In late October, the Colorado Avalanche endured a four-game stretch throughout which they did not document a victory. In that span, they misplaced twice in time beyond regulation, as soon as in a shootout and suffered their lone regulation defeat of the 2025-26 NHL season thus far – a 3-2 setback towards the Boston Bruins on Oct. 25 in Beantown.

That interval appears as if it was a lifetime in the past, as Colorado has gone 12-0-1 since. The Avalanche (17-1-5) received all 4 of their contests final week and enter Week 8, which is able to run from Friday to Monday, with a 10-game profitable streak.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild additionally went undefeated in a Week 7 that spanned 10 days, with the previous going 5-0-0 and the latter 4-0-0. The Washington Capitals had a formidable week of their very own, profitable 5 of their six video games.

Conversely, Week 7 was unkind to a lot of groups, together with the Chicago Blackhawks. After going 4-0-1 over the earlier two weeks, the Blackhawks recorded only one victory whereas struggling three regulation losses and falling as soon as in time beyond regulation throughout Week 7. Due to the tough patch, Chicago dropped out of this week’s prime 10 rankings.

Every week in the course of the season, I am going to rank the league’s prime 10 groups primarily based on each the earlier week’s performances and total physique of labor in 2025-26. I am going to additionally give transient synopsis for every membership that explains why they’re ranked the place they’re.

Let’s dive into the facility rankings after Week 7 of the 2025-26 NHL season and spotlight a number of of the groups’ notable accomplishments.

NHL Week 7 energy rankings 

1. Colorado Avalanche (4-0-0 in Week 7; 17-1-5 total)

Not solely did the Avalanche proceed to point out that they’ve essentially the most potent offense within the NHL final week, they demonstrated their potential to maintain their opponents at bay. Colorado scored six occasions in two of its 4 victories, growing its league-leading whole to 94 objectives. The staff additionally completed the week with three consecutive shutouts, with Mackenzie Blackwood sandwiching 35 and 26-save performances towards the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, respectively, round Scott Wedgewood’s 22-save effort towards the Blackhawks. Wedgewood additionally registered his first profession help within the Avalanche’s 6-3 win towards the New York Rangers. Nathan MacKinnon was saved off the scoresheet for simply the fourth time this season in Colorado’s 1-0 overcome Chicago however completed the week with 4 objectives and two assists. The 2024 Hart Trophy winner leads the league with 18 objectives and 39 factors whereas Cale Makar, who netted three tallies and arrange two others, tops all NHL defensemen in objectives (9), assists (21) and factors (30).

2. Dallas Stars (3-1-1; 15-5-4)

Dallas started Week 7 with a 3-2 setback towards the New York Islanders that ended its five-game profitable streak however earned factors in every of its subsequent 4 contests, going 3-0-1. Jason Robertson had an enormous week, tallying in every of the Stars’ first 4 outings of the week to increase his goal-scoring streak to seven video games, which tied him with Invoice Goldsworthy (1970-71), Neal Broten (1981-82) and Dave Gagner (1992-93) for the second-longest run in franchise historical past behind Brian Bellows’ 10-gamer in 1989-90. The 26-year-old Robertson was saved off the scoresheet in Dallas’ 3-2 overcome the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, halting each the goal-scoring streak and the eight-game level run throughout which he collected 11 tallies and 7 assists. Tyler Seguin collected seven assists final week, whereas captain Jamie Benn returned to the lineup and recorded a purpose and three assists in 5 video games after lacking the Stars’ first 19 contests attributable to a collapsed lung. 

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (5-0-0; 14-7-2)

Do not look now, however the Lightning have soared to the highest of the Atlantic Division due to their excellent week. The truth is, after profitable simply one in all its first seven video games this season (1-4-2), Tampa Bay has been the most effective groups within the league, going 13-3-0. Three-time Artwork Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov continued his offensive wizardry, registering three objectives and eight assists over the Lightning’s 5 contests as he prolonged his level streak to seven video games. Jake Guentzel started Week 7 along with his eighth profession hat trick in a 5-1 overcome the New Jersey Devils and completed the week with seven factors, Brandon Hagel recorded 5 objectives and 4 assists over the staff’s final three contests and Anthony Cirelli netted two tallies and arrange three others in the identical span. In the meantime, defenseman Darren Raddysh had a powerful week offensively, amassing a purpose and 5 assists after notching solely 4 factors over his first 12 video games this season.

4. Minnesota Wild (4-0-0; 13-7-4)

The Wild sandwiched triumphs in a shootout and time beyond regulation round a pair of shutout victories final week to increase their profitable streak to 6 video games and their factors run to 9 contests (8-0-1). Defenseman Brock Faber landed on the scoresheet in all 4 of Minnesota’s video games, scoring three objectives and establishing three others, whereas Matt Boldy registered 4 tallies and three assists in Week 7. The 24-year-old Boldy has notched not less than one level in seven of his final eight outings and is tied for the staff lead with Kirill Kaprizov, who recorded three objectives and two assists final week to extend his level whole to twenty-eight. Filip Gustavsson turned apart all 19 photographs he confronted in a 5-0 win towards the Pittsburgh Penguins for his second shutout of the season and Jesper Wallstedt adopted along with his league-leading third blanking as he made 32 saves in a 3-0 overcome the Winnipeg Jets.

