December 24, 2024 by Bob Schmidt

Now that each team has played thirty games, I have assembled my version of a power rankings chart. I created this chart based on each team’s first thirty games; their overall record in those games; the strength of each team’s schedule in those games; and how they fared against the stronger, mid tier, and weaker teams.

1. Washington Capitals

Washington bookended this segment with four-game win streaks to propel them to the top of this list. The Capitals have a league-best 78% winning percentage against teams that were in the top ten in the overall standings at the time of play. They are doing this without their captain, future Hall of Famer Alexander Ovechkin, who has been out since November 18 with a fractured leg. Even without the Russian sniper, the Capitals’ offence is still their biggest weapon, and their 3.81 goals per game is good for second overall in the league. Depth scoring has been a strength for the Capitals. They have five players who have reached double digits in goals, and eight players who have at least twenty points. That includes defenceman Jakob Chychrun, who is tracking for career-high offensive numbers.

2. Winnipeg Jets

After a record breaking start to the season in which they only lost three of their first twenty games, the Jets came crashing back to Earth (no pun intended… okay, a little pun intended) with a season high four-game losing streak during this segment. Winnipeg finished the segment strong by winning three of the last four games though. The lone Manitoba NHL squad still remains the team to beat in the West. They have the third best offense in the league (3.62 GF/G), thanks in large part to their number one overall powerplay (31%). That coupled with elite goaltending from the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck, leaves first year Jets head coach Scott Arniel with a team who should remain in contention the rest of the season and into the playoffs. They’re a real threat to make the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2018.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are another team, similar to the Jets, that remain in this top ten list mainly due to the success they had in their first twenty games. Carolina has only had losing streaks of two or more twice so far this season. Unfortunately, one of them was during this segment and it was a three-game one. Rod Brind’Amour’s team remains a formidable force in the East with equal effectiveness both offensively and defensively. Czech forward Martin Necas remains the breakout story for the Hurricanes this season. He is on pace for a 116-point season, which would crush his previous season high of 71 points that he set two seasons ago.

4. Dallas Stars

The Stars have found success with a combination of team defence and timely scoring. The defence led by the trio of Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Esa Lindell, along with the strong goaltending provided by 2017 first round Dallas draft pick Jake Oettinger have kept the opposition to only 2.58 goals per game. That puts the Stars in the top three in the NHL. The timely scoring has been provided by 16-year veteran Matt Duchene, Mason Marchment, and 21-year-old Logan Stankoven, who have combined for ten of the team’s nineteen game winning goals.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay closed off this ten-game segment red hot by winning four straight games and six of their last seven. Head coach Jon Cooper is in his 13th season as the Lightning bench boss. He has guided his club to four Stanley Cup Finals and two Stanley Cup Championships. His 2024-25 squad looks like a contender again thanks to the usual suspects. Two-time scoring champion Nikita Kucherov, perennial Norris Trophy candidate Victor Hedman, and 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy are still at the top of their games, and back-to-back 40-plus goal scorer Brayden Point is on pace to break that mark again.

6. Minnesota Wild

This Minnesota team is an interesting character study to me. Their record is a bit deceiving. The Wild have only played a team that was in the top ten in the overall standings at the time of play three times so far this season (the least of any NHL team), and they have lost all three of those games. That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve their spot on this list. After all, the NHL is a league where any team can beat another team on any given night, and two points is two points. One of this club’s greatest attributes is its ability to win the so-called “should win” games. Second year Wild head coach John Hynes has kept his team focused and motivated in the games versus teams that are 21st-32nd overall at the time of play. They have only lost once in the eleven games against those bottom tier teams so far this season. Led once again by their superstar, Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota is hoping the momentum they have built in the first 30 games of this season has prepared them for what looks to be a much tougher part of the schedule.

7. Florida Panthers

What Stanley Cup hangover? After experiencing a small dip with a four-game losing streak, the Panthers rattled off six wins in their next seven games. They remain a force in the East. Forward Sam Reinhart, coming off a 57-goal season, looks poised to break the 30-goal mark for the fourth consecutive season. Even though Reinhart is their go-to offensive weapon, Florida also has depth strength as they boast seven players with at least twenty points already. Fun fact: of the 13 teams that have been involved in at least two shootouts this season, the Panthers are the only team that has not lost in one yet.

8. Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas strung together a four-game winning streak during this segment, three of which were versus top ten teams (Dallas, Winnipeg, and the Edmonton Oilers). The Golden Knights’ leading scorer, Jack Eichel, is averaging over a point per game in his time in Vegas. Not only is he averaging over a point per game this season (1.33), but he is also averaging over an assist per game (1.06) and is only two assists away from matching his least season’s total of 37 at the time of this article. The Golden Knights lead the league in winning percentage versus the tier three teams (teams 21st-32nd in the overall standings at the time of play) having won all ten games against them so far. Season after season, Vegas remains one of the stronger teams in the West with their balanced scoring and team defense, and this season is no exception.

9. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings produced a season high five-game winning streak during this segment to catapult them onto this top ten list for the first time this season. They weren’t gimme wins either as three of them came against top tier teams (Winnipeg, Dallas, and Minnesota). In fact, Los Angeles has the second highest winning percentage versus teams 1st-10th in standings at the time of play (75%). Anze Kopitar, their 37-year-old captain, is once again leading the way offensively AND defensively. The Slovenia native is annually in the Selke conversation for best defensive forward, having won it twice and finished in the top ten in Selke voting in 11 of his previous 18 seasons. His example sets the tone for the rest of the Kings squad, and their 2.56 goals against per game average (3rd in the NHL) is a byproduct of that effort and a major key to their success.

10. Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have seemingly found their stride after a slow start to the season. They made the biggest leap into the power rankings by moving up eight spots. Edmonton strung together a season high five-game winning streak in this segment, which was part of a stretch where they won eight out of nine games. They finished off this segment with three consecutive wins over tier one teams (Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Vegas). German forward Leon Draisaitl is at or near the top of the goal and point scoring races yet again. The 2020 Hart and Ted Lindsay Trophy winner is in those conversations again. Impressively, the Oilers boast 14 players with double digit point totals already. Though they are still led by the dynamic duo of Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, it’s that secondary scoring along with their improved team defense that keeps Edmonton dangerous long term.

Related: NHL Power Rankings: 20-Game Mark