Archive · as published October 20, 2026

NHL Power RankingsOctober 20, 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	+1.66	50.7	7-2	+1.4	78%
2	Vegas Golden KnightsVGK	+1.47	48.8	7-2	+1.7	78%
3	Edmonton OilersEDM	+1.47	47.9	6-1	+2.0	86%
4	Tampa Bay LightningTBL	+1.21	48.3	6-2	+0.5	75%
5	Colorado AvalancheCOL	+1.04	49.1	4-4	+0.9	50%
6	Minnesota WildMIN	+0.91	46.6	6-3	+0.8	67%
7	Utah MammothUTA	+0.86	45.8	7-3	+0.7	70%
8	Washington CapitalsWSH	+0.73	45.8	5-3	+0.5	63%
9	Boston BruinsBOS	+0.68	43.1	6-2	+1.5	75%
10	Florida PanthersFLA	+0.66	46.5	4-4	+0.5	50%
11	Dallas StarsDAL	+0.65	46.0	4-4	+0.9	50%
12	Ottawa SenatorsOTT	+0.46	43.6	6-3	+0.1	67%
13	New York RangersNYR	+0.43	40.9	7-3	+1.2	70%
14	Montréal CanadiensMTL	+0.18	44.3	3-4	-0.6	43%
15	New Jersey DevilsNJD	+0.09	42.9	4-4	-0.3	50%
16	Anaheim DucksANA	+0.03	42.4	4-4	-0.3	50%
17	Buffalo SabresBUF	-0.06	43.1	4-5	-0.8	44%
18	New York IslandersNYI	-0.09	39.8	4-3	+1.0	57%
19	San Jose SharksSJS	-0.28	41.5	4-5	-1.0	44%
20	Seattle KrakenSEA	-0.32	37.9	5-4	+0.4	56%
21	Columbus Blue JacketsCBJ	-0.37	40.5	3-4	-0.7	43%
22	Toronto Maple LeafsTOR	-0.40	40.2	3-5	-0.1	38%
23	Winnipeg JetsWPG	-0.44	38.6	4-4	-0.1	50%
24	St. Louis BluesSTL	-0.59	38.7	3-5	-0.1	38%
25	Nashville PredatorsNSH	-0.65	38.2	3-5	-0.1	38%
26	Detroit Red WingsDET	-0.73	38.0	3-5	-0.5	38%
27	Pittsburgh PenguinsPIT	-0.97	38.8	2-7	-1.3	22%
28	Los Angeles KingsLAK	-1.01	39.1	0-5	-1.8	0%
29	Philadelphia FlyersPHI	-1.17	37.4	2-8	-1.2	20%
30	Chicago BlackhawksCHI	-1.36	34.2	3-5	-1.5	38%
31	Calgary FlamesCGY	-1.67	34.1	2-6	-2.5	25%
32	Vancouver CanucksVAN	-2.11	31.1	1-8	-1.8	11%

The top five that week

Carolina Hurricanes top the board at +1.66, 7-2 with a +1.4 goals per game margin, and a projection of 50.7 wins. The gap to Vegas Golden Knights is 0.19 rating points, close to a coin flip between the two.
Vegas Golden Knights sit second at +1.47, 7-2 with a +1.7 goals per game margin, and a projection of 48.8 wins.
Edmonton Oilers sit third at +1.47, 6-1 with a +2.0 goals per game margin, and a projection of 47.9 wins.
Tampa Bay Lightning sit fourth at +1.21, 6-2 with a +0.5 goals per game margin, and a projection of 48.3 wins.
Colorado Avalanche sit fifth at +1.04, 4-4 with a +0.9 goals per game margin, and a projection of 49.1 wins.

Current NHL power rankings ← October 19, 2026 All editions