With one week of the 2025-26 NHL season within the books, a complete of eight groups have but to endure a regulation loss. Nonetheless, solely three of these golf equipment performed greater than two video games, and considered one of them was in motion 4 instances. That crew is the Colorado Avalanche.
Colorado, which has eclipsed the 100-point mark in every of the previous 4 seasons, received three of its first 4 contests, and its lone blemish was a shootout loss to the Dallas Stars. The Avalanche entered Week 2 with an NHL-high seven factors, yet another than the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins.
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 their general our bodies 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 for Week 1 of the 2025-26 NHL season and spotlight just a few extra groups of be aware.
NHL Week 1 energy rankings
1. Colorado Avalanche (3-0-1)
The Avalanche allowed only one objective of their victories over the Los Angeles Kings, Utah Mammoth and Buffalo Sabres, and Scott Wedgewood posted a 1.72 goals-against common whereas enjoying in all 4 of the crew’s video games. Offensively, 2024 Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon has gotten off to a quick begin as he’s tied for second within the NHL with 4 objectives and shares the league lead in factors (eight) with teammate Martin Necas. Each have recorded three multi-point performances, whereas Cale Makar tops all NHL defensemen with 5 factors.
2. Florida Panthers (3-1-0)
The Panthers opened the season with three consecutive victories, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators. Essentially the most spectacular factor about their begin was the actual fact they did it with out Matthew Tkachuk, who probably shall be sidelined till December following groin surgical procedure, and captain Aleksander Barkov, who figures to overlook your entire marketing campaign after present process knee surgical procedure. Florida’s successful streak ended with Monday’s 5-2 loss at Philadelphia, though the membership rallied from a 2-0 deficit to forge a tie earlier than permitting the go-ahead objective with lower than 5 minutes remaining within the third interval. Brad Marchand and Anton Lundell share the crew lead with 4 factors apiece, and each have landed on the scoresheet in every of the Panthers’ final three video games.
3. Boston Bruins (3-1-0)
The Bruins additionally received their first three contests of 2025-26 earlier than dropping a 4-3 resolution to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Boston is tied with Colorado, Florida and the Minnesota Wild for probably the most objectives within the NHL with 13, whereas David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha each have registered a tally and 4 assists to prime the membership with 5 factors. The Bruins probably will not sustain their scoring tempo on account of a scarcity of depth, nevertheless it’s good to see them begin sturdy after having missed the playoffs final season for the primary time since 2016.
4. Nashville Predators (2-0-1)
The Predators went on a spending spree final offseason and the return was dismal as they completed thirtieth within the league, failing to qualify for the postseason for the second time in three campaigns. They started 2024-25 with a five-game shedding streak and by no means had been capable of get to .500, so seeing them begin this season with two wins and an time beyond regulation loss to Utah is encouraging. Two-time All-Star Juuse Saros posted a 1.64 GAA as Nashville allowed solely 5 objectives over its first three video games, whereas Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula — who’s on his second tour of responsibility with the membership — recorded a degree in every contest.
5. Dallas Stars (2-0-0)
The Stars gave up 4 objectives in each of their video games to date however got here away unscathed, edging the 2024-25 Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets in regulation and Colorado in a shootout. Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Thomas Harley lead the crew with 4 factors apiece, whereas Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston each have scored twice. In the meantime, blue-liner Nils Lundkvist already has three factors after registering solely 5 in 39 video games final season.
6. Carolina Hurricanes (2-0-0)
The Hurricanes are simply two video games into 2025-26 and have three gamers with a number of objectives. One is Seth Jarvis, who tallied twice within the crew’s season-opening 6-3 conquer the New Jersey Devils and scored the time beyond regulation winner in opposition to the Flyers. Defenseman Okay’Andre Miller additionally tallied twice versus New Jersey in his debut with Carolina and Taylor Corridor transformed in each of the crew’s contests.
7. Seattle Kraken (2-0-0)
After ending next-to-last within the Pacific Division final season, the Kraken have received their first two video games for the primary time within the franchise’s transient five-season historical past. They had been sturdy defensively in these contests, permitting only one objective in victories over the Anaheim Geese and Vegas Golden Knights. Jared McCann, who was Seattle’s goal-scoring chief in every of its first three seasons, scored in each video games, netting the winner in opposition to Vegas 4 seconds earlier than time beyond regulation was set to conclude.
8. Detroit Purple Wings (2-1-0)
Sure, the Purple Wings opened 2025-26 with a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. However they bounced again by sweeping a home-and-home collection with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who received three of the 4 conferences between the Atlantic Division rivals final season. Detroit produced 9 objectives within the wins, with eight completely different gamers lighting the lamp. Lucas Raymond tallied twice in Saturday’s 6-3 dwelling triumph, whereas Mason Appleton scored with 45 seconds remaining within the third interval at Toronto on Monday to provide the Purple Wings a 3-2 victory. Captain Dylan Larkin, who shares the crew lead in objectives with Raymond, notched a degree in every of Detroit’s first three contests.
9. Minnesota Wild (2-1-0)
The Wild are tied for the NHL lead in objectives due to their energy play, which was excellent in the course of the first week of the season. Minnesota went 8-for-17 with the person benefit over its first three video games for a ridiculous conversion charge of 47.1% and cashed in seven instances on 14 alternatives over its final two contests. Kirill Kaprizov recorded three power-play objectives and is tied with teammate Matt Boldy and Jack Eichel of the Golden Knights for third within the NHL with seven factors. The 28-year-old Kaprizov is one man-advantage tally away from matching the overall he registered in 41 video games final season.
10. Winnipeg Jets (2-1-0)
Winnipeg’s prime two offensive gamers in 2024-25 picked up the place they left off, touchdown on the scoresheet in every of the crew’s first three video games this marketing campaign. Kyle Connor, who set a profession excessive with 97 factors final season, recorded his seventh hat trick within the NHL within the Jets’ season-opening 5-4 loss to Dallas and notched one help in victories over Los Angeles and the New York Islanders. Mark Scheifele arrange every of Connor’s objectives in opposition to the Stars, netted a pair of tallies — together with the winner — in a 3-2 conquer the Kings and added an empty-netter in Monday’s 5-2 win versus the Islanders. Morgan Barron (two objectives, two assists) additionally figured within the scoring in every of Winnipeg’s contests and is on tempo to obliterate the profession excessive of 21 factors he set in 2022-23.
