NHL Power Rankings, Week 7: Can the Predators escape rock bottom?
The Nashville Predators were supposed to be the big winners of the NHL's free agent frenzy this summer. After a terrific second half of the 2023-24 campaign and a subsequent tough first-round playoff loss, general manager Barry Trotz got right to work trying to transform a strong roster into a potential Stanley Cup contender. The longtime coach turned GM broke the bank, bringing a couple of champions to Smashville in Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, and adding Brady Skjei to help round out an already strong defensive unit. He also got goaltender of the future Juuse Saros locked up long-term.
But through six weeks, the Predators have looked like anything but true title contenders. Now sitting 27th in league standings with an abysmal 6-10-3 record — and needing six games to get their first win in 2024-25 — Trotz has mentioned he could accelerate a potential rebuild if this roster doesn't get going. There are various reasons for Nashville's struggles, including a lack of offensive depth — particularly an effective second-line center — along with slow starts from a couple of key veterans.
Neither Stamkos or Marchessault has played like a star early on, and not a single skater is scoring at above a point-per-game pace this season, not even Filip Forsberg. Still, this is a team that went from just over .500 at 27-25-2 to finishing 47-30-5 last year, so we won't count out the Tennessee-based franchise just yet. Although there was a time not too long ago that Nashville sat dead last in NHL standings, that's probably as close to rock bottom as they're going to get.
Meanwhile, things are starting to shape up in ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings with less than two weeks until American Thanksgiving. Alex Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals are back to relevance , the Carolina Hurricanes are looking like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference as their surge continues, and the Winnipeg Jets are finally starting to regress after a historic start.
All of that is just scratching the surface heading into Week 7. Suffice it to say, there's again been quite a bit of movement in the latest edition of CP's PR's. Let's discuss.
Previous 2024-25 NHL Power Rankings: Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
For the first time this season, the Jets have lost two games in a row. It took just over a month, but Winnipeg is officially on a skid. Of course, they're not going anywhere in the NHL Power Rankings — at least not yet. The back-to-back losses weren't exactly against easy opponents; both came on the road in Florida, one against the Lightning and one against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers. It was a disappointing week by Winnipeg's standards, but the club remains 15-3 and a full five points up on the next best team in the Western Conference. It'll be intriguing to see how the Jets respond to their first bit of controversy, and things won't get any easier over the next few weeks. They'll welcome the Cats to Manitoba to complete the home-and-home on Tuesday before heading out on a brutal six-game road trip. After a storybook start to the year, the mettle of the best team in the NHL is going to be tested for the rest of November.
The Panthers are knocking on the door of NHL Power Rankings supremacy, especially after a hugely encouraging victory over the team just above them. Florida crushed Winnipeg on Saturday night, with Sergei Bobrovsky winning the goaltending duel against last year's Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck in a 5-0 final — never an easy task. With that, the Panthers are 12-5-1 after winning eight of their last 10 games. This continues to be a powerhouse, and it'll be another heavyweight matchup when Florida and Winnipeg meet again — this time in Canada — on Tuesday. After that, it's a trip to the Windy City to play Bedard and the Blackhawks before a three-game homestand back in Sunrise.
The Hurricanes are hotter than any team in the National right now, and it isn't who you'd think leading the charge. Yes, Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho have both been great, but it's Marty Necas whose gone nuclear in 2024-25. The Czech forward is first on the team in nearly every offensive category, amassing a phenomenal 11 goals and 30 points in just 17 games, including a current 13-game point streak. Carolina is looking like a behemoth in the Eastern Conference, now with just two losses dating back to October 22. Pyotr Kochetkov has been excellent between the pipes, and when he briefly joined Frederik Andersen on the injured list, Spencer Martin recorded a 24-save shutout. That's the kind of season it's been in Raleigh, and this roster isn't showing any signs of slowing down — especially not in the NHL Power Rankings. It's a well-deserved top-three spot for the first time this year.
After back-to-back 5-2 wins over the lowly Sharks and Ducks in Week 5, the Wild have stumbled, losing two of their last three games. Neither of those defeats were Filip Gustavsson's fault; he made 20 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Blackhawks before shutting out the Montreal Canadiens in a 3-0 final four nights later. But the team in front of him again struggled to score in Saturday night's 2-1 loss to Dallas, a club that just seems to have Minnesota's number over the last few years. The Wild lost both Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello to injury in Thursday's win over the Habs, and although the former could return to the lineup as soon as Tuesday in St. Louis, the latter will be out for 3-4 weeks. That's discouraging, although it means we could see an extended look at Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy on the top line. At 11-3-3, it's business as usual for the Wild ahead of a three-game road trip that begins in Missouri and also passes through Edmonton and Calgary.
