NHL power ratings: Avalanche maintain top spot after Week 5 of 2025-26 season

Six teams went unbeaten during the fifth week of the 2025-26 NHL season, while five finished without a victory. One of the unbeaten clubs was the Colorado Avalanche, who won all three of their contests and have just one regulation loss over their first 16 games.

The Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes both went 4-0-0 last week, while the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks — yes, the Sharks — joined the Avalanche at 3-0-0. Carolina, Chicago and San Jose all posted each of their victories in regulation.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets both had rough weeks, failing to earn a point over three games (0-3-0). As a result, the Red Wings and Jets dropped out of this week’s ratings.

Each week during the season, I’ll rank the league’s top 10 teams based on both the previous week’s performances and their overall bodies 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 after Week 5 of the 2025-26 NHL season and highlight a few of the teams’ notable accomplishments.

1. Colorado Avalanche (3-0-0 in Week 5; 10-1-5 overall)

The Avalanche are atop the mountain for the second straight week and third this time this season. In Week 5, they edged Tampa Bay and routed the Edmonton Oilers before getting past the Vancouver Canucks in overtime. Nathan MacKinnon had quite the week, notching an assist against the Lightning before posting four- and five-point performances versus the Oilers and Canucks, respectively. The 30-year-old took over the NHL lead in both points (29) and goals (14) as he enters Week 6 with a nine-game point streak. Two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar scored twice against Edmonton and set up a pair of tallies versus Vancouver as he increased his point total to 22, which is tops among all defensemen.

2. Anaheim Ducks (4-0-0; 11-3-1)

Since dropping a 4-3 decision at Tampa Bay on Oct. 25, the Ducks have reeled off seven consecutive victories to climb to the top of the Pacific Division. Anaheim defeated four strong teams in the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets last week, scoring at least four goals in every triumph. Leo Carlsson recorded two or more points in each win and enters Week 6 with a 10-game point streak. The 20-year-old Swedish center racked up five goals and four assists last week and is tied for second in the NHL with 25 points. Cutter Gauthier has posted five multi-point performances over his last five contests, notching four goals, including his first career hat trick in the win against Florida, and four assists during Anaheim’s 4-0-0 week. Meanwhile, Troy Terry has registered an assist in eight of his last nine contests and Chris Kreider has collected seven points in six games since missing four with an illness.

3. Carolina Hurricanes (4-0-0; 11-4-0)

The Hurricanes entered Week 5 having lost four of six games but righted the ship with triumphs over the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs. Carolina scored a total of 18 goals in those victories, with defenseman Sean Walker and Seth Jarvis tallying in three of them. The 30-year-old Walker, who also notched two assists last week, has four goals this season after recording just five over 82 games in 2024-25. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov missed Carolina’s first 11 contests this campaign with a lower-body injury before turning aside 26 shots against the Rangers in his season debut for his 11th career shutout. 

4. New Jersey Devils (2-0-1; 11-4-1)

The Devils went beyond regulation in all three of their games in Week 5 and came away with victories against the Montreal Canadiens (overtime) and Pittsburgh Penguins (shootout) before losing in OT to the New York Islanders. New Jersey fought hard to earn a point versus the Islanders, however, as defenseman Simon Nemec scored his first goal of the season with five seconds remaining in the third period to forge a 2-2 tie. Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt had solid offensive weeks, with the former scoring against Montreal before recording a goal and an assist versus the Isles, and the latter netting the overtime winner against the Canadiens while notching a pair of assists versus New York.

5. Montreal Canadiens (1-0-2; 10-3-2)

The Canadiens earned points in all three contests last week to extend their streak to six games. After being edged by the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout and Devils in overtime, Montreal rolled past the Utah Mammoth 6-2 on Saturday. Kirby Dach scored in each contest, including twice against Philadelphia, after tallying in just one of his first nine games, while defenseman Noah Dobson collected four assists. Cole Caufield produced a pair of goals versus the Mammoth and is tied for second in the NHL with 12. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Swedish center Oliver Kapanen has tallied in back-to-back contests and Russian right wing Ivan Demidov had a goal and two assists last week to take over the rookie scoring lead with 13 points.

6. Boston Bruins (3-0-0; 10-7-0)

Boston registered its second consecutive 3-0-0 week, defeating the Islanders in a shootout, the Ottawa Senators in overtime and the Maple Leafs in regulation. Morgan Geekie recorded a point in each win and has landed on the scoresheet in nine of his last 10 games, racking up nine goals and two assists in that span. The 27-year-old center leads the Bruins with 11 tallies after ranking second on the team last season with a career-high 33. Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson also scored twice last week, with the former netting the overtime winner against the Senators. Charlie McAvoy, who missed the triumph over Toronto due to a personal matter, has registered six assists over his last five contests and is tied for second among NHL defensemen with 12.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins (1-1-1; 9-5-3)

The Penguins appear to be fading, as they have won only three of nine contests following a four-game winning streak. But they earned points in two of their three outings last week, defeating the Washington Capitals and taking New Jersey to a shootout before being edged in regulation by the Los Angeles Kings. Bryan Rust continued his strong start to the season, recording a goal and three assists over the three games, while 38-year-old captain Sidney Crosby netted a pair of tallies and set up another. The two-time Hart, Art Ross and Maurice Richard Trophy winner is tied for fourth in the NHL with 11 goals and second with six power-play tallies. Pittsburgh’s other veteran superstar, 39-year-old Russian center and two-time Art Ross Trophy recipient Evgeni Malkin leads the team with 21 points and has been kept off the scoresheet in only three of his 17 contests this campaign.

8. Dallas Stars (3-1-0; 9-4-3)

Since suffering three consecutive regulation losses in mid-October, the Stars have earned at least one point in nine of their last 10 games. Dallas won three of four last week, edging Edmonton in a shootout while posting one-goal victories against the Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken. The trio of Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston and defenseman Miro Heiskanen was unstoppable, combining for seven goals and 18 assists over the team’s four contests. Johnston and Heiskanen landed on the scoresheet in each game, and both posted three multi-point performances. The 26-year-old Heiskanen is second among NHL blue-liners with 14 points.

9. Chicago Blackhawks (3-0-0; 8-5-3)

After beginning their six-game road trip with a three-game slide (0-2-1), the Blackhawks ended it last week with their first three-game winning streak of the season, outscoring the Canucks, Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings 14-3 in the process. Tyler Bertuzzi had a tremendous week, starting with his fourth career hat trick in the triumph over Vancouver. The 30-year-old left wing followed with a two-goal effort against Calgary and finished with a tally and an assist versus Detroit. Connor Bedard posted three multi-point performances to extend his point streak to eight games and pull into a tie for second in the NHL with 25 points, while goaltender Spencer Knight notched an assist versus the Canucks before stopping all 33 shots he faced against the Flames for his sixth career shutout. Andre Burakovsky has netted a tally and set up another in back-to-back contests, scored a goal in five of his last six and notched a point in six of his past seven.

10. Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1-0; 8-5-2)

The Lightning began Week 5 with a 3-2 loss at Colorado that ended their five-game winning streak but bounced back with triumphs over Vegas and Washington. Three-time Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov recorded four points over Tampa Bay’s first two games last week, while Brandon Hagel collected five over the team’s last two contests. The 27-year-old Hagel has notched at least one point in seven of his last eight outings, posting five multi-point performances in that span, and scored a goal in six of his past seven games. Meanwhile, 2018 Norris Trophy winner and 2020 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient Victor Hedman has set up a tally in four straight contests and is tied for second in the league among defensemen with 12 assists.