Most groups would not bat a watch in the event that they went via a 3-3-1 stretch. The Colorado Avalanche aren’t like most groups.
The Avalanche suffered solely two regulation losses of their first 40 video games of the 2025-26 NHL season however got here away empty-handed on their journey to the Sunshine State earlier this month, shedding to the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning in a span of three days. They then started a seven-game homestand with a pair of victories and have been edged in time beyond regulation by the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier than falling to 19-1-3 at Ball Area with their 7-3 setback in opposition to the Nashville Predators.
Colorado answered the bell with a 5-2 conquer the Washington Capitals on Monday to earn a cut up of its two video games final week. Regardless of its current “stoop,” the membership enters Week 16 with a 10-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes within the race for the Presidents’ Trophy, two of the NHL’s high seven gamers in factors, the league’s main scorer amongst defensemen and certainly one of its strongest goaltending tandems.
Whereas the Avalanche broke even in Week 15, eight groups went with out a regulation loss, with the Anaheim Geese successful all 4 of their video games. The Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets and Utah Mammoth all went 3-for-3, the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins each posted 2-0-2 data and the Lightning earned a minimum of one level in all three of their contests (2-0-1) whereas the Los Angeles Kings went 0-0-3.
In the meantime, the Vancouver Canucks sank deeper into the NHL basement as they endured 4 regulation losses for the second consecutive week and noticed their skid attain 11 video games (0-9-2). Whereas Vancouver’s slide is not very stunning, the Dallas Stars’ present struggles are. The Stars have received solely two of their final 12 contests (2-6-3) and dropped all three of their Week 15 video games in regulation, scoring only one aim in every.
Every week in the course of the season I will rank the league’s high 10 groups primarily based on each the earlier week’s performances and general 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 scores coming into Week 16 of the 2025-26 NHL season and spotlight a couple of of the groups’ notable accomplishments.
NHL Week 16 energy scores
1. Colorado Avalanche (1-1-0 in Week 15; 34-5-8 general)
In the end, the Avalanche have been going to come back away with out a level in a house recreation. However regardless that the Predators have performed significantly better since late November, doing so in opposition to them was stunning. The membership recovered properly, nonetheless, as Nathan MacKinnon got here up with one more multi-point efficiency in Monday’s win in opposition to Washington. The 2024 Hart Trophy winner scored two targets and arrange one in that contest as he recorded a number of factors for the seventh time in 11 outings. MacKinnon leads the NHL with 38 tallies and is tied with Edmonton Oilers celebrity Connor McDavid for first with 85 factors. Martin Necas had a aim and two assists final week to extend his level complete to 60, which locations him seventh within the league, whereas Cale Makar notched only one help however nonetheless leads all NHL defensemen with 54 factors. Brock Nelson continued to provide, netting two tallies and organising one other to provide him factors in 10 of his final 11 video games.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (2-0-1; 30-13-4)
The Lightning’s successful streak ended at 11 video games of their matchup in opposition to the St. Louis Blues on Friday, however they nonetheless got here away with some extent as they erased a two-goal deficit earlier than falling 3-2 in a shootout. The membership ended Week 15 — and its five-game highway journey — with Sunday’s 4-1 triumph at Dallas, which prolonged its level streak to 13 video games (12-0-1). Tampa Bay hasn’t misplaced in regulation since Dec. 18, when it dropped a 2-1 resolution to Los Angeles. Nikita Kucherov continued to be an offensive machine final week, registering a aim and two assists to provide him 70 factors — the fourth-highest complete within the league. The three-time Artwork Ross Trophy winner, who’s looking for his third consecutive scoring title, has landed on the scoresheet in 12 of his final 13 video games (11 targets, 17 assists) and hasn’t gone back-to-back contests with out a level for the reason that second week in November. Brandon Hagel additionally has been sizzling, choosing up a minimum of one level in eight of his final 9 outings (5 targets, seven assists). Defenseman Darren Raddysh has completed the identical, gathering 4 targets and 11 assists throughout his surge.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-0; 31-15-4)
Carolina started Week 15 with a 3-0 loss at St. Louis however adopted with three straight victories, permitting only one aim in every triumph. The membership scored a complete of 15 occasions within the wins and obtained a three-goal effort from a participant in every of the primary two. Nikolaj Ehlers registered the sixth profession hat trick in Friday’s 9-1 rout of the Panthers and Andrei Svechnikov posted his fourth because the Hurricanes defeated the Devils 4-1 in New Jersey the next evening. The 25-year-old Svechnikov sandwiched one-goal, one-assist performances round his hat trick after enduring a six-game goal-scoring drought. Sebastian Aho, who leads the staff with 52 factors, has gone 9 video games with out a tally however collected seven assists over his final three contests and has picked up 9 in his final 5 outings.
4. Detroit Purple Wings (2-1-0; 30-16-4)
The Purple Wings hit a minor pace bump final week, which they began with a 3-0 highway loss in opposition to the Bruins, however stayed the course with victories over the San Jose Sharks and Senators. Detroit has received six of its final seven contests and hasn’t gone back-to-back video games with out a level since a three-game shedding streak from Nov. 24-28. Lucas Raymond notched three assists versus the Sharks and scored a aim in opposition to the Senators, giving him a minimum of one level in 11 of his final 14 outings and a team-leading 53 factors. He moved one level forward of Alex DeBrincat, who has netted a tally in 4 of his previous 5 contests and 6 of his final 9. Veteran James van Riemsdyk continued his resurgence as he arrange two targets in opposition to San Jose earlier than scoring one within the conquer Ottawa. The 36-year-old left wing has appeared on the scoresheet in 9 of his final 13 video games, amassing six tallies and eight assists over that span. John Gibson has received 15 of his final 17 begins, permitting two targets or fewer 9 occasions in that stretch.
