NHL power ratings: Avalanche avoid detrimental slump as they enter Week 15 of 2025-26 season
For a brief moment, it seemed possible that the Colorado Avalanche were mortal. But like any elite team, they dispelled that notion rather quickly.
Colorado opened Week 14 with 4-2 road setback against the Tampa Bay Lightning, giving them back-to-back regulation losses for the first time in the 2025-26 NHL season. The mini-losing streak began two days earlier, when the club was edged 2-1 by the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
The Sunshine State apparently is the Avalanche's kryptonite as the team returned home and ended its slide with authority, pounding the Ottawa Senators 8-2 and following that up with a 4-0 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jared Bednar's squad ended the week with a 4-3 overtime loss to the sizzling Toronto Maple Leafs in which it salvaged a point thanks to Martin Necas' goal with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period.
That victory capped a perfect week for the Maple Leafs, who not very long ago were near the bottom of the league. Toronto won all four of its contests in Week 14 and is riding a 10-game point streak (8-0-2) that has catapulted it into the top 10 in the overall standings.
The Vegas Golden Knights also went 4-0-0, the Lightning and Detroit Red Wings both won all three of their games while the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers earned points in each of their four contests (3-0-1). Conversely, five teams failed to post a victory last week, with the Vancouver Canucks sinking to the bottom of the NHL by going 0-4-0 and four clubs losing in regulation three times.
Each week during the season I'll rank the league's top 10 teams based on both the previous week's performances and overall body of work in 2025-26. I'll also give brief synopsis for each club that explains why they're ranked where they are.
Let's dive into the power ratings entering Week 15 of the 2025-26 NHL season and highlight a few of the teams' notable accomplishments.
NHL Week 15 power ratings 1. Colorado Avalanche (2-1-1 in Week 14; 33-4-8 overall)The Avalanche still haven't been held without a point at Ball Arena this season, going 19-0-3, and they have four contests remaining on their seven-game homestand -- including a pair in Week 15. Nathan MacKinnon was held without a point twice last week and three times in his last five outings, but he posted multi-point performances against Ottawa (goal, three assists) and Toronto (three assists) to give him six over his past nine games. The 2024 Hart Trophy winner leads the NHL in both goals (36) and points (81), and he is well on his way to his fourth consecutive 100-point season. Two-time Norris Trophy recipient Cale Makar is first in the league among defensemen with 53 points after racking up two tallies and four assists last week, but he wasn't the only Colorado blue-liner who contributed offensively in Week 14. Veteran Brent Burns scored three times, including twice against the Senators, Josh Manson came up with a four-point effort (two goals, two assists) in that rout and Belarusian rookie Ilya Solovyov began the week with a three-game point streak (goal, two assists) after failing to land on the scoresheet in his first 10 outings this campaign.
2. Dallas Stars (2-1-1; 27-10-9)Coming off back-to-back winless weeks, the Stars kicked off Week 14 -- and their six-game road trip -- with a 6-3 setback against the Hurricanes that extended their skid to a season-high six games (0-3-3). The club appears to be back on track, however, as it has sandwiched wins against the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings around an overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston both scored in three of Dallas' four contests last week, with the former also notching three assists. The 26-year-old Robertson, who registered a seven-game goal-scoring streak in November, is tied for third in the NHL with 27 tallies. Mikko Rantanen leads the Stars with 62 points and has recorded at least one in 11 of his last 13 outings as he collected two goals and three assists in Week 14.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning (3-0-0; 28-13-3)Ten-game winning streaks appear to be en vogue lately, and the Lightning are the most recent team with one. The Buffalo Sabres posted a 10-gamer from Dec. 9-31, and the Avalanche registered their second such run of the season from Dec. 11-Jan. 3. Tampa Bay, which hasn't lost since dropping a 2-1 decision to Los Angeles on Dec. 18, has been lighting it up offensively during its streak as it has scored four or more goals in each game. The big guns were firing on all cylinders last week, with Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel all recording at least four points over the team's three contests. Kucherov, who is the two-time defending Art Ross Trophy winner and three-time recipient overall, has landed on the scoresheet in every game during the winning streak and notched two or more points in each of his last nine outings. A total of seven players contributed offensively in all three contests last week, including defenseman Darren Raddysh, who amassed five assists to set a career high with 39 points.
4. Detroit Red Wings (3-0-0; 28-15-4)Detroit completed its perfect Week 14 with a 4-3 overtime triumph over Carolina in which it squandered a three-goal lead in the third period. Andrew Copp helped the team avoid a complete meltdown, scoring his third goal in four games just under 3 1/2 minutes into the extra session. Alex DeBrincat, who also tallied earlier in the game, notched an assist on Copp's winner to complete his second straight three-point performance. The 28-year-old DeBrincat has registered at least one point in five of his last six outings after recording only one assist over his previous seven contests. Lucas Raymond had his three-game goal-scoring streak halted by the Hurricanes but set up a tally in the victory to pull even with DeBrincat for the team lead with 49 points. John Gibson has gone 13-2-0 in his last 15 starts and posted his third shutout of the season last Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, his highest total since having three in 2020-21 with the Anaheim Ducks.
