It's been nearly six months since Florida beat Edmonton in a thrilling Game 7.
Colin Gallant
Exactly 164 days ago, the Florida Panthers captured their inaugural NHL championship, defeating Connor McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers in one of the most thrilling Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory. After opening up a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, the Cats allowed the Oil to march all the way back, with the storied Canadian franchise forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24.
Sam Reinhart was the hero of one of the most highly-anticipated hockey games of the 21st century, scoring the game winner late in the second period in a 2-1 final. With that, the Panthers avenged their five-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights the year before, becoming immortalized in National Hockey League history.
Fast forward nearly six months, and the two powerhouses will meet again for the first time in 2024-25 on Monday night. The Panthers have been struggling as of late but remain second place in the Atlantic Division with an 18-11-2 record, while the Oilers are surging, having won five straight and nine of 11 dating back to mid-November. Edmonton triumphed twice at home with their backs against the wall in the SCF — once in Game 4 and again in Game 6 — and they'll be looking for similar success at Rogers Place.
There are sure to be fireworks when the two squads meet again; the Oilers will be looking for some means of revenge against the club that halted a potential first championship since 1990. Monday evening figures to be appointment viewing for hockey fans everywhere, and that will certainly be the highlight of a busy Week 11 slate.
Two players who won't be busy — at least on the ice — are a pair of veteran offensive defensemen who hung up the skates for good last week. Kevin Shattenkirk said goodbye to the game after 952 regular-season appearances, 484 points and one title with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020. Meanwhile, Justin Schultz retired as well; the two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins recorded 324 points in 745 games. A pair of terrific careers for two well-liked players who left lasting marks on the game.
And for the fourth time this season, there's been a big adjustment at the top of ClutchPoints' weekly NHL Power Rankings. The Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets have all enjoyed some time on top, but there's another contender well-deserving of the No. 1 slot in Week 11. Read on for the latest.
Previous 2024-25 NHL Power Rankings: Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
For the first time in the history of ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings, the Capitals are at the top of the hill. It's impressive that Washington is still winning so prolifically in the absence of Alex Ovechkin — and they won't be playing hockey without The Great Eight for much longer. No. 8 is already back at practice, and the Caps just continue to surge, with eight wins in their last nine games. They've taken over first place in points percentage, and are just a single point back of the Jets with three games in hand. At 21-6-2, it was impossible to keep this roster out of the No. 1 spot. The tandem of Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson is the new Swayman-Ullmark, and the pair have been just phenomenal in 2024-25. And guess who is leading the NHL in 5-on-5 points per 60 minutes? You guessed it: Aliaksei Protas, who has 26 points in 29 games despite no powerplay exposure whatsoever. Are the Capitals a team of destiny?
After a red hot stretch that lasted until the end of November, the Wild have proved mortal since the calendar flipped. Minnesota is used to every loss being both preceded and followed by a couple of victories in 2024-25, but that hasn't been the case as of late. John Hynes' club has lost three of five, including a 7-1 beatdown at the hands of the Oilers on Thursday night. And after a couple of weeks as the top team in the NHL Power Rankings, it's back down to No. 2. This is still a powerhouse, but Filip Gustavsson has struggled a bit after a sparkling start and the offense hasn't been quite as prolific as usual. The reinforcements are beginning to return in Saint Paul, with Mats Zuccarello back in the lineup and Joel Eriksson Ek hoping to follow suit shortly. That should help right the ship ahead of a mouthwatering matchup against the defending champions on Wednesday.
The Jets are back in first place in NHL standings after picking up a point in all three games they played in Week 10, but they're standing pat in the NHL Power Rankings this time around. The Capitals and Wild are each just a point back, and both clubs have games in hand. Still, Winnipeg rectified a rare losing streak by winning four of six games dating back to December 5, the highlight being an 8-1 walloping of the Bruins last Tuesday. This remains a powerhouse in the Western Conference ahead of a California road trip that passes through San Jose and Anaheim, but for some reason, not Los Angeles in Week 11.
