The Hurricanes have now won nine games in a row, and they haven't lost in regulation in over a month. Carolina is getting contributions from up and down the lineup, and rookie goaltender Petr Kochetkov has been a revelation. There is no reason to think this Canes team can't win it all at the end of the year.
2Boston has been bumped from its top spot after reigning supreme for several weeks. That has more to do with the run the Hurricanes are on than any fault in the Bruins' game right now. They've won four straight, and David Pastrnak remains one of the hottest players in the league.
3With his game-winning overtime goal against the Blues on Tuesday night, William Nylander is now riding a four-game goal streak and tied with Auston Matthews for second on the team with 40 points. Nylander is streaking toward the best season of his career, which gives Toronto a four-headed monster at forward.
4Through almost half of the season Filip Gustavsson has outplayed Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. In his 13 appearances, Gustavsson has saved 5.92 goals above average and a high-danger save percentage of 84.0%. That's probably why head coach Dean Evason has been splitting the starts more evenly between Gustavsson and Fleury lately.
5Nikita Kucherov has been piling up points like it's going out of style. In his last five games, Kucherov has totaled two goals and 10 points, and now he is on pace to hit roughly 126 points on the year. That's just two fewer than his Hart Trophy campaign in 2018-19.
6As the Penguins have made their climb up the Metro Division standings in December, goaltender Tristan Jarry has been lights out in net. Since Dec. 1, Jarry has posted 5.40 goals saved above average, which ranks fifth in that span, per Natural Stat Trick.
7After posting positive underlying numbers and failing to get positive results for much of the season, the Rangers have gotten back to what worked for them last season. Since Dec. 5, the Rangers have controlled just 44.54% of the expected goals at five-on-five, but they have gone 8-2-0. The Rangers seem content to play in more back-and-forth games knowing that their offensive skill and Igor Shesterkin can win the day.
8Jamie Benn looks much more comfortable in Peter DeBoer's system than he did in Rick Bowness'. Benn is riding a six-game point streak, and he has 14 goals and 34 points on the season. After looking like he was on a sharp decline in 2021-22, Benn has bounced back in a major way this season.
9Alex Ovechkin is now second on the NHL's all-time goals list. He passed Gordie Howe with a two-goal performance against the Jets on Friday night, and now he needs 93 more to pass Wayne Gretzky. Even at the age of 37, Ovechkin has plenty of energy and looks poised to top The Great One by the time he retires.
10In his first full season with the Avalanche, Arturri Lehkonen is thriving, as many expected he would. Lehkonen was excellent in the Avs' 2022 Stanley Cup run, and that has carried over to this year. With nine goals, 14 assists, and 23 points in 30 games, Lehkonen is on pace to set career highs in each of those categories.
11Alex Pietrangelo struggled to adjust to his new team last season, but he looks incredibly comfortable this season. In 28 games played this year, Pietrangelo has posted 27 points, and Vegas is controlling 56.95% of the expected goals with him on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
12The Jets have been living life on the edge this season. Their 14 regulation wins are tied for 13th in the NHL, but they sit just three points out of first place in the Central Division. Winnipeg is 7-1 in overtime, and as thrilling as that may be, it's hard to see that as a formula for long-term success.
13Poor goaltending has reared its ugly head in New Jersey... again. Since Dec. 9, the Devils are ninth in the NHL with a five-on-five expected goals share of 53.47%. However, their 1-6-1 record ranks 31st. It's probably no coincidence that the team's five-on-five save percentage also ranks 31st in that stretch at 88.44%.
14After being traded to the Kings in the offseason, Kevin Fiala signed a big seven-year contract, and he has been worth the money so far. Fiala was acquired to give the Kings some offensive firepower, and he has done that. Fiala leads the team in assists (25) and points (35), and he has given Los Angeles the dynamic playmaker it was looking for.
15With Tage Thompson shredding the league, the ongoing breakout season from Dylan Cozens can get overshadowed from time to time. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Cozens is starting to look like a player with that kind of pedigree. He has 11 goals and 31 points in 32 games played and Cozens could have new career highs in nearly every offensive category by the time February rolls around.