If Igor Shesterkin is starting to look human over the last couple of weeks, the same cannot be said for 38-year-old Jonathan Quick. The two-time Stanley Cup champion made 24 saves in a 2-0 shutout win over the Kraken on Sunday; he's now won all four of his starts this season and given up just three goals in that span. Ridiculous. The Blueshirts are in a good rhythm of winning two games and then losing one, but that's not quite the pace that they'll need to win back-to-back President's Trophies. It also won't be good enough to win the Metropolitan Division, as New York has now been passed by Carolina, New Jersey and Washington. It looks like all four clubs will be battling for three guaranteed playoff spots this season, and that should make for quite an entertaining race.
Speaking of New Jersey, although the Devils have still played more games than every other team, they're beginning to surge. After a four-game losing skid in mid-October, the team has won seven times in 10 tries, improving to 12-7-2. Week 6 was headlined by consecutive impressive victories over the defending Stanley Cup champions, both in Florida; 4-1 on Tuesday and 6-2 on Thursday. The four points banked there helped knock the Rangers out of a top-three spot in the division, and all four of the Devils, Rangers, Hurricanes and Capitals have been winning prolifically as of late. With Luke Hughes healthy and Jack Hughes back to his over point-per-game self, the Devils continue to battle for respect in what's shaping up to be the league's toughest division.
The Stars finally have their legs back under them after a disappointing showing in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland. They've now won three games in a row, and done so in convincing fashion. Convincing fashion might even be an understatement. For the first time since relocating to Dallas in 1986-87, the Stars potted seven goals in consecutive games. They crushed the Penguins 7-1 before beating up on the Bruins in a 7-2 final three nights later. The week's finale was a tight 2-1 win over the Wild, with Jake Oettinger shutting the door like he did three times overall in Week 6. The Stars are officially back after making a couple of Eastern Conference opponents see red, and they'll look to continue chasing the Wild and Jets in the Central during a two-game road trip that welcomes the Ducks and Sharks to American Airlines Center.
Although the Golden Knights are 11-5-2 on the season, they've played .500 hockey since October 30. After a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Alex Ovechkin and his Capitals, the Knights are lucky they are still ahead of the the Great Eight and co. in the NHL Power Rankings. Vegas has been without captain Mark Stone, who went down with an unspecified injury last week, and his absence shows all over the rink. The team has now lost three of five games, and although they remain at the top of the Pacific Division, the lead is precarious. A long five-game road trip awaits, making stops in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Philadelphia and Colorado over the next 10 days.
This is the Ovechkin that hockey fans are used to seeing. No. 8 has been nothing short of spectacular over the last couple of weeks, headlined by a hat trick performance in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights. The Capitals can't stop scoring lately, having potted 26 goals in their last six games — four of them wins. Ovechkin and Strome continue to lead the way, but breakout seasons from Connor McMichael — who has 12 goals — and Aliaksei Protas are helping to steer this roster into elite territory. Logan Thompson has been lights out between the pipes, and he could be making a case to backstop Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. It's not hard to see why Washington is 12-4-1 and just one point back of the top spot in the division. Ovi is up to a ridiculous 13 goals in 17 games, and at this pace, he's going to be the greatest goal scorer in NHL history long before the end of the 2024-25 season.
For some reason, the Maple Leafs always play well without Auston Matthews in the lineup. And that trend has continued this season; Toronto has won five of six games without No. 34. With that, the Leafs have gone from just above .500 to 11-6-2 in the blink of an eye, and the scoring woes have quickly been rectified. Nineteen goals in six games is good if not great, but it's been enough the way Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll have performed between the pipes. The Leafs are just a point back of the top spot in the Atlantic Division, and that looks like a place they're going to hang around all campaign long. It's a light two-game week for Toronto, with Vegas and Utah visiting Scotiabank Arena in Week 7.
The Lightning limped into a one-week break having lost four straight games. But after being off for a full seven days, Tampa Bay bounced back with consecutive victories over Winnipeg and New Jersey, an impressive feat. Both the Jets and Devils have been surging, but the Lightning utilized a couple of vintage performances from Andrei Vasilevskiy to overcome two strong offensive clubs. In the process, he became the fastest goalie to win 300 games, an incredibly impressive feat for the two-time Stanley Cup champion. Tampa Bay is third in the division despite player fewer games than all seven other teams, and there's potential for this club to surge up the NHL Power Rankings over the coming weeks.
