The Vegas Golden Knights are quietly having an excellent season, one that’s moved them to the top of our NHL Power Rankings this week.
Vegas returns from the NHL’s three-day Christmas break with the highest points percentage in the NHL (.721) after going 8-1-0 in the first 23 days of December – including a 4-1-0 mark when the opposing team scores first (teams that allow the first goal usually lose more than 60 percent of the time).
The Winnipeg Jets, last week’s leader, have two more points than Vegas but have played two more games. Vegas, Winnipeg (.708) and the third-place Washington Capitals (.706) are the only teams with a points percentage higher than .700.
At the other end of the league, the Chicago Blackhawks have dropped back into last place in the rankings. The Hawks, who are preparing for their outdoor game against the St. Louis Blues on New Year’s Eve, reached the break at the bottom of the league standings in points (26) and points percentage (.371).
2024-25 NHL Power Rankings: From No. 32 to No. 1
32. Chicago Blackhawks (12-21-2)
The Hawks sprung some leaks defensively in their last two games before the break, allowing 10 goals in back-to-back losses. Most of the problem are coming at even strength; Chicago killed off 34 of 35 opposition power plays from Dec. 1-23 (and scored a shorthanded goal) but was outscored 38-25 at even strength (not counting empty-net goals).
31. San Jose Sharks (11-20-6)
San Jose specializes in close losses. The Sharks are 1-6-1 in their past eight games, with five of the losses by one goal and the others by two. Not that they have a realistic shot at the playoffs, but at least San Jose has a chance to amass some wins – they play their next six games at home, where they are 6-9-1, as opposed to 5-11-5 on the road.
30. Buffalo Sabres (12-19-4)
Buffalo resoundingly ended its 13-game losing streak in its final game before the break by blasting the New York Islanders 7-1 Monday on Long Island. But the losing streak has dropped the Sabres to last place in the Eastern Conference, 10 points out of the second wild card position. The schedule won’t help; Buffalo plays its first game after the break at home against Chicago before a four-game road trip.
29. Nashville Predators (11-17-7)
The Preds may be starting to put the pieces together, albeit probably not in time to qualify for the playoffs, after going 3-0-1 during a four-game homestand. Two of their three big free-agent signings, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, are playing better – although neither is likely to hit the 40-goal mark, as each did last season. They play their next six games on the road.
28. Detroit Red Wings (13-17-4)
Detroit has never played a playoff game at Little Caesars Arena since it opened in the fall of 2016. The way the Wings are playing, that streak is likely to reach nine seasons. They reached the Christmas break having lost three in a row, two of those games at home, against teams that are out of a playoff spot. A team with Detroit’s talent should not be 30th in scoring, but that’s what the Wings are.
27. Anaheim Ducks (13-16-4)
The Ducks would be a lot closer to a playoff berth if a few players could put the puck in the net a little more often and if the special teams could improve. Anaheim is No. 30 on the power play (13.9 percent) — a big reason the Ducks are last in the league in scoring with 82 goals — and 28th on the penalty kill (74.0 percent).
26. New York Islanders (13-15-7)
The Islanders followed one of their best efforts, a 6-3 win in Toronto on Saturday, with a home horror show against the Sabres two nights later. Goalie Ilya Sorokin desperately needed the Christmas break; with backup Semyon Varlamov injured, he’s started 11 straight games and is showing the effects of all that work – and the Isles’ complete inability to kill penalties; at 64.4 percent, they are dead last in the league.
25. Seattle Kraken (15-19-2)
The Kraken desperately needed a break after losing five in a row. Four of the five losses were by at least three goals; the other was 3-1 at Chicago. Seattle scored just six goals in the five losses, which have dropped them eight points out of a playoff berth in the Western Conference. The schedule might help; four of their next five games are at Climate Pledge Arena.
24. New York Rangers (16-17-1)
It’s hard to remember a team that has collapsed as badly in so short a time as the Rangers, who followed a 12-4-1 start by going 4-13-0 in their next 17 games to reach Christmas below .500. A 41-save gem by Igor Shesterkin on Friday produced a 3-1 win in Dallas on Friday, but the forwards and defensemen mailed it in while losing back-to-back games against the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils.
23. Montreal Canadiens (14-17-3)
Montreal can be a fun team to watch, but the Canadiens will have a hard time making the playoffs for the first time since they snuck into the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. They are 28th in the league in goals-against average (3.56) and save percentage (.878) as they head out for their annual post-Christmas trip, a five-gamer that begins with a back-to-back this weekend against Florida and Tampa Bay.
