Exactly five months ago, on a warm June evening in Sunrise, the Florida Panthers captured their second consecutive NHL championship. It wasn't quite as thrilling as the year before, when the Edmonton Oilers erased a 3-0 deficit before coming up just short in a one-goal Game 7 — but it was a terrific series nonetheless.
History repeated itself in 2025-26; just like a year before, Sam Reinhart was the hero for the Cats. He scored a ridiculous four goals in a Cup-clinching Game 6, sealing a 5-1 victory and another incredibly impressive run for Paul Maurice's group. The Panthers are on the precipice of a dynasty after advancing to back-to-back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals — and winning two of them.
Fast forward 150 days (give or take), and the two playoff powerhouses will meet for the first time in 2025-26 on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena. Both teams have struggled so far this season; the Panthers are sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 9-8-1 record, while the Oilers are fifth in the Pacific at 9-7-4. Both clubs are experiencing somewhat of a hangover after a long couple of postseasons, while injuries have also ravaged both rosters. Saturday evening still figures to be appointment viewing for hockey fans everywhere, and that will certainly be the highlight of a busy Week 7 slate.
Elsewhere, the 2025 Global Series in Stockholm was a great success — if you're a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sidney Crosby and co. captured three of a possible four points against the Nashville Predators in Sweden. If it wasn't for a late tally by hometown boy Filip Forsberg to tie up the first game on Friday, the Preds would not have scored a goal. Instead, they were able to manage a 2-1 victory — on a Steven Stamkos overtime winner — before being shut out two days later.
And with that, another international chapter closes. There won't be any more National Hockey League contests outside of Canada and the United States this season, but there will be something even better come February: the 2026 Olympic Games. More on that in a couple of weeks.
We'll officially be through 25 percent of the 2025-26 season on Thursday, meaning that the various struggling teams officially have reason to begin to panic. It's no longer early, and things are really starting to shape up in both conferences. As usual, ClutchPoints' weekly NHL Power Rankings is here to keep you up to date with all of it — and it's another edition of significant movement in the leaderboard. Let's get into it.
Previous 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings: Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Colorado Avalanche (no change)
The Avalanche are unsurprisingly spending another week at the pinnacle of the NHL Power Rankings after winning their sixth straight game on Sunday. Colorado is leading the league in both goals scored and goals against, and remarkably, they've suffered just one regulation loss in 19 games in 2025-26. The wagon label is well earned, with Nathan MacKinnon leading the Hart Trophy race, Cale Makar still the best defenseman in the world, and both Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood looking excellent between the pipes. The latter signed a one-year contract that will keep him in Denver until the end of next year, and the 33-year-old knows he has no better chance than now to win his first Stanley Cup. Add captain Gabriel Landeskog's first regular-season goal since March of 2022 (1,347 days), and it was another terrific week in the Mile High City.
2. Dallas Stars (+4)
It's no secret that the Avalanche are the class of the NHL in 2025-26 — but their fierce Central Division rivals aren't far behind. The Stars are in the midst of their best two-week stretch of the season, winning five games in a row and six of seven to improve to 12-4-3 and second place in the Western Conference. They're doing everything they can to match Colorado win for win, and that probably will be the case for the rest of the year. Miro Heiskanen has completely erased a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, managing 17 points in 19 games, which is even more important considering Thomas Harley is week-to-week. And we've talked about Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston, but how about Jason Robertson? The 26-year-old is on a tear, with 10 points in his last four contests and 23 in 19 overall. Glen Gulutzan is looking like a strong fit behind the bench in his second tenure in Dallas, and the Stars continue their ascent.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (-1)
For the first time ever, Nikolaj Ehlers will play as a visitor at Canada Life Centre on Friday night. The Danish star has heated up after a rocky start to his Hurricanes tenure, managing eight points over a seven-game point streak — and giving him 12 points in 18 games overall. After spending 11 productive seasons in Winnipeg, he ranks fifth on the franchise's all-time leaderboard and sixth in points. Considering Ehlers left as a free agent and not through a trade, it'll be interesting to see what kind of reception he earns from the Jets faithful on Friday. That's the highlight of Carolina's week; they've been solid as of late with five wins in seven tilts dating back to November 4.
4. New Jersey Devils (-1)
One of the main things that has held the Devils back over the last few years is the health of their star players. Both Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton have spent way too much time on the shelf on this contending squad, and unfortunately, the injury bug has struck again. Hughes suffered a bizarre hand injury at a team dinner late last week, and after undergoing surgery, he'll miss the next eight weeks. That's just awful for, right now, the top team in the Eastern Conference. New Jersey has won four of five games and improved to 13-4-1, but without their superstar forward, they can't be going anywhere but backwards in the NHL Power Rankings. It'll be interesting to see if Sheldon Keefe's group can keep winning games without its leading scorer — and most important player — over the next two months.
