Carolina has taken over the top spot in the latest NHL power snapshot, and the early read around the League is familiar: the clubs getting steady work from the crease are the ones climbing fastest. Pyotr Kochetkov, Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman and Jake Oettinger have supplied it in volume, while injuries and unsettled tandems have already put pressure on several contenders.
The Hurricanes, 6-1-1, rose from third to first with 222 voting points. Vegas moved to second, Edmonton made the biggest jump among the leaders, from No. 10 to No. 3, and Colorado slid from first to fourth despite a 4-2-1 record. Ottawa, Boston and Seattle entered the top 16, replacing Washington, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
Power rankings: goaltending edition
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina Hurricanes | 6-1-1 | 222 | 3 |
| 2 | Vegas Golden Knights | 6-2-0 | 196 | 4 |
| 3 | Edmonton Oilers | 5-0-1 | 175 | 10 |
| 4 | Colorado Avalanche | 4-2-1 | 174 | 1 |
| 5 | New York Rangers | 6-2-0 | 154 | 6 |
| 6 | Minnesota Wild | 4-2-1 | 138 | 2 |
| 7 | Utah Mammoth | 5-2-0 | 125 | 5 |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-2-0 | 107 | 7 |
| 9 | Ottawa Senators | 5-2-0 | 99 | Unranked |
| 10 | Winnipeg Jets | 4-1-1 | 98 | 15 |
| 11 | Boston Bruins | 5-2-0 | 94 | Unranked |
| 12 | Florida Panthers | 3-2-2 | 66 | 8 |
| 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 3-3-1 | 64 | 11 |
| 14 | Anaheim Ducks | 4-2-0 | 51 | 9 |
| 15 | Seattle Kraken | 5-2-0 | 48 | Unranked |
| 16 | Dallas Stars | 3-3-1 | 40 | 14 |
Carolina and Vegas find dependable tandem play
Carolina entered the season with questions after Frederik Andersen departed in free agency. Brandon Bussi had emerged unexpectedly as last season’s starter, while Kochetkov was returning from a lower-body injury that wiped out most of his previous campaign. Eight games in, the crease has been a Hurricanes strength rather than a concern.
Kochetkov has allowed no more than two goals in each of his first four starts and has the look of a full-time No. 1. Bussi has been less tidy, but Carolina has still earned points in three of his four outings. That is enough support behind a club that again looks built for a long spring.
Vegas is splitting work as coach Ryan Craig promised before opening night. Carter Hart is 3-2-0 with a 2.41 goals-against average and .906 save percentage after backstopping the Golden Knights to last season’s Stanley Cup Final. Adin Hill, the starter for Vegas’ 2023 championship run, is 3-0-0 with a 2.27 GAA and .901 save percentage.
Edmonton answers the first crease test
Edmonton is unbeaten in regulation at 5-0-1, even after Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi were shelled in their debuts for six and seven goals, respectively. Both have settled down since, buying time while Andersen recovers from an undisclosed offseason injury. His return is not expected before December.
Levi arrived July 1 from Buffalo after spending the last two seasons with Rochester in the American Hockey League. Jarry came to Edmonton from Pittsburgh last season, but lost the starting role there to Connor Ingram amid inconsistent results. The Oilers need the pair to put quality starts together consistently if they are to hold their position.
Colorado’s question remains its goaltending. Mackenzie Blackwood has an .879 save percentage through five games, and he has faced more than 30 shots only once. He stopped 24 of 26 against Dallas on Tuesday, keeping the Stars contained long enough for Colorado’s offense to seize the game. That can work on a loaded Avalanche roster, but it is not the same as dominant netminding.
Rangers lose Shesterkin, Wild wait on Gustavsson
The Rangers have gone 5-0-0 at Madison Square Garden, their first home opening streak of at least five wins since 1990-91, but the sharp start has been overshadowed by Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending lower-body injury. He was hurt in Friday’s 3-1 loss at Washington after beginning the year with a goal and an assist as well as strong work in net.
New York now turns to 24-year-old Dylan Garand, who cleared waivers just before the season. Garand has allowed three goals on 47 shots in victories over Vancouver and Tampa Bay, his two starts since Shesterkin went down. The larger test is the workload. Before facing the Lightning on Tuesday, Garand had never made consecutive NHL starts. Veteran backup Joonas Korpisalo is also out with a lower-body injury and is expected to miss about three more weeks.
Minnesota has leaned heavily on Jesper Wallstedt while Filip Gustavsson recovers from offseason hip surgery. There is no formal timetable for Gustavsson’s return. Wallstedt, 23, played every minute of the Wild’s first six games, including four on the road, and went 4-1-1 with a 1.82 GAA and .933 save percentage. He did not allow more than three goals in a start and surrendered one goal twice.
Calvin Pickard received the call in Minnesota’s back-to-back finale Tuesday and allowed five goals on 25 shots in a 5-2 loss at Winnipeg. Wallstedt has calmed the early concern, but Gustavsson’s return would give the Wild needed cover.
