Top 10 NHL Defensive Teams in 2024-25

Defensive Lines:

Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck, Eric Comrie

Key stats: 28.95 average shots against, 2.43 average goals against, 77.8% penalty kill

Going undefeated in their first eight games of the season, the Winnipeg Jets have been nothing short of dominant this year. The Jets have been defensively adept for a while, but they’ve taken a big step forward this season.

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck, last season’s Vienza Trophy winner and a frontrunner to win it again, heads up the net, while the top defensive line is manned by Josh Morrissey, who is currently third in points among defensemen behind just Colorado’s Cale Makar and the Canucks’ Quinn Hughes, and Dylan DeMelo. He’s about as tough and reliable of a defensive presence on the ice as they come.

Sure, everyone likes to see their forward sink a clean goal from an impossible angle during an NHL game. But you know what fans like to see less? A speedy forward sinking a clean goal from an impossible angle against their favorite team.

That’s where the defense come in. Without solid goaltending and a pair of imposing defensemen, a team might as well be playing with an empty net for all three periods. Defense wins championships, they say, after all.

But which teams currently have the absolute best defensive presence in the NHL this season? Let’s take a look. No surprise: Most of them are near the top of the league standings.

You can watch all of these top-notch defenses go to work on the ice during NHL games every day, all season long, on DIRECTV.

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Top 10 NHL Defenses

Here’s our breakdown of the ten best defenses in the NFL right now, plus a full ranking of all of 32 teams, based on a variety of defensive statistics.

1. LA Kings

Defensive Pairings:

• Mikey Anderson – Vladislav Gavrikov,
• Joel Edmundson – Brandt Clark
• Jacob Moverare – Andreas Englund – Jordan Spence – Drew Doughty

Goaltenders: Darcy Kuemper, David Rittich

Key stats: 24.9 average shots against, 2.41 average goals against, 82.1% penalty kill

The Los Angeles Kings are a defense-first team, and it certainly shows at this point in the season. The Kings added veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson on a four-year contract this season, adding a physical element at the blue line, and their penalty kill has improved markedly.

They’ve also got a veteran netminder between the pipes in Darcy Kuemper, who was on the 2022 Colorado Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup. Backed up by David Rittich, the pair has kept the situation in the crease stable. 

2. Winnipeg Jets

Defensive Pairings:

• Josh Morrissey – Dylan Demello
• Dylan Samberg – Neal Pionk
• Haydn Fleury – Ville Heinola – Logan Stanley

Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck, Eric Comrie

Key stats: 24.9 average shots against, 2.42 average goals against, 79.3% penalty kill

Going undefeated in their first eight games of the season, the Winnipeg Jets have been nothing short of dominant this year and they’ve managed to maintain that form through the first half of the season, staying near the top of the standings. The Jets have been defensively adept for a while, but they’ve taken a big step forward this season.

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck, last season’s Vienza Trophy winner and a frontrunner to win it again, heads up the net, while the top defensive line is manned by Josh Morrissey, who is currently third in points among defensemen behind just Colorado’s Cale Makar and the Canucks’ Quinn Hughes, and Dylan DeMelo. He’s about as tough and reliable of a defensive presence on the ice as they come.

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3. Dallas Stars

Defensive Lines:

• Miro Heiskanen – Matt Dumba
• Thomas Harley – Ilya Lyubushkin
• Esa Lindell – Nils Lundkvist

Goaltenders: Jake Oettinger, Casey DeSmith

Key stats: 26.4 average shots against, 2.44 average goals against, 85.2% penalty kill

Dallas has been a perennial contender in the Stanley Cup playoffs, making the postseason in five of the last seven seasons, including one Stanley Cup Final appearances and two Conference Finals appearance. The Stars are known for their aggressive, high-scoring offense, but their defense had a lot to do with their success, too.

You can almost map the Stars’ recent repeat playoffs runs to the arrival of Jake Oettinger, Dallas’ dynamic goaltender and 2017 first-round pick, and Miro Heiskanen, one of the best defensemen on ice right now. Dallas’ defensive roster has only gotten stronger in recent years, especially with the addition of Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin.

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4. New Jersey Devils

Defensive Lines:

• Brenden Dillon – Dougie Hamilton
• Jonas Siegenthaler – Johnathan Kovacevic
• Luke Huges – Santeri Hatakka – Brett Pesce – Nick DeSimone

Goaltenders: Jacob Markstrom, Jake Allen

Key stats: 25.6 average shots against, 25.6 average goals against, 82.7% penalty kill

New Jersey has a new look in 2024. The team added Brett Pesce from the Hurricanes, Brendan Dillon from Winnipeg and Jacob Markstrom from Calgary. All of that remodeling has paid off, with an aggressive 90% penalty kill and a lofty position in this season’s rankings so far.

Veteran Dougie Hamilton joins Dillon on the top line, while younger players like Luke Hughes (brother of Vancouver defensive star Quinn Hughes) and Simon Nemec have shown promise on both sides of the ice.

The Devils’ success is also bolstered by their forwards’ willingness to contribute to the defense on the backcheck and penalty kill.

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5. Washington Capitals

Defensive Lines:

• Jakob Chychrun – John Carlson
• Martin Fehervary – Matt Roy
• Rasmus Sandin – Trevor van Riemsdyk – Alexander Alexeyev – Dylan McIlrath

Goaltenders: Logan Thompson, Charlie Lindgren

Key stats: 27.7 average shots against, 2.52 average goals against, 83.6% penalty kill.

The Capitals ended up sneaking into the playoffs last season, and it was mostly on the backs of their defense amid season-long offensive struggles.

The Caps doubled down on that defensive depth this year, signing elite defensemen Jakob Chychrun and Matt Roy over the offseason, a pair of experienced defensemen that add both offensive prowess and an imposing, physical blue line presence to shut down opposing line. They also acquired goalie Logan Thompson