The Canucks have rotated wins and losses since November 7, and that's going to cost Rick Tocchet's club a couple spots in the NHL Power Rankings. It's still been an overall encouraging start considering Thatcher Demko remains on the shelf, but losses to a couple of non-playoff teams in the Predators and Islanders in Week 7 was disappointing. Like the Metro, the Pacific Division is becoming a logjam, with both the Kraken and Flames hanging around along with the Canucks, Kings, Golden Knights and Oilers. Vancouver is still in a top-three spot at 9-5-3, but .500 hockey isn't going to be enough to hold onto it. This club is really missing Brock Boeser, who remains out indefinitely, although Elias Pettersson has finally begun to turn it on after a slow start. The Rangers are at Rogers Arena for a cross-conference clash on Tuesday night.
The Kings probably don't deserve such a significant bump down the NHL Power Rankings, but Darcy Kuemper is on IR and the club has lost three times in five tries. LA remains 10-6-3 and second place in the Pacific Division, but the offense has struggled compared to its usual output, managing just 14 goals in five contests. And Drew Doughty is still being missed on the blue line; there's been no recent update on the two-time champ. The Kings ended the week strong with a 4-1 win over the Red Wings, and they'll look to secure a couple more victories over a light schedule, with games against the Sabres and Kraken at Crypto.com Arena in Week 7.
Welcome to the 1,000 point club, Connor McDavid . The superstar is the fourth fastest player to reach the milestone, behind just legends Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy. It's impressive company for No. 97, who was named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday. The Oilers also had a good week, opening up a three-game streak before falling in overtime to the Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. Still, Edmonton is up to 9-7-2, and back to relevance in the Pacific Division after a brutal start. Now with points in four straight, the Oil will look to secure a couple more against Montreal and Ottawa to end the three-game road trip. Edmonton is back home to welcome the Wild and Rangers to Rogers Place later this week.
Just as the Avalanche begin returning to health, another player falls victim to the injury bug. Alex Georgiev was placed on IR at the end of the week, meaning Justus Annunen will be the starter for the foreseeable future. That's disappointing, but getting Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin back in the lineup certainly isn't. It didn't make a difference in a 5-2 loss to the Capitals on Friday, but that was after Colorado had racked off three consecutive wins. Still, the Avs are .500 at 9-9-0, and they aren't going to make up too many spots in the NHL Power Rankings at that pace. Besides Ross Colton and Gabriel Landeskog — the latter hasn't played in over two years — the Avalanche's offensive core is mostly intact, and it's time for a very talented roster to begin playing more like it. The Avalanche boast three of the top five players in fantasy hockey in Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar, and it's time for the supporting cast to start carrying its weight in reality.
The Flames continue to hang around in the Pacific Division, and Craig Conroy has already made it clear he isn't interested in selling this season. After a four-game losing streak between October 24-30, Calgary has won four and lost four, but picked up points in six of those contests. That has the team a respectable 9-6-3, and continuing to battle for relevance in the Western Conference. Dustin Wolf picked up his first career shutout in a 2-0 triumph over the Predators on Friday, and he looks to have surpassed Dan Vladar as the starting goaltender in Alberta. The Flames will be home for all three of their next games as they look to vault back into a top-three spot in the division, welcoming the Islanders, Rangers and Wild to the Saddledome in Week 7.
Another week, another middling showing for the Bruins, who still cannot find a way to get above .500. Boston is losers of two straight and four of six, and no longer occupying a top-three slot in the Atlantic. It's been a while since the B's failed to secure a guaranteed playoff spot in the division, but an 8-8-3 record through 19 games is seriously concerning. The Bruins are lucky they aren't falling further down the NHL Power Rankings, but the bottom half of the league is not where the hockey world expected this club to be in 2024-25. Will Don Sweeney make a move to improve the roster? He reportedly will, but we're still waiting for the hammer to drop. Boston is home to Columbus and Utah before heading to Detroit for a date with the Red Wings on Saturday night.
