ottawa Senators
Record: 18-13-4
Previous Ranking: 22
No offense in the league is hotter right now than the Senators, who have scored 16 goals over their last three games. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk are on fire right now, and this Ottawa power play has been unstoppable. Linus Ullmark has also settled in after a nightmare start to his season.
16. Boston Bruins
Record: 20-16-1
Previous Ranking: 11
Would you believe me if I told you that Morgan Geekie is currently second in the league in goals scored with 25? Considering he had 33 all of last season, I don’t think so. However, poor goaltending has the Bruins on a three game skid. It’s impossible to figure out what kind of team the Bruins are. Some weeks, they look like true Stanley Cup contenders. Other weeks, they look like the worst team in the Atlantic Flyers.
17. Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 18-10-7
Previous Ranking: 13
Simply put, the Flyers need Dan Vladar to stay healthy in the worst way possible. Samuel Ersson has been absolutely atrocious over the last few weeks, and he has become almost unplayable at this point. The change of scenery has worked out perfectly for Trevor Zegras, as he has already eclipsed his point total from last season with 22 games to spare.
18. Los Angeles Kings
Record; 15-11-9
Previous Ranking: 16
Darcy Kuemper is now on injured reserve, a catastrophic blow to the Kings who have been so reliant on the 2022 Stanley Cup champion to overshadow a putrid offense. The offense lives and dies by Adrian Kempe, and his two goal performance allowed Los Angeles to snap their four-game losing streak Thursday with a win over Tampa Bay.
19. Utah Mammoth
Record: 18-17-3
Previous Ranking: 23
While the top three in the Central Division is unquestioned, the rest of the division is a massive question mark. The Mammoth, thanks to four wins in their last six games, currently occupy a wild card spot. Clayton Keller is having another great season, and the penalty killing has been exceptional. However, unless Utah improves at the goaltender position, I don’t see them holding onto a playoff spot.
20. New York Rangers
Record: 18-16-4
Previous Ranking: 19
The Rangers have been absolutely decimated by injuries this season, with basically all of their top contributors missing at least some time this season. Captain J.T. Miller is the latest blueshirt to go down. Igor Shesterkin’s putrid December hasn’t helped matters at all, and the Rangers have their work cut out for them if they want to be a playoff contender this season.
21. San Jose Sharks
Record: 17-16-3
Previous Ranking: 25
Macklin Celebrini hasn’t slowed down one bit, and his monster sophomore campaign has San Jose sitting two points out of a playoff spot. Yaroslav Askarov seems to have taken over the starting goalie reins, as his .902 save percentage has given the Sharks some rock solid goaltending for the first time in quite some time.
22. Buffalo Sabres
Record: 17-14-4
Previous Ranking: 28
A six-game winning streak has propelled the Sabres into the playoff race. Honestly, I don’t think this is a fluke, and I think this recent stretch is the Sabre team we’re going to see for the rest of the season. The penalty killing, along with Alex Lyon, have been outstanding all season long. Now, with Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin fueling an offensive surge, the Sabres are a threat in the East, and should not be taken lightly.
23. Pittsburgh Penguins
Record: 15-11-9
Previous Ranking: 15
The Penguins have had a completely opposite type of season compared to the Sabres. After a roaring start, Pittsburgh has been one of the worst teams in the league over the last month. The decision to go with Arturs Silovs over Tristan Jarry has backfired, as the former has had an atrocious month of December. While the power play remains strong, the penalty killing has regressed drastically.
24. St. Louis Blues
Record: 14-16-7
Previous Ranking: 27
The Blues have now registered points in four of their last six. Joel Hofer has taken over the goalie reins from Jordan Binnington, as Hofer’s save percentage is now 25 points higher than Binnington’s. Robert Thomas’ recent hot stretch has been enough for a Blues offense that hasn’t fully broken out yet. Don’t look now, but St. Louis is three points out of a playoff spot.
25. Winnipeg Jets
Record: 15-17-3
Previous Ranking: 18
The Jets have been spiraling for a while, now having lost 13 of their last 16 games. Connor Hellebuyck’s recent return has meant nothing with an offense that has refused to score whatsoever. Relying on Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifle to be the entire offensive output for the remainder of the season is certainly a big ask.
26. Toronto Maple Leafs
Record: 15-15-5
Previous Ranking: 20
The Maple Leafs’ problem has been scoring goals, a much different story from previous seasons. The goaltending has been fantastic in December, with Dennis Hildeby and Joseph Woll both having save percentages well over .900. However, the worst power play in the league, along with a quiet season from Auston Matthews, have Toronto in danger of missing the playoffs, a year after winning the Atlantic Division.
27. Calgary Flames
Record: 15-17-4
Previous Ranking: 30
Things have been going quite well for Calgary, as they’ve won six of their last eight games. They are not nearly as good as the 95 point team they were last year, and they are not as bad as being the worst team in the league like they were for the first month. I think they are somewhere in between the two, and I think 27 in the rankings is a perfect indicator of that.
28. Nashville Predators
Record: 15-16-4
Previous Ranking: 31
While the Predators recent stretch has provided some optimism in what’s been a nightmare season, I don’t believe that they are contenders at all. I believe they should still sell big time at the trade deadline, and GM Barry Trotz’s job will become a lot easier, as a lot of the veterans now have increased value with Nashville’s performance over the last few weeks.
29. Vancouver Canucks
Record: 15-18-3
Previous Ranking: 32
Vancouver went to the Northeast this past week and won all four of their matchups against the Boston/New York area teams. That is a major accomplishment for a team who just traded away their star defenseman. However, it should not be too surprising considering how much better the Canucks have played on the road, with just four wins on home ice this season.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 15-15-6
Previous Ranking: 26
It seems that 2024-2025 was a complete fluke, and there are no signs that Columbus will break out of this slump anytime soon. There’s only so much Zach Werenski and Jet Greaves can do when the offense doesn’t score and the penalty killing ranks bottom three in the league.
31. Seattle Kraken
Record: 14-14-6
Previous Ranking: 29
The one positive for the Kraken this season has been their goaltending, with all three goalies who have seen playing time this season having save percentages above .900. However, thanks to one of the most lifeless offenses in the league along with hockey’s worst penalty killing, Seattle’s playoff hopes this season seem to be just about over.
32. Chicago Blackhawks
Record: 13-16-6
Previous Ranking: 24
So much for the Blackhawks’ supposed growth this season. They have been getting embarrassed night in and night out. Connor Bedard is the one skater actually worth something on this team, and Spencer Knight continues his strong season. There are no positives other than that. Fortunately for Chicago sports fans, the Bears are having quite the season.
