ClutchPoints’ NHL Power Rankings, Week 12: Sabres, Red Wings rolling into holiday break

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ClutchPoints’ NHL Power Rankings, Week 12: Sabres, Red Wings rolling into holiday break

Colin Gallant, ClutchPoints

Mon, Dec 22, 2025 ·

24 min read

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ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings, Week 12: Sabres, Red Wings rolling into holiday break appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

For the first time since the 2025-26 National Hockey League campaign kicked off almost three months ago, it's going to be a relatively quiet week. The NHL will shut down entirely for three days beginning on Wednesday, with no games on the slate for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or Boxing Day. Along with zero contests, it also means no practices, dressing rooms closed, and all 32 teams getting a little breather and some well-deserved holiday time.

Of course, it's a packed schedule on Tuesday before the 72-hour pause, with 26 of 32 teams in action — and a light four games on the docket preceding that on Monday. Following the short break, there will be another 13 games on Saturday, and five more on Sunday. Add that up and it's just a four-day slate this week — meaning fantasy managers will need to adjust accordingly.

In the interim, along with the holidays comes one of the sport's great traditions: the World Junior Hockey Championship. The best teenagers on the planet will descend on the State of Hockey — Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota — for the 11-day 2026 iteration of the tournament beginning on Boxing Day.

The Americans roll in as two-time defending champions on home ice, and will be out for blood looking for the threepeat. But expect the Finns to be hungry for revenge after losing a heartbreaking gold medal game in overtime last year. And Canada will return as perennial contenders, this year featuring potentially the top two picks of the 2026 NHL Draft in Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff.

The always-exciting holiday tourney is a great complement to NHL hockey at this time of year, and regardless of your nationality, it promises to be another electric event this time around. It's just a ton of fun for fans to watch the top prospects of their favorite teams compete hard with the whole world watching.

It might be a light schedule in the major leagues in Week 12, but there is still a lot to talk about. That includes the continued dominance of the top three teams in the Central Division, a couple of impressive streaks from a few East clubs — we're looking at you, Red Wings and Sabres — and more incredible milestones from some all-time greats (spoiler below). Happy holidays from ClutchPoints, and as always, thanks for reading the latest NHL Power Rankings .

1. Colorado Avalanche (no change)

No team is going to enjoy Christmas as much as the Avalanche, who, despite stiff competition in the division, remain the NHL Power Rankings behemoths in Week 12. Colorado has opened up yet another winning streak, capturing five games in a row and capping it off with a huge 5-1 victory over the Wild on Sunday. They're right on pace with the 2022-23 Bruins, who won a record 65 games. It won't be easy, but now 26-2-7, there is a realistic chance this roster could be breaking all kinds of records come April. To the team scoring the most goals in the league while allowing the least against as the holidays approach, all we can do is tip our caps.

2. Dallas Stars (no change)

The Stars are still in the shadow of their fierce Central Division rivals — but barely. Dallas has won four in a row themselves, remaining second in both league standings and the NHL Power Rankings in Week 12. They've opened up a six-point cushion on the third-place Wild, and if this pace continues, it's going to be a two-horse race for the President's Trophy the rest of the way. Thomas Harley and Matt Duchene returning to the lineup has made one of the league's deepest rosters even more potent, and Casey DeSmith is making his case for the best backup goalie in the sport. Add in potential career-best seasons from Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson, and it's not hard to see why the Stars remain a powerhouse at 25-7-5.

3. Minnesota Wild (+1)

Never in the history of CP's PR's have the top three teams all been from the same division. But that's where we're at near the end of December, with the Avalanche, Stars and Wild rounding into the National Hockey League elite. It's a good time to live in Minnesota; the club is surging after acquiring Quinn Hughes, having lost just once in eight games — and it was against Colorado on Sunday. On top of the team being the best it's been in years, the World Juniors are back in the Lone Star State, and as we know, Team USA has a real chance to three peat in front of the home crowd. That would be the first time it's happened since Canada won five straight between 2005-09. Regardless of the outcome, the tournament is going to be excellent, and fans of the Wild could not have asked for a better situation through 37 games in 2025-26.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (-1)

Right now, the Hurricanes are the best team in the three divisions not named the Central, but things are going to get much more difficult without Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin in the fold. The two key skaters were both injured last week, and Carolina announced the pair are week-to-week. That's hugely disappointing, especially considering how good Jarvis has been at both ends of the rink this year. Still, the Canes had won five in a row before a challenging trip to Florida that culminated in losses to the Panthers (4-3) and Lightning (6-4), and they still lead both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. They'll get another crack at the Cats — this time on home ice — on Tuesday night before welcoming the Atlantic Division-leading Red Wings to Lenovo Center on Saturday.

