The NHL retains setting them up and the Colorado Avalanche preserve knocking them down.

Colorado defeated all three opponents it confronted final week to increase its successful streak to 5 video games and factors run to eight contests because it enters Week 12 of the 2025-26 NHL season. The Avalanche (26-2-7) have earned at the very least one level in 33 of their 35 video games this marketing campaign however surprisingly have not opened up a large lead within the race for the Presidents’ Trophy because the Dallas Stars (25-7-5) path them by solely 4 factors.

Dallas additionally received all three of its video games in Week 11 after splitting its 4 contests the earlier week. The Avalanche edged the Stars 5-4 in a shootout at house on Oct. 11, and the golf equipment do not meet once more till March 6 in Dallas.

The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres went 3-0-0 final week as effectively. It needs to be famous that regardless of being within the bottom-third of the NHL standings, it was the second straight such week for Buffalo, which enters Week 12 with the longest lively successful streak (six video games) within the league.

After successful six of seven video games, together with all three in Week 10 to make their debut within the rankings, the New York Islanders struggled final week, going with no victory as they misplaced twice in regulation and as soon as in a shootout. The Vegas Golden Knights had similar leads to Week 11 following a seven-game level streak (6-0-1), and consequently, each groups fell out of the highest 10.

Whereas this text focuses on workforce play, I might be remiss if I did not point out Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby’s spectacular accomplishment this previous week. A ten-time All-Star, three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Hart, Artwork Ross, Maurice Richard and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, the 38-year-old future Corridor-of-Famer recorded a objective and an help in Pittsburgh’s 4-3 shootout win in opposition to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday to move the legendary Mario Lemieux and turn out to be the Penguins’ all-time main scorer with 1,724 factors.

Every week throughout the season I will rank the league’s top-10 groups based mostly on each the earlier week’s performances and total physique of labor in 2025-26. I will additionally give transient synopsis for every membership that explains why they’re ranked the place they’re.

Let’s dive into the ability rankings coming into Week 12 of the 2025-26 NHL season and spotlight just a few of the groups’ notable accomplishments.

NHL Week 12 energy rankings 

1. Colorado Avalanche (3-0-0 in Week 11; 26-2-7 total)

Colorado sandwiched highway victories in opposition to the Seattle Kraken (5-3) and Wild (5-1) round a house overcome the Winnipeg Jets (3-2) final week to enhance to 7-0-1 since struggling its second regulation lack of the season, a 6-3 setback versus the Islanders on Dec. 4. Nathan MacKinnon had one other sturdy offensive week as he collected 4 targets and two assists whereas extending his level streak to eight video games. The 2024 Hart Trophy winner has posted six multi-point performances and three two-goal efforts throughout the run as he grew to become the primary participant to succeed in 30 targets this marketing campaign however enters Week 12 second within the NHL in scoring with 61 factors as Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid overtook him. Two-time Norris Trophy recipient Cale Makar notched 5 factors (one objective, 4 assists) over the Avalanche’s three video games and tops all defensemen with 32 assists and 43 factors. In the meantime, Martin Necas has recorded factors in eight of his final 9 outings after scoring a pair of targets and organising two others final week.

2. Dallas Stars (3-0-0; 25-7-5)

The Stars have been on fireplace offensively final week, scoring at the very least 5 targets in every of their three video games and 18 total. Mikko Rantanen ended the earlier week with a two-point efficiency and started Week 11 with a pair as he completed with 5 assists over Dallas’ three wins. After enduring a three-game drought, Jason Robertson has rediscovered his scoring contact as he tallied 3 times within the Stars’ final two contests. Previous to his dry spell, the 26-year-old left wing had a stretch throughout which he transformed in 13 of 16 video games. Miro Heiskanen picked up 4 assists final week and is third among the many NHL defensemen with 33 factors. Roope Hintz went three straight contests with out level earlier than starting Week 11 with back-to-back outings by which he registered a objective and an help.

3. Minnesota Wild (3-1-0; 22-10-5)

The Wild opened final week with three consecutive victories to increase their successful streak to seven video games earlier than closing with the 5-1 loss to the Avalanche. Kirill Kaprizov continued his offensive onslaught, racking up two targets and three assists. The 28-year-old Russian left wing has recorded at the very least one level in 14 of his final 18 contests and posted a pair of three-point performances over his final 5 outings. Matt Boldy had his four-game goal-scoring streak halted by Colorado on Sunday however amassed 4 tallies and two assists final week. Vladimir Tarasenko mirrored Boldy’s effort with 4 targets and a pair of assists. An eight-time 20-goal scorer who set his profession excessive with 40 in 2015-16 whereas with the St. Louis Blues, the 34-year-old Russian proper wing netted solely three tallies over his first 26 video games this season.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (1-1-1; 22-10-3)

Carolina started its Week 11 three-game highway journey with a 4-1 victory in opposition to the Nashville Predators to increase their successful streak to 5 video games however proceeded to drop a 4-3 shootout choice to the Florida Panthers and have been defeated 6-4 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Hurricanes have been inspired by the play of Sebastian Aho, who posted back-to-back two-goal performances versus Nashville and Florida after 5 video games with no tally. The 28-year-old Finnish heart recorded only one objective in 12 contests earlier than breaking out in opposition to the Predators. Andrei Svechnikov additionally was a strong offensive contributor throughout the trek, netting one tally and organising 4 others. Carolina will want continued manufacturing from these two as will probably be with out Seth Jarvis for some time. The 23-year-old heart, who’s second on the workforce with 29 factors, transformed within the win over Nashville and notched a pair of assists versus the Panthers however crashed into the submit in that contest after being tripped and was positioned on injured reserve with an upper-body damage.