5. Carolina Hurricanes (2-2-1; 14-7-2)

The Hurricanes started Week 7 with two wins and a shootout loss to increase their factors streak to 5 video games however ended it with back-to-back regulation defeats, which prevented them from rising in these energy rankings. Sebastian Aho had the perfect week for Carolina offensively, recording a purpose and 4 assists to extend his season whole to a team-high 23 factors. The 28-year-old Finnish heart celebrated his 700th NHL sport on Wednesday with a pair of assists within the Hurricanes’ 4-2 loss to the Rangers. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere additionally was productive, scoring two objectives and establishing two others.

6. New Jersey Devils (2-3-0; 15-7-1)

New Jersey fell three spots within the rankings attributable to a tough begin to Week 7. After ending the earlier week with a shootout victory towards the Washington Capitals of their first sport with out Jack Hughes (finger surgical procedure), the Devils felt the star ahead’s absence as they scored a complete of 4 objectives whereas struggling three consecutive losses to complete their five-game highway journey at 2-3-0. The membership managed to proper the ship because it concluded the week with dwelling triumphs over the Detroit Pink Wings and St. Louis Blues. The primary total choose within the 2017 NHL Draft, Nico Hischier has been doing his finest to fill Hughes’ skates as he racked up 5 objectives and 4 assists over New Jersey’s previous 5 video games. The 28-year-old Swiss heart enters Week 8 with a streak of three straight multi-point performances, whereas Timo Meier has scored a purpose in three consecutive contests.

7. Washington Capitals (5-1-0; 13-9-2)

The Capitals entered Week 7 having misplaced eight of their earlier 10 video games (2-6-2). They turned issues round in a giant method, scoring 29 objectives whereas profitable 5 of their six contests. Celebrity Alex Ovechkin netted six of the tallies and added a pair of assists, whereas defenseman John Carlson additionally racked up eight factors (two objectives, six assists). The NHL’s all-time objectives chief, Ovechkin registered his thirty third profession hat trick in Washington’s 8-4 overcome the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 20, tying Brett Hull for fourth place in league historical past behind Wayne Gretzky (50), Mario Lemieux (40) and Mike Bossy (39). Blue-liner Jakob Chychrun had an amazing week offensively, amassing 5 objectives and 4 assists. The 27-year-old enters Week 8 with a four-game goal-scoring streak and a run of 9 straight contests with not less than one level. 

8. Ottawa Senators (3-1-0; 12-7-4)

Ottawa performed solely 4 video games over the 10-day span of Week 7 – all on the highway – however received three of them. Every of the 4 contests have been determined by one purpose, with the Senators posting 3-2 regulation victories towards the Anaheim Geese and San Jose whereas defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in a shootout. Ottawa trailed each the Geese and Sharks 2-1 earlier than scoring the equalizer late within the second interval and the profitable purpose within the latter half of the third. Drake Batherson was the hero in Anaheim, tallying with 1:58 remaining in regulation, whereas Tim Stutzle netted the decisive tally in San Jose with 6:38 left. The 23-year-old Stutzle leads the Senators with 11 objectives and 23 factors.

9. Anaheim Geese (3-2-0; 14-8-1)

The Geese return to the highest 10 after going 0-3-0 in Week 6 and dropping out of the rankings. Anaheim performed 5 one-goal video games final week and received three, defeating Vegas and the Utah Mammoth in time beyond regulation and the Boston Bruins in regulation. Cutter Gauthier, Troy Terry and 19-year-old proper wing Beckett Sennecke every recorded ultimately one level in all 5 of the Geese’ contests, whereas Leo Carlsson landed on the scoresheet in every of the staff’s final 4 outings. Gauthier enters Week 8 with a five-game help streak and Terry is within the midst of a four-game run.

10. Vegas Golden Knights (2-1-2; 10-5-8)

The Golden Knights started final week with a pair of victories and ended it with three straight defeats, though one occurred in time beyond regulation and one other got here in a shootout. Jack Eichel scored three objectives and arrange 4 others over his final 4 video games to extend his team-leading whole to 31 factors and tie him for fifth within the NHL. In the meantime, 22-year-old proper wing Braeden Bowman landed on the scoresheet in all 5 of Vegas’ contests, recording three objectives and three assists to grow to be the primary undrafted rookie to submit a five-game level streak since Taro Hirose completed the feat in 2018-19 whereas with the Pink Wings. Captain Mark Stone returned to the lineup on Wednesday and tallied within the Golden Knights’ 4-3 shootout loss to Ottawa. The 33-year-old proper wing, who had missed 16 contests with an upper-body harm, has registered a complete of 14 factors this season and not less than one in every of his seven video games.