We here at Power Rankings HQ aren’t going to wish you a Happy New Year. Nine days is too far past the threshold. It’d be wrong.

We will, however, apologize for the 21-day holiday hibernation. That’s far too long — and more than enough time for situations around the league to dramatically change. Every team, in one way or another, finds itself in a different spot than the one it was in on Dec. 19. How, exactly? Let’s see.

1. Colorado Avalanche, 32-4-7

Dec. 19 rank: 1
Sean: 1
Dom: 1

After winning 10 straight for the second time this season, the Avalanche lost two consecutive games in regulation for the first time all year. In January! There are a plethora of crazy Avalanche facts from this season. That might be the wildest.

The losing streak brought the Avalanche’s point pace down from a heroic 141 to a humiliating 135. Shameful stuff from Colorado, but the Avalanche made up for it by whooping the Senators so bad they signed a goalie mid-game.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning, 26-13-3

Dec. 19 rank: 10
Sean: 2
Dom: 2

On Oct. 24, after they’d lost six of their first seven games, we put the Lightning in the 32nd spot. Pretty sure it was a bit. Was it a funny one? Who knows.

In any case, we remembered it upon realizing the Lightning have literally not lost since we went on our sabbatical. They’re 8-0-0 and have outscored their opponents 39-22. In that stretch, Nikita Kucherov leads the league with 19 points. That’s a 194-point pace. Not bad.

3. Dallas Stars, 26-10-8

Dec. 19 rank: 2
Sean: 4
Dom: 3

We’d say we learned that the Stars are capable of hitting the skids — they beat Washington on Wednesday to snap a six-game losing streak — but we were already aware; Dallas had a four-game losing streak in October. Other than that, they’ve lost seven times, all non-consecutively. Not bad. (Also worth noting: during their most recent dip, they were still a pretty effective five-on-five team, with an expected goal share of about 52 percent.)

Also, for no reason in particular, Jason Robertson remains the most efficient American goal scorer on the planet, putting up 1.72 goals per 60. Just in case you were wondering.

4. Minnesota Wild, 26-11-8

Dec. 19 rank: 3
Sean: 3
Dom: 4

The Quinn Hughes Show continues, with the superstar defender scoring 11 points in 10 games — all assists. He’s making everything better in Minnesota, with the Wild rolling with a 55 percent xG since we’ve been gone. It may not be showing up in the standings yet (the Wild went 4-2-3), but Hughes has clearly changed the landscape of the team since his arrival.

5. Carolina Hurricanes, 27-14-3

Dec. 19 rank: 4
Sean: 6
Dom: 5

Andrei Svechnikov was held off the scoresheet in Carolina’s 5-2 win over the Ducks on Thursday night. In the 10 preceding games, though, he’d put up 15 points, fourth-most in the league. That outburst puts him on pace for 65, which would be the second-best mark of his career. Not bad for a guy who had 14 points on Dec. 17 and none in his first eight games.

They haven’t played together a ton, but Svechnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers and Sebastian Aho have been outstanding together. If that continues, it’ll free up Seth Jarvis to produce elsewhere, and Carolina will likely be better for it.

6. Montreal Canadiens, 25-13-6

Dec. 19 rank: 13
Sean: 5
Dom: 6

Cale Makar will very likely win the Norris Trophy again, but boy, has the race become more interesting. Moritz Seider has been the complete package, Quinn Hughes has been at his absolute best with his new team and Zach Werenski continues to lead an otherwise unassuming Blue Jackets team.

Add Lane Hutson to that list for what he’s done over the last few weeks. Over his past 10 games, Hutson has a league-best 13 points and has been an absolute beast at five-on-five with 58 percent of the expected goals while outscoring opponents 17-6. He’s taken his game to another level, and the Canadiens may have as well.

7. Detroit Red Wings, 26-15-4

Dec. 19 rank: 15
Sean: 7
Dom: 7

Remember JVR? Well, he’s back in vintage form. James van Riemsdyk has been putting up numbers over the past few weeks with four goals and nine points in eight games. The second pick in 2007 has even been promoted to the top power play, bumping the first pick in 2007 (Patrick Kane, who scored his 500th career goal on Thursday) to the second unit. That both are still contributing to the scoresheet 19 years later is a fun story for a rising team.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins, 21-12-9

Dec. 19 rank: 24
Sean: 9
Dom: 9

For most of December, the Penguins looked incapable of continuing their early-season run without Evgeni Malkin, and that carried over to our hiatus. In their final five Malkin-less games, though, they turned the bus around, going 5-0-0. If you wrote Pittsburgh off, reconsider. Malkin scored on Thursday night in his return, by the way, and Sidney Crosby is rolling, too.

The most interesting part of that run: Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau showed that they don’t need to be on Malkin’s wings to change games, scoring four and three goals, respectively.

9. Edmonton Oilers, 22-16-6

Dec. 19 rank: 8
Sean: 10
Dom: 8

Leon Draisaitl has made tremendous strides as a defensive player over the last couple seasons, and he wasn’t on the ice for any of Winnipeg’s three goals on Thursday night, but the eight games before that — woof. Edmonton was outscored 12-6 in Draisaitl’s five-on-five minutes, and the expected goal numbers weren’t much better.