5. Detroit Purple Wings (3-1-0; 21-13-3)

The Purple Wings received three of their 4 video games final week and are 8-2-1 since their four-game slide (0-3-1) in late November. Alex DeBrincat helped Detroit get off to begin in Week 11, as he tallied with 2:17 remaining within the third interval in opposition to the Islanders final Tuesday to snap a 2-2 tie and cap his third two-goal efficiency in 4 outings. The Purple Wings held on for a 3-2 win and have been defeated 4-1 by the Utah Mammoth the next evening however bounced again by sweeping a home-and-home collection with the Washington Capitals over the weekend. German defenseman Moritz Seider, the 2022 Calder Trophy winner, tallied in each triumphs over the Capitals and likewise added three assists final week. The 24-year-old gave Detroit a four-goal lead in Saturday’s 5-2 victory at Washington and netted the extra time winner at house an evening later.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1-0; 20-13-3)

Tampa Bay was restricted to at least one objective in a loss to the Los Angeles Kings in its first sport of Week 11 however proceeded to attain a complete of 10 instances in triumphs over the Hurricanes and Blues. Nikita Kucherov missed the sport in opposition to Los Angeles with an sickness however returned to notch three assists over the following two contests. The three-time Artwork Ross Trophy winner is seventh within the NHL with 45 factors and has been saved off the scoresheet in solely three of his final 18 outings. Jake Guentzel collected two targets and three assists final week and has recorded at the very least one level in six of his final seven video games, whereas defenseman Darren Raddysh posted his fourth three-point efficiency of 2025-26 with a tally and two assists in opposition to St. Louis on Monday. The 29-year-old is proving to be a late bloomer as he already has set a profession excessive with eight targets and has registered 27 factors in 30 contests this marketing campaign after amassing a personal-best 37 in 73 video games final season. The Lightning obtained a significant increase final week as 2019 Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy returned from an undisclosed damage that sidelined him for seven contests and received two of his three begins.

7. Anaheim Geese (1-2-1; 21-14-2)

The vacation break got here at simply the correct time for Anaheim, which received solely one in every of its 4 video games final week and is 2-4-1 in its final seven contests. The Geese’ prime 4 scorers mixed for one objective and one help in Week 11, with Leo Carlsson (team-high 41 factors) lacking Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken with a lower-body damage. There have been some positives for the workforce, nonetheless, as Ryan Poehling collected 4 factors over his first three video games of the week whereas Mikael Granlund woke from his slumber and landed on the scoresheet in each contest. A 3-time 20-goal scorer who has performed for 5 groups over the past 4 seasons, the 33-year-old Granlund tallied in every of Anaheim’s 4 video games and added a pair of assists after recording just one level (objective) over his earlier eight outings. In the meantime, defenseman Jackson LaCombe continued to contribute offensively, notching a objective and two assists as he has picked up a degree in eight of his final 10 contests.

8. Edmonton Oilers (3-1-0; 18-13-6)

Edmonton is the primary of two groups to make their season debut within the rankings this week because it received three of its 4 video games. Stunning to nobody, famous person Connor McDavid led the cost for the Oilers with 5 targets and 5 assists as he overtook Colorado’s MacKinnon for the NHL scoring lead with 62 factors. A five-time Artwork Ross Trophy winner and three-time Hart Trophy recipient, the 28-year-old Edmonton captain enters Week 12 with a 10-game level streak throughout which he has collected 12 tallies and 14 assists. Reigning Maurice Richard Trophy winner Leon Draisaitl failed to attain a objective final week as his drought reached eight video games, his longest since an eight-game dry spell throughout the 2020-21 season, however he nonetheless has been an element offensively. The 30-year-old German has registered 15 assists throughout the present drought, together with 9 over Edmonton’s 4 contests in Week 11. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins netted three tallies and arrange two others over his final three outings whereas Zach Hyman picked up two targets and three assists final week, giving him at the very least one level in 9 of his final 12 video games.

9. Philadelphia Flyers (2-1-1; 18-10-7)

The Flyers be part of the Oilers as first-time members of this season’s prime 10, thanks largely partly to the person in cost. Rick Tocchet started and ended his 18-year NHL taking part in profession with the Flyers, with 5 different stops in between, and was a fan favourite within the Metropolis of Brotherly Love. The winner of the Jack Adams Award in 2024 as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, Tocchet has the Philadelphia trustworthy in his nook once more throughout his first season behind the Flyers’ bench because the workforce enters Week 12 tied for second place within the Metropolitan Division, simply 4 factors behind Carolina. Philadelphia has received solely two of its final seven video games, with each victories coming final week, however did not earn a degree simply as soon as in that span (2-1-4). Trevor Zegras was acquired from Anaheim in June and has been a superb addition as he’s driving an eight-game level streak and has landed on the scoresheet in 12 of his final 13 contests. The 24-year-old heart leads the Flyers with 15 targets and 36 factors. Travis Konecny has notched at the very least one level in 10 of his previous 12 outings, whereas Christian Dvorak has achieved so in six of his final eight.

10. Washington Capitals (1-2-1; 19-12-5)

Washington’s struggles continued in Week 11 because it received simply one in every of its 4 video games. The Capitals’ 4-0 overcome the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday is their lone victory of their final six contests (1-3-2) and marked the one time the workforce produced greater than two targets throughout its present tough patch. Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time chief in targets, has gone eight video games with no tally since changing twice on Dec. 3 in opposition to the San Jose Sharks. Nonetheless, Jakob Chychrun continues to be an offensive power from the blue line. The 27-year-old recorded two of Washington’s 4 targets in opposition to Toronto and is tied with Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the league lead amongst defensemen with 14