Like the Jets, the Devils continue to play solid hockey but aren't getting rewarded in the NHL Power Rankings this week. It's difficult to crack the top-three, but there's no lack of trying on New Jersey's part. Sheldon Keefe's team won two, then lost two, then won two, improving to 20-10-3 and now sitting just a point back of the Capitals for tops in the Metropolitan Division. Jacob Markstrom was excellent last week, allowing just four total goals against the Leafs, Kings and Blackhawks. A 2-1 overtime loss to Toronto was quickly rectified in the form of back-to-back victories over Los Angeles (3-1) and Chicago (4-1). It's a quick road trip through St. Louis and Columbus before a home date with the Penguins to close out the week on Saturday night.
The Golden Knights have looked terrific as of late, and are well-deserving of returning to the NHL Power Rankings top-five. Vegas has lost just three games since November 27, surging to the top of the Pacific and currently just two points back of the Jets in the President's Trophy race. The Knights torched the Central last week, dispatching the Stars, Wild and Jets, three teams who all fashion themselves Stanley Cup contenders. Now 20-80-3, the wins just keep coming on the strip. Keegan Kolesar re-upped in Vegas last week as well, signing a three-year extension that will keep him in Sin City through the 2027-28 campaign. The 27-year-old is an underrated part of the forward core, and getting him locked up was a savvy piece of work by GM Kelly McCrimmon. After a few days off, the Knights welcome the Canucks and Kraken to T-Mobile Arena in Week 11.
There are a couple of surging teams in the National right now, and the Kings are one of them. Darcy Kuemper has been unbeatable since returning to the lineup, winning all three of his starts and allowing just three goals in that span. Capitalizing on that — and strong play from David Rittich — LA has won seven of eight contests since the end of November. That has the squad neck-and-neck with the Golden Knights at the top of the Pacific; they're just four points back with a game in hand. While this was considered a playoff bubble team at the beginning of the year, the defensive play remains just excellent and has vaulted this squad into contender status — even without Drew Doughty. It doesn't hurt that Anze Kopitar is playing at a point-per-game pace for the first time since 2017-18.
When the Panthers and Golden Knights met for the first time after the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, it was an electric tilt. And hockey fans should expect a similarly entertaining contest between Edmonton and Florida on Monday night. Neither the Cats or Oil have been quite as dominant this season compared to last, but both will still certainly be contenders next spring — and there's a ton of pride on the line. Edmonton will be looking to avenge last season's Game 7 heartbreak, while Florida will be looking to turn things around after losing two games in a row — and not scoring a single goal. The Panthers lost 4-0 to the Canucks and 3-0 to the Flames last week, which is stunning considering the weapons this offense boasts. Could the squad be ready to explode at Rogers Place? We're excited to find out in a matter of hours.
The Leafs lost Anthony Stolarz to injury last week, which is abysmal considering how well the Stanley Cup champion has played this season. Joseph Woll is more than capable between the pipes, and the two had basically between splitting starts as of late. Still, the hope in Leafland is that the injury isn't too serious; Woll will have his turn carrying the load in his teammate's absence. Despite the ailment, Toronto continues to play excellent hockey in 2024-25, and especially in Week 10. The Leafs played four games and secured six points, beating the Devils (2-1 in OT), Ducks (3-2) and Sabres (5-3) while losing to the Red Wings (3-2) at some point in between. Now 19-10-2, this team is first in the Atlantic Division and just five points back of the Jets for tops league-wide. Along with improved goaltending, the addition of Chris Tanev by GM Brad Treliving cannot be lauded enough; the defensive specialist was just what the Leafs needed on the blue line.
