NHL Power Rankings Week 4: Leafs Surge as Contenders Shift
By Erin Lowe · Sharper Points AI Desk · Edited by Jordan HawkesPublished A four-win week sent the Toronto Maple Leafs surging up eight spots in our power rankings, while the Vegas Golden Knights fell seven places after going winless. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche maintained their grip on the top spot despite dropped games on the road, staying just ahead of a closing pack.
Top Contenders
The No. 1 Colorado Avalanche (6-5-1 record, +0.86 rating) retained the top position despite a 1-3-0 week. Colorado secured a 6-3 regulation home win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, but stumbled in regulation road losses against the Philadelphia Flyers (2-3), New Jersey Devils (3-4), and Nashville Predators (2-6).
At No. 2, the Carolina Hurricanes (9-2-2 record, +0.75 rating) hold a narrow 0.02 goal rating gap over the team below them following a 2-0-1 week. Carolina picked up regulation victories against the Vancouver Canucks (6-3) and St. Louis Blues (4-0), alongside a 5-6 loss decided in a shootout against the Edmonton Oilers.
Holding No. 3, the Dallas Stars (7-3-1 record, +0.73 rating) posted a 3-0-0 record this week to stay within striking distance of the leaders. Dallas earned overtime wins over the Boston Bruins (3-2) and Winnipeg Jets (3-2) before finishing with a 6-3 regulation win against the New York Islanders, supported by a league-best goals-against average of 1.73 per game.
The No. 4 Boston Bruins (9-2-1 record, +0.72 rating) moved up one spot after compiling a 2-0-1 week. Boston suffered a 2-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars, but responded with regulation home victories over the Nashville Predators (6-0) and San Jose Sharks (6-4), backed by a league-best 92.2% save percentage.
Dropping one spot to No. 5, the Tampa Bay Lightning (7-3-1 record, +0.59 rating) went 1-1-1 over three road games. Tampa Bay claimed a 6-2 regulation victory against the Vegas Golden Knights before falling 3-6 in regulation to the Colorado Avalanche and 4-5 in overtime to the Utah Mammoth, with rival results driving their slight ranking drop.
Risers and Fallers
The No. 19 Toronto Maple Leafs (7-4-2 record, -0.12 rating) engineered the week's largest rise, climbing eight places after a 4-0-0 stretch. Toronto swept their slate with regulation wins over the San Jose Sharks (3-1), Columbus Blue Jackets (6-2), New York Rangers (5-4), and Edmonton Oilers (7-2). In that final victory against Edmonton, Toronto faced a pre-game expected margin of -0.98 goals but outperformed it by 5.98 goals.
Rising four places to No. 7, the Ottawa Senators (8-4-0 record, +0.36 rating) put together a 2-1-0 week. Ottawa secured regulation home wins over the Florida Panthers (5-1) and New York Rangers (7-4), with their lone setback coming in a 2-6 regulation loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Moving up three spots to No. 10, the Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-1 record, +0.25 rating) logged a 2-1-0 week. Pittsburgh rebounded from a 4-5 regulation loss to the Utah Mammoth by shutting out the Florida Panthers 4-0 in regulation and edging the Nashville Predators 3-2 in overtime. Their move up the board was driven by shifts from other teams rather than their own game performance.
The No. 14 Vegas Golden Knights (8-4-1 record, +0.21 rating) suffered the week's largest drop, falling seven spots following a 0-2-1 record. Vegas took back-to-back 2-6 regulation defeats against the Tampa Bay Lightning and St. Louis Blues before closing with a 1-2 loss decided in overtime against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Also dropping seven spots, the No. 28 Anaheim Ducks (5-6-0 record, -0.40 rating) finished with a 1-3-0 record this week. Anaheim dropped three consecutive regulation games to the New York Rangers (2-5), New York Islanders (2-3), and New Jersey Devils (1-4) before concluding their road trip with a 5-4 regulation win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The No. 23 Florida Panthers (6-4-2 record, -0.25 rating) slid five places after a 1-2-0 week. Florida opened with regulation losses against the Ottawa Senators (1-5) and Pittsburgh Penguins (0-4) before recovering for a 3-2 regulation victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Panthers fell primarily because rival teams shifted around them.
The full rankings
Previous ranks are from our Week 3 edition.
| Rank | Team | Record | Rating | Last | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Avalanche | 6-5-1 | +0.86 | 1 | – |
| 2 | Carolina Hurricanes | 9-2-2 | +0.75 | 2 | – |
| 3 | Dallas Stars | 7-3-1 | +0.73 | 3 | – |
| 4 | Boston Bruins | 9-2-1 | +0.72 | 5 | ▲ 1 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 7-3-1 | +0.59 | 4 | ▼ 1 |
| 6 | Minnesota Wild | 8-3-2 | +0.54 | 6 | – |
| 7 | Ottawa Senators | 8-4-0 | +0.36 | 11 | ▲ 4 |
| 8 | Edmonton Oilers | 8-2-1 | +0.29 | 8 | – |
| 9 | Utah Mammoth | 8-4-0 | +0.27 | 9 | – |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 5-6-1 | +0.25 | 13 | ▲ 3 |
| 11 | Buffalo Sabres | 4-4-3 | +0.24 | 10 | ▼ 1 |
| 12 | Washington Capitals | 6-4-0 | +0.23 | 12 | – |
| 13 | Montréal Canadiens | 6-3-2 | +0.22 | 14 | ▲ 1 |
| 14 | Vegas Golden Knights | 8-4-1 | +0.21 | 7 | ▼ 7 |
| 15 | New York Rangers | 7-5-1 | +0.05 | 15 | – |
| 16 | St. Louis Blues | 5-5-1 | +0.03 | 17 | ▲ 1 |
| 17 | New York Islanders* | 5-4-2 | −0.08 | 16 | ▼ 1 |
| 18 | Nashville Predators* | 4-3-4 | −0.08 | 19 | ▲ 1 |
| 19 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7-4-2 | −0.12 | 27 | ▲ 8 |
| 20 | New Jersey Devils | 7-4-0 | −0.20 | 22 | ▲ 2 |
| 21 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3-7-3 | −0.21 | 23 | ▲ 2 |
| 22 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 4-5-0 | −0.22 | 20 | ▼ 2 |
| 23 | Florida Panthers | 6-4-2 | −0.25 | 18 | ▼ 5 |
| 24 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-4-3 | −0.30 | 24 | – |
| 25 | Seattle Kraken | 7-4-1 | −0.34 | 25 | – |
| 26 | Winnipeg Jets | 4-4-3 | −0.35 | 26 | – |
| 27 | San Jose Sharks | 6-5-1 | −0.37 | 29 | ▲ 2 |
| 28 | Anaheim Ducks | 5-6-0 | −0.40 | 21 | ▼ 7 |
| 29 | Los Angeles Kings | 2-5-2 | −0.41 | 28 | ▼ 1 |
| 30 | Calgary Flames | 4-6-0 | −0.69 | 30 | – |
| 31 | Chicago Blackhawks | 3-8-0 | −0.99 | 31 | – |
| 32 | Vancouver Canucks | 2-10-1 | −1.33 | 32 | – |
* Tied on rating rounded to 0.01; ordered by recency-weighted scoring margin.
Ratings as of Monday, October 26, 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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