5. Minnesota Wild (1-1-1; 26-12-9)The Wild fell three spots in the ratings as they have lost five of their last seven games (2-2-3). However, they've earned at least one point in eight of their past 10 contests (4-2-4). Brock Faber has been the hottest member of the team offensively as he enters Week 15 with a five-game point streak during which he has scored two goals and set up five others. The 28-year-old defenseman netted his 10th tally of the season in last Thursday's 3-2 overtime triumph over the Seattle Kraken to match the career high of 10 goals he set last campaign.
6. Carolina Hurricanes (3-0-1; 28-14-4)The Hurricanes appear to have righted the ship after suffering three consecutive regulation losses and dropping six of eight contests (2-5-1). Carolina ended Week 13 -- and its three-game skid -- on Jan. 4 with a victory against the New Jersey Devils and began last week with triumphs over the Stars, Ducks and Kraken before falling to the Red Wings in overtime on Monday. The turnaround has coincided with the return of Seth Jarvis, who missed eight games with an upper-body injury but was back in action in last Tuesday's victory against Dallas. The 23-year-old center recorded a goal and an assist in that contest, set up a tally in the win over Seattle and netted one versus Detroit as the Hurricanes erased a three-goal deficit in the third period before ultimately losing in OT. Logan Stankoven posted a four-game goal-scoring streak and five-game point run before being kept off the scoresheet by the Red Wings, while defenseman K'Andre Miller racked up two goals and three assists over Carolina's first three contests last week.
7. Montreal Canadiens (3-1-0; 26-14-6)It was another strong week for the Canadiens, who have gone 11-3-3 since last suffering consecutive regulation losses on Dec. 7 and 9. Nick Suzuki has gone six games without a goal but collected four assists in Week 14 and has been kept off the scoresheet in back-to-back contests just once this season (Nov. 11-13). Reigning Calder Trophy-winning defenseman Lane Hutson has notched a point in 13 of his last 17 outings, Juraj Slafkovsky has posted multi-point performances in seven of his last 11 games and Oliver Kapanen has tallied in five of his past seven contests. Alexandre Texier enjoyed his best week since being signed by Montreal in late November, amassing four goals -- including his first career hat trick in last Thursday's 6-2 victory against Florida -- and four assists while producing three multi-point efforts.
8. Vegas Golden Knights (4-0-0; 21-11-12)The Golden Knights officially ended their slump in Week 14, winning all four of their games after going 1-5-3 over their previous nine. Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone landed on the scoresheet in each of Vegas' contests, something the former has done in 10 of his last 11 outings and the latter has accomplished in all but three of his 28 games this season. Stone is in the midst of an eight-game point streak during which he has netted seven tallies and set up five others but has his franchise record-tying streak of seven consecutive contests with a goal halted in Sunday's 7-2 triumph over San Jose. Tomas Hertl came up with three multi-point performances last week, including a career-best five-point effort against his former Sharks team, while defenseman Shea Theodore has scored a goal in back-to-back games after missing the club's previous 11 with an upper-body injury.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs (4-0-0; 23-15-7)Instead of firing head coach Craig Berube after losing 14 of 21 games (7-10-4) from Nov. 8-Dec. 21, the Maple Leafs relieved assistant Marc Savard of his duties. The move has worked wonders as the team hasn't suffered a regulation loss since (8-0-2) and has gone from last in the NHL on the power play (13.3% conversion rate) to 24th (17.0%). Toronto has gone 7-for-22 with the man advantage since replacing Savard, including a 2-for-4 showing in Saturday's 5-0 triumph over Vancouver. Rookie right wing Easton Cowan scored an even-strength goal in three of the Maple Leafs' four wins in Week 14 while William Nylander returned from a six-game absence due to a lower-body injury to end the week with back-to-back multi-point performances in which he totaled two goals and three assists. The 29-year-old Nylander has tallied in four straight outings after enduring an 11-game drought.
10. Buffalo Sabres (3-1-0; 24-16-4)Despite ending Week 14 with a 4-3 loss to the Panthers, Buffalo edged the New York Islanders (2-0-1 last week) for this spot in the ratings. The Sabres won their first three games last week, scoring five goals in each, to give them 13 victories in 14 contests. Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Ryan McLeod and defenseman Bowen Byram got on the scoresheet in each of Buffalo's four games, registering five points apiece. Thompson, who leads the team with 42 points, has notched eight (four goals, four assists) over his last six outings while Tuch (four goals, three assists) has recorded at least one in six of his past seven contests. McLeod has contributed offensively in 12 of his last 15 games, collecting four goals and nine assists, and Byram has amassed four tallies and eight assists over his past 10 outings.