5. Florida Panthers (+3)

It's official: the Stanley Cup hangover is a thing of the past. The Panthers are back to being who we thought they were, having won seven of nine games dating back to December 6. And that's without Matthew Tkachuk in the lineup. The star forward is right on track , and could be an option as soon as the 2026 NHL Winter Classic against the Rangers on January 2. That's absolutely massive, and it comes at a time when the forward core is producing prolifically — especially Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe after very slow starts. It'll be interesting to see if we get any kind of Sasha Barkov update in the New Year, but the team looks excellent as is right now, and will be even better once Tkachuk returns.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning (-1)

It's been a challenging stretch for the Lightning, who are riddled with injuries. Andrei Vasilevskiy just returned from IR, while Victor Hedman, Brandon Hagel and Erik Cernak are all out. The results should start to turn with one of the best goalies in the world back in the fold, but Tampa has still lost seven of 10 and relinquished their lead in the Atlantic. They're only one point from being out of a playoff spot entirely, and they'd love to enter the holidays with a win against the Blues on home ice on Monday. After that cross-conference tilt, it's a couple days of R&R before the latest edition of the Battle of Florida at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.

7. Vegas Golden Knights (-1)

Like the Bolts, the Golden Knights have struggled as of late, but are only getting a mild hit in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 12. Vegas has lost three games in a row, including a hugely unsuccessful trip to Alberta that resulted in back-to-back losses to the Flames and Oilers, respectively. They're back on home ice vs. the Sharks on Tuesday, although Shea Theodore won't be an option, and Jack Eichel is battling both an illness and an injury that could keep him out through the holiday freeze. No panic on the strip, especially as the Knights had won six of seven before the skid, but they'll need better results to keep pace at the top of the Pacific Division.

8. Detroit Red Wings (+5)

Are the Red Wings back? After a middling couple of months, Detroit has been absolutely exceptional in December, winning eight of 11 games since the calendar flipped. That's good enough for top spot in the Atlantic, which they will be pleased as punch with approaching the holidays. John Gibson has completely turned his season around; he's been terrific between the pipes after a challenging start to his tenure in Motown. The Wings are also scoring in bunches, even with Patrick Kane out of the lineup. He should be back soon, and the future Hall of Famer remains just two goals away from 500, and eight points back of passing Mike Modano for the most among US-born players.

9. Washington Capitals (-2)

The Capitals are as streaky as any team in the National Hockey League in 2025-26, and that's been on full display once again over the past several weeks. Following an incredible stretch of 10 wins in 12 tries, Washington has lost six of eight, relinquishing their lead in the Metro and now sitting just two points up on the final playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. A home-and-home against the Red Wings over the weekend culminated in back-to-back losses, which was the catalyst in Detroit leapfrogging Washington in the PR's this week. The team could badly use a win against the JT Miller-less Rangers on home ice on Tuesday.

10. Edmonton Oilers (+2)

It only took three games in an Oilers jersey before Tristan Jarry suffered an injury that will sideline him on a week-to-week basis. That's incredibly disappointing considering Edmonton brass was counting on him to provide stable goaltending after shipping Stuart Skinner out. Instead, it's going to be Calvin Pickard and Connor Ingram, which projects as maybe the NHL's worst tandem. Still, the Oil have been great lately, winning seven of 10 games and celebrating Leon Draisaitl's 1,000th point in the process . Not to be lost in the shuffle is Connor McDavid going nuclear once again; he's passed Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in scoring with a ridiculous 62 points in 37 games. After a down year (by his standards) in the 2024-25 regular season, he's on a prolific pace this year — and has helped his team return to the top-10 in the NHL Power Rankings.