10. Buffalo Sabres, 23-15-4

Dec. 19 rank: 20
Sean: 8
Dom: 11

The Sabres have won 12 of 14 and outscored opponents 51-35 along the way. What hasn’t changed? In a month, we’ll be talking about Mattias Samuelsson’s Norris Trophy candidacy. Just you wait!

11. Vegas Golden Knights, 18-11-12

Dec. 19 rank: 5
Sean: 12
Dom: 10

Something interesting has been happening in Vegas over the last few weeks: Mitch Marner shifting to center as injuries continue to pile up.

Marner played some center in junior with the London Knights, but was never used there once in Toronto. He did play some shifts on defense, but apparently taking the odd face-off was a step too far. Perhaps it was for good reason. Since moving to center, Marner has a 49 percent xG rate while winning just 37 percent of faceoffs. That xG mark is way down from his previous level, a team-high 61 percent.

12. New York Islanders, 24-15-5

Dec. 19 rank: 9
Sean: 13
Dom: 12

With Ilya Sorokin injured for most of the holidays, it was up to “Big Save Dave” to make some big saves. And boy, did he deliver. David Rittich had the fourth-highest GSAx over the last three weeks, which greatly helped the Islanders continue their surge toward the playoffs.

13. Philadelphia Flyers, 22-12-8

Dec. 19 rank: 16
Sean: 11
Dom: 14

We’ve been willing to take the Flyers seriously for a bit in these parts, and they’ve made that faith stand up over the last few weeks, going 5-2-1 with legitimately good numbers at five-on-five, bumping up against the 60-percent mark in both actual and expected goals. The power play is still a mess, though, and the injuries are piling up. This feels like a make-or-break stretch.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs, 21-15-7

Dec. 19 rank: 23
Sean: 14
Dom: 13

Big news that serves our respective interests: Auston Matthews is back.

It’s fair to wonder if Matthews specifically had beef with departed assistant coach Marc Savard for some reason; he has scored seven goals and 11 points in the six games since Savard’s dismissal. During that time, he also has a 64 percent xG and the same swagger he showed during his two 60-goal seasons. If Matthews is back for real, the Leafs might not be cooked after all. And boy, does Team USA look even scarier.

15. Seattle Kraken, 20-14-8

Dec. 19 rank: 32
Sean: 15
Dom: 15

Before (relatively) coming back to earth with a 31-save loss to Minnesota, Philipp Grubauer had been out of control, putting up a .971 save percentage in his previous four starts, all Kraken wins. Does the team wish Grubauer had found this level sometime before the end of 2025? Undoubtedly. In any case, his roll and an effective power play have helped the Kraken push their way back into playoff position.

16. Washington Capitals, 22-16-6

Dec. 19 rank: 6
Sean: 16
Dom: 16

With a 1.9 Defensive Rating that ties him with Tom Wilson for the top spot among Washington’s forwards, Justin Sourdif had already shown some real value to the operation. More recently, he’s started cashing in on those top-six offensive minutes, too, with nine points in his last five games. Mixed in there: The first hat trick by a Washington rookie since Alex Ovechkin.

17. San Jose Sharks, 22-18-3

Dec. 19 rank: 22
Sean: 17
Dom: 17

We’ll take a break from gassing up Macklin Celebrini, deserved as it might be, to point out how good Igor Chernyshov has been in his first 10 NHL games. Chernyshov has three goals and eights points, and the Sharks are winning his minutes 12-9. Is part of that due to playing with Celebrini? Sure — but we’re not going to dock Chernyshov points for succeeding in the minutes he’s given.

18. Florida Panthers, 22-18-3

Dec. 19 rank: 7
Sean: 18
Dom: 18

Folks, we have to ask the question: Is former waiver-wire prodigy Gustav Forsling actually an Aleksander Barkov merchant? While the absence of the captain has affected every Panther, it’s Forsling’s numbers that have dipped the most. His xG is down to 51 percent and he’s getting outscored badly for the first time in Florida.

Forsling’s slump has been particularly noticeable over the last few weeks, where he’s been on the ice for 43 percent of the expected goals while being outscored 9-6. That’s not great for the team’s No. 1 defenseman.

19. Utah Mammoth, 21-20-3

Dec. 19 rank: 21
Sean: 19
Dom: 20

The big news in Utah is that the two-year-old franchise is getting its first Winter Classic next year in what should be an epic Rocky Mountain showdown against Colorado. What the NHL is likely giving up in ratings, they’ll more than make up for in scenic aura. Look at those mountains!

On the ice, the Mammoth are leading the league in xG over the last few weeks at 63 percent. The wins have to be coming soon, right?

20. Los Angeles Kings, 18-14-10

Dec. 19 rank: 12
Sean: 22
Dom: 19

Happy Holidays, Kings fans. Your team gifted you eight aggressively mid hockey games. Jim Hiller remains the coach.