22. Philadelphia Flyers (15-16-4)
Philly’s defense blew a fuse in the three weeks before Christmas. The Flyers surrendered 47 goals in 10 games, a big reason they went 3-6-1 during that stretch. Philadelphia is tied with San Jose for the fewest regulation wins (7); only its prowess in games that go beyond 60 minutes (five OT wins and three in shootouts) have kept coach John Tortorella’s team anywhere near the battle for a playoff berth.
21. Columbus Blue Jackets (14-16-6)
The Jackets aren’t bad, as they were for much of last season, but neither are they very good. Defenseman Zach Werenski continues to enjoy a career year, Kirill Marchenko should finish with 25-30 goals and about 70 points, and newcomer Sean Monahan has been an excellent fit. But all three goalies who’ve played this season have save percentages below .900, and that’s no way to win.
19. St. Louis Blues (16-16-4)
St. Louis would be closer to a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. But at NHL .500 through 36 games, St. Louis trails the Dallas Stars by four points for the second wild card in the West – and the Stars have played three fewer games. The power play is a major issue; the Blues are fifth from the bottom in percentage (15.2) and have had the fewest opportunities (79) in the league.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins (16-15-5)
The Penguins have filled the net so far this month on the way to climbing back over NHL .500. Pittsburgh has scored 40 goals in 10 games (and was shut out in one of them). Sidney Crosby has put up four points in two of his past three games and 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in his past six. That’s been enough to win six of their past 10 despite allowing 33 goals in that span.
18. Utah Hockey Club (16-12-6)
Getting leads has been much easier for Utah than keeping them. Utah lost 5-4 in a shootout to Anaheim on Sunday, the fifth time this season it has failed to win after leading by multiple goals, and the second time it had to settle for one point after leading by three goals. Captain Clayton Keller continues to excel; he has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past five games and leads Utah with 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists).
17. Calgary Flames (16-11-7)
Losing two of their past three games at home in overtime is a symptom of why the Flames will struggle to make the playoffs. They’ve lost six times in OT, including three in the final 16 days before the break. Offense is their major issue; Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri share the team lead with 13 goals, but no one else has more than nine. Huberdeau also leads the team with just 25 points in 34 games.
16. Ottawa Senators (18-14-2)
Ottawa not only survived the first half of its nine-game road trip, it moved into the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. The Sens went 3-1-0 on a swing through Seattle and Western Canada, missing a sweep with a 3-1 loss at Edmonton on Sunday. More ominous is that starting goalie Linus Ullmark left that game with back issues. The Senators hope he’ll be ready when they resume play Saturday with the first of five more road games.
15. Boston Bruins (19-13-4)
The Bruins are hoping the back injury that forced leading scorer (35 points in 36 games) David Pastrnak to leave their 4-1 win against the Washington Capitals on Monday isn’t severe. Pastrnak is their best offensive player, and the attack would really be hampered if he misses time. But the Bruins continue to excel defensively under new coach Joe Sacco; they’ve allowed more than three goals just twice in his 16 games behind the bench.
14. Colorado Avalanche (21-15-0)
The goaltending overhaul in Colorado has the Avs on the right track. Mackenzie Blackwood figures to get most of the starts with Scott Wedgewood as his backup. Whoever mans the crease will have one of the NHL’s best offenses in front of him. It’s led by the NHL’s top two scorers, Nathan MacKinnon (57 points) and Mikko Rantanen (52), as well as the league’s highest-scoring defenseman, Cale Makar (45 points).
13. Vancouver Canucks (17-10-7)
Vancouver has won exactly half of its games but has collected seven points from its losses in overtime (six) and shootouts (one). That includes OT losses to Utah and Ottawa last week, both in games that the Canucks scored first. Vancouver plays seven of its next nine on the road, which might be a good thing; the Canucks are just 7-7-3 at Rogers Place but 10-3-2 away from home.
12. Dallas Stars (20-13-0)
Goals have been hard to come by for either team when the Stars take the ice. There were just 50 non-shootout goals scored (Dallas 27, opponents 23) in the Stars’ 11 pre-Christmas games this month. Dallas has held opponents without a power-play goal in seven straight games, but the Stars’ power play is also struggling – it hit a low point by going 0-for-7 in 17 minutes of PP time in a home loss to the Rangers on Friday.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (19-11-2)
Tampa Bay closes out December with its annual post-Christmas visits from the Rangers and Canadiens before beginning the new year visiting the three California teams. The Lightning’s 32 games played are the fewest in the NHL, and they have at least three games on hand on the three teams ahead of them (by points) in the Atlantic Division.
