A month has passed since the 2024/25 NHL season first began, and there are no shortage of storylines to focus on with teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins both underperforming.
With only one loss to their name, the Winnipeg Jets are hands down the best team in the league, while the battle for the worst team in hockey remains a fierce battle between San Jose, Montreal, and Philadelphia.
Here's a look at where each team ranks after four weeks of play.
1. Winnipeg Jets (13-1-0)
It’s not just their record that suggests the Jets are the best team in hockey. They lead the league in scoring rank bottom five in goals against, a testament to how solid Connor Hellebuyck has been in net. A low-scoring win over Colorado during the week cemented the fact they are indeed legit, and if they continue that run against the Stars, Rangers, and Lightning over the coming days, Winnipeg should maintain the No. 1 spot for many weeks to come.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (10-2-0)
The lid is officially off now. Eight straight wins means the ‘Canes are a genuine Cup contender, highlighted by the fact they rank Top 5 in goals and second-last in goals allowed. Losing Freddie Andersen heaps big-time pressure on Pyotr Kochetkov, but we are talking about a four-year pro who has strung together six straight wins. If I had to pick a team to lock in for a Cup spot right now, Carolina would be it.
3. Florida Panthers (10-3-1)
Six wins in a row is hard to top, especially when two of those come against a top contender like the Stars. The penalty kill remains one of the best in the league, while on the other end, the defending champs rank Top 5 in power play goals. With Aleksander Barkov back and Sam Reinhart leading the league in goals, it’s very hard to find fault with the Cats.
4. Minnesota Wild (10-2-2)
In case you haven’t heard, Kirill Karpizov is the hottest scorer in the league. The one-two punch of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury has been solid so far, and it should set the Wild up nicely for a deep playoff push. It’s too early to call this team the best in the West, but as Trevor Teubner writes, it’s pivotal for Minnesota to continue stockpiling wins with the Avs struggling.
5. Dallas Stars (8-4-0)
This feels familiar. The Stars aren’t lighting up the lamp, but they remain one of the toughest teams to score against, led by Jake Oettinger (2.58 GAA, .922 save percentage). Sooner or later, Jason Robertson will start to find his groove, and if that one Finland blip on Oettinger’s resume sparks a Vezina Trophy run, look out.
6. Vegas Golden Knights (9-3-2)
Bruce Cassidy’s side has bounced back nicely from that early-season slump that saw them drop three in a row. Vegas is finally getting what it paid for with Jack Eichel leading the team in points, a welcome plus with the Caps, Hurricanes, and Leafs ahead on the schedule.
7. Washington Capitals (9-4-0)
I wrote last week that it’s almost impossible to find fault with what the Caps are doing right now. They’ve been the surprise standout of the season so far, receiving high marks across the board in every statistical category. If the power play heats up and starts scoring, Washington will be in this thing for the long haul.
It feels like the Rangers are flying under the radar at this point. If you speak to some fans, they’ll tell you their team is underperforming, and you’d be forgiven for thinking the same with New York ranked 20th in shots and 13th in goals. All that matters is wins at the end of the day. But it is worth noting Peter Laviolette’s side has beaten only one team over .500 (Toronto).
8. New York Rangers (8-3-1)
It feels like the Rangers are flying under the radar at this point. If you speak to some fans, they’ll tell you their team is underperforming, and you’d be forgiven for thinking the same with New York ranked 20th in shots and 13th in goals. All that matters is wins at the end of the day. But it is worth noting Peter Laviolette’s side has beaten only one team over .500 (Toronto).
9. New Jersey Devils (9-5-2)
Nico Hischier is among the league’s leading goal scorers, which has helped the Devils string together two solid wins over the Oilers and Habs. It almost feels as though Jack Hughes is a complimentary piece at this point, which is saying something considering he’s second on the team in assists. Jacob Markstrom has been worth every penny in net, a huge plus with the Devils facing back-to-back games against the Panthers late next week.
10. Vancouver Canucks (7-2-3)
Three straight wins heading into Saturday’s game against Edmonton reads well. It reads even better with two of those coming by multiple goals. Quinn Hughes is in the driver’s seat for another Norris Trophy, and once Elias Petterson realizes the season has started, the Canucks should be able to avoid slip-up games like their 6-0 loss to New Jersey a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully Brock Boeser doesn’t spend too long off the ice after taking a nasty hit on Thursday.
11. Los Angeles Kings (8-4-3)
This feels very real now, especially with veteran Drew Doughty still injured. The third line, led by Quinton Byfield, has been operating much better than expected. With wins over the Wild and Vegas recently, it’s not like the Kings’ recent run is full of hollow victories against poor performing teams, either.
12. Toronto Maple Leafs (8-5-2)
Auston Matthews is now on injured reserve, but that hasn’t stopped the Leafs shutting out Boston and beating the Red Wings 3-1 over the last few days. Anthony Stolarz is arguably the best goalie in the league right now, and the power play is starting to heat up with Mitch Marner and John Tavares cashing in on Friday. Favourable games against Montreal and Ottawa await over the next week before the Buds pay a visit to the Caps.
13. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-6-1)
Brayden Point has been out of the lineup, which helps explain five straight losses heading into Saturday’s huge matchup with the Jets. It’s far from panic stations just yet, but it is unusual to see the Lightning allowing the ninth-most third period goals in the league.
14. New York Islanders (6-6-2)
Injuries to Matthew Barzal and Anthony Duclair have made things very tricky for the Isles. Glass half full, they’ve done well to keep their heads above water. But this is still a team struggling to hold a lead, which says a lot for a one ranked sixth in goals scored during the third period. Side note, they look to have found a real one with Kyle MacLean.
