We are about 15 to 16 games into the 2021-2022 National Hockey League season and creeping up on American Thanksgiving, which has been coined in recent years as the benchmark of where teams will be in the standings come the end of April. 

We also have to factor in this year a more than two week break in February as NHL players are finally going back to the Winter Olympics. There are some big surprises right now with these NHL Power Rankings as Florida and Carolina are leading the NHL while Vegas and Colorado are sitting in the middle of the pack as goaltending and injuries slow them down. 

Here are the top NHL teams right now this regular season. 

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Honorable Mention

Philadelphia Flyers 

The Flyers are more or less buried in the NHL this season as many teams are off to hot starts. The Flyers are 7-4-2 in the league and are fifth in their division. 

All of their games have been extremely close and if it was any other season, they would be second or third in their division. There is a chance the Flyers have over 80 points this season and miss the playoffs because that’s just how good the Metro is this season. 

Giroux and Couturier are leading the team with 5 goals and 7 assists each. Carter Hart is also knocking on the door for a Vezina nod as he is 4- with a 2.32 GAA and .931 SV%. If the Flyers can stay healthy, this team can do some massive damage. 

Top 10 NHL Teams

10. Winnipeg Jets

It seemed like for years that the Winnipeg Jets were a really strong team on defense and in net. Well maybe the defense has slipped but the goaltending sure has not. Eric Comrie has sort of stolen the show from Hellebuyck, but they are both playing solid hockey. 

Comrie is 3-1 with a GAA of 1.98 and an SV% of .926, while Hellebuyck is 5-2 with a 2.87 and an SV% of .911. Kyle Connor is also having a great start, with 11 goals and 8 assists in 14 games for 19 points. 

The Jets are 8-3-3 on the season with 19 points in 14 games, they are second in the Central and tenth in the league.

9. Calgary Flames

The Flames are a team that everyone thought might take a step back this year considering the division they play in. It’s really just been Vegas and Edmonton on top with a few teams sneaking in. 

They are currently 8-3-4 on the season with 20 points in 15 games. Most of their offense is coming from Elias Lindholm who has 8 goals and 8 assists for 16 points in 15 games thus far. Gaudreau is also playing well, in a contract year nonetheless. 

He has 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points in as many games. Markstrom has been okay in net for the team, going 5-3 with a 1.81 GAA and a 9.35 SV%. Not sure if this keeps up, if it does it will be a tough postseason for them. 

8. Minnesota Wild

This is not a surprise at all, the Wild are playing in a weak Central right now and are 10-4 so far on the season with 14 games played. 

They are sitting pretty with 20 points so far. The biggest surprise is Ryan Hartman leading the team with 11 points, 7 goals and 4 assists. Kaprizov is building off of his Calder winning season last year and has 11 points so far in 15 games. 

Cam Talbot is also having a career year, 8-3 with a 2.80 GAA and an SV% of .908., They are just deep enough to do some damage and are looking to build off their success last season. 

7. Anaheim Ducks

California might have been the worst place to watch hockey last season with all three teams doing terrible and basically just feeding Colorado and Vegas. 

But after 16 games played the Ducks are 9-4-3 with 21 points so far. There are really only two factors to the Ducks success and that is Troy Terry and John Gibson. Troy Terry is having a breakout season for the ages; he has 11 goals and 9 assists for 20 points in 15 games so far and is a third star of the week. 

John Gibson is being solid like usual going 8-2 with a GAA of 2.37 and an SV% of .924. I don’t think this keeps up for the Ducks since they are in the same division as Edmonton. 

6. Toronto Maple Leafs 

I really thought the Maple Leafs might take a step back after their embarrassing round one last postseason, but they are holding in there in the top 10 of the NHL, leading the Atlantic Division. 

They are 10-5-1 on the season and have 21 points in 16 games. Most of their offense is not surprisingly coming from Tavares, Marner, Nylander and Matthews. Nylander and Tavares are tied at 15 points but combined the four players have 24 goals and 32 assists so far this season. 

