Just under six months ago, the Florida Panthers completed their cinderella run through the Eastern Conference, sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final since 1996. After needing every single win to even advance to the postseason, it was a thrilling performance to first beat the NHL's best-ever regular-season team in the Boston Bruins, and follow it up with convincing series victories over the Maple Leafs and Canes.
Unfortunately for a battered Cats team, the Vegas Golden Knights wouldn't be denied in their second trip to the Finals in six seasons, manhandling the Panthers to win their inaugural Stanley Cup championship. And the success has continued in earnest in 2023-24, with Las Vegas leading the National Hockey League — although not yet the NHL Power Rankings — with a 21-6-5 record through nearly one half of the campaign. Florida is also having an excellent year, their 18-10-2 record good enough for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
There is certain to be bad blood when the Panthers and Knights meet for the first time this season, and that's not just because Vegas hung nine goals on Florida in a title-clinching Game 5. It's because Keegan Kolesar broke Matthew Tkachuk's sternum with a devastating hit in Game 3, and although Tkachuk claims to be healthy, his play in 2023-24 tells a different story.
There are sure to be fireworks at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon as the Cats look to get revenge on the team that halted what would have been one of the greatest Stanley Cup Final runs in history. That is certainly the highlight of Week 11, and it'll headline the last day of games before the Christmas break.
It'll be a six day slate this week, as no games will be played between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. That means no hockey on Sunday, and fantasy managers will need to adjust accordingly. Speaking of adjustments, there were quite a few of them in the latest edition of ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings. Just not at the top.
Previous 2023-24 NHL Power Rankings: Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3| Week 2 | Week 1
1. New York Rangers (no change)
For the fourth straight week, I couldn't find any good reason to take the New York Rangers out of the top spot in ClutchPoints' weekly NHL Power Rankings. The wagon just keeps chugging along at Madison Square Garden for a team that beat two tough opponents in the Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins last week. There may have been a blip in a 7-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs — one that star goalie Igor Shesterkin had trouble describing — but the Blueshirts still won three of four over the last seven days. New York is a phenomenal 21-7-1, just four points back of the Vegas Golden Knights with three games in hand, and continuing to enjoy one of the franchise's best regular seasons in recent memory.
2. Vegas Golden Knights (+1)
It looks like the brief Stanley Cup hangover has been put firmly in the rearview for a Golden Knights team that has won seven of 10, and picked up points in nine of them. Now back to first place in NHL standings, Vegas is neck-and-neck with the Rangers for the top spot, and could usurp their Eastern Conference rivals with another big week. The Knights uncharacteristically lost to Jack Eichel's old team, but at least he scored against the Sabres. And Vegas beat the Flames, Senators and Sharks to cap off another excellent seven days. The Knights head to Raleigh, Tampa Bay and Sunrise before their Christmas break, and the finale figures to be appointment viewing for hockey fans.
3. Boston Bruins (-1)
The Bruins continue to work through a mediocre .500 stretch, a place they've been stuck at over the last few weeks. Injuries to Charlie McAvoy and Pavel Zacha have hurt; the B's won just one game in three tries last week, and have five victories in 10 games dating back to Nov. 25. Boston beat New Jersey in overtime, lost to the New York Islanders in a shootout, and finished the week with a tight 2-1 loss to the Rangers in a game they led in the third period. The Bruins remain elite — and, for the second straight week, tied with the Rangers through 29 games. The surging Wild are in town on Tuesday night.
4. Vancouver Canucks (+2)
Another winning week for the Vancouver Canucks, who are back to second place in NHL standings — and back in the top-five of the NHL Power Rankings — after three wins in four tries in Week 10. Vancouver welcomed Tampa Bay and Florida to Rogers Arena, and sent them packing with convincing 4-0 and 4-1 wins, respectively. After losing a tight shootout decision to Filip Gustavsson and the Wild, the Canucks bounced back to beat the lowly Blackhawks 4-3 to end the week. Lightning forward Brayden Point was impressed with this 2023-24 Vancouver team, saying it feels like a complete roster that can legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup this season. At 21-9-2 through 32 games, the math checks out.
