The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes and the Connor McDavid-led Edmonton Oilers continue to roll.
At the other end of the latest USA TODAY NHL power rankings, the San Jose Sharks and Chicago
Blackhawks have called players-only meetings.
The Sharks did it after a 7-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 4 while the Blackhawks had an even worse loss, 9-2 to the Hurricanes on Nov. 7.
San Jose lost its next two games after the meeting by closer 4-1 and 4-3 scores as their losing streak hit five games. Chicago (six-game losing streak) has four days off before facing the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, Nov. 12.
"We've got to utilize these next four days here," coach Jeff Blashill said. "We've got to make this a kind of bottom point of the year."
Blashill is in the second year of his contract with the Blackhawks while Sharks coach Ryan Warsofky recently signed a contract extension.
Here are the latest NHL power rankings from USA TODAY Sports:
NHL power rankings
The number in parentheses represents the change from the previous power rankings two weeks ago:
32. Vancouver Canucks (0)
Goalie Leevi Merilainen is getting most of the recent starts with Kevin Lankinen continuing to struggle. He gave up five goals in his most recent start and has a 6.03 goals-against average. Merilainen is at 3.52.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (0)
Captain Connor Bedard said the players-only meeting was called to give "ourselves a chance to get some frustrations out," though he added, "There's a lot of belief, a lot of love for each other. We're a tight-knit group." Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Blackhawks are exploring trades to help the team. He added that injured defenseman Bowen Byram remains out while he waits to see a specialist.
30. Philadelphia Flyers (-1)
The Flyers, who won three in a row after their 0-6-3 start, are 1-4-2 in their last seven games. They continue to be among the lowest-scoring teams in the league despite 10 goals from Matvei Michkov. Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett have returned from injury.
29. San Jose Sharks (-11)
The Sharks have one win in their last eight games, against the last-place Canucks. Macklin Celebrini has five points in his last three games, and Warsofsky has been juggling lines to try to get the NHL's third-worst offense going.
28. Pittsburgh Penguins (-4)
Sidney Crosby (1,773 points) has moved past Marcel Dionne for sixth place in all-time scoring. He's 24 points behind Ron Francis, a former Penguin.
27. Los Angeles Kings (+3)
Adrian Kempe had two goals and two assists in his return from injury on Nov. 4. The Kings are still without Kevin Fiala and Mats Zuccarello.
26. Calgary Flames (+2)
Defenseman Kevin Bahl will have season-ending surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. He had been averaging a team-high 21:56 in ice time.
25. Winnipeg Jets (-3)
The Jets have won three in a row after ending their nine-game losing streak, including a record comeback against the Monreal Canadiens. But the biggest potential news of the week won't happen because Devils goalie Connor Hellebuyck won't play in his return to Winnipeg.
24. Columbus Blue Jackets (+3)
Forward Valeri Nichushkin had a big game with a goal and assist against his former Avalanche team. Those were his lone points in his last five games. He has two goals in 15 games.
23. Detroit Red Wings (+2)
The Red Wings have gone 2-4 since center Dylan Larkin announced he would no longer suit up for the team amid his trade request. Larkin had submitted a list of 10 teams where he would accept a trade. He is suspended without pay, losing more than $41,000 a day.
22. St. Louis Blues (-1)
Defenseman Philip Broberg has moved into the Blues' scoring lead with seven points in his last six games.
21. Toronto Maple Leafs (-10)
The Maple Leafs have lost five of their last six games as the injuries pile up. Forward Kirill Marchenko and defenseman Morgan Rielly are out with lower body injuries.
20. New York Islanders (0)
Defenseman Logan Stanley delivered a big slash and cross-check to New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier on Nov. 7, earning the maximum allowed fine of $3,865.98.
19. Washington Capitals (-2)
Alex Ovechkin continues to be off to a slow start in his final NHL season. He has a goal and three assists in 15 games, with no points and 13 shots in his last seven games.
18. Buffalo Sabres (+5)
The Sabres fell below .500 at home with a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. They finished 26-10-5 at home last season while ending their record 14-season playoff drought. They are 4-1-3 on the road this season.
