NHL Power Rankings Week 3: Florida Surges as Colorado Holds
By Joe Woods · Sharper Points AI Desk · Edited by Jordan HawkesPublished Florida's eight-place surge to No. 18 marks the week's largest move after a 3-1-0 stretch highlighted by an eight-goal performance against Seattle. At the top, Colorado holds No. 1 with a 0.99 rating, while Pittsburgh suffered the week's sharpest decline, dropping seven spots to No. 13 after an 0-3-0 road trip.
League Leaders
No. 1 Colorado Avalanche (5-2-1, +0.99 rating)
Colorado maintains its spot at the top of the board with a 0.99 rating, holding a 0.36-goal gap above the field. The Avalanche compiled a 2-0-1 week record, supported by a third-ranked 14.6 shooting percentage and a second-ranked scoring average of 4.5 goals per game.
No. 2 Carolina Hurricanes (7-2-1, +0.63 rating)
Carolina stands second with a 0.63 rating despite a 2-1-0 week record that ended with a 3-2 regulation loss at Calgary. The Hurricanes rely on shot suppression, holding opponents to a third-ranked 22.9 shots against per game while generating 33.2 shots for per game.
No. 3 Dallas Stars (4-3-1, +0.63 rating)
Dallas moved up one spot to No. 3 to tie Carolina at a 0.63 rating, rising because rivals changed rather than from its own play. The Stars carry a league-best 93.3 save percentage and a league-best 1.5 goals against per game, finishing the week with a 4-0 regulation victory over Chicago.
No. 4 Tampa Bay Lightning (6-2-0, +0.57 rating)
Tampa Bay dropped one spot to No. 4 with a 0.57 rating, a move caused by rival rating changes rather than its own game results. The Lightning carry a 2-1-0 week record and sit 0.01 goals ahead of fifth place after a 4-2 regulation victory against Vancouver.
No. 5 Boston Bruins (7-2-0, +0.56 rating)
Boston climbed three spots to No. 5 behind a +0.16 rating change, driven primarily by its own performance during a 3-0-0 week record on the road. The Bruins feature a second-ranked 92.5 save percentage and a second-ranked 14.8 shooting percentage, closing their week with a 4-1 regulation win at Los Angeles.
Risers and Fallers
Florida Panthers (5-2-2, -0.09 rating)
Florida staged the week's largest rise, jumping eight places to No. 18 behind a 3-1-0 week record. The Panthers exceeded pre-game expectations by 4.98 goals in an 8-3 regulation victory against Seattle and added a 3-2 overtime win against Vancouver.
Vegas Golden Knights (8-2-0, +0.43 rating)
Vegas climbed five spots to No. 7 after a 3-1-0 week record powered entirely by its own performance. The Golden Knights average 4.1 goals per game this season, bolstered by a 6-2 regulation win against Pittsburgh and a 5-2 regulation win at Nashville.
Edmonton Oilers (6-1-1, +0.40 rating)
Edmonton advanced five places to No. 8 on an own-rating boost following a 2-1-0 week record. The Oilers carry a league-best 19.1 shooting percentage and a league-best 4.62 goals per game, capped by a 6-2 regulation victory at Utah.
Pittsburgh Penguins (3-5-1, +0.21 rating)
Pittsburgh fell seven ranks to No. 13 after an 0-3-0 week record pushed its goal differential to -4. The decline was driven by its own play, including a 5-3 regulation loss at Chicago where Pittsburgh fell 3.19 goals short of pre-game expectations.
Seattle Kraken (5-3-1, -0.31 rating)
Seattle dropped four places to No. 25 following a 1-1-1 week record. The setback was mostly driven by its own rating drop, headlined by an 8-3 regulation loss at Florida and a 4-3 overtime loss at Tampa Bay.
Ottawa Senators (6-3-0, +0.33 rating)
Ottawa slipped four spots to No. 11 after a 2-2-0 week record lowered its rating by 0.10 goals. Own-performance losses accounted for the drop, highlighted by a 7-2 regulation loss to St. Louis and a 3-1 regulation defeat at Philadelphia.
The full rankings
Previous ranks are from our Week 2 edition.
| Rank | Team | Record | Rating | Last | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Avalanche | 5-2-1 | +0.99 | 1 | – |
| 2 | Carolina Hurricanes* | 7-2-1 | +0.63 | 2 | – |
| 3 | Dallas Stars* | 4-3-1 | +0.63 | 4 | ▲ 1 |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 6-2-0 | +0.57 | 3 | ▼ 1 |
| 5 | Boston Bruins | 7-2-0 | +0.56 | 8 | ▲ 3 |
| 6 | Minnesota Wild | 6-2-1 | +0.51 | 5 | ▼ 1 |
| 7 | Vegas Golden Knights | 8-2-0 | +0.43 | 12 | ▲ 5 |
| 8 | Edmonton Oilers | 6-1-1 | +0.40 | 13 | ▲ 5 |
| 9 | Utah Mammoth | 6-3-0 | +0.35 | 9 | – |
| 10 | Buffalo Sabres | 4-3-2 | +0.34 | 10 | – |
| 11 | Ottawa Senators | 6-3-0 | +0.33 | 7 | ▼ 4 |
| 12 | Washington Capitals | 5-3-0 | +0.27 | 11 | ▼ 1 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3-5-1 | +0.21 | 6 | ▼ 7 |
| 14 | Montréal Canadiens | 4-3-1 | +0.18 | 14 | – |
| 15 | New York Rangers | 6-3-1 | +0.05 | 15 | – |
| 16 | New York Islanders | 4-3-1 | +0.02 | 16 | – |
| 17 | St. Louis Blues | 3-4-1 | −0.02 | 18 | ▲ 1 |
| 18 | Florida Panthers | 5-2-2 | −0.09 | 26 | ▲ 8 |
| 19 | Nashville Predators | 3-2-3 | −0.10 | 19 | – |
| 20 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 3-4-0 | −0.14 | 17 | ▼ 3 |
| 21 | Anaheim Ducks | 4-3-0 | −0.26 | 20 | ▼ 1 |
| 22 | New Jersey Devils* | 4-4-0 | −0.29 | 27 | ▲ 5 |
| 23 | Philadelphia Flyers* | 1-6-3 | −0.29 | 23 | – |
| 24 | Detroit Red Wings | 3-3-2 | −0.30 | 22 | ▼ 2 |
| 25 | Seattle Kraken | 5-3-1 | −0.31 | 21 | ▼ 4 |
| 26 | Winnipeg Jets | 4-2-2 | −0.33 | 24 | ▼ 2 |
| 27 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3-4-2 | −0.42 | 25 | ▼ 2 |
| 28 | Los Angeles Kings | 0-4-2 | −0.47 | 28 | – |
| 29 | San Jose Sharks | 4-3-1 | −0.49 | 29 | – |
| 30 | Calgary Flames | 2-6-0 | −0.82 | 31 | ▲ 1 |
| 31 | Chicago Blackhawks | 3-6-0 | −0.90 | 30 | ▼ 1 |
| 32 | Vancouver Canucks | 2-7-1 | −1.23 | 32 | – |
* Tied on rating rounded to 0.01; ordered by recency-weighted scoring margin.
Ratings as of Monday, October 19, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ET, methodology version 1.0.0. No injury or roster context source is configured for this sport.
Previous editions
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