16A 25-year-old journeyman, Daniel Sprong seems to have found a more permanent home with the Kraken. Despite playing in a bottom-six role for much of the season, Sprong is tied for third on the team with 10 goals, and his 19 points are one away from matching his career high. Sprong has proven to be a phenomenal addition for Seattle, and he has more than earned his spot as an every-game player.
17Elias Pettersson has been scoring in bursts this season, and he has three goals and seven points in his last three games. He is now up to 42 points in 32 games played, and Pettersson looks more like the player thought he could be after tallying a combined 132 points in his first two NHL seasons.
18In 2021-22, Connor McDavid produced an incredible 123-point season. What he's doing this year is making that look like child's play. With 30 goals and 66 points through 35 games, McDavid is on pace for 70 goals and 155 points. The NHL hasn't seen a single-season point total that high since Mario Lemieux in 1992-93.
19By the time his tenure with the Wild came to an end, it seemed like Zach Parise didn't have much left in the tank. However, he has found new life in a versatile role with the Islanders. The 38-year-old Parise has 11 goals in 35 games, and the team is controlling possession and scoring chances with him on the ice.
20In the month of December, the Blues have scored at least four goals seven times, but they are 3-2-2 in thos games. The goaltending tandem of Jordan Binnington and Thomas Greiss has not been consistent at all, and neither goalie has gotten hot. If St. Louis can keep scoring at its current pace while getting average goaltending, the team will shoot up the standings.
21The Senators are one win away from getting their head above water in the standings, but unfortunately for them, their slow start might have created a mountain too tall to climb in terms of reaching the playoffs. Ottawa is still seven points out of a playoff spot despite playing some better hockey of late.
22When the Flames lost both Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk in the same offseason, it was fair to expect a step back on offense, even with the talent they brought in. However, Calgary has gone from sixth in the league in scoring last year to 18th this year. Unfortunately for the Flames, their goaltending hasn't acted as a safety net while the offense figures some things out.
23Michael Rasmussen tallied four points in the Red Wings' win over the Lightning last week, and that makes up nearly 33% of his points on the season. If Detroit can get the former first-round pick going, he would really bolster the team's depth scoring.
24I don't think this ranking is truly representative of the Panthers' talent level or their five-on-five play. However, the team is just not winning games right now, and it has to get dinged for that at some point. The Panthers are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games, and they have fallen below .500 on the year. Florida has to start stacking wins or risk falling out of the playoff picture.
25David Legwand, a center, previously held the Predators' career points record with 566. He hit that number in 956 games played. Roman Josi, a defenseman, just passed that mark in his 792nd game. Josi has been one of the best defensemen in the NHL for the better part of a decade, and now he sits atop the franchise record books. That is the only good news Nashville has gotten this month.
26Juraj Slafkovsky, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has had a tough time adjusting to life in the NHL. He has four goals in 29 games, and the Canadiens have only controlled 40.04% of the expected goals with him on the ice at five-on-five. Slafkovksy is only 18-years-old, so he should take some forward strides the rest of the way.
27Since making his 2022-23 season debut on Nov. 21, Jacob Chychrun has 13 points in 16 games played. Chychrun's underlying numbers have also been solid when considering the lack of talent around him. The Coyotes' asking price for the star defenseman has only risen in the last month.
28Since making his 2022-23 season debut on Nov. 21, Jacob Chychrun has 16 points in 17 games played. Chychrun's underlying numbers have also been solid when considering the lack of talent around him. The Coyotes' asking price for the star defenseman has only risen in the last month.
29In the Flyers' loss to the Hurricanes on Friday night, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen registered his first point of the season. That's not ideal for a player who just signed a five-year, $25.5 million contract last offseason.
30Rookie center Mason McTavish has started to heat up a little bit. He has two goals and six points in his last five games, which is excellent news for the Ducks. McTavish was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, and Anaheim is banking on him being a cornerstone of its rebuild.
31Congratulations to the Blackhawks for getting their first win in nearly a month. Given that it came in a head-to-head matchup with the team right above them in the power rankings, Chicago escapes the bottom spot for at least one week.
32The Blue Jackets just gave the Blackhawks their first win since Dec. 3. That bullet point on their application for the bottom spot in the power rankings was too impressive to ignore.