11. Montreal Canadiens (no change)

The Canadiens are eighth place in NHL standings through 36 games, and that's exactly the step forward the front office wanted to see after they returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs back in April. They've also got beloved Quebec native Phillip Danault back in the fold, who grew up in Victoriaville and helped Montreal make an incredible run to the Finals in 2020-21. He struggled mightily in Los Angeles this year, and the hope is that he will help shore up the forward depth as Marty St. Louis' club looks to make even more noise this season. One player already making his mark is Jacob Fowler, who is making it hard for management to send him down after recording his first career shutout in a 4-0 victory over Sidney Crosby and the Penguins at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.

12. Anaheim Ducks (-3)

The Ducks have been playing .500 hockey since the second week of December, but they banked enough points early on to remain in first place in the Pacific. The hold is precarious, though, with the Golden Knights and Oilers knocking on the door, and an 8-3 loss to the Stars showed that this roster still has some work to do before it can be considered among the NHL elite. On the bright side, they were able to bounce back the next day by beating the Blue Jackets, and they'll have a chance to enter the holiday pause with two straight wins if they can get by the lowly — and Mason Marchment-less — Kraken on Monday night.

13. Boston Bruins (-3)

It took 36 tries for the Bruins to lose their first game past regulation, falling 5-4 in a shootout to the surprisingly surging Canucks in a rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. Boston followed that up by getting crushed 6-2 by Ottawa, and overall, it's been four losses in five games for the team. We can't really blame injuries anymore, as David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm are all back in the lineup. This is certainly still at least a playoff contender, although the latest losing streak has them on the outside looking in at the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference. Before Christmas, a visit from the Canadiens for a big rivalry matchup at TD Garden on Tuesday.

14. New Jersey Devils (+1)

Welcome back, Jack Hughes . It took the superstar less than nine minutes to score in his return to the Devils lineup, but unfortunately, they didn't score again in a 3-1 loss to the Sabres on Sunday. Considering New Jersey had won four of six games beforehand, they're starting to make some ground back up in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 12. Getting Hughes back in the lineup should give a club struggling to create sustained momentum a huge jolt, especially as they're on the verge of falling out of the playoff picture in the East. With Timo Meier back from his personal leave as well, we're expecting a much more potent Devils team in the New Year.

15. New York Islanders (-1)

Three wins in a row, then three losses in a row for the Islanders, who are waiting patiently for best player Bo Horvat to return to the lineup. New York received the news on Monday that Ilya Sorokin would be out through the holiday break , which is disappointing considering his level in 2025-26. The hope is that Horvat will be back on Saturday against the Rangers, but the Isles remain in third in the Metropolitan Division despite the recent skid. They're hoping to hang around a playoff spot all season long, and so far, so good for Patrick Roy's team. A great test against the Devils on Long Island awaits on Tuesday night.

16. Ottawa Senators (+5)

Despite a mediocre stretch at the end of November, the Senators have surged in the second half of December, winning four in a row and five of six. Linus Ullmark won all three of his starts last week, allowing just four total goals and earning NHL second star of the week honors in the process. Brady Tkachuk has also been phenomenal since returning from surgery, and he's leading the charge with 12 points over his last 10 games. The Sens are right in the thick of things, but remain out of a playoff spot — although a single win would get them back in the dance.

17. San Jose Sharks (+2)

Another week, another all-time high for the Sharks in the history of our NHL Power Rankings. San Jose has won four of six and now sit just two points out of playoff positioning. That's an incredible upgrade from the last few seasons, when the team was just battling to stay out of the No. 32 slot — and for the most part, fighting a losing battle. Michael Misa was loaned to Canada's World Junior team, and fans of this franchise will certainly want to keep an eye on him over the next couple of weeks. But a few young guys with the big league club deserve some recognition, including Collin Graf and Igor Chernyshov, who have provided key depth scoring as of late.

18. Philadelphia Flyers (-2)

It's been a promising 2025-26 season for the Flyers, but they are in the midst of their worst stretch of the campaign. Philly has lost five of six, but considering an astounding four of those losses came past regulation, we aren't docking them too hard in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 12. Three shootout losses all could have gone a different way in that span, and the only regulation loss since December 7 came in a hard-luck 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Sabres last Thursday. The Flyers still hold the top wildcard berth in the East, but — stop me if you've read this before — the hold is precarious. There are eight playoff-hopeful teams within three points in the crowded conference, and even just over a third into the season, every point counts.

