NHL Power Rankings: Seattle Kraken on the rise at All-Star break
Anthony Scultore
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The Daily Goal Horn’s Top Ten NHL Power Rankings takes a look at the best teams as we’re hitting the All-Star Break.
This month, four new teams have surged up into the Top Ten. After a slump in December, the New Jersey Devils have jumped into the top three with a 9-2-2 record in January. Of course, no team has been hotter than the Seattle Kraken with 11 wins this month and 23 points.
Also making their way up the rankings are the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are 8-2-0 in their last 10. Meanwhile, as Connor McDavid assaults the scoring charts with 92 points in 50 games, the Edmonton Oilers are sporting a .750 points percentage in January.
The biggest drop off from our December Power Rankings were the Vegas Golden Knights. They fell out of the list due to a 4-6-2 skid this month.
Let’s dive into the latest list.
NHL Power Rankings
2022-23 Top 10 Teams (January):
- Boston Bruins (38-7-5)
- Carolina Hurricanes (32-9-8)
- New Jersey Devils (32-13-4) NEW
- Seattle Kraken (29-15-5) NEW
- Toronto Maple Leafs (31-12-8) ⬇️
- Tampa Bay Lightning (32-15-1) NEW
- New York Rangers (27-14-8) ⬇️
- Dallas Stars (28-13-10) ⬇️
- Winnipeg Jets (31-19-1) ⬇️
- Edmonton Oilers (28-18-4) NEW
2022-23 Top 10 Teams (December):
- Boston Bruins (27-4-2) ⬆️
- Carolina Hurricanes (22-6-6) NEW
- Toronto Maple Leafs (21-7-6) ⬆️
- Vegas Golden Knights (24-11-1) ⬇️
- New York Rangers (19-11-5) NEW
- Dallas Stars (20-9-6) ⬇️
- Pittsburgh Penguins (19-9-5) NEW
- Winnipeg Jets (21-12-1) ⬆️
- Washington Capitals (19-13-4) NEW
- Los Angeles Kings (19-12-6) NEW
Daily Goal Horn Power Rankings Breakdown
1. Boston Bruins: This team is downright scary. Granted, the NHL doesn’t hand out the Stanley Cup in January, but the B’s are the clear cut favorites to win it all. Despite losing their last two games (one in OT), this team is still 10-3-1 with a matchup against the Maple Leafs before heading into the break.
2. Carolina Hurricanes: The Canes are slowly catching up to the Bruins after another strong month. They’re 8-3-2 with two games remaining until they enter the break. If they can win both those matchups, they’ll narrow Boston’s current 9 point lead for the Presidents’ Trophy.
3. New Jersey Devils: They’re baaack! Reports of the Devils demise after losing 10 out of 13 games (3-8-2) from December 9 to January 5 were greatly exaggerated. For this month, the Devils posted a 9-2-2 record. Maybe it’s time to believe in this young team.
4. Seattle Kraken: What a season for the Kraken, who have already surpassed last year’s inaugural win and points totals. The team has risen from the depths (pun intended) and hold first place in the Pacific Division heading into the break. In the month of January, no team was hotter as they posted an 11-3-1 record.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs will be without the services of Auston Matthews for most of February due to a lower-body injury. So you have to wonder if they’ll fall down this list next month? Regardless, this is a bonafide Stanley Cup contender that posted an 8-4-2 record in January.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning: Nope Bolts’ haters, this team isn’t done and they’re not going away. Once again led by incredible veterans like Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa is moving up the rankings. They posted a 9-4-0 January record with a .692 points percentage.
7. New York Rangers: After a slow start to the season, the Rangers responded to captain Jacob Trouba’s helmet toss after a miserable loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at home on December 3. Since that time, they’re 16-4-3 which includes an 8-2-2 January run. New York is buoyed by three NHL All-Stars in Igor Shesterkin, Artemi Panarin, and Adam Fox.
8. Dallas Stars: Peter DeBoer continues to have a fine first season behind the Stars’ bench. This team currently leads the Central Division and look like a playoff lock after getting in via wild card last season. The team hasn’t been great in January, but hare playing well in all three zones.
8. Winnipeg Jets: Rick Bowness seems to have the touch that was missing last season for the Jets. They currently sit in second place just three points behind the Stars in the Central. Although this month wasn’t anything to write home about, the Jets are a playoff team that could make some noise when fully healthy.
10. Edmonton Oilers: It was only going to be a matter of time before the scoring prowess of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl was going to equal to wins in Edmonton. The Oilers strong 8-2-2 January has them surging up the Pacific standings just thee points behind division-leading Seattle.