5. Los Angeles Kings (-1)
After a torrid stretch throughout the end of November and into early December, the LA Kings slowed down with three consecutive losses to the Islanders, Rangers and Jets. Those are three tough teams in 2023-24, but it's the first time this club has lost more than two in a row this season. LA got back on the right track with a shootout win over the Kraken on Saturday night, and remain in the thick of the Pacific Division battle. With five games in hand on both the Canucks and Golden Knights, it wouldn't be overly surprising to see the Kings at the top of the division before the New Year.
6. Winnipeg Jets (+3)
A phenomenal run up the standings continues for the Winnipeg Jets, who lost Kyle Connor but haven't been losing many games even in the sniper's absence. The only loss the Jets have suffered since Dec. 1 was a 2-1 defeat to the Sharks on Tuesday night. San Jose has been playing much better as of late, and encouragingly, Winnipeg followed it up with two impressive performances against two great teams in Los Angeles and Colorado. The Jets handled the Kings 5-2, and hung six on the Avalanche two nights later. This squad is looking like the real deal, and with Connor Hellebucyk between the pipes, there's confidence throughout the roster that they have a chance to win every single night. That winning mentality is what finally caused the Jets to leapfrog the Stars and Avs in the NHL Power Rankings.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs (+1)
What a stretch for the Maple Leafs, who are now breathing down the necks of their rival Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Toronto welcomed Timothy Liljegren and Matthew Knies back to the lineup in Week 10, and picked up six of a possible eight points over a 2-0-2 stretch. That was highlighted by a 7-0 drubbing of the Penguins in Kyle Dubas' return to Toronto. The Leafs are finding ways to win games, and when they aren't, they're at least getting them past regulation. This roster continues to pile up points, and the Auston Matthews-William Nylander connection has been dynamite. The defensive side of the puck is still a problem, but the early returns on Martin Jones (who seems to have taken over the starting job after Joseph Woll's injury) have been encouraging both for the veteran and for his new team. The Rangers are in town on Tuesday.
8. Colorado Avalanche (-3)
The Avalanche are back at the top of the Central Division after manhandling the Sharks on Sunday night, but the hold is more than precarious with the Jets and Stars each two points back with two games in hand. Inconsistency is the name of the game for Colorado this season, a team that looks like a Stanley Cup contender on some nights and fated for another postseason upset on others. Nathan MacKinnon continues to drive the bus, and his 15-game, 27-point streak is the longest in the NHL. But the Avs are playing .500 hockey over the last two weeks, and that won't keep them in the No. 1 spot in the Central for long. Cale Makar missed the last two games as he deals with a nagging injury, and the superstars' health is paramount to this team battling for the division title all season.
9. Dallas Stars (-2)
The Stars and Avalanche have had eerily similar seasons in 2023-24, and the two presumed Stanley Cup contenders continue to show up together in the NHL Power Rankings. Dallas was dealt a brutal blow on Monday, as Jake Oettinger's injury will keep the star goaltender out of the lineup week-to-week. Scott Wedgewood has been great in a backup role, but it will be interesting to see if the veteran can carry the load as a starter. Like the Avs, the Stars are playing .500 hockey, yet remain in contention for the Central Division plateau. Dallas welcomes Seattle to the American Airlines Center on Monday night.
10. Florida Panthers (no change)
All eyes will be on Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers when they welcome the Golden Knights back to Sunrise for the first time since Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Cats lost that game 3-2, ultimately the catalyst of the series as they went to Las Vegas battered and bruised down 3-1 for Game 5. Florida will be looking for a better result on Saturday afternoon, and there figures to be fireworks after what happened between Tkachuk and Kolesar — among many other instances of physicality in the 2023 Finals — in June. Florida was shut out in back-to-back games by the Kraken and Canucks, but bounced back with a convincing 5-1 victory over the Oilers in Week 10. It's Calgary, St. Louis and Vegas this week before the Christmas break.
11. New Jersey Devils (+4)
With Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier back and healthy, the Devils have started to turn their season around. There were rumblings around the league that veteran head coach Lindy Ruff might be on the hot seat after an abysmal stretch, but that seems to be put to rest after New Jersey won seven of its last 10 games. It's a process, as the Devils remain in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, but the last few weeks have been encouraging. Still, it was a .500 week for the club, and that's usually not a sign for a plus-4 jump in the NHL Power Rankings. But there is still untapped potential in Newark, and this is going to be a playoff team next April.
