I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving. I was especially thankful for the incredible games we got to watch all last week. This NHL season has not disappointed yet, and hopefully, it remains that way for the remaining few months. We’re officially in December now, which means we’re almost done with the first half of the season. Let’s take a look at how each NHL team is doing now that eight weeks have come and gone.
Who are the top teams in the NHL power rankings after week 8?
32. Montreal Canadiens (Previous rank: 31)
There are very few positive things to say about the Habs right now. Not only are wins few and far between for this team, but they also just aren’t very exciting to watch. Well, outside of Nick Suzuki, of course, he’s always a joy. One man can’t carry an entire NHL team to the next step, though, and Montreal seems further and further away from the end of their rebuild with every passing week.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (Previous rank: 28)
The big story right now is, of course, what in the world happened to Connor Bedard? He’s hardly looking like the hyped first-overall pick he was a couple of drafts ago. He barely even looks like the same player he did last season. It could be just a sophomore slump, so maybe it’s not time for Chicago to hit the panic button just yet.
30. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previous rank: 29)
Oh, man. What is there really left to say about this team? The ship is at the bottom of the ocean at this point. It will take a miracle to turn this team around. They do have a bonafide miracle worker in Sidney Crosby, but realistically, I don’t think he can save them again. No matter how well Crosby plays, this team is most likely too far in the hole. Will the captain go down with the ship, or will he look for other options?
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NHL stories via Google! Follow Us
29. San Jose Sharks (Previous rank: 32)
The Sharks may not be getting a boatload of wins, but what they are doing is being fun again! Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith have brought a new wave of entertainment that the shark tank has not seen in a very long time. They have a very tough schedule in December, so all of this could change very quickly, but if they keep making games entertaining and competitive, then I have no problem ranking them away from the very bottom.
28. Nashville Predators (Previous rank: 27)
Where do you start? The big issue is that there’s not a single player on this team that’s playing up to their standards. The question becomes, why? Eventually, the fans and the front office are going to want answers and results. This NHL team has not been giving them either. If they continue to play themselves further and further into this hole, then it’s likely we will begin seeing some pretty massive changes coming to the Music City.
27. Seattle Kraken (Previous rank: 20)
Despite another stellar season from Joey Daccord, this team looks more reminiscent of the 2021 Kraken than the playoff contender they were a couple of seasons ago. What really can be done at this point outside of a possible hard reset on everything? Something isn’t working or coming together, and the Kraken are sinking because of it.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams After Week 7 Games
26. Detroit Red Wings (Previous rank: Unchanged)
It’s more of the same in Detroit. Bad defense, paired with inconsistent offense with no real depth on either side. This time last season, they were competing for a playoff spot. This year, they’re competing to stay out of the basement. What a difference one season can make for a team. To be completely honest, a lot of these flaws were fairly prevalent last season, and outside of bringing in Cam Talbot, the Wings did absolutely nothing to address them.
25. Anaheim Ducks (Previous rank: 30)
The Ducks are finally coming to life. Their young guys are starting to produce and show their development, and suddenly, it seems like Anaheim is able to compete at a higher level. Cutter Gauthier finally starting to put up numbers is an incredibly good sign for Anaheim if he can continue to play that way. Pair that with the fact that both John Gibson and Lukas Dostal are playing like rock stars, and you have a better week down in Anaheim.
24. New York Islanders (Previous rank: 18)
It hasn’t looked good for the Islanders. They desperately need a spark that I don’t think anyone on this roster is capable of providing. Despite Ilya Sorokin’s best efforts and the fact that, defensively, this team is still fairly capable, they have not been able to implement their offensive system at all. The further we get into the season, the worse it keeps getting.
23. Ottawa Senators (Previous rank: 21)
Despite being fun to watch, the Sens are still struggling to play up to their potential. Josh Norris continues to underperform, and I don’t think Linus Ullmark had a single game in November where he didn’t allow two or more goals. Something has to change. They cannot just keep hoping the problem will sort itself out. If Ottawa wants to take that next step forward, then they need to make it happen themselves.