5. Minnesota Wild (2-1-0; 28-13-9)
Minnesota’s struggles continued because it was overwhelmed 6-2 by the Winnipeg Jets in its first recreation of Week 15, which was its fifth defeat in six contests (1-3-2). The membership seems to be breaking out of its funk because it adopted that setback with highway victories in opposition to the Buffalo Sabres and Maple Leafs. Vladimir Tarasenko had a powerful week offensively, recording three targets and three assists in three video games after registering only one tally over his earlier 11 contests. Ryan Hartman has tallied in 5 of his final seven outings, whereas Kirill Kaprizov has collected 5 assists in his previous two video games. In the meantime, Marcus Foligno accounted for half of the Wild’s offense in Monday’s 6-3 triumph at Toronto as he doubled his aim complete for the season with the primary hat trick of his 15-year NHL profession.
6. Dallas Stars (0-3-0; 27-13-9)
The Stars concluded their 2-3-1 highway journey with regulation losses at Anaheim (3-1) and Utah (2-1) final week, and issues did not get any higher upon their return residence as they have been overwhelmed 4-1 by Tampa Bay on Sunday. Wyatt Johnston was the one member of the staff with a number of factors in Week 15, as he notched a pair of assists. The 22-year-old middle registered a minimum of one level in 9 of 11 outings (six targets, six assists) earlier than being shut down by the Lightning.
7. Vegas Golden Knights (3-1-0; 24-12-12)
The Golden Knights entered Week 15 with a four-game successful streak and prolonged it to seven with time beyond regulation triumphs over the Kings and Maple Leafs, and a 7-2 rout of the Predators. The run got here to an finish Monday as they dropped a 2-1 resolution at residence to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone each landed on the scoresheet in all 4 contests, with the previous recording a aim and eight assists whereas the latter amassed three tallies and 4 assists. Eichel is using a nine-game level streak throughout which he has collected 5 targets and 11 assists, and he has picked up a minimum of one level in 14 of his final 15 outings. Stone is on a 12-game run, a stretch that has seen him internet a tally in 10 contests, and has been shut down in solely three of his 32 contests this season. Mitch Marner had a pair of multi-point performances final week, giving him 5 over his final eight outings, whereas Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev each reached the 20-goal plateau with two and three tallies, respectively.
8. Montreal Canadiens (1-1-1; 27-15-7)
Montreal earned three of a potential six factors on its three-game highway journey in Week 15, defeating Ottawa, falling to Washington in time beyond regulation and shedding in regulation to Buffalo. The staff’s high three scorers carried out as such, with every ending the trek with back-to-back multi-point performances. Nick Suzuki scored a aim and arrange one other in opposition to the Sabres final Thursday and notched a pair of assists versus the Senators two days later. Defenseman Lane Hutson, who received the Calder Trophy final season, racked up two assists in Buffalo and three in Ottawa whereas Cole Caufield recorded a aim and an help in opposition to the Sabres earlier than netting two tallies and organising one versus the Senators.
9. Boston Bruins (3-0-0; 28-19-2)
After ending the earlier week with a shutout victory, the Bruins opened Week 15 with one other as they blanked the Purple Wings 3-0 at residence final Tuesday. Jeremy Swayman turned apart 24 pictures en path to his seventeenth profession blanking simply two days after Joonas Korpisalo recorded his eighth with a 27-save effort in Boston’s 1-0 conquer the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Bruins then defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-2 to wrap up a five-game homestand earlier than concluding the week with a 5-2 highway victory over the the Chicago Blackhawks that prolonged their successful streak to 6 video games. Pavel Zacha and defenseman Charlie McAvoy have been the staff’s largest offensive contributors final week as every racked up a aim and three assists whereas touchdown on the scoresheet in every of the three contests. McAvoy has notched a minimum of one level in eight of his final 9 video games and Zacha has completed so in six of his previous seven outings. Viktor Arvidsson is using a seven-game level streak (4 targets, 4 assists) whereas 2020 Maurice Richard Trophy winner David Pastrnak has collected 5 targets and 13 assists over his final 9 contests.
10. Buffalo Sabres (2-1-1; 26-17-5)
The Sabres earned factors in three of their 4 video games final week as they posted back-to-back triumphs over the Flyers and Canadiens earlier than being edged by the Wild in time beyond regulation to conclude a 3-1-1 homestand. Buffalo ended Week 15 on Monday with a 2-1 setback at Carolina that kicked off its five-game highway journey. Josh Norris didn’t accompany the staff on its trek as he suffered an upper-body damage in final Wednesday’s 5-2 victory in opposition to Philadelphia and is taken into account week-to-week. The 26-year-old middle missed 24 video games earlier this season with a lower-body damage however has been a daily on the scoresheet when wholesome, showing there in 14 of his 19 outings. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was the one member of the Sabres to notch some extent in all 4 of their contests final week, gathering three targets and two assists, whereas Tage Thompson amassed 5 assists, together with a pair in a five-point efficiency in opposition to Montreal on Thursday during which he additionally posted his ninth profession hat trick. The 28-year-old middle, who leads the Sabres with 50 factors, collected 5 targets and eight assists throughout a seven-game level streak that got here to an finish Monday.