12. New York Islanders (+3)
Like the Devils, the Islanders are turning their season around, picking up points in eight of 10. Bo Horvat and Matthew Barzal are finally playing up to their potential, and that is leading to the recent success for the franchise. The Isles are 14-8-8 and third place in the division, despite back-to-back losses to the Bruins and Canadiens. Before that, New York was on a torrid stretch of seven wins in eight games, and this is starting to look more and more like a playoff lock. The powerplay is also starting to click, with the pride of Summerside, PEI, Noah Dobson, emerging into a truly elite offensive defenseman. The Oilers are in Long Island on Tuesday night.
13. Philadelphia Flyers (+3)
The Philadelphia Flyers are a very good defensive team in 2023-24. And despite all preseason expectations, they might actually be a very good team, period. Through 30 games, Philly is 17-10-3 and second in the Metro. Stop me if I've said this before, but this roster is going to hang around the Eastern Conference playoff picture all season. With Carter Hart out of action, Samuel Ersson stepped up admirably between the pipes, highlighted by a 1-0 shutout of the Red Wings. Ersson and Hart have both been excellent, as has the team in front of them, and this year's iteration of the Flyers looks to have come out of the rebuild. Philly looks prepared to not only make the playoffs, but make some noise when that time comes.
14. Detroit Red Wings (-2)
The Red Wings are nowhere near full strength, with Dylan Larkin still out, David Perron continuing to serve his six-game suspension, and now Alex Lyon and Robby Fabbri both dealing with their own ailments. Still, JT Compher is back in the lineup, and Larkin could be as soon as Monday night against Anaheim. Detroit didn't have a great week with a shorthanded roster, losing three of four games and scoring just 10 goals in that stretch (and six of them came in a win against the Blues). The Wings will look for a better showing in a rare four-contest slate before Christmas, and they'll hope Patrick Kane can improve on the two points he's produced in his first six games of 2023-24.
15. Edmonton Oilers (-2)
Right when it looked like Connor McDavid's Oilers would never lose again, Edmonton dropped two straight games to the Lightning and Panthers at Rogers Place last week. That halted an eight-game point streak, but at least this team is back to winning. That was something we didn't see too much of through the first quarter of the campaign. The Oil are almost back to .500 at 13-14-1, and it's only a matter of time before the talent on this roster gets over the hump. But Edmonton could end up being a middle of the pack team, one that battles for a playoff berth rather than a top berth in the Pacific. But there's still lots of time to go, and they'll look to get back in the win column against the Islanders in New York on Tuesday.
16. Carolina Hurricanes (-5)
Shockingly, the Hurricanes waived Antti Raanta after the 34-year-old failed to step up in Frederik Andersen's absence in any way. The Finnish goaltender is sporting a brutal .854 save percentage and 3.61 goals-against average through 14 starts, and that just isn't at all good enough for the front office. Pyotr Kochetkov figures to maintain starting duties, although it was reported on Monday that Andersen could be back on the ice again soon. That is huge for fans of this team, as a perennial Stanley Cup contender is looking like a true middle of the pack team in 2023-24. The Canes have won just three-of-10, and continue failing to live up to the sky high standards set in the preseason. Andrei Svechnikov's latest injury is just devastating, and you can bet there aren't too many people in Raleigh that are at all content with how this year is going. The fall down the NHL Power Rankings continues.
17. Nashville Predators (+2)
Another week, another reason to be seriously impressed with the Predators. Filip Forsberg scored another overtime goal — his fourth GWG of the year — and the good times continue in Smashville. The Preds have won four in a row, improved to 18-13, and look like a true postseason contender in the Central. I said don't let Nashville get hot, and we let Nashville get hot. Now, they're fourth in the division and just four points back of the Avs for the top spot. Could the 2023-24 Predators actually win the division? There would certainly be crazier storylines in the National Hockey League this year. A great test against the Canucks awaits at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.
18. Tampa Bay Lightning (+1)
The mediocrity continues for the TB Lightning, a roster that is really struggling to gain any meaningful momentum even with Andrei Vasilevskiy playing relatively well. The Bolts have won four-of-10 and have slipped to fifth place in the Atlantic Division, a place they haven't been anywhere close to midway through December for years. Nikita Kucherov was the first player to 50 points and he continues to put together a spectacular season, but there's not much going on after that. Tampa lost to Vancouver and Calgary last week, but hung seven on the Oilers to halt Edmonton's winning streak. Still, it's been a very disappointing few months for a 14-13-5 Lightning team, both in the standings and NHL Power Rankings.