19. New York Rangers (-2)

Despite being over .500, it seems like it's been another failure so far in the Big Apple. The Rangers just lost 2-1 to the Predators on home ice, and that's part of a bigger picture that's seen the team lose six times in nine tries. Making matters worse, JT Miller suffered an injury and is now week-to-week, which is just brutal. At 18-16-4, the playoff hopes are still alive, but again, the Eastern Conference is a nightmare for postseason bubble teams. Igor Shesterkin remains elite but has faltered in December, and nothing short of spectacular goaltending will be enough to keep the Blueshirts in the playoff picture in a couple of months' time.

20. Los Angeles Kings (no change)

The Kings continue to have a ton of trouble scoring goals, and for one player, they had seen enough. After he had unbelievably managed to score zero goals — and chip in just five assists — over 30 games, LA shipped Danault to Montreal, receiving a 2026 second-round pick in return. It looks like management is clearing some cap space to try and add a scoring forward, which this roster badly needs. Adrian Kempe is leading the charge with 30 points in 34 games, but no one else has more than 23. That's a huge problem, and if it isn't rectified, the 15-10-9 Kings are in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs come April.

21. Calgary Flames (+2)

The wins just keep on coming for the Flames, who have completely erased a nightmare start to their season. A 15-17-4 record is still not great, but six wins in eight games certainly is. Everything that went wrong early on has begun to be rectified, from the goal scoring to the defensive side of the puck to the goaltending. It's still unlikely that Calgary makes the playoffs, but as of Monday they're just five points back — and on the heels of a very encouraging 6-3 victory over Vegas on Saturday. It's going to be very interesting to see if they can keep up this kind of play into the New Year, but if that happens, the front office might have to completely rethink the trade deadline strategy.

22. Buffalo Sabres (+5)

If I told you the Sabres owned the longest winning streak in the NHL right now, would you believe me? Yes, Buffalo has won six games in a row, riding some terrific goaltending from Alex Lyon and Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen and a goal scoring barrage led by Tage Thompson and Josh Norris. Based on 5-on-5 metrics, the Sabres are a playoff team, and this heater has them just three points out of a spot in the dance. It's hard not to root for a squad that hasn't been to the postseason since 2011, and it's intriguing to see the roster performing like this right after longtime GM Kevyn Adams lost his job. The NHL Power Rankings is going to be keeping an even closer eye than usual on the Western New York dwellers over the next several weeks.

23. Utah Mammoth (+1)

The Mammoth have somewhat righted the ship after a miserable month of November, although being a game above .500 going into the holidays isn't ideal for the franchise. This team was once 8-2, and is now 18-17-3 heading into the holidays. Still, Utah has won four of six, and Karel Vejmelka gives his club a chance to win every time he's between the pipes. Special shoutout to former first-rounder Daniil But, who is adjusting well to NHL life to the tune of three points in his last five games. The Mammoth are hanging onto the final Western Conference wildcard berth, and will enter the holiday break in that position if they can beat the Avalanche in Colorado on Tuesday. That shouldn't be too hard.

24. Pittsburgh Penguins (-2)

What more can you say about Sid the Kid? It's hard not to consider him a top-five player of all time at this point, and he became both the Penguins' leading scorer and the NHL's eighth all-time leading scorer last week. He continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest captains in the history of the sport, and even at age 38, he's a superstar. Unfortunately, Crosby's continued individual excellence hasn't helped Pittsburgh on the ice as of late; the Pens had lost eight games in a row before squeaking by the Canadiens in a shootout on Sunday. That unsurprisingly puts them out of playoff positioning, and they're currently just five points up on the basement-dwelling Blue Jackets. It's going to take more than just Crosby to right this ship as we approach the second half of the season.

25. Winnipeg Jets (-7)

It's not often you see a reigning President's Trophy winner look as futile as the Jets have been in 2025-26. We all thought that getting Connor Hellebuyck back in the lineup would change things, but instead, the American has lost each of his first four starts back from injury. And Winnipeg has dropped four straight games and 13 of 16 going back to November 21, which is just miserable. How could this roster have been so good last year and so bad this time around? That would take more time than the NHL Power Rankings have, but no one is surprised to see the Jets taking the biggest hit in the leaderboard in Week 12.