Welcome to Denver, Mackenzie Blackwood. The 28-year-old had an ideal matchup in his first game as a member of the Avalanche, and he excelled, making 37 saves on 39 shots in a 5-2 triumph over the flailing Predators. Make that four wins in five tries for a Colorado team that is returning to health — and to contender status in the Western Conference. Goaltending was the big issues for this team, and now Blackwood, after being buried in San Jose, will have a chance to help his new club in its quest to capture two Stanley Cups in four seasons. You just can't say enough about Nathan MacKinnon, either; No. 29 is leading the league with 50 points in 32 games, while Mikko Rantanen is right behind with 46 of his own. Now 18-14 after spending most of the year at .500, Colorado looks to have turned a corner ahead of a road tilt against the Canucks on Monday night.
The Oilers are back in the top-10 of the NHL Power Rankings after an impressive surge that's seen the team win eight times in nine tries. Edmonton probably deserves an even bigger jump in Week 11, and if things go well in a Stanley Cup rematch, the sky's the limit for this club. Right now, it looks like they've completely turned the campaign around after being .500 in the middle of November. Fast forward about four weeks and they're now 18-10-2, and knocking on the door of Western Conference supremacy. It'll be intriguing to see if McDavid and Draisaitl can take over the game on Monday night, as they have been doing so much recently. After the monumental tilt, the Oil will play three more home games before Christmas, welcoming the Bruins, Sharks and Senators to Rogers Place.
It's been a bit of a touch stretch for the Stars, who were once right at the top of the NHL Power Rankings but now have completely fallen out of the top-10. Life comes at you fast, especially in the National Hockey League. Dallas has lost three of five, including a brutal 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Predators — that was Nashville's first win since November 23. The roster remains well above-average at 18-11, and there have been reports that general manager Jim Nill will go ‘big game hunting' on the trade market. The Stars could probably use a couple more pieces as they look to make another deep run next spring. But right now, the club is just focused on building back the positive momentum it had earlier in the campaign. That's going to be challenging with the Capitals and Leafs visiting American Airlines Center in Week 11.
It was a fairly uneventful week in Raleigh, but the Hurricanes continue their slow but sure fall down the NHL Power Rankings after losing five of eight going back to November 29. Carolina rotated wins and losses last week, and playing .500 hockey is not going to get this squad back into the top-10. Still, the Canes remain 19-10-1 and well-insulated in the Metropolitan; the fourth-place Flyers are a full seven points back. This roster is way too talented to be playing so mediocrely, and things won't get any easier during a four-game holiday road trip that'll be preceded by a home tilt against the rival Islanders on Tuesday.
What else can you say about Nikita Kucherov? No. 86 was otherworldly for the Lightning on Thursday night, recording a goal and six points as the Bolts crushed the Calgary Flames 8-3 at the Saddledome. After missing a couple of games due to injury, the Russian superstar has picked up right where he left off, with a ridiculous 13 points in his last five games. He's the engine, and that continues to be the case in 2024-25. Kucherov is now third in league scoring despite missing time, with 14 goals and 46 points in 26 games. He's again making a Hart case after setting career-highs with an astounding 144 points in 81 games in 2023-24. He continues to lead the way, and the Bolts are surging into the holiday season with four wins in five games — and they scored eight goals in two of them. Tampa is just six points back of Toronto for the division lead with three games in hand.
Whether or not Jim Montgomery was really the problem in Beantown, the Bruins have completely turned things around without him behind the bench. Joe Sacco has lit a fire under this squad, and Boston has won eight of 12 to return to the top of the division. After a four-game winning streak, the B's suffered a pair of disappointing losses to the Jets (8-1) and Kraken (5-1) before downing the Canucks (5-1) in a 2011 Stanley Cup Final rematch. GM Don Sweeney scooped Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers last week, and there's definitely a chance the former first-round pick can revive his career in a place that isn't Long Island. After a miserable stretch, this is the Bruins team we have gotten used to seeing over the last several years.