19. Washington Capitals (-1)
Despite scoring point No. 1,500 last week, the goal scoring decline continues for The Great Eight. Alex Ovechkin's team didn't have a great Week 10, losing two straight before mercifully stemming the bleeding in a tight shootout win over the Hurricanes. That was preceded by defeats to Nashville and Philadelphia; a combined four goals was not enough to beat either streaking organization. At 15-9-4, it's still been a good season for a Caps team that is hanging around the playoff picture in mid-December. Washington will play New York (the Long Island version), Columbus and Tampa Bay before Christmas.
20. Minnesota Wild (+4)
The Minnesota Wild have gone from rock bottom to one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League in a matter of weeks. And that's why we love the game. Filip Gustavsson, who couldn't stop a puck early in the year, is now the hottest goalie in the league. The Swede has given up just nine goals in his last seven starts — six of them wins — and the Wild are back to relevancy. Yes, they're still just 12-12-4 and second-to-last in the Central Division, but a three-game winning streak has brought what fans in Saint Paul have been desperate for all season: hope. Minnesota is just 10 points back of a top-three spot in the division, and the work continues in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on Monday.
21. Arizona Coyotes (+2)
Goaltending has not been a place that the Coyotes have been able to boast star talent since the days of Mike Smith and Darcy Kuemper, but that is beginning to change in 2023-24. Connor Ingram shut out the Sharks last week, and Karel Vejmelka followed it up with a blanking of his own, a 2-0 victory over the Sabres. The Yotes have won two in a row and six of 10, and are just eight points back of the Avalanche. The margin of error is razor thin in the division, and Arizona will need continued excellence between the pipes to keep the momentum going. There's confidence in both the Canadian and the Czech ahead of a date with the struggling Senators in the desert on Tuesday.
22. St. Louis Blues (-1)
The Blues had their most eventful seven days of the season in Week 10, firing head coach Craig Berube after a 6-4 loss to the Red Wings and dealing with the subsequent drama. Two days later, Jordan Kyrou was booed by the home fans at Enterprise Center after saying “he's not my coach anymore” when asked about the 58-year-old. I'll admit, I was not a fan of Kyrou getting booed at all, although his comments weren't great. He apologized to the fans and proceeded to explode for a goal and three points in a 4-3 win over the Stars on Saturday. That storyline seems to be put to bed, and Drew Bannister will take the reigns as an interim head coach for the 15-4-1 Blues.
23. Calgary Flames (-1)
Welcome to the spotlight, Yegor Sharangovich. The Belarussian winger has been doing what the Flames hoped Jonathan Huberdeau would this season. He's looking like a regular on the top line, a place where he is clearly enjoying things; the 25-year-old is on a five-game goal streak, with six tallies in his last five. But besides Sharangovich's recent red-hot play, there's not too much going in Alberta. No one was traded this week, and the Flames salvaged their final contest in Week 10, following up four straight losses with a victory against the Lightning on Saturday. In a weak division, Calgary continues to hang around, and they're up to fourth place in the Pacific. A 12-14-5 record isn't encouraging, but an opportunity to begin a winning streak awaits when the Panthers are at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday.
24. Ottawa Senators (-4)
I gave the Senators the benefit of the doubt for as long as I could, considering they had and have played many less games than anyone else in the Eastern Conference. But the losses are piling up in Canada's capital, and Ottawa didn't win a game in Week 10. The Sens are mired in a four-game losing skid, falling to the Hurricanes, Blues, Stars and Golden Knights, in that order. An eye-opening 19 goals have gone into Ottawa's net in that sad stretch, and there doesn't look to be any quick fix on the horizon. It may be time to accept that, in a season where this roster was fully expected to make the playoffs, they simply aren't there yet. The Senators could really use a win in the desert on Tuesday, and they'll have to do it with a new coach after DJ Smith was fired on Monday.
25. Montreal Canadiens (+1)
Even without Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach, the Habs continue to play at a .500 pace in 2023-24. That's certainly not bad considering the amount of talent on this roster, and the offense continues to come from Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Sean Monahan. Montreal had a decent week, picking up three of a possible six points. They lost 2-1 to the Preds, were defeated in a shootout by the Pens, and finished up with an impressive 5-3 win over the surging Islanders at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens can be a fun team when they want to be, and that really showed on Saturday night. Montreal will head to Winnipeg for an all-Canadian clash on Tuesday at the MTS Centre.
