January '26 League Roundup: Stars Surge, Devils Climb, Rangers Slip

While Toronto (35-16-4, 74 points) and Edmonton (35-16-5, 75 points) maintained their grip on the top spots in their respective conferences, January brought major movement just beneath them.

The Dallas Stars made the biggest leap in the standings, vaulting 10 spots into second place in the Western Conference thanks to a dominant 9-1-0 finish to the month. Leading the charge was Mikko Rantanen, who tallied 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists), including 10 points in his last 10 games. In goal, Jake Oettinger anchored the Stars’ defense, also going 9-1-0 with a 2.28 GAA over his last 10 appearances.

• League Standings, Stat Leaders (as of 2/1/26)

Meanwhile, St. Louis plummeted six spots to 19th place overall after a disappointing stretch, continuing a mid-season slide that could prove costly.

In the East, the New Jersey Devils (31-18-6, 68 points) climbed seven spots to 4th place on the back of an explosive January from Jack Hughes, who finished with 21 points (6g, 15a) including 14 in his last 10 games.

By contrast, the New York Rangers (28-22-6, 62 points) tumbled eight spots to 10th place after a 3-4-3 run to close the month. Despite the downturn, they remain just one point behind 8th-place Florida, keeping them very much in the playoff hunt.