Steady as she goes for the Sabres, who have quietly racked off four wins in six tries following a three-game skid. Captain Rasmus Dahlin is leading the charge as of late; he got off to a slow start offensively but has exploded for 14 points in his last 10 games while playing great defense. Buffalo was able to tread water without star forward Tage Thompson and starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but both should be back in the lineup for Wednesday's tilt against the Kings in Los Angeles. It's the first game of a California road trip that also takes Buffalo through Anaheim and San Jose. That's an important trip as the squad looks to bank some points against a couple of challenged rosters in Week 7.
The wheels continue to fall off for the Utah Hockey Club, who have lost eight of 11 dating back to October 22. The flashiness of being the NHL's newest location is starting to wear off, and the reality is setting in that this team is probably not a playoff contender as currently constructed. That might be different if John Marino and Sean Durzi were healthy, but it's just the way it is without the two effective blue liners. Karel Vejmelka was exceptional in a 4-1 victory over the surging Hurricanes, although it came in the middle of two disappointing losses against the Predators and Golden Knights. Now sitting right at .500 at 7-7-3 and no longer in a postseason spot in the Western Conference, something needs to change for this roster to rise above mediocrity in 2024-25. A tough test against the Capitals awaits in Salt Lake City on Monday.
It looks like the Kraken have finally given Joey Daccord the ultimate nod between the pipes, and the Kraken look like a different team because of it. Seattle had won four games in a row before a disappointing defeat 2-0 against the Rangers, but they still get the biggest NHL Power Rankings jump in Week 7. The team picked up six of a possible eight points in that span, returning to .500 at 9-9-1 and looking good in the process. The Kraken are an up-and-down team and could certainly slide back down the rankings, but they've earned a significant jump this time around. It's just a two-game week for Seattle, with a home tilt against Nashville before a road matchup vs. Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.
If the Predators are going to get out of this rut, it's going to start with the leaders. And Stamkos decided to be one on Sunday night in Vancouver, scoring two goals — including the game-winner — in a 5-3 triumph over the Canucks. That's not going to solve any problems in Nashville, though; this team had lost three in a row and six of seven before that. The Preds are one of the hardest teams to place in the NHL Power Rankings, as the hockey world continues to wait for this roster to live up to its potential. Maybe that just won't happen in 2024-25, but Sunday's win at least got them out of the basement in league standings. There's a huge discrepancy between 27th in the league and 21st in the NHL Power Rankings, and it's safe to say the latter is losing patience with this team. The 6-10-3 Predators are in Seattle on Wednesday.
It's been a brutal stretch for the Blues since losing Philip Broberg; St. Louis has lost five times in six games and completely fallen out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. That seems to be where this roster is going to remain, as they haven't shown many signs of life over the last few weeks. The wheels have fallen off in Missouri, and this club badly needs Robert Thomas healthy. That's not going to happen for a while, and it's going to be up to the players to get out of the slide. Minnesota and San Jose will both pass through Enterprise Center in Week 7.
The Senators have basically played consistent .500 hockey all throughout the 2024-25 season, and that didn't change in Week 6. Ottawa won twice — once in overtime — before losing twice — also, once in overtime. With that, the Sens are 8-8-1 and not going anywhere fast in the Eastern Conference. Still, the club is just two points out of a wildcard spot, and the campaign is still in its relatively early stages. But things need to change in Canada's capital, and as we've seen over the last few years, the roster might just not be capable. It is good to see Linus Ullmark back and playing well, and he will be a catalyst if this team hopes to improve enough for a spot in the dance next spring.
Another week, another brutal showing for the Red Wings, who look like they badly need a change. Detroit has lost four of five and seven of 10 dating back to October 26, and they're now just one point out of the basement in the Eastern Conference. That is worst-case scenario after what has been a long rebuild, and the patience is wearing thin in Motown. How much longer will Steve Yzerman trust in Derek Lalonde before he decides a new voice is needed? Things are just not pleasant in Detroit, and that's not going to cut it for a proud hockey town with demonstrated playoff success. After back-to-back losses in California at the hands of the Ducks and Kings, the Wings will finish the road trip against the Sharks at SAP Center on Monday.
Stop me if you've heard this before, but Sidney Crosby is just one goal back of 600. Sid the Kid had been sitting on 598 for two weeks before scoring in a 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks on Saturday night — that snapped a three-game skid. Now just one tally away, Crosby will be the 21st member of the 600-goal club when he accomplishes the feat. That could happen as soon as Tuesday night when the Lightning visit PPG Paints Arena. No. 87 hitting these kinds of milestones is exciting, especially as the Penguins haven't given their fans too much to cheer about this season. Now 7-10-3, GM Kyle Dubas could be ready to start a fire sale. Both Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have made it clear they aren't planning on going anywhere. As for the rest of the roster...who knows.