22. St Louis Blues (Previous rank: 23)
The Blues have looked…better since hiring Montgomery. That being said, they haven’t looked any better than they have the last few seasons. That means it’s still far too early to start breaking out the champagne and announcing that this NHL team is back in action. They still have a lot to prove and a lot of ground to make up.
21. Buffalo Sabres (Previous rank: 22)
Buffalo continues to hover right around .500, and that may be even more frustrating than them just tanking to the bottom. That being said, they’re still very much in the playoff race, and they might even be able to make it if they find a way to kick it into another gear. Or they can keep hovering around .500 and giving their fans just a bit of hope every week until they inevitably miss the playoffs for yet another season.
20. Utah Hockey Club (Previous rank: 19)
Utah is in a similar position to Buffalo; their division is a lot more competitive, and they have a lot more ground to make up for it. Utah seems more than capable of outplaying and beating the lower-tier teams, but they struggle greatly when it comes to playing any team inside the top 15. They won’t be able to contend for a playoff spot unless they find a way to start being competitive against the bigger guys.
19. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previous rank: 24)
What a story this could turn out to be. Sean Monahan is playing like a man possessed this season, and I think that’s a big reason for this recent spark in play Columbus has experienced. They have a winning record for the first time in close to two seasons. That’s incredible! I hope they can keep this up. It’s not only a wonderful underdog story, but a heartwarming one at that, given what the pain this team went through during the offseason.
18. Philadelphia Flyers (Previous rank: 25)
Matvei Michkov has been exactly what Philly wanted him to be. Pair that with Travis Konecny having another terrific season, and it seems like the Flyers are finally getting that offensive spark they’ve been craving for years. That being said, the goaltending has not been what they need it to be. The Flyers’ defense has been very good, but the play of Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov in net has not. Samuel Ersson has been okay, but it’s becoming more and more apparent that he needs help.
17. Colorado Avalanche (Previous rank: 15)
The Avs are quickly falling right back to the .500 mark, which is absolutely not what they wanted. A wild card berth will be extremely hard to grab this season, so a top 3 in the Central will be their best bet of making the playoffs. But with their current level of play, and with Minnesota, Winnipeg, and Dallas completely locking down that top 3, Colorado may want to start hitting the panic button.
16. Boston Bruins (Previous rank: 17)
The Bruins have managed to get back into a winning record, however they only hold the number three spot in the Atlantic right now because they’ve played more games than Tampa. Three more in fact. It’ll only take Tampa one win to boot them back out again. This is still far from the position Boston wants to be in, and they have a lot of hard work ahead of them in order to fix it.
15. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previous rank: 14)
The Bolts have been steadily rolling along, continuing to gather points and keep themselves well within playoff reach. Is that really what they want, though? This team used to dominate their division, but now it seems that they’re content to do just enough to make the NHL playoffs. Maybe I’m overreading things, but it just hasn’t felt like the same team in a while.
14. Vancouver Canucks (Previous rank: 13)
The Canucks are fighting for their lives right now. While they struggled, Calgary and Edmonton continued to play well, and now that gap is closed. It doesn’t help that they’ve had to completely rely on rookie Kevin Lankinen in goal. In 7 games played, Artur Silovs has only one win and has managed a terrible save percentage of .847. Last year, he was their saving grace. This year, he’s been their anchor.
13. Calgary Flames (Previous rank: 12)
The Flames continue to exceed expectations. The team that was supposed to be mid-rebuild and playing toward the bottom of the league is still currently fighting for a playoff spot as we approach the halfway point of the season. They’ve gotten consistent scoring across their roster and a surprise goaltending boost for Dustin Wolf.
12. Edmonton Oilers (Previous rank: 16)
Seems the Oilers have finally started to find their consistency. Draisaitl and McDavid have picked up their pace in order to better lead this team to victory. That being said, there’s been a trend that’s become far too common in Edmonton. Connor McDavid is in second place on the team with 31 points right now. The third-place player is Evan Bouchard… with 18. This team just isn’t getting its depth scoring once again. Zach Hyman has completely fallen off the face of the planet, and Viktor Arvidsson is once again injured.