Ullmark and Swayman lift Ottawa and Boston
Ottawa’s rapid opening has Linus Ullmark at its center. The 2023 Vezina Trophy winner is 5-0-0 with a 1.27 GAA and .948 save percentage, a timely run with defensemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub injured. The Senators are also getting 11 points from Tim Stutzle, including five goals, while Thomas Chabot’s 27:19 average ice time ranks second among NHL defensemen behind Columbus’ Zach Werenski at 28:55.
Ullmark was a major piece of Ottawa’s playoff push last season, going 12-4-3 after the Olympic break with a 2.51 GAA, .902 save percentage and two shutouts. He posted a 2.03 GAA and .932 save percentage in the Senators’ first-round sweep at the hands of Carolina. At 33, he is again carrying a major share of the load. Ottawa also needs a better defensive effort in front of Samuel Ersson, who has yielded 11 goals on 57 shots in two starts.
Boston is 5-2-0 behind Swayman’s 1.99 GAA and .930 save percentage. He has surrendered 12 goals in six games and has allowed more than three just once, in a flat team performance against Ottawa. The Bruins will have to determine how much they can ask of Swayman compared with inexperienced backup Michael DiPietro, but their starter has supplied the high-end play they require.
Winnipeg holds without Hellebuyck
Connor Hellebuyck remains suspended by Winnipeg after failing to report, and his trade request remains unresolved. The Jets have not moved him, but Stuart Skinner has helped them weather the situation with a 3-0-1 record, 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage. He has won three straight starts, allowing two goals in each.
Skinner brings postseason experience from two Stanley Cup Final runs with Edmonton. Clay Stevenson delivered a 3-2 win against Pittsburgh on Oct. 5, then gave up four goals on 16 shots in a 5-1 loss to Anaheim four nights later. Winnipeg’s near-term fortunes rest with that pair, regardless of whether Hellebuyck returns, is traded or remains suspended.
Utah has no immediate concern in goal with Karel Vejmelka handling the bulk of the work. He is 4-1-0 with a 2.46 GAA, .895 save percentage and one shutout over six appearances, five of them starts. Sebastian Cossa is 1-1-0 with a 3.16 GAA and .852 save percentage. Vejmelka started 63 games last season and is again positioned for a heavy schedule.
Mixed early returns in Florida, Montreal and Anaheim
Florida’s crease has been adequate rather than exceptional, with health now the larger issue. Jacob Markstrom was pulled Monday against Buffalo and did not dress Tuesday. Coach Paul Maurice listed him as day to day. Markstrom is 2-1-1 with a 2.03 GAA and .904 save percentage.
Akira Schmid made 24 saves in Tuesday’s 7-3 win against Columbus and is 1-1-1, with 10 goals allowed in three starts. The Panthers need Markstrom available regularly, though he does not have to be spectacular for the club to stay in the playoff race if Schmid can provide timely relief.
Montreal has turned to Jacob Fowler for each of its last three games after he opened the season with Laval. Fowler has two wins, a 1.91 GAA and .906 save percentage in those three starts. Jakub Dobes needs a quick rebound if he is to keep the No. 1 job, while Sam Montembeault is expected back within days from a lower-body injury suffered in practice Oct. 7. His return will force a roster decision in Montreal.
Anaheim ended a seven-season playoff drought last year, when Lukas Dostal won 30 games for the first time, but goaltending remains worth watching. Dostal finished last season with a career-low .888 save percentage, and the Ducks allowed 3.51 goals per game, fourth most in the NHL.
Dostal and Ville Husso have been mostly solid in the new season, holding opponents to three goals or fewer in all but two games. Dostal was pulled after allowing five second-period goals against Edmonton on Oct. 7. If Anaheim can avoid those kinds of collapses, its offense gives it a chance to remain relevant deep into the season.
Seattle and Dallas ride improved numbers
Seattle’s 5-2-0 start has been supported by a notable bump in team save percentage, up to .911 from .894 last season. Joey Daccord is 3-1-0 with a 2.73 GAA and .913 save percentage, while Philipp Grubauer is 2-1-0 with a 2.35 GAA and .918 save percentage. Daccord had a 3.03 GAA and .897 save percentage last season. Sustained improvement from both netminders would put Seattle in position to end its three-season playoff drought.
Dallas, meanwhile, has stayed in the top 16 largely because of Oettinger. In five starts, he has allowed six goals on 107 shots for a 1.20 GAA and .944 save percentage, though he has only two wins. Casey DeSmith stopped 24 of 26 shots in his lone start before returning to the net Wednesday and still took the loss. The Stars’ offense has been uneven; without that work from the crease, their record could be in a far worse place.
Tampa Bay has allowed 16 goals through six games, tied for the NHL’s fourth-lowest total. Andrei Vasilevskiy is 3-2-0 with a 2.45 GAA, though his .886 save percentage leaves room for better results. Dennis Hildeby stopped 34 shots in his only start, a 3-2 win over Minnesota on Oct. 8. The Lightning penalty kill, 12-for-15 at 80.0 percent and 17th in the League, is another area to track.
Washington received 26 voting points outside the top 16, followed by Buffalo with 13, Pittsburgh with seven, Toronto with four and St. Louis with three. The Capitals had been No. 12 last week, the Sabres were No. 13 and the Penguins held the final spot.