10. Toronto Maple Leafs (21-12-2)
The Leafs followed a 5-3 victory in Dallas on Wednesday with two klunkers – three-goal losses to the Islanders and Winnipeg Jets. Auston Matthews missed both of those games because of the recurrence of an upper-body injury that kept him out of nine games earlier in the season. More important is that goalie Joseph Woll – Toronto’s starter with Anthony Stolarz sidelined by injury — allowed nine goals in the two losses.
9. Los Angeles Kings (19-10-5)
Los Angeles survived its second seven-game trip of the season, finishing 3-2-2 despite losing in overtime at Nashville on Saturday and 3-1 at Washington on Sunday. Their reward comes when they play their first next five games at home, beginning with a back-to-back set against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and Philadelphia on Sunday.
8. Carolina Hurricanes (21-12-1)
The ’Canes continue to play high-pressure, shoot-first hockey, but they haven’t gotten the results they’re used to. A dominating 3-1 road win against the Rangers on Sunday was followed by a 5-2 loss at Nashville on Monday. Carolina is nine games over .500 despite a combined .889 save percentage by its four goaltenders. The Hurricanes return from the break with a big home-and-home against New Jersey this weekend.
7. Florida Panthers (22-12-2)
The defending Cup champs laid an egg in their final game before the break, losing 4-0 at home to the Lightning (and backup goalie Jonas Johansson) on Monday after a 4-2 win in Tampa the night before. Sam Reinhart, a 57-goal scorer last season, leads the Panthers with 22 goals in 35 games, a 50-goal pace – and is No. 1 in the NHL with four short-handed goals.
6. Edmonton Oilers (21-11-2)
The Oilers closed out the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule with three wins in four days despite scoring just three goals in each game. Their improvement this season has come at the other end of the ice, where their 95 goals allowed in 34 games are the seventh-fewest in the NHL. Of course, having the NHL’s top goal-scorer (Leon Draisaitl with 24) and two of its top six scorers (Draisaitl and Connor McDavid), helps as well.
5. Minnesota Wild (21-10-4)
Minnesota ended a four-game losing streak by holding off Chicago 4-3 on Monday, but the Wild allowed four or more goals in five of their last five games before the break. The penalty-killers have been in a slump, allowing 11 goals in 28 opportunities in 11 games so far this month. It’s hard to imagine where the Wild would be without Kirill Kaprizov, who has 23 goals and 50 points in 34 games.
4. New Jersey Devils (23-11-3)
The trade that brought goalie Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey from Calgary has been a big winner for the Devils. Markstrom shut out the Penguins and Rangers in a span of three days before the break, dropping his goals-against average to 2.12. But his teammates get some credit as well; Markstrom faced just 12 shots in each of the shutout wins, and the Devils haven’t allowed more than 20 shots in any of their past seven games.
3. Washington Capitals (23-9-2)
Washington ran out of gas in the third period at Boston on Monday after 3-1 home wins against Carolina on Friday and Los Angeles on Sunday, but the Caps are still 10-5-1 since losing Alex Ovechkin to a broken leg on Nov. 18. Their plus-36 goal differential is tied for second-best in the NHL. The best news is that Ovechkin should be back this week, perhaps as soon as Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
2. Winnipeg Jets (25-10-1)
Winnipeg closed the week with a bang, shutting out the Wild 5-0 at home before riding big days by Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor to a 5-2 win in Toronto on Monday, giving them a 5-1-1 record in their last seven games before the break. The Jets have a chance to enjoy a lot of home cooking in the next few weeks; they play the next two games at home, visit Colorado on New Year’s Eve, then have eight in a row at Canada Life Centre.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (23-8-3)
Vegas completed its pre-Christmas stretch before the break with a 3-1 victory against Anaheim at T-Mobile Arena, its 14th win in 17 home games. The Golden Knights scored three goals or fewer in seven of the nine games from Dec. 1-23, but they allowed more than two just once (a 6-3 loss at Edmonton on Dec. 14). Even better – after visiting San Jose on Friday, they play seven of their next eight at home.st 10 games with a 2.15 goals-against average and second in save percentage at .926 (Toronto’s Stolarz is tops at .927).