Other than that, the most interesting things to happen to L.A. in the last few weeks were Macklin Celebrini dragging the Sharks past them on Wednesday and Will Ferrell dressing up like a referee on Jan. 1. And even there … eh.

21. Boston Bruins, 23-19-2

Dec. 19 rank: 17
Sean: 20
Dom: 22

When we were gone, Morgan Geekie went goalless in seven games. Over that same stretch, David Pastrnak had six goals. Balance is being restored in the universe.

22. Nashville Predators, 20-19-4

Dec. 19 rank: 26
Sean: 21
Dom: 21

The Preds won six of their nine hiatus games — four by one goal, two by two goals. They’ll take it. Who cares that their 1.92 five-on-five goals per 60 was 31st in the league? Steven Stamkos scoring five times and shooting 29 percent in that stretch helped quite a bit.

23. New Jersey Devils, 22-20-2

Dec. 19 rank: 14
Sean: 24
Dom: 23

In his first eight games back from that hand injury, Jack Hughes produced points (1.38 per 60) at the same rate as Hampus Lindholm. All due respect to the Bruins defenseman/Swedish Olympic snub, but that’s a bad, bad sign for the Devils. Worse, in fact, than Jakob Markstrom putting up the worst single-game GSAx (minus-7.1) of any goaltender not to get the hook since at least 2007-08 in that 9-0 loss to the Islanders.

24. Chicago Blackhawks, 18-18-7

Dec. 19 rank: 30
Sean: 23
Dom: 26

It was easy to assume that the Blackhawks would circle the drain without Connor Bedard, and for a spell, it was true, but they managed to win five of nine games and stop the spiral. Stouter team defense was a big reason for that — they’ve allowed the 11th-fewest expected goals against per 60 since Jan. 1 (2.57) after spending the first three months of the season among the league’s very worst.

25. Columbus Blue Jackets, 18-18-7

Dec. 19 rank: 25
Sean: 25
Dom: 24

While other young guns light it up, Adam Fantilli is continuing to quietly struggle at the top of Columbus’ line up. He’s getting all the opportunities in the world next to Kirill Marchenko and on the top power play, but that hasn’t manifested into much production. Fantilli failed to score in his last game before our holiday hiatus and has been held off the board in each of the eight games since.

26. New York Rangers, 20-19-6

Dec. 19 rank: 19
Sean: 26
Dom: 25

Just as Adam Fox was heating up for the Rangers amidst an Olympic snub, he’s been sidelined long-term once again. Add a devastating injury for Igor Shesterkin and that might be the ballgame for the Rangers. Maybe they can hang on, survive, and storm back after the Olympics with their two franchise pillars in the mix — but what’s the point, given the way this season has gone?

27. St. Louis Blues, 17-19-8

Dec. 19 rank: 28
Sean: 27
Dom: 27

With an .858 save percentage and minus-2.2 GSAx during the hiatus, Jordan Binnington, Canadian Olympian, is still bad. However, he is not insubordinate. Do not put in the newspaper that he is insubordinate.

28. Ottawa Senators, 20-18-5

Dec. 19 rank: 18
Sean: 29
Dom: 28

Nothing has changed in Ottawa, actually. Everything is fine.

After releasing that statement on Thursday night, the Sens went out and lost 8-2 to the Avs. In Ullmark’s absence, Leevi Meriläinen has been a disaster — he carried an .860 save percentage into the Colorado game, before allowing three goals on 12 shots.

29. Calgary Flames, 18-22-4

Dec. 19 rank: 31
Sean: 28
Dom: 29

After an extremely shaky start, Dustin Wolf is back to looking like a future star. Through seven starts, he put up a .905, a much better mark than the .890 he put up over the first two months of the season.

30. Anaheim Ducks, 21-20-3

Dec. 19 rank: 11
Sean: 30
Dom: 30

When we left, we were still singing Anaheim’s praises. The Ducks were 20-12-2, sat just outside the top 10, and looked like a very likely playoff bet. Their Christmas song pick was cheerful and jolly. Since? It’s been a horror show.

The Ducks have completely sunk, going 1-8-1 and falling to sixth last in the league by points percentage. Everything about the team is a disaster with Lukas Dostal looking rough and Leo Carlsson seeming invisible. Those are the team’s two franchise cornerstones; it’s time for them to start leading the charge back. No team was outscored more than the Ducks who were minus-25 over the last 10 games.

31. Vancouver Canucks, 16-22-5

Dec. 19 rank: 29
Sean: 31
Dom: 31

The rebuild writing is on the wall, with Thomas Drance literally putting it there himself daily. The Canucks were in the midst of a nice little run after the Quinn Hughes trade, but it’s been business as usual over the last three weeks. They’ve recently lost seven of eight while being outscored 36-20. Their center depth remains abhorrent.

32. Winnipeg Jets, 15-22-5

Dec. 19 rank: 27
Sean: 32
Dom: 32

Only one team failed to win a single game while we were away and that was despite their starting goaltender, arguably the best in the world, returning. Connor Hellebuyck is rocking an .860 over the last three weeks and that’s not going to cut it with the talent in front of him. The Jets have now won just three of their last 23 games. Yikes.