11. New York Rangers (Previous rank: 7)
It’s been a rough go for New York. Fans are calling for them to tear it apart as the team appears to struggle to find its elite level of play. I don’t think it’s time to hit the panic button just yet, but they may want to start looking at options as the deadline approaches. This, frankly, isn’t the level of play that your fans are used to.
10. Vegas Golden Knights (Previous rank: 9)
Vegas still holds the top spot in their division, but the question is, for how long? They’ve been unable to find a consistent groove while LA and Calgary, among others, are closing in on them and fast. This is eerily similar to what happened to them last season, where they got off to a fast start and then barely managed to make the playoffs after some faltering play. Then they had to play Dallas in the first round.
9. Florida Panthers (Previous rank: 10)
The Panthers have been awfully streaky this year. That being said, it’s worked for them so far as they remain first in their division. The big red flag has to be Sergei Bobvrosky’s play. He doesn’t look anywhere close to the player who led them to the Finals last season, and that spells trouble for Florida. So far, they’ve managed to get some pretty good play from Spencer Knight, but this NHL team relies very much on Bobvrosky.
8. Dallas Stars (Previous rank: 6)
Well, they certainly haven’t looked as dominant this season as they did last year. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that some of the teams around them have stepped up their level of play. That being said, there’s no real reason to count Dallas out. They still very much hold the pieces to make another deep run, but that competitive fire hasn’t seemed to go out yet.
7. Los Angeles Kings (Previous rank: 11)
The blowout loss to the Sharks had to be a wake-up call for LA. They know they’re better than what they’ve shown, and now they want to show that. That being said, congratulations to Eric Portillo on a successful NHL debut against Anaheim. With Darcy Kuemper and Drew Doughty still out with injuries, LA is going to need goaltending performances like that from him and Rittich.
6. Winnipeg Jets (Previous rank: 2)
We knew it couldn’t last forever, right? Eventually, this team would have to come back down to Earth and come back down. They certainly have. Now, they need to pump the brakes before they end up crashing further down than they want to. This was expected, so don’t start panicking just yet, Winnipeg fans. This is where you’ll get to see what your team is truly made of.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previous rank: 8)
The Leafs have looked good. Really good. One can only hope this is them actually turning a corner and that they aren’t just setting up their entire fanbase for massive disappointment once again, but who knows? Right now, we can just focus on the positives, and those positives are that the Leafs have looked really good.
4. Carolina Hurricanes (Previous rank: 1)
It’s crazy how much can change in a week. In that span of time, both Winnipeg and Carolina have shown their mortality. Carolina was awfully streaky last season, and one can only hope that that trend doesn’t continue here. They’ve shown what they can do to the very best of their abilities. Falling back down to anything less will most likely get met with not-so-positive reviews.
3. New Jersey Devils (Previous rank: 4)
This was the NHL team everyone wanted to see last year. Now, with solid goaltending and an actually healthy roster, the Devils have answered the call. This young roster, budding with talent, has been flexing their stuff all season long, trying to make a point that last year was nothing more than a fluke. They will have to continue playing like this, though; if they get in their own way and trip up, it could be disastrous.
2. Washington Capitals (Previous rank: 5)
It still feels very surreal that I’m ranking the Capitals this high. I had no clue that they were even capable of this level of play anymore. They haven’t shown it in years. Since they won the Cup, really, yet here they are, blasting through their division and putting the entire league on notice. I certainly couldn’t have guessed this would happen, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that regard.
1. Minnesota Wild (Previous rank: 3)
The shocks keep continuing. If it wasn’t enough that Washington is in second place, here’s Minnesota in first. They’ve looked nothing short of spectacular and had grinded their way to the top of the league. Very few falters, and when they did happen, they were able to jump right back on the horse and keep going. Once again, who could’ve predicted this level of play from this team?
Also Read: Grading All 32 NHL Teams’ After Week 7 Games Of The 2024 Season