Thatcher Demko finally returned to the Canucks' lineup last week, although he surrendered nine goals on 53 shots en route to back-to-back losses. With Kevin Lankinen battling an illness, head coach Rick Tocchet will go right back to Demko against the high-flying Avalanche on Monday night. It's been a struggle for Vancouver lately; the club has lost three of four and four of six, and are hanging onto the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference for dear life. It's going to take some time for Demko to shake off the rust, but with JT Miller back in the lineup, this should just be a blip on the radar for the 15-9-5 Canucks. After Monday's tilt vs. Colorado, Vancouver is headed south to play Utah and Vegas on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Although the Penguins have rotated wins and losses since a four-game winning streak ended on December 6, Sidney Crosby and co. are right back in the thick of the playoff conversation in the Eastern Conference. And Kris Letang is back on the scoresheet in a big way. After struggling mightily for most of the year, the veteran has exploded for nine points in his last seven games. That's a great sign for Pittsburgh, and so was a 9-2 shellacking of the lowly Canadiens on Thursday night. Now just under .500 after a tough overtime loss to the Senators on Saturday, the Pens welcome the surging Kings to PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday — and there's hope again in Pennsylvania.
After a stretch of bad weeks for the Utah Hockey Club, the squad has strung together a couple of promising ones. Utah has now won four of five games going back to December 7, and the one loss was in a shootout. A very strong couple of tilts for Andre Tourigny's club, who have settled in in front of Karel Vejmelka and are again having no trouble scoring goals. The flashes we saw at the beginning of the year from this offense have returned, and that's led to renewed hope in Salt Lake City. This team should get even better once John Marino and Sean Durzi are ready to re-enter the lineup, but right now, things are good for 14-11-5 Utah.
Jacob Trouba is no longer a Ranger, but that isn't doing anything to help the team rectify its current slide. Make that four regulation losses in five tries for a New York team that just continues to flounder. The latest blow was Artemi Panarin, who didn't play in Sunday's 3-2 defeat to the Blues and is labelled day-to-day. The Russian is the offensive engine, and he absolutely needs to be healthy if this roster hopes to turn things around. It's hard to believe this was once a top-five team in the NHL Power Rankings. At this rate, it could be a long time before the Blueshirts are back in the top half. Somehow nearly back to .500 after a 12-4-1 start, you have to think that the front office isn't done making tweaks after trading away the captain.
After being mired in a six losses in seven game stretch, the Flames were able to dig themselves out of the hole in Week 10, winning twice in three tries. That included a hugely encouraging 3-0 victory over the defending champions on Saturday night. Although an 8-3 loss to the Lightning on home ice wasn't ideal from a Calgary perspective — neither was Kucherov getting six points — the squad continues to hang around a wildcard berth in the Western Conference. Now just three points back of the Oilers for the No. 3 spot in the Pacific Division, the Flames will play three more games at the Saddledome before a holiday break, welcoming the Bruins Tuesday, the Senators Thursday and the Blackhawks Saturday.
Welcome to Missouri, Cam Fowler. The lifetime Duck will finally represent a different team in 2024-25 after spending nearly 15 full seasons in California. St. Louis' blue line is filled with aging veterans (Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Ryan Suter, etc), and GM Doug Armstrong going out and getting another one is an interesting move. The Blues are certainly in the playoff conversation, and Jim Montgomery has steered the ship back into calm waters. Despite just being above .500 at 15-14-3, Fowler should make this defensive unit even better, and there's no indication that Armstrong is done making moves ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. The Blues welcome the Devils to Enterprise Center on Tuesday before embarking on a three-game southern road trip; these points are crucial.
What an excellent few weeks it's been in Canada's capital. The Senators have won three consecutive games and five of six, with Linus Ullmark returning to the form that won him the Vezina Trophy in 2022-23. The Swede has given up just five goals in his last five starts — all of them wins — a terrific stretch for the veteran. Ottawa really only needed above-average goaltending to compete for a playoff spot, and this small sample size proves that if Ullmark is dialed in, this roster will hang around. Now 15-13-2, the Sens are about to embark on an outrageous road trip. Ottawa will play nine games away from home in a span of 21 days, stretching from December 17 all the way to January 7. That doesn't seem right during the holiday season, but if this squad can keep the winning ways alive, there won't be too many complaints. Still, though, a nine-game holiday road trip is ridiculous.