As they have all season, the Islanders are playing .500 hockey, losing three times in four games to drop to 7-7-4 after Week 6. Although the team treaded water for a little bit without Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech, it's been tough sledding lately. A couple of disappointing overtime losses, one to the Devils and one vs. the Oilers, spoiled a two-game winning streak, and a Western road trip was not kind to this club. After three games away from home, the Isles will play another two games on the road in Calgary and Detroit before returning to Long Island to welcome the Blues on Saturday night.
The Blue Jackets started the campaign 5-3-1, but that seems like a distant memory after the last two and a half weeks. Columbus has lost seven of eight, falling to 6-9-2 and last place in the Metropolitan Division. It's a place we expected this team to be in 2024-25, it's just unfortunate they got there so fast after a surprisingly decent start. Zach Werenski remains one of the most underrated players in the NHL, but he can only do so much. The Jackets are back to being one of the league's worst teams, and there's no reason to believe they'll be able to turn things around until a few players return from injury — especially captain Boone Jenner.
After a horrid stretch of six consecutive losses, the Canadiens bounced back with two victories in three tries in Week 6. It's not much, but it's enough to earn the Habs a small jump up the NHL Power Rankings. Montreal is still reeling, and it's becoming clear that the rebuild could take longer than expected in Quebec. A 6-10-2 record is just plain bad, and it has this team in last place in the Eastern Conference. But Samuel Montembeault is starting to play better, and that's the first step to this club getting back to .500. The Canadiens beat the Blue Jackets 5-1 at the Bell Centre on Saturday, and they'll remain home for three more games over the next eight days.
The Flyers took being put in the No. 32 slot in the NHL Power Rankings seriously. Philly has racked off three consecutive wins and four of five, returning to relevance in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers beat the Sharks in a shootout, the Senators in overtime and the Sabres in regulation to end the week. With that, it's a decent jump up the rankings for John Tortorella's club, who look to be shaking out of a miserable start to the season. Now back to .500 at 8-8-2, Philadelphia will look to make it four straight against Colorado before welcoming Carolina, Chicago and Vegas to the Wells Fargo Center over the next eight days. The first ever Connor Bedard vs. Matvei Michkov clash is set for Saturday afternoon between last year's Calder Trophy winner and this year's early favorite.
After losing four straight games and getting close to the NHL Power Rankings basement, the Ducks began to solve their goal-scoring woes in Week 6. Anaheim secured four of a possible six points over the last eight days, scoring 12 goals in that stretch. It's not much, but it's a start for a team that remains tied with the Sharks for last place in the Pacific Division. With John Gibson back in the fold, he and Lukas Dostal could help this talented young roster work its way up the standings — but it's clear the rebuild isn't in the rearview mirror yet. The Ducks play three times this week, visiting Dallas and Chicago before returning home to welcome Buffalo to California on Friday night.
The four worst words you could tell a Blackhawks fan this season: Connor Bedard, sophomore slump. The 19-year-old, after recording 61 points in his first 68 NHL games, has managed just three goals and 13 points over his first 18 tilts in 2024-25. To make matters worse, he's leading the team in scoring; no other player has more than 11 points. Despite a few offseason tweaks to the roster, the Hawks are still quite bad, and Seth Jones going on IR is not going to help that one bit. Bedard badly needs to get going, or this season is going to get away from Chicago quickly. As it stands, they're 6-11-1 and dead last in the Central Division. Now with four losses in five games, the Hawks will play three times this week, the finale a Bedard vs. Michkov showdown in Philly on Saturday.
The Sharks lasted exactly seven days out of the NHL Power Rankings basement. After losing three games in a row in Week 6, it's back to an all-too-familiar spot for the boys in teal. To San Jose's credit, two of the losses on the current skid came in a shootout, and all three of them were on the road in Philadelphia, New York and Pittsburgh. Still, it's back to last place in the Pacific Division with a 5-10-4 record, and not even Macklin Celebrini's return to the lineup has been able to create an offensive spark. On the bright side, the Sharks will honor the most dominant player in franchise history when Joe Thornton gets his No. 19 retired at the SAP Center on Saturday night against the Sabres. The former Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner is a franchise legend, and he remains the club's all-time leader in assists. In another season that will likely be lost before the New Year, moments like Jumbo Joe getting his number retired become even more special.