15. Edmonton Oilers (6-7-1)
McDavid is back on the ice, so that’s a plus. Some consistency from Jeff Skinner and a spark on the power play would likely see the Oilers back on track rather quickly, so there’s no real need to panic.
16. Colorado Avalanche (6-8-0)
Will they or won’t they trade for a goalie? Justus Annunen should be the man between the pipes moving forward, but maybe Alexandar Georgiev’s game against Winnipeg on Friday has extended the leash a little longer. On the plus side, the Avs are only two games off .500 with Artturi Lehkonen now back in the lineup. Cale Makar’s recent play could also go a long way to seeing Colorado turn things around.
17. Buffalo Sabres (6-7-1)
Wins over the Senators and Rangers during the week were nice, it’s just about maintaining that level of play and consistency now. Defensively, Buffalo has held its last three opponents to under two goals, while they remain a sneaky Top 10 scoring team. Tage Thompson is must-watch viewing, and even if the playoffs elude them (again) this season, it finally feels as though the Sabres are trending in the right direction.
18. Boston Bruins (7-7-1)
This is probably what we expected from the Jackets. They’ve had an extra few days to reflect on an overtime loss to the Sharks, but the more worrying defeats came prior when they were outscored 13-4 by Winnipeg and Washington. Everyone in the world is rooting for Sean Monahan, and his line has been good enough to keep them in the mix.
19. Columbus Blue Jackets (5-5-2)
The Bruins responded to their shutout loss to the Leafs with a less-than-convincing win over the Flames in overtime. On the plus side, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak have found their rhythm, but with Jeremy Swayman (3.14 GAA) still struggling in net, Boston remains the most disappointing team among so-called contenders.
20. Detroit Red Wings (6-6-1)
They’ve won the games they should be winning against the Sabres and Blackhawks, but the Red Wings still looked second tier against the Maple Leafs on Friday night. The forecheck is generating next to no pressure and their penalty kill remains one of the worst in the league. Cam Talbot’s consistency in net has been unexpected, but it still feels like Detroit is playing below expectations.
21. Ottawa Senators (6-7-0)
The last week has seen the Sens lose three from four, two of those by multiple goals to the Sabres and Islanders. Linas Ullmark is still allowing over three a game, although he has been one of the few positives on the team so far. As my colleague Alex Neier wrote, Ottawa’s ugly record on the road has only heaped pressure on a team that has been rebuilding for several years.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins (6-8-2)
A win over the Caps on Friday was unexpected, so we’ll see if the Pens can hold that form into Sunday’s game against the Stars. Regardless, slow starts from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have put Pittsburgh on the back foot in the east, and only heaped more pressure on Mike Sullivan to find a quick answer.
23. Calgary Flames (7-5-2)
Calgary’s hot start feels like a distant memory now. They’ve mixed their form in overtime and shootouts recently, losing to teams that should be beating them – like Edmonton and Boston. Nazem Kadri and Daniel Vladar have been better than expected, but the fact they have only one win in regulation is a worrying sign.
24. St Louis Blues (7-7-0)
The Blues continue to hover around .500, which is about what we expected entering the season. The big news over the last week though has been injuries. Fortunately, it sounds like Dylan Holloway is okay. But the Blues are still in for a tough stretch with Phillip Broberg looking at 4-6 weeks on the sideline.
25. Nashville Predators (4-9-1)
General Manager Barry Trotz muttered the dreaded ‘R’ word on radio during the week, sending most of the fan base into a frenzy. If you read between the lines, I don’t think a rebuild is imminent, especially with Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos playing great. Juuse Saros does lead the league in losses among goalies, though.
26. Utah Hockey Club (6-5-3)
The honeymoon period is officially over. To be fair, it ended two weeks ago, as UHC continues to struggle to find wins in regulation. Dylan Guenther (7 goals, 12 points) at least remains a fun player to watch on a nightly basis.
27. Seattle Kraken (6-8-1)
They snapped their four-game skid with an overtime win over Vegas, but the Kraken still feel like a team lacking confidence. There are excuses with Vince Dunn on the sideline though, while Brandon Montour’s hot start remains one of the few positives.
28. Anaheim Ducks (4-7-2)
This team might be better than their record suggests. The Ducks appear to have struck gold with Lukas Dostal playing out of his skin, while it’s obvious Anaheim has enough young talent to keep them competitive for years to come.
29. Chicago Blackhawks (5-9-1)
There’s a sense of frustration in Chicago, as I wrote on Thursday when I labeled Ryan Donato their first-month MVP. Connor Bedard is off to a slow start and he’s not afraid to make his opinions known. To their credit, the Hawks continue to hang in the majority of their games, holding on right untilt the end for a 3-1 loss to the Stars last week.
30. San Jose Sharks (4-9-2)
The Sharks have more wins on the board than they had this time last year, and they do seem to be playing with a bit of an edge at times. They face a tough week ahead with games against the Devils and Rangers, with a big showdown between Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov (we hope) sandwiched between on Monday.
31. Philadelphia Flyers (5-8-1)
Ivan Fedotov looked great between the pipes during Thursday’s shootout win over the Lightning, so that’s one plus. John Tortorello’s decision to bench rookie Matvei Michkov is a tough one to get your head around, though, especially for a team that should be looking to get as much ice time as they can into young players. It’s also a great way to piss off a fan base that probably has more of a rooting interest in watching individuals perform than the team as a whole, right now.
32. Montreal Canadiens (4-8-2)
Martin St Louis is in no danger of losing his job after the Habs exercised his two-year extension in April, but that doesn’t mean the fans have to be happy with his efforts as coach. Thursday’s loss to the Devils made it five in a row, and it doesn’t get any easier with the Leafs, Sabres, and Wild ahead. For a team that features a likely first-time 40-goal scorer in Cole Caufield, this sure has been a disappointing start for the Canadiens.