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You can't make the playoffs in 10 games, but you can definitely give yourself some breathing room when the inevitable ebbs and flows of the season strike. That's exactly what the Boston Bruins have done as they've stood out for the right reasons in a deep Atlantic Division.
Boston currently leads the division with 15 points, and while the Tampa Bay Lightning's record is technically better, the Bruins' plus-14 goal differential is tied for second in the NHL.
The biggest reason for this fast start has been the play of Jeremy Swayman in goal. He's allowed one or fewer goals in half of his starts, and Swayman's 8.02 goals saved above average ranks second to old Beantown running mate Linus Ullmark, per Natural Stat Trick.
We have a long way to go before we start discussing Vezina Trophy candidates seriously, but Swayman certainly has the potential to carry Boston to the postseason.
It helps that David Pastrnak is an elite playmaker, and the Bruins have been getting contributions from young forwards Fraser Minten and James Hagens. Morgan Geekie has also gone from goal-scoring machine to distributor with seven assists in 10 games.
The Atlantic Division will be a heavyweight brawl throughout the season, but to this point, the Bruins have proven to be a worthy combatant. With that in mind, here are the updated NHL Power Rankings.
Goals saved above average and expected goals data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
Biggest Movers
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurricanes | Entering Tuesday night, Nic Deslauriers had three goals in 127 games dating back to the start of the 2023-24 season. Then he experienced a two-goal explosion against the Canucks -- the first time he's scored since April 13, 2025. | -- | 8-2-1 |
| 2 | Oilers | Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have found a new running mate at the top of the lineup in Vasily Podkolzin, who is already up to seven goals and five assists in nine games. Can Edmonton get that kind of production out of him all season? | -- | 7-1-1 |
| 3 | Lightning | The Lightning don't have a single defenseman averaging 20-plus minutes per night. Jon Cooper is using his depth at that position to keep everyone fresh for as long as possible, and that could benefit some of the older veterans in the long run. | 2 | 7-2-0 |
| 4 | Golden Knights | Rookie Trevor Connelly has gotten some run on Tomas Hertl's line, and he's made the most of it. The 20-year-old Connelly has seven points in 10 games, which is tied for the rookie lead. | -- | 8-3-0 |
| 5 | Mammoth | Utah is off to a really strong start, and it hasn't even been getting league average goaltending. Karel Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa have combined to allow 5.92 goals above average. Might a move be on the horizon for the Mammoth? | 1 | 7-3-0 |
| 6 | Wild | The Wall of St. Paul is living up to his nickname in the early going. Jesper Wallstedt has saved 5.48 goals above average, but his .897 high-danger save percentage is what really jumps off the page. | 1 | 6-2-2 |
| 7 | Panthers | I promise this won't be a weekly Brady Tkachuk update, but I have to give him kudos for the NHL's first back-to-back natural hat tricks since Petri Skriko did it in 1986. | 2 | 5-2-2 |
| 8 | Rangers | Alexis Lafreniere's hot start is worth montioring because the former No. 1 overall pick has never come close to a point-per-game season. He's up to 13 points in 11 games in his second season under Mike Sullivan. I'm just not sure he'll keep shooting 31.8%. | -- | 7-3-1 |
| 9 | Avalanche | Brett Kulak's first season in Colorado isn't quite off to a roaring start. The Avs own just 42.2% of the expected goals with him in the game at five-on-five. That's an issue given that Kulak logs the most ice-time in those situations. | 6 | 5-4-1 |
| 10 | Bruins | The Bruins' annual push to make me look like a moron has commenced. Jeremy Swayman is once again leading the charge with 7.97 goals saved above average as he erases every mistake Boston makes in front of him. | 8 | 7-2-1 |
| 11 | Senators | Unfortunately for the Senators, they were the first team to lose to the toxic Flyers. Regardless of everything else that happened last week, that warrants a drop out of the top 10. | 1 | 6-3-0 |
| 12 | Stars | Mikko Rantanen's production has come in short bursts this season. Rantanen has two multi-point games in which he tallied a total of seven points. His other four points have been spread across six games. | 1 | 5-3-1 |
| 13 | Maple Leafs | Kirill Marchenko has wasted zero time getting comfortable in Toronto. Not only has Marchenko already registered 11 points, but the juice he brings to Toronto's offense jumps off the screen almost every night. | 3 | 5-4-2 |