They have struggled with injuries in net, but career backup Jack Campbell is 8-3 on the season with a 1.82 GAA and an SV% of .939. The Leafs are top heavy and weak at defense, but there is hope they can make a run this season or just tear it all down. 

5. New York Rangers

This is honestly the biggest surprise on the list. The Rangers are third in the Metro right now and are 9-3-3 on the season and have 21 points in 15 games. Norris winner Adam Fox is leading the team with 4 goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 15 games. 

The Bread Man has 15 points this season, but Chris Kreider is leading the team in goals at 11 thus far. The number one reason for success is their duo in net. Shesterkin is 7-2 on the season with a 2.46 GAA and an SV% of .929. 

His partner in net Georgiev is 2-1 despite his 3.77 GAA, and has kept the Rangers in games. The Rangers are young and deep and built for the long haul, I don’t see them slowing down any time soon. 

4. Washington Capitals

Will Ovi catch Wayne Gretzky in the next couple of seasons? Well, his teammates in Washington are certainly trying to help. The former Stanley Cup winners, the Washington Capitals, are 9-2-4 on the season so far and are playing in a really tough and tight Metropolitan Division. 

They have had some question marks in net, having to use a few goalies so far, but Samsonov and Vanecek are standing tall in the pipes. Ovechkin is currently leading the team with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 15 games played. 

They are getting offense from the entire lineup but have had to deal with some injuries. They have to keep this pace up or the other teams in the Metro will certainly catch up and pass them. 

3. Edmonton Oilers

If it wasn’t for one loss and OT loser points in Florida, the Oilers would be the number one team in the NHL right now. They are currently 11-3 on the season and third in the NHL, leading the Western Conference. 

It’s no surprise here but the Oilers are being led by their three headed dragon on offense. Leon Draisaitl is leading the team with 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points in 14 games played. Not far behind him is Connor McDavid who recently just hit 600 career points and has 10 goals and 17 assists on the season. 

Finally, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finally got his first goal of the season and has 17 assists thus far. I question their depth long term and in the postseason, but they are an exciting team to watch so far. 

2. Carolina Hurricanes

It seems like every year this bunch of jerks led by Rod Brind’Amour just get better and better. They are currently 11-2 in 13 games this season and a big factor in that is their stellar play in net by their newfound goalie Frederik Anderson. 

Before this season they have had okay tending in net, they basically flipped goalies with Toronto with Mrazek going their last season. Anderson is 9-2 on the season with a 1.78 GAA and an SV% of .938. 

Andrei Svechnikov is also playing totally out of his mind with 7 goals and 10 assists for 17 points in 13 games, on pace for a 100-point season. Time will tell if they can keep it up but it’s all engines forward for the Hurricanes thus far this season. 

1. Florida Panthers

The Panthers are currently sitting at the top of the NHL standings in the league, their conference, and their division as the number one team in the NHL with 23 points in 15 games played. They have a record right now of 12-2-3 and are 4 points ahead of their cross-state rivals in Tampa. 

The Panthers have made some key depth moves that have paid massive dividends for them thus far. They surrendered a 7th round pick in Devon Levi and a 2022 first round pick to acquire Sam Reinhart from Buffalo and he scored 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points in 15 games this season. 

They were also able to pluck Carter Verhaeghe from the Lightning as well and he has 12 points in 15 games this season. Despite losing their coach due to some less than favorable findings in Chicago, this team is humming and shows no signs of slowing down now. 

How would you rank these teams so far in the 2021-2022 season? Rank below to be added in the Power Rankings and to have a chance to win a gift card to LAZADA, Amazon, Fanatics.com, or more that is specific to you. Join the contest by ranking below.

Related Links:

• Top 10 NHL Season Preview 2021-2022 Team Rankings
• Top 10 NHL Players 2021 Rankings
• Top 10 NHL Players – November 2021 Rankings