26. Nashville Predators (+3)

Unlike last year when the Predators started poorly and continued to be poor, this year's Nashville team has some resilience. Led by resurgent stretches from Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos, the Preds have won nine of their last 13 games and firmly gotten out of the basement in both league standings and the PR's. It's good to see that the veterans still have some game, which we waited a long time for — with fruitless results — in 2024-25. Now just a game under .500 and five points out of a playoff spot, there's finally some hope in Smashville.

27. Toronto Maple Leafs (-2)

We're running out of answers for Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs. The star forward is having one of his worst ever NHL seasons, and Toronto is on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since drafting him first overall back in 2016. Even William Nylander was despondent on Monday, saying that "I don't know if I've felt like this before, or had a stretch like this." Is this what rock bottom looks like for one of the most storied franchises in the sport? If not, it's pretty close. Craig Berube has got to be on the hot seat at this point, and if things don't change in the New Year, it wouldn't be surprising if he gets replaced before things really get out of hand.

28. St. Louis Blues (+2)

The Blues are hovering around .500 in December, which isn't great, but it's enough to give them some breathing room in the NHL Power Rankings. St. Louis has certainly improved from the situation in mid-November, when they were 9-12-7 and destined to be sellers. That is probably still the case at 14-15-8 today, but, for once, they're closer to a playoff spot than they are to the basement of the Western Conference. After an encouraging 6-2 drubbing of the defending Stanley Cup champs on Saturday, they'll look to make it a perfect Florida road trip against the Lightning in Tampa on Monday.

29. Vancouver Canucks (+3)

The Canucks haven't lost a game since they traded one of the greatest players in franchise history. If the goal was to tank after shipping out Quinn Hughes, in a short sample size, it's been the opposite. Vancouver has won four games in a row, all on the road in New Jersey, New York, Long Island and Boston, respectively. They have a chance to completely sweep the five-game road trip if they can secure a victory in Philadelphia on Monday night, which would be incredibly impressive. It looks like management getting rid of Hughes has done nothing but fire up the roster, and with Thatcher Demko healthy and looking elite between the pipes, maybe this Canucks team has some playoff potential after all.

30. Chicago Blackhawks (-2)

We were really hoping we had moved past the days of the Blackhawks occupying a bottom-three slot in the NHL Power Rankings. We really thought 2025-26 would be the year the rebuild ended. But it's been just miserable lately in the Windy City; Connor Bedard is hurt and won't be re-evaluated until January, Frank Nazar is now injured and out four weeks, and the team has lost five games in a row — all in regulation — and 13 of 16. The Hawks are now dead last in league standings, and if they can't scrape out a few victories this week, they could be back in the CP PR basement in seven days from now.

31. Columbus Blue Jackets (no change)

Without a doubt, the Blue Jackets should be sellers in 2025-26. They're under .500 at 14-15-6, dead last in the Eastern Conference, and amid a stretch of 11 losses in 14 games. Instead, general manager Don Waddell decided to part with two draft picks to acquire Marchment , who is not only a pending unrestricted free agent, but had managed just 13 points with the Kraken. If the Jackets fail to make the playoffs and Marchment doesn't re-sign, that trade could look terrible in hindsight. It's up to Columbus' roster to start stringing wins together, and not having Zach Werenski in the lineup on Monday night against the Kings will make that quest much, much harder.

32. Seattle Kraken (-6)

The warning signs have been there for weeks, and finally, the Kraken are occupying dreaded 32nd place in Week 12. It's not hard to see why; nearly the entire lineup is underachieving, the goaltending is below average, and Brandon Montour will be on the shelf for the next four weeks after surgery. No one in the dressing room would have felt good about watching Marchment get traded, either. There's a significant lack of scoring on this roster as it is, and although he had struggled in the Emerald City, it was the kind of move a seller would make. Besides one excellent season, Seattle has been mediocre or worse since debuting in the league in 2021-22, and right now, they're tied for dead last. Marchment might not be the only player on the way out before this campaign is over.

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