| 14 | Capitals | The scoring leader on the Capitals is... 21-year-old Ryan Leonard, who might be on his way to a true breakout season. Leonard registered 45 points in 2025-26, but he has been more effective though the fist nine games of this campaign. | -- | 5-4-0 |
| 15 | Canadiens | Through five starts, Jakub Dobes has really struggled in net. He's allowed 6.45 goals above average with a .727 high-danger save percentage. That's probably why Jacob Fowler has seen more action. | -- | 4-3-2 |
| 16 | Sabres | Zach Benson signed a big contract extension in the offseason, but he has yet to light the lamp and has just six assists in nine games. That said, Benson's underlying metrics are some of the best on the team, and the production should come in short order. | 3 | 4-3-2 |
| 17 | Jets | It's been a troubling start for Gabriel Vilardi, who has just four points in nine games. It's also notable that Winnipeg has exactly one goal with him on the ice at five-on-five. Some of that is poor shooting luck, but not all of it. | -- | 4-3-2 |
| 18 | Devils | If the Devils are ever going to make a real run at the Cup, they'll need more out of Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer, who have combined for one goal. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt will need some help from the middle-six. | 2 | 5-4-0 |
| 19 | Penguins | Rickard Rakell snapped his nine-game goal drought with a tally against the Mammoth. Too bad Pittsburgh's defense and goaltending have utterly evaporated over the last week, allowing 21 goals in four consecutive losses. | 7 | 3-6-1 |
| 20 | Ducks | Both of Cutter Gauthier's goals came on the same day (Oct. 4), and he has exactly one assist since then. Given how much cap space the Ducks have tied up amongst their biggest stars, that won't get the job done. | 9 | 4-5-0 |
| 21 | Kraken | The Kraken are currently shooting 14.1% at five-on-five, which ranks third behind the Oilers and Avalanche. Does Seattle have the kind of talent to keep that kind of company? Call me skeptical. | 1 | 6-3-1 |
| 22 | Islanders | After tallying 23 goals as a rookie defenseman, Matthew Schaefer is out to prove his selflessness this year with zero goals and eight assists through nine games. | 3 | 5-3-1 |
| 23 | Sharks | Macklin Celebrini is already doing that thing where he laps the rest of his team when it comes to offensive production. His 14 points are double that of the next closest player. | -- | 5-4-1 |
| 24 | Predators | Because of an injury to backup goalie Justus Annunen, Juuse Saros has been forced into a workhorse role right out of the gate, and he's handling it well with 3.06 goals saved above average. Nashville just needs to give him a couple nights off sooner rather than later. | 2 | 3-2-3 |
| 25 | Blues | It's fair to say that the Mason McTavish trade already looks great for the Blues. McTavish is playing a top-six role, and he leads the team in goals (five) and points (nine). If he keeps this up, that $7 million cap hit will be a bargain. | 4 | 4-4-1 |
| 26 | Red Wings | We interrupt the Dylan Larkin saga to announce that Alex DeBrincat has been terrific. He's tallied six goals and five assists and just signed a seven-year, $91 million contract. That may be steep, but Detroit needed a win on the player-retention front. | 1 | 3-3-3 |
| 27 | Blue Jackets | The Blue Jackets need Adam Fantilli to become a franchise No. 1 center, but he's several rungs below that tier right now. Fantilli is off to a poor start with three points in eight games and pretty average five-on-five numbers. | 3 | 3-5-0 |
| 28 | Blackhawks | Connor Bedard made his triumphant return to the Blackhawks lineup, and his impact was pretty much immediate as Chicago rattled off three consecutive wins while he notched one goal and two assists. | -- | 3-6-0 |
| 29 | Kings | The Kings are the only team left with just one loss, and their underlying metrics are actually respectable. It's just that their team shooting percentage ranks 29th at 8.25%. Is that a result of bad bounces or personnel that lacks finishing ability? | -- | 1-4-2 |
| 30 | Flames | It has been a brutal October for the Flames, but they did pick up a win against the Hurricanes on Sunday, and Morgan Frost tallied two points. Something to build upon? Probably not, but I guess you never know. | 1 | 2-6-0 |
| 31 | Flyers | Not only did the Flyers get into the win column last week, but they did so with victories over the Senators and Avalanche. Hockey is such a stupid sport. I love it. | 1 | 2-6-3 |
| 32 | Canucks | Elias Pettersson is averaging a point per game thus far, and that is notable because if he gives any indication that he could sniff superstar status once again, Pettersson could become a trade chip for Vancouver. | 2 | 2-8-1 |
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