5. Winnipeg Jets (no change)
The Jets continue to struggle after a terrific start to the year, going from 9-3 to 11-7 since the calendar flipped to November. They've lost four of six, and have had a really hard time scoring goals in that span. That's at least slightly concerning considering Winnipeg isn't missing a single impactful roster player. What this team could really use right now is a guy like Ehlers, who is preparing for one of the more important regular-season games of his career on Friday night. The Jets will host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday before the Hurricanes visit Canada Life Centre, a tilt that should be appointment viewing for hockey fans.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning (+3)
After a nightmare start to the campaign, the Lightning are back on track in a big way. Tampa Bay has won eight of 11 games, and are starting to make up some ground in the Atlantic Division in the process. It's impressive considering the team is missing a plethora of key players, including Nick Paul, Anthony Cirelli, Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. The Bolts should only get better and better as they get healthier, and they've looked potent lately even without a few familiar faces. A jump nearly into the top-five of the NHL Power Rankings is bold — let's see if the Lightning can keep up the momentum against the Devils, Oilers and Capitals in Week 7.
7. Montreal Canadiens (-3)
Right when it looked like the 2025-26 Canadiens were going to be serious contenders, disaster struck. Kaiden Guhle will be out 8-10 weeks with a partially torn adductor, Alex Newhook fractured his ankle and will miss four months, and Kirby Dach fractured his foot and will be absent 4-6 weeks. It's an absolute nightmare, especially considering Newhook and Dach were in the midst of extremely promising starts to the year. It's probably not hyperbole to say that it was one of the most disappointing weeks in recent memory for the Habs. Adding insult to injury, Montreal has lost five of their last six games. They could be taking a serious hit in the NHL Power Rankings over the next few weeks, but we will see how the roster fares over the next couple of contests first — starting with a visit to Columbus to play the Blue Jackets on Monday night.
8. Anaheim Ducks (-1)
After a storybook start to the campaign — in the form of a terrific 11-3-1 record through 15 games — the Ducks somewhat came back to earth last week. Anaheim lost three in a row, all in regulation and all on the road. They fell 4-1 to Colorado on Tuesday, 6-3 to Detroit on Thursday and 2-0 to Minnesota on Saturday. A challenging road trip to be sure, but they'll now return to Honda Center for the next six straight games, starting with a visit from the Mammoth on Monday. It's still been a fantastic start for Joel Quenneville's team, and a lengthy homestand should be just the tonic to get them back on track in Week 7.
9. Vegas Golden Knights (-1)
The struggles continue for the Golden Knights, who are still waiting patiently for both Mark Stone and Adin Hill to return to the lineup. Vegas has lost five of six games, but have been able to bank some points by taking three of those five defeats past regulation. Still, an 8-4-6 record isn't ideal for the 2023 Stanley Cup champions, and both Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner have cooled off after sizzling hot starts. The Knights really need to find their mojo if they hope to remain in contention for top spot in the Pacific. Right now, they're only two points back, but every team not named the Flames are within five points of the division lead. The Rangers are headed to the strip on Tuesday night, and after that, it's a three-game road trip for Bruce Cassidy's group.
10. Pittsburgh Penguins (+2)
The Penguins were oh-so-close to sweeping the Predators in the Global Series — and not allowing a single goal. They led 1-0 in the opening game, but Forsberg and Stamkos combined to hand Pittsburgh a tough 2-1 overtime loss in front of the Avicii Arena crowd. But two days later, the Pens were able to rebound on the back of Sergei Murashov's first career shutout — and what a time for it! They scored three times in the first period and never looked back, en route to an eventual 4-0 victory. Overall, it was an encouraging trip across the pond, which culminated in three of a possible four points against the lowly Preds. With that, the Penguins are 10-5-4 and back in the win column after a tough stretch in North America. They'll now have a few days off to travel back to the United States before the Wild and Kraken come to town for cross-conference games on Friday and Saturday night, respectively.
11. Florida Panthers (+2)
The Panthers are still having a tough time creating positive momentum in 2025-26, but they've won three of five games, getting them back on the verge of a top-10 spot in the NHL Power Rankings. The two-time Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Oilers on Saturday is the obvious highlight of the week, but first, rugged blue liner Jeff Petry will play his 1,000th NHL game on Monday night against the visiting Canucks. He is playing a reduced role in Florida, but has enjoyed a long career which includes four seasons with double-digit goals and over 40 points. It's a great accomplishment for the Ann Arbor, Michigan native, and he'd love to collect a victory in game No. 1000.
