NHL 2026-27 Power Rankings: Week 2

Week 2 of the 2026-27 season is in the books, so it’s time for another power ranking of all 32 NHL clubs. Most teams remained in the same area, but there were some big risers and notable droppers. Who were they?

32-29: Holding Out for Landon DuPont

32. Philadelphia Flyers (-4)

31. Chicago Blackhawks (+1)

30. Calgary Flames (+1)

29. Vancouver Canucks (No change)

What’s going on with the Philadelphia Flyers? After qualifying for the playoffs and winning a series in 2025-26, they’re putting up the worst analytical totals since those stats started being tracked almost two decades ago. It’s still early, but long-time fans might be getting flashbacks to 2006-07. They have lost each of their first seven games.

The next three teams are familiar with this tier. The Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames were expected to be in the basement, and they have a combined 1-10-0 record. The Vancouver Canucks had some juice to begin the campaign, albeit with terrible underlying numbers. Seeing as they’ve dropped four straight in regulation, those numbers seem to reflect what they are: still a bottom-feeder.

28-21: Outside Chance at the Playoffs

28. Los Angeles Kings (-6)

27. Nashville Predators (No change)

26. Detroit Red Wings (+4)

25. New York Islanders (No change)

24. San Jose Sharks (-7)

23. Columbus Blue Jackets (+1)

22. St. Louis Blues (-1)

21. Seattle Kraken (+5)

These teams have an outside chance at the playoffs—they’re not quite in the hunt for presumed No. 1 pick Landon DuPont. This tier starts with the Los Angeles Kings, who are one of three winless teams remaining. To their credit, they’ve had a tough schedule, and their underlying numbers aren’t worst-in-the-league bad. But they need to turn it around.

The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks may seem low, as they’re both tied for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference, but expected goals are more predictive of future goals than actual goals. Unfortunately, both have performed poorly on that front. Plus, the Sharks have a minus-4 goal differential, so they’ll have to pick it up this week.

The Detroit Red Wings and Seattle Kraken received the biggest bumps from Week 1. Detroit went 1-1-1 in Week 2, which isn’t spectacular, but the process was there amid a difficult schedule. As for Seattle, while they’ve been getting outchanced, a 4-2-0 start with an upset win over the Washington Capitals is impressive. Regression is probably coming, however, unless they can improve their 42.34% expected goal share at 5-on-5.

20-12: Playoff Contender

20. Toronto Maple Leafs (+3)

19. New Jersey Devils (-1)

18. Winnipeg Jets (+2)

17. Florida Panthers (-6)

16. Buffalo Sabres (-6)

15. Pittsburgh Penguins (No change)

14. Montreal Canadiens (-7)

13. New York Rangers (+1)

12. Anaheim Ducks (+1)

Now, for the playoff contender tier. The Toronto Maple Leafs managed three points against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, which they should be proud of. Fans won’t want to hear it, but Toronto has been getting outchanced for the most part—the Avalanche win was a bit flukey, given Mackenzie Blackwood’s nightmarish .773 save percentage.

The biggest droppers for this tier are the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, and Montreal Canadiens, falling six, six, and seven spots, respectively. Buffalo’s defense was a concern for me in Week 1, and that didn’t change in Week 2—the Sabres have to pick up the slack. Florida looks closer to the team it was last season than a contender, and I’m not sure that will change until Aleksander Barkov returns from injury. Montreal has had solid 5-on-5 play, but I can’t reward a .500 record too much.

The Rangers would’ve been much higher on this list, but losing goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the entire season is a devastating blow. Dylan Garand has played well when called upon, posting 1.6 goals saved above expected in three contests. Still, replacing Shesterkin will be an impossible task.

It feels wrong to have the 4-1-0 Anaheim Ducks in this tier, but their metrics have been just okay, and this also doesn’t scream “no-brainer borderline Cup contender” when you watch them. The Ducks have to do just a little bit more to earn their flowers from me, even if being No. 12 is nothing to scoff at.

11-6: Borderline Cup Contender

11. Boston Bruins (+8)

10. Ottawa Senators (+6)

9. Washington Capitals (-3)

8. Dallas Stars (+4)

7. Utah Mammoth (+1)

6. Minnesota Wild (-1)

Now for some borderline Stanley Cup contenders. I was on the fence with the Boston Bruins after Week 1, but they were super impressive last week. This Bruins team may be even better than last season’s if goaltender Jeremy Swayman can keep up his strong play.

The Ottawa Senators had some too-close-for-comfort games against the Flyers and Predators, the two worst teams in terms of shot-attempt share in the NHL, but a 4-1-0 record speaks for itself. Jake Sanderson was out of the lineup with a short-term injury for those games, so Ottawa still deserves kudos for coming out on top.

In the Central Division, the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Utah Mammoth all look like they could dethrone the Avalanche for divisional supremacy. Utah suffered a blowout loss to the Bruins, but rebounded nicely with a 4-1 victory over the Sabres. Dallas got into some early-season trouble, too, then had back-to-back shutouts to open Week 2. Minnesota has been the most consistent of the trio.

5-1: Stanley Cup Favorites

5. Edmonton Oilers (+4)

4. Colorado Avalanche (-3)

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (No change)

2. Vegas Golden Knights (+2)

1. Carolina Hurricanes (+1)

These are the Stanley Cup favorites. The Edmonton Oilers have had a weak schedule, but you can’t ask for more than a 4-0-1 record with solid underlyings. The Avalanche are still ahead for me, despite dropping two games. Their poor goaltending is unsustainable—it will turn around eventually.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Golden Knights are back to being the true kings of the NHL, sitting first and second in the league standings. These were the two teams to beat in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and they are now.

As always, this list is pretty volatile. Injuries happen, and teams perform inexplicably well or inexplicably poorly. Hopefully, your team can shoot up the rankings in Week 3!

Advanced stats courtesy of Hockey Stats and Natural Stat Trick; Evolving-Hockey was also used to help compile these rankings