17. Anaheim Ducks (+9)
Cutter Gauthier set an NHL record with multiple power play goals in three consecutive games. He had a chance to become the first NHL player with three consecutive hat tricks but was held to one goal in the third game. Two games later, he picked up another hat trick. That gives him 13 goals his last six games after starting the season with two goals in his first 11 games.
16. Florida Panthers (-2)
Forward Brady Tkachuk dropped the gloves with Boston's Nikita Zadorov two seconds into Saturday's game. Tkachuk ended the games with 25 penalty minutes while picking up a couple misconducts.
15. Seattle Kraken (-3)
Berkly Catton has taken the team scoring lead by recording three goals and seven assists during an eight-game point streak. He has 14 points in 16 games after getting 17 last season as a rookie. The Kraken head to Finland to face the Hurricanes.
14. New York Rangers (+2)
Goalie Joonas Korpisalo picked up a win in his Rangers debut after returning from a preseason injury. His full game ended 12 consecutive appearances by Dylan Garand since Igor Shesterkin's season-ending injury. James Reimer was pulled in his lone start during Garand's streak.
13. Utah Mammoth (-7)
Logan Cooley has two hat tricks in his last five games and 10 goals in his last eight games. He had started the season with one goal in his first 10 games.
12. Nashville Predators (+7)
Shane Wright is still seeking his first point with the Predators after being acquired in a trade from the Kraken. Nashville gave up forward Matthew Wood in the trade for Wright, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft.
11. Colorado Avalanche (+4)
Defenseman Cale Makar will be examined on Nov. 9 after leaving practice early. Coach Jared Bednar said he is expected to accompany the team on its road trip.
10. Ottawa Senators (-1)
Goalie Linus Ullmark has been activated from the injured list after missing eight games. Samuel Ersson stopped 76 of the last 80 shots he faced to pick up three consecutive wins.
9. Dallas Stars (-1)
The Stars continue to roll on the ice, but their plans for an arena project in Plano, Texas, took a hit when voters rejected Proposition A.
8. Vegas Golden Knights (-3)
Trevor Connelly has moved into a tie for the rookie scoring lead with 12 points. A recent three-game goal streak gives him seven on the season.
7. Montreal Canadiens (+6)
The Canadiens blew a 4-0 lead with 2:31 left in regulation in an overtime loss to the Jets but they still have a 10-game point streak. Six of those games were played without captain Nick Suzuki, who had three points in his return from injury.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning (+1)
Lightning star Nikita Kucherov shocked the hockey world when he told the team he wouldn't re-sign and asked for a trade. The 2025-26 NHL MVP has seven points in five games since his request. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay lost center Brayden Point to an undisclosed injury in their Nov. 8 game.
5. New Jersey Devils (+5)
The Devils have decided Hellebuyck won't play on Nov. 10 in his return to Winnipeg. "Connor Hellebuyck was adamant that he felt a duty to play on Tuesday in Winnipeg," GM Sunny Mehta said in a statement. "However, in our estimation, playing in this game would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability." Hellebuyck said he was disappointed but understood the decision.
4. Boston Bruins (-3)
Forward James Hagens, one of this season's top rookies, was placed on the injured list and will be out a couple weeks. He was cross-checked by Penguins defenseman Samuel Girard. Hagens has 12 points in 17 games this season. Mikey Eyssimont was called up and scored a goal in his first game.
3. Minnesota Wild (+1)
Kirill Kaprizov remains on a tear with a league-best 16 goals. The Wild are expected to get back defenseman Brock Faber soon. He had surgery for a fractured skull when he was hit in the head by a puck in preseason.
2. Edmonton Oilers (0)
McDavid has extended his season-opening assist streak to 18 games, an NHL record. The league's leading scorer has more assists (37) than the No. 2 scorer (teammate Leon Draisaitl (34) has points. McDavid needs five more games to tie Wayne Gretzky's record assist streak.
1. Carolina Hurricanes (0)
The league-leading Hurricanes have won six of their last seven games as they head to Helinski, Finland, for two games against the Kraken. Leading scorer Sebastian Aho is from Finland, along with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Juuso Valimaki.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL power rankings: Blackhawks, Sharks call players-only meetings