26. Pittsburgh Penguins (-1)
It's truly astounding how far Sidney Crosby's Penguins have fallen. At no point this season did I think a team that added Erik Karlsson over the summer would be falling to No. 26 in the NHL Power Rankings, but that's where we are with Christmas on the horizon. In a game that meant more than most, GM Kyle Dubas' return to The Six, the Penguins were hammered 7-0 by Brad Treliving and the Leafs. This team can't find any consistent momentum, and it has them just 13-13-3 through 29 games. Nobody is scoring for this organization lately — whether it's a veteran star or a young periphery player, and Bryan Rust's week-to-week timetable won't help that. The panic bells are sounding in Pennsylvania.
27. Buffalo Sabres (no change)
I think it's safe to confirm that, despite very similar rosters, the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Buffalo Sabres teams are vastly different. This year's iteration struggles to score, struggles to keep the put out of their net, and struggles to give anyone in Western New York something to cheer about. If it wasn't for the Senators being so poor, the Sabres could already be in the basement of the Atlantic, and that's a place where they're heading. Buffalo was just shut out by Arizona, and at 13-16-3, there have to be some hard conversations happening in the city right now. At least the team was able to spoil Jack Eichel's return by beating the defending Stanley Cup champions 5-2. That's probably the highlight of the season so far.
28. San Jose Sharks (no change)
For the second straight week, the Sharks are nowhere near the basement of the NHL Power Rankings. This is a team that has actually earned some respect after an atrocious opening to the campaign. Yes, San Jose lost three-of-four in Week 10, but one was a tight shootout loss to the Golden Knights, another a 1-0 defeat against the Coyotes in a game where the Sharks had two goals called off. They also beat the surging Jets 2-1, proving they can hang with any team on any given night. This team looks loose and carefree lately, and are having a ton more fun than two months ago when they were 0-10-1 on Nov. 5. Mikael Granlund and Tomas Hertl continue to lead the way offensively, while the goaltending duo of Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen has been solid in front of a defense that can barely be called NHL caliber.
29. Seattle Kraken (no change)
The Kraken are having a terrible time of things lately. With two wins in 10 games, Seattle is back to fifth place in the Pacific, and they'll likely be passed this week by an Oilers team that has four games in hand (and is just a single point behind). Very similar to the Sabres, this is a team that was well above average last season and is just not in 2023-24. But after losing eight straight games, the Kraken bounced back with convincing wins over the Panthers and Blackhawks in Week 10. With Philipp Grubauer out week-to-week, it looks like it's 27-year-old Joey Daccord's net for the foreseeable future. That probably won't move the needle too much, but could the way the former Coachella Valley Firebird is playing.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (+2)
After just a single week in the NHL Power Rankings basement, the Blue Jackets pulled themselves out. Not really because of anything they did, and more by just how bad the Ducks and Hawks have been over the last few weeks. We all know it's a lost season in Columbus, especially with captain Boone Jenner out long-term, but the new Russian first line of Yegor Chinakhov, Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko has been excellent as of late. Still, the Jackets won just one game in Week 10, and that could be a recurring trend as the campaign progresses.
31. Anaheim Ducks (-1)
The Ducks are playing some truly brutal hockey in 2023-24. After another losing streak, this one five games, Anaheim finally broke the slump with a 5-1 win over the Devils on Sunday night. But the record speaks for itself; this team is 11-19, a minus-22 on the year, and seem poised to battle with the Sharks to stay out of the Pacific Division basement all year. With two wins in eight games, the work continues in California to get a high selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.
32. Chicago Blackhawks (-1)
For the first time in the history of the NHL Power Rankings, not even Connor Bedard can keep the 2023-24 Blackhawks out of the basement. The Ducks may be playing some bad hockey, but if the Hawks didn't have the rookie sensation, there really would be no reason to watch at all this year. As it is, Chicago has lost four straight and is showing no signs of limiting the ferocious onslaughts they try to weather on a nightly basis. Now officially in last place in the National Hockey League with an awful 9-20-1 record, this franchise will be looking to strike gold twice come draft day. The way things are going, they have a great chance to get back-to-back No. 1 picks.
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