NHL Power Rankings: A look at the top 16 teams in hockey

The NHL season is well underway and we are starting to get a feel for who’s looking good and who may be struggling. Some of the preseason favorites are living up to their hype, along with some surprise teams looking hot to start the year. Let’s take a look at the top 16 teams in the NHL so far.

The Sabres sit 8-9-1 so far, despite some mediocre work from go-to goalie Devon Levi. So far Levi has not performed at a level to fill anyone with confidence and could force Buffalo to look for an upgrade.

Tampa is 9-6-4 despite leaking at a rate near the bottom of the league. Jonas Johansson has allowed 7.57 goals above average through the early part of the season. Having a winning record despite that is impressive.

Per CBS Sports, the Ducks are the only team to ever “complete six third-period comebacks in the first 15 games of a season.” A record that should inspire confidence in the battling nature of this team, but certainly not something anyone should expect to continue.

Alex Iafallo was the Jets’ biggest offseason acquisition and so far he is living up to the hype with 13 points through 17 games. The Jets sit third in the Central Division and look like they’ll be competitive all year.

Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier have been missing for most of the early part of the season. Never easy for any team to deal with their two starting centers missing. Hughes has returned recently and Hischier is looking to be back in the starting line soon giving the Devils hope.

Sidney Crosby is simply refusing to age it seems, at 36 he is no longer ‘Sid the Kid’ but he is still a key part of a Penguins side playing some really good hockey during the early stages of the season.

The Hurricanes haven’t looked great so far, but they look to be improving as the season goes on, especially on defense. If their offense can start firing, this could be another very good Carolina team.

William Nylander is leading the charge for the Leafs so far in the 23/24 season with 27 points (12 goals and 15 assists) through 17 games. Could this finally be the Leafs’ year?

After a 6-0-0 start, Colorado has gone 5-6-0 since. They are still looking like one of the better teams in the NHL, but they need to find some consistency if they want to be a true challenger again.

The Kings are essentially impossible to beat once they get a lead, but have struggled to respond when they go behind. Drew Doughty is still one of the better defensemen in the game and is key to everything the Kings do.

Florida was missing key defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour for most of the early stretch of the season and was still very competitive. With both back healthy, the Panthers could provide a real challenge to Boston in the Atlantic Division.

The Canucks are scoring for fun and are hard to score against. A lot of credit should be given to coach Rick Tocchet for getting the best out of his team, who currently lead the whole league in goals scored with 78 through 19 games.

The Golden Knights currently sit atop the Pacific Division with 28 points and seem to be continuing their championship form from last season. There is nothing to suggest this team couldn’t repeat their finals win.

The Stars keep rolling on despite one of their key players being the 39-year-old Joe Pavelski, whose 17 points in 17 games are a big reason for the Star’s lead in the Central Division.

The Rangers are 12-3-1 through 16 games and sit comfortably atop the Metropolitan Division despite playing fewer games than most of the teams around them. This is a team with the Stanley Cup firmly in their sights.

The Bruins absolutely dominated the regular season last year, and look to be doing something similar this season.