12. Edmonton Oilers (+3)
Speaking of the Stanley Cup Final, the back-to-back NHL runners-up are starting to right the ship after a brutal start of their own. The Oilers were embarrassed against the Avalanche last Saturday, giving up nine goals. But they've won three of four since, getting back above .500, and more importantly, getting Zach Hyman back into the lineup. He's going to be a huge addition all around for the club, and he already got on the scoresheet in his season debut, registering an assist in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Hurricanes on Saturday. It's too early to say that Edmonton is fully back on the right track, but they're getting there — and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are back to putting up video game numbers. It's a busy road week for the Oil, who will play in Buffalo, Washington and Tampa Bay before ending the week, with revenge on the mind, against Florida on Saturday.
13. Detroit Red Wings (-2)
The highlight of Week 6 for the Red Wings was an almost all-out brawl at the end of Sunday night's 2-1 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mason Appleton deposited a puck into the empty net a second (or two) after regulation ended, and Jonathan Quick did not like that at all. Cooler heads prevailed, but with all of the players already on the ice, things could have gotten ugly. They didn't, though, and Detroit will take the victory. It was one of two they secured last week, the other an impressive doubling up of the Ducks three nights before. Unfortunately, those are the only two wins to talk of in Motown since November 2 — a stretch in which the team has lost four games, three of them in regulation.
14. Utah Mammoth (-4)
The wheels continue to fall off for the Mammoth after a terrific start to the season. Utah has lost four of five and six of eight, falling closer and closer to the dreaded .500 at 10-7-1. Karel Vejmelka has struggled after a couple of phenomenal starts, and the offense is starting to dry up. It's disappointing considering this looked like a Western Conference behemoth early on, and now, anything but. Still, 10 wins in 18 games isn't bad at all, and there is a lot of time for this roster to remember how potent they can be when everything is clicking. The Mammoth will try to get back on track over a quick two-game road trip, which makes stops in Anaheim on Monday and San Jose 24 hours later.
15. Ottawa Senators (-1)
Shane Pinto has stepped up for the Senators with Brady Tkachuk sidelined, and he got rewarded for it last week. Ottawa signed the center to a four year, $30 million contract extension which will keep him in Canada's capital long into the future. It's well-deserved considering he's managed nine goals and 15 points over his first 19 games in 2025-26. And speaking of Tkachuk, the captain returned to the ice with his teammates, and will join them for a gruelling seven-game road trip that begins Thursday in Anaheim. The mettle is going to be tested and then some for the 9-6-4 Sens, who are looking like a playoff team right now but could be in a very different boat when they return to Ottawa on December 4.
16. Chicago Blackhawks (+1)
The Blackhawks just continue to impress in 2025-26, with the offense turning a corner and Spencer Knight looking like the goalie of the present and future in the Windy City. Chicago has won four of five games, and the one loss was a thrilling 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of the Devils on Wednesday night. The Hawks bounced back by beating the flailing Maple Leafs, improving to 9-5-4 and sitting tied for third place in the Central Division. Frank Nazar is back in the lineup after missing a couple of games, and Connor Bedard has been otherworldly, now up to 26 points in 18 games. The way things are going, the Blackhawks are going to be in contention for a playoff spot all season long — and that's music to the ears of fans who have waited patiently through a long rebuild.
17. Boston Bruins (+5)
After waving the white flag at the end of 2024-25 and starting the new season 4-7, most people were writing off this version of the Bruins early on — including CP's NHL Power Rankings. But Boston has found some magic and run with it, said magic being nine wins in 11 tries going back to October 25. With that, the B's are 12-8, first place in the Atlantic Division, and ready to be taken seriously. Jeremy Swayman looks back to his dominant self, while David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie are leading the charge up front. It'll be interesting to see if the roster can keep up this standout play without Charlie McAvoy and Viktor Arvidsson, who were both injured last week.
18. New York Rangers (+5)
It make have taken a full 17 games — and the opponent might have been one of the NHL's most ineffective teams — but the Rangers finally secured a victory at Madison Square Garden. Not only that, New York has won seven of 10 games, finally returning to relevance in the Eastern Conference. The home/road splits remain egregious; the Blueshirts are 1-7-1 at MSG and 9-1-1 away from it, but they are turning a corner. Getting Vincent Trocheck back in the lineup is huge, and Artemi Panarin has finally remembered that he is in a contract year. Add some excellent goaltending from Quick and Igor Shesterkin, and the Rangers might be back. At 10-8-2, they have the potential to make up some serious ground in the NHL Power Rankings over the next few weeks.
