Archive · as published October 21, 2026

NHL Power RankingsOctober 21, 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	+1.79	51.2	8-2	+1.6	80%
2	Edmonton OilersEDM	+1.61	48.4	7-1	+1.9	88%
3	Tampa Bay LightningTBL	+1.38	48.8	7-2	+0.9	78%
4	Vegas Golden KnightsVGK	+1.22	48.2	7-3	+1.1	70%
5	Utah MammothUTA	+0.91	46.0	7-3	+0.7	70%
6	Colorado AvalancheCOL	+0.82	48.7	4-5	+0.7	44%
7	Dallas StarsDAL	+0.73	46.2	5-4	+0.9	56%
8	Minnesota WildMIN	+0.73	46.1	6-4	+0.6	60%
9	Florida PanthersFLA	+0.67	46.6	4-4	+0.5	50%
10	Boston BruinsBOS	+0.57	42.8	6-3	+1.2	67%
11	Washington CapitalsWSH	+0.48	45.1	5-4	+0.1	56%
12	Ottawa SenatorsOTT	+0.47	43.6	6-3	+0.1	67%
13	New York RangersNYR	+0.46	40.9	7-3	+1.2	70%
14	New Jersey DevilsNJD	+0.27	43.6	5-4	-0.1	56%
15	New York IslandersNYI	+0.13	40.4	5-3	+1.0	63%
16	Montréal CanadiensMTL	-0.05	43.6	3-5	-0.6	38%
17	Buffalo SabresBUF	-0.07	43.1	4-5	-0.8	44%
18	Seattle KrakenSEA	-0.09	38.5	6-4	+0.5	60%
19	San Jose SharksSJS	-0.14	41.9	5-5	-0.8	50%
20	Toronto Maple LeafsTOR	-0.16	40.8	4-5	+0.3	44%
21	Anaheim DucksANA	-0.16	41.7	4-5	-0.3	44%
22	St. Louis BluesSTL	-0.39	39.3	4-5	0.0	44%
23	Winnipeg JetsWPG	-0.56	38.1	4-5	-0.2	44%
24	Columbus Blue JacketsCBJ	-0.59	39.9	3-5	-1.1	38%
25	Nashville PredatorsNSH	-0.65	38.3	3-5	-0.1	38%
26	Los Angeles KingsLAK	-0.74	40.0	1-5	-1.0	17%
27	Detroit Red WingsDET	-0.87	37.4	3-6	-0.6	33%
28	Pittsburgh PenguinsPIT	-1.02	38.7	2-7	-1.3	22%
29	Philadelphia FlyersPHI	-1.21	37.4	2-8	-1.2	20%
30	Chicago BlackhawksCHI	-1.38	34.1	3-5	-1.5	38%
31	Calgary FlamesCGY	-1.70	34.1	2-6	-2.5	25%
32	Vancouver CanucksVAN	-2.23	30.5	1-9	-1.9	10%

The top five that week

Carolina Hurricanes top the board at +1.79, 8-2 with a +1.6 goals per game margin, and a projection of 51.2 wins. The gap to Edmonton Oilers is 0.18 rating points, close to a coin flip between the two.
Edmonton Oilers sit second at +1.61, 7-1 with a +1.9 goals per game margin, and a projection of 48.4 wins.
Tampa Bay Lightning sit third at +1.38, 7-2 with a +0.9 goals per game margin, and a projection of 48.8 wins.
Vegas Golden Knights sit fourth at +1.22, 7-3 with a +1.1 goals per game margin, and a projection of 48.2 wins.
Utah Mammoth sit fifth at +0.91, 7-3 with a +0.7 goals per game margin, and a projection of 46.0 wins.

Current NHL power rankings ← October 20, 2026 All editions