Welcome to the four-goal club, Scotty Laughton. After recording his first career hat trick a few seasons ago, the veteran forward did even better last week, scoring every one of Philadelphia's goals in a 4-1 triumph over the Red Wings on Thursday. Laughton has been a fixture in the Flyers' bottom-six for over a decade, and for fans of the franchise, it must be great to see No. 21 reach the impressive milestone. Otherwise, it's been a decent if unspectacular couple of weeks for Philly, who have won five and lost five since November 25. Currently battling for a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division — and a full 12 points back of the first place Capitals — the Flyers are in Detroit on Wednesday before returning home to welcome the Kings to Wells Fargo Center the next night.
Steady as she goes for the Kraken, who have basically played .500 hockey for the entire season. They've rotated wins and losses since December 5, and seem destined to continue on a similar trajectory moving forward. Seattle has been getting some excellent production from the third line of Shane Wright, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen, who have been playing like a top-six unit over the last few weeks. But it hasn't translated to much success, and this club continues to take one step forward, one step back. Now 15-15-2 and sixth place in the Pacific Division, the Kraken remain just three points out of a wildcard berth in the West but haven't provided much hope they can secure a spot in 2024-25.
After a couple of hugely encouraging weeks, the Blue Jackets have fallen back down to earth in a big way. Despite Zach Werenski's heroics — he's leading all defensemen in goals — Columbus has lost four games in a row and seven of eight dating back to December 3. This is a team that is very hard to cheer against, and it's disappointing to see such a solid stretch go to waste. Jet Greaves has started to get a longer look between the pipes; could the 23-year-old be the goaltender of the future in Ohio? That's bold, but Elvis Merzlikins is not cutting it right now, and Daniil Tarasov has been terrible in limited action. The skaters continue playing decently well, but the netminding is really holding this squad back right now. It'll be interesting to see if the Jackets can right the ship before the New Year, or are destined to continue falling down the Eastern Conference table.
After months bordering on years of trade rumors, the Islanders finally moved on from Wahlstrom last week, waiving the former first-round pick. He'll get a chance to revive his career in Massachusetts, while New York will look ahead to having Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair back in the lineup. The latter is getting close, but the former made his return on Sunday, although it came in a 5-3 loss to the lowly Blackhawks. The Isles are getting healthier, which is important, but they're still under .500 at 12-13-7. Despite just treading water in the conference, the squad remains just a single point out of a wildcard berth, and once all the reinforcements are back, they should compete for a postseason slot all campaign long. The road trip that began in Chicago finishes in Carolina and Toronto, the only two games the Islanders will play in Week 11.
It was a whirlwind week for the Ducks, who brought in one veteran defenseman and shipped another one out of town. Trouba made his Anaheim debut in a 3-2 shootout loss to Montreal on Monday; the former Rangers captain has managed zero points and a minus-three rating through four games. Days later, general manager Pat Verbeek sent Cam Fowler, who has been a heart and soul player for this organization his entire career — to the Blues. An interesting move by the executive, but it's long been rumored that both Trouba and Fowler would get traded at some point. To end the week, Anaheim got the brutal news that Trevor Zegras tore his meniscus and will be out for several weeks. That's not going to help a roster that is already sinking to the bottom of the Western Conference after losing five times in six tries.
The Red Wings were finally able to halt a brutal five-game skid in Week 10, winning two of three games to get back on track in the Atlantic Division. A 4-1 loss to the Flyers was discouraging, but a couple of divisional wins over the Sabres (6-5) and Leafs (4-2) has the club at least trending in the right direction in the NHL Power Rankings. Things are still dicey in Motown, with Detroit closer to the Eastern Conference basement than a wildcard berth. The roster really needs Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon to get and stay healthy, although Ville Husso was solid in Saturday's win over Toronto. The Wings are home for two more games — a rematch against the Flyers and a visit from the Canadiens — before heading to the Bell Centre in Montreal to end the week.
