Archive · as published October 18, 2026

NHL Power RankingsOctober 18, 2026

The season projection blended with results so far, weighted by games played. Early on the roster projection dominates; by mid-season the record carries most of the weight.

#	Team	Rating	Proj W	W-L	Goal diff/gm	L10
1	Carolina HurricanesCAR	+1.89	51.7	7-1	+1.8	88%
2	Vegas Golden KnightsVGK	+1.45	49.2	7-2	+1.7	78%
3	Edmonton OilersEDM	+1.39	47.8	6-1	+2.0	86%
4	Colorado AvalancheCOL	+1.28	50.0	4-3	+1.1	57%
5	Tampa Bay LightningTBL	+1.19	48.6	6-2	+0.5	75%
6	Utah MammothUTA	+0.80	46.1	6-3	+0.7	67%
7	Minnesota WildMIN	+0.73	45.8	5-3	+0.8	63%
8	Boston BruinsBOS	+0.70	43.5	6-2	+1.5	75%
9	Washington CapitalsWSH	+0.63	45.3	5-3	+0.5	63%
10	Florida PanthersFLA	+0.59	46.2	4-4	+0.5	50%
11	Dallas StarsDAL	+0.56	45.5	4-4	+0.9	50%
12	Ottawa SenatorsOTT	+0.50	44.2	6-3	+0.1	67%
13	New York RangersNYR	+0.22	40.5	6-3	+1.0	67%
14	Anaheim DucksANA	+0.21	42.8	4-3	+0.1	57%
15	New Jersey DevilsNJD	+0.15	43.4	4-4	-0.3	50%
16	Montréal CanadiensMTL	+0.09	43.7	3-4	-0.6	43%
17	New York IslandersNYI	-0.05	40.1	4-3	+1.0	57%
18	Buffalo SabresBUF	-0.09	42.8	4-5	-0.8	44%
19	Columbus Blue JacketsCBJ	-0.14	41.4	3-3	-0.7	50%
20	San Jose SharksSJS	-0.23	41.0	4-4	-0.9	50%
21	Seattle KrakenSEA	-0.29	38.0	5-4	+0.4	56%
22	Winnipeg JetsWPG	-0.37	39.0	4-4	-0.1	50%
23	St. Louis BluesSTL	-0.50	39.2	3-5	-0.1	38%
24	Nashville PredatorsNSH	-0.65	38.0	3-5	-0.1	38%
25	Toronto Maple LeafsTOR	-0.66	39.0	2-5	-0.4	29%
26	Detroit Red WingsDET	-0.67	38.2	3-5	-0.5	38%
27	Pittsburgh PenguinsPIT	-0.77	39.6	2-6	-1.4	25%
28	Los Angeles KingsLAK	-0.95	39.2	0-5	-1.8	0%
29	Chicago BlackhawksCHI	-1.37	33.6	3-5	-1.5	38%
30	Philadelphia FlyersPHI	-1.43	35.8	1-8	-1.4	11%
31	Calgary FlamesCGY	-1.78	34.0	1-6	-3.0	14%
32	Vancouver CanucksVAN	-2.05	30.7	1-8	-1.8	11%

The top five that week

Carolina Hurricanes top the board at +1.89, 7-1 with a +1.8 goals per game margin, and a projection of 51.7 wins. The gap to Vegas Golden Knights is 0.44 rating points, close to a coin flip between the two.
Vegas Golden Knights sit second at +1.45, 7-2 with a +1.7 goals per game margin, and a projection of 49.2 wins.
Edmonton Oilers sit third at +1.39, 6-1 with a +2.0 goals per game margin, and a projection of 47.8 wins.
Colorado Avalanche sit fourth at +1.28, 4-3 with a +1.1 goals per game margin, and a projection of 50.0 wins.
Tampa Bay Lightning sit fifth at +1.19, 6-2 with a +0.5 goals per game margin, and a projection of 48.6 wins.

Current NHL power rankings ← October 17, 2026 All editions