A scary thought for all 32 teams

Halloween is all about visceral reactions.

This could mean that a slasher flick makes you panic, that you get scared by a haunted house, or that you freak out with the excitement of executing the perfect costume idea.

Big, bloody feelings.

When it comes to NHL teams, the terror can be felt from different perspectives. There are the scary thoughts a club has about itself – “This first-rounder can’t play; “Our goalie just isn’t good enough” — and there’s the fear others feel when they see a player or team as an indestructible zombie force devouring their own Stanley Cup hopes and dreams.

As this week's Power Rankings land on Nightmare Day, we present a frightening thought that applies to all 32 NHL clubs.

1. Winnipeg Jets (9-1-0) What if this power play never lets up? The Jets have converted on nearly half of their chances this season (44.8 percent), making them a lethal force with the man advantage.

2. Dallas Stars (7-2-0) Not much is scarier for other teams than seeing how good Dallas is and thinking about how the Stars continue to recruit and develop players like Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque.

3. Florida Panthers (7-3-1) Why would this team stop being really, really good? Aleksander Barkov is still 29 years old; Matthew Tkachuk is 27; Luckily everyone needs less to stay there and new people will want to come. Paul Maurice fits perfectly behind the Cats' bench and – from Gus Forsling to Carter Verhaeghe to Sam Bennett to Sam Reinhart – Florida's knack for being the place where players find the best version of themselves is truly frightening.

4. New York Rangers (6-2-1) As of November 1st, it will be exactly eight months until Igor Shesterkin could potentially sign with a new club as UFA on July 1st, 2025.

5. Carolina Hurricanes (6-2-0) The offensive spark Carolina has been looking for for years was right there all along. Martin Necas – whose name has made more than enough rounds in the summer rumor mills – is taking his game to new levels this season, with three goals and five assists for eight points in his last four games.

6. Minnesota Wild (6-1-2) The Minnesota Wild have essentially never had a No. 1 center in their nearly 25-year history. If Marco Rossi is that guy, be careful, Western Conference.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-3-0) Is Anthony Cirelli making an offensive move mid-career? The 27-year-old has been a big contributor this season, scoring 12 points in 10 games (albeit with just two goals). Add nine points from 3C Nick Paul, and suddenly Tampa's lineup at center becomes a lot longer after Brayden Point.

8. Vegas Golden Knights (7-3-1) The idea of ​​the Knights playing in Vegas is terrifying right now. The team is 7-0-0 on home ice with 39 goals against – 5.6 per game – and 16 goals against (2.3).

9. Washington Capitals (6-2-0) A frightening thought for the Atlantic clubs – Buffalo, Detroit, Ottawa – who always talk about clinching a playoff spot; What if Washington — which snatched the last spot from the Metro last season — is actually good and isn't going anywhere?

10. New Jersey Devils (7-4-2) If Nico Hischier – one of the best defensive players in the world – develops into an elite sniper, the rest of the league is likely to lose sleep. The 25-year-old leads the NHL with 10 goals.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs (5-4-1) The odds of the Leafs losing in the first round of the playoffs are greater than zero and Mitch Marner walks away for nothing this summer at age 28.

12. Vancouver Canucks (4-2-3) Elias Petterson has 31 points in his last 49 games, including playoff games. The idea of ​​him as a 50-point player must haunt the dreams of the Canucks' most paranoid supporters.

13. Los Angeles Kings (6-3-2) What happens when Anze Kopitar can't do it anymore? The 37-year-old is still the Kings' best forward and an extremely valuable two-way center. The other guys who play center for LA – Phillip Danault, Alex Turcotte, Trevor Lewis, Quinton Byfield – have combined for two goals this season.

14. Columbus Blue Jackets (5-3-1) Could the jackets really be a wagon? They are scoring 3.89 goals per game (sixth in the NHL) and are conceding just 2.78 (seventh) after blanking the Islanders on Wednesday night.

15. Boston Bruins (4-5-1) What if this star-studded team simply never had the talent needed to truly win a championship again? Worse still, what if the assumed ground – which always at least makes the playoffs – could be a trap door?

16. Colorado Avalanche (5-6-0) You can't save all the offensive talent in the world if your team's save percentage is the worst in the league at .837.

17. Edmonton Oilers (4-5-1) The Oilers are currently living their nightmare – playing games without Connor McDavid, even if it's just for a few weeks.

18. Ottawa Senators (5-4-1) What Ottawa did in the 2020 draft – taking Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson in the first five picks – could haunt the NHL for years to come.

19. Buffalo Sabers (4-5-1) What if Dylan Cozens, who has just three assists this year, just can't recapture his 31-goal form from two years ago? It would leave a huge hole in the middle of the Buffalo plan.

20. Seattle Kraken (5-4-1) What if Matty Beniers can't live up to the 1C promise we saw in his rookie year? Yes, he's young, but we're talking about the worst nightmares here.

21. Anaheim Ducks (4-4-1) Lukas Dostal is definitely starting to live in the minds of NHL shooters with his league-best .943 save percentage.

22. Utah Hockey Club (5-4-2) UHC is going through one of the scariest times a team can experience, having been without top-four defensemen John Marino and Sean Durzi for much of the season.

23. Nashville Predators (3-5-1) The idea of ​​Steven Stamkos being used as an NHL sharpshooter is as bleak as ever in Nashville. No. 91 is still stuck on one goal this season.

24. St. Louis Blues (5-5-0) The darkest fears of GMs everywhere are coming true as the Blues started a trend with the successful signing of two RFAs last summer.

25. Calgary Flames (5-4-1) The nightmare may just be beginning. Calgary has been outscored 10-1 in its last two games and hasn't picked up a 60-minute win in two weeks.

26. New York Islanders (3-5-2) Who's afraid of a toothless vampire? Nobody, just like nobody, is worried about the Islanders' hitless offense, which has already been shut out four times this season.

27. Montreal Canadiens (4-5-1) What if a five-year plan was actually an eight-year plan?

28. Detroit Red Wings (4-5-1) What if the reconstruction is already complete?

29. Chicago Blackhawks (3-6-1) No shade, but Ryan Donato remaining the Hawks' second-best forward is a frightening thought for a club trying to make a move.

30. Philadelphia Flyers (3-6-1) If Matvei Michkov combines with a first overall pick next June, the league should be afraid of the Flyers.

31. Pittsburgh Penguins (3-7-1) The darkness is just setting in and not a single brick has been laid for the tunnel that lets out the light.

32. San Jose Sharks (2-7-2) Macklin Celebrini with Will Smith and a high pickup front for 2025; 2024 first-rounder Sam Dickinson is the Blues' anchor; Yaroslav Askarov in goal and free agents wanting to live in the Bay Area? Fear the Fin…in about three years.