What can you say about the Sabres? No playoff berth since 2011, and now in the midst of an awful 10-game losing streak in 2024-25. It's absolutely rock bottom for a franchise that is just running on fumes at this point. Buffalo owner Terry Pegula is meeting the team in Montreal on Monday, although there's rumblings that he believes the solution is internal and won't come from a big trade. If true, that is certainly interesting. Head coach Lindy Ruff was at a loss for words after Sunday night's 5-3 loss to the Leafs, and there isn't really much you can say in the midst of this skid. The Sabres are lucky they didn't go all the way to No. 32 in the NHL Power Rankings, that's how bad things have gotten in Western New York. Now 11-16-4 and knocking on the door of last place in the Eastern Conference, this roster might not change too much in the short-term — but it should.
Alex Georgiev won his Sharks debut on Thursday night, backstopping a 4-3 victory over the Blues and turning aside 17 shots in the process. That was encouraging for the Russian, but it was the only game San Jose won in Week 10. The squad has played four other contests since December 5 and lost all of them. And with that, the Sharks' slight momentum up the NHL Power Rankings hits a snag. It will certainly be interesting to see how Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek fare between the pipes in California; neither goaltender has been great this season. But Macklin Celebrini continues to impress — he's up to 20 points in 21 games — and there's a lot of exciting young talent on this team. It's just going to take a few more years before it all comes together for the 11-17-5 Sharks.
Patrik Laine has come as advertised in his first six regular-season games as a member of the Canadiens. The Finnish sniper is up to three goals and four points, and has looked as threatening as ever with the man advantage. Lane Hutson has also been playing well offensively; the rookie finally scored his first NHL goal on Saturday after putting up 19 assists in 30 games. Unfortunately for Montreal, a couple of strong individual performances hasn't led to much success as a team. The Habs have lost two in a row and three of four, most notably a ghastly 9-2 defeat at the hands of the Penguins on Thursday night. Samuel Montembeault has been as up-and-down as any goalie in the National in 2024-25, and he's currently struggling to keep the puck out of his net. The rebuild continues in earnest in Quebec, although the Canadiens should be better the rest of the way with Laine in the fold.
The Hawks are out of the basement. Despite losing seven of their last nine games, Chicago managed to go 2-2 in Week 10, getting out of last place in both league standings and the NHL Power Rankings. Connor Bedard is finally starting to heat up, and he was the hero in an entertaining 5-3 victory over the Islanders on Sunday. The phenom scored the game winner in the last minute, adding an assist to give him seven points in his last five games. Although the Blackhawks are still floundering overall, it was a decent week, and this roster needs to take the small victories. Still battling just to stay out of 32nd at 10-19-2, Chicago welcomes high-flying Washington to the Windy City on Tuesday.
It's probably long overdue, but the Predators are finally in the basement of the NHL Power Rankings. Now dead last in league standings — and with just one win in 10 tries dating back to November 25 — it's time Nashville finally hits rock bottom. How much longer general manager Barry Trotz will allow this to go on is up in the air, but what a miserable 2024-25 campaign it's been in the Music City. Now 8-17-6, the Preds will be home for four consecutive games at Bridgestone Arena, welcoming the Rangers, Penguins, Kings and Hurricanes over the next eight days. It's going to take a couple of wins in a row — something this team just can't seem to do this season — to make the stay in the dreaded No. 32 spot a short one.
Colin Gallant is the lead senior NHL editor for ClutchPoints. In addition to hockey, he covers the NFL, MLB, and tennis. The Hamilton, Ontario native has a Masters degree in journalism from Western University, and he previously wrote for CBC News, The Hockey News, and Tennis Canada.
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