19. Los Angeles Kings (+2)
Anze Kopitar has been the most important player on the Kings for over a decade, but after this season, he'll be passing the torch — and Adrian Kempe is ready to take over. Likely Los Angeles' next captain, the Swedish star signed a massive eight year, $85 million contract extension with the team last week. Kempe has been terrific in 2025-26, to the tune of 19 points in 19 games, and the Kings have started to make significant strides after a challenging start. They've won four games in a row and five of six, vaulting into top spot in the Pacific Division in the process. They deserve more love in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 7, but another strong seven-day stretch could have them surging next Monday.
20. Seattle Kraken (-1)
The Kraken are still in a playoff spot in a crowded Western Conference — albeit barely — but they've been playing under .500 hockey since the calendar flipped to November. It's been tough sledding without starter Joey Daccord, who is on IR but is inching toward a return. Seattle would also love to get Jared McCann back; the franchise's leading scorer hasn't played since October 18. It's always been a committee approach in the Emerald City, with a serious lack of star power all around. That has continued in 2025-26, as no player has more than 14 points, but five have managed above 10. The Kraken will embark on a four-game road trip that begins on Tuesday in Detroit.
21. Washington Capitals (-5)
The NHL Power Rankings have been patient with the Capitals all season, but that patience is wearing thin. Washington has lost eight of 10 games after starting the season 6-2, now sitting a very pedestrian 8-8-2 halfway through November. That's a far cry from the Caps team of last year, which started the campaign 13-4-1. With Alex Ovechkin having broken Wayne Gretzky's goal record in 2024-25 and scored his 900th in 2025-26, there are no more milestones on the horizon for The Great Eight. He's one of various players who could be better to help get this team out of the funk — starting on Monday night against the visiting Kings.
22. New York Islanders (+2)
The Islanders played four games in Week 6, and won three of them — all in overtime. Mathew Barzal called game in New Jersey on Monday, JG Pageau was the hero in Las Vegas on Thursday, and Matthew Schaefer continued his unbelievable rookie season by scoring the winner in Utah on Friday. Although the week ended with a 4-1 loss to Colorado, New York is looking much better than they were at the end of October, with Schaefer, Barzal and Bo Horvat all playing great hockey. The Isles have secured eight of a possible 10 points since last Saturday, and all five of those games were on the road. Two more cities await — Dallas Tuesday and Detroit Thursday — before the squad finally returns to Long Island over the weekend to host St. Louis and Seattle.
23. Minnesota Wild (+4)
Here's a stat: the Wild haven't allowed a five-on-five goal in over 200 minutes of hockey, last giving up an even strength tally against the Islanders on November 7. That's been a critical recipe for success, as Minnesota has won six of eight games to return to the precipice of the Western Conference playoff picture. They're currently just a point out after back-to-back victories over the Ducks on Saturday — a Jesper Wallstedt shutout — and the Golden Knights Sunday, with Kirill Kaprizov scoring the OT winner in that one. The Wild just need above-average goaltending to be a playoff contender all year long, and Wallstedt is looking like he is going to push Filip Gustavsson for starts, which is a good thing.
24. Vancouver Canucks (-4)
Elias Pettersson is looking back to elite form, which is maybe the biggest thing the Canucks needed to go right to return to the postseason in 2025-26. Unfortunately, it's been tough sledding for the rest of the roster. Quinn Hughes missed multiple games with an injury, while Thatcher Demko has again failed to stay healthy, suffering an ailment that could cost him 2-3 weeks or longer. Kevin Lankinen has made six straight starts and lost four of them, and Vancouver is just treading water at an even 9-9-2. They badly need a 2C to replace Filip Chytil, and David Kampf, who signed a one-year deal after being discarded by the Leafs, won't be that. Hughes was the catalyst of a bounce-back 6-2 victory over the Lightning on Sunday, registering four assists. He's going to need to continue carrying the team indefinitely.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs (-7)
Speaking of the Maple Leafs, Toronto is taking the biggest hit in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 7, dropping a full seven spots. It's hard to argue that Auston Matthews and Anthony Stolarz aren't two of the three most important players on the team, and both are on injured reserve. The hope is that the absences will be short-term, but the effects are already being felt. The Leafs have lost five in a row, dropping below .500 for just the second time this year. They're also 28th in league standings and 31st in goals against per game, which is just stunning for a roster of this caliber. The entire defensive playbook hasn't been anywhere up to par through 19 games. With Brandon Carlo now joining Chris Tanev on IR — and Nicolas Roy also suffering an injury — there's no easy fix to the problems in Leafland right now.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (-1)
It looks like the Blue Jackets have finally given the lion's share to Jet Greaves — he's started four straight games and will make his fifth in a row on Monday night against the visiting Canadiens. He's cementing himself as the No. 1 option in Columbus, sporting a 2-0-2 record and a 2.63 goals-against average over those four appearances. The Jackets haven't been very impressive otherwise, losing five of their last seven and falling into second last place in the Metropolitan Division. The offense needs to be better; averaging three goals per game won't be enough to get them back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
27. Philadelphia Flyers (-1)
The Flyers are playing .500 hockey since November started, going 3-3-2 to sit 9-6-3 on the campaign. That's not bad at all overall, but Philadelphia was once 6-3-1, and have been on a downward spiral since. We are still waiting for the Matvei Michkov breakout; the sophomore has only nine points in 18 games. Trevor Zegras has almost double that, managing 19 points in his first 18 games as a Flyer. He's been excellent in Pennsylvania, but there aren't too many other weapons in this offense — evidenced by a 29th place 2.61 goals per game. Add that to an .891 team save percentage, and it's not hard to see why Philly has failed to make up any ground in the NHL Power Rankings.
28. San Jose Sharks (no change)
We were ready to give the Sharks a well-deserved surge up the leaderboard in Week 7, but instead, they were the first team this season to be shut out by the Flames. Yikes. After winning four games in a row, San Jose fell back to earth, losing 2-0 to Calgary and 4-1 to Seattle — and falling back to .500 at 8-8-3 in the process. Even .500 is encouraging for this club, but it was a tough couple of days nonetheless. Yaroslav Askarov is finally starting to show why he was one of the best goaltending prospects in hockey, but the offense just needs to give him more support. Eight goals in five games isn't going to cut it, regardless of how the netminder is playing. SJS will look to right the ship against the visiting Mammoth on Tuesday night.
29. St. Louis Blues (+1)
After losing seven games in a row to close out October, the Blues have been at least a little less futile as of late. St. Louis has three wins this month, but two of them were against teams even lower than them in the NHL Power Rankings — the Sabres and Flames. It remains a horrific start in Missouri, but as we've learned from this franchise on more than one occasion, you can never count the Blues out from making a second half surge right into the postseason. The highlight of this week is Justin Faulk's 1,000th game; the steady blue liner has been a prolific shot blocker throughout his career, and he's suited up in three All-Star Games. He's still effective at 33, playing over 23 minutes a game and adding a very respectable 10 points in 19 games in 2025-26. He's set to reach the milestone on Tuesday night in Toronto.
30. Buffalo Sabres (-1)
The Sabres currently have three healthy goaltenders on the roster, and none of them have been very effective. Being backstopped by Alex Lyon, Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen and Colten Ellis, Buffalo has lost eight of 10 games and fallen to dead last in the Eastern Conference. The nightmare just won't end for fans in Western New York. On the bright side, a couple of players are getting closer to a return, and having Josh Norris, Zach Benson and Jason Zucker back in the fold should help at least a little. Getting Rasmus Dahlin back from Sweden certainly will. After playing four away from home, the Sabres will open a homestand of the same length against McDavid and the Oilers on Monday night.
31. Calgary Flames (+1)
It wasn't an easy decision, but although they remain dead last in National Hockey League standings, the Flames are coming out of the basement in Week 7. After being shut out in back-to-back games, Calgary has picked up three of a possible six points, shutting out San Jose on Thursday night and taking Winnipeg to a shootout 48 hours later. It's not much, but it's enough to earn Ryan Huska's team a one-week reprieve from representing the basement in both league standings and CP's PR's.
32. Nashville Predators (-1)
For the first time this year, and very likely not the last, the Predators are pulling up the rear in Week 7. If it weren't for Forsberg's clutch unassisted goal, Nashville would not have scored a single goal over two games in Sweden. Even so, they managed just two goals in three games in the Global Series, and that was after the team already had lost seven times in eight tries in North America. While they remain ahead of the Flames in the Western Conference, there's a very real chance that Barry Trotz blows the whole thing up and trades both Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault ahead of the deadline. After witnessing this endless ineffectiveness for a regular season and a quarter, no one believes they will be anything but a bottom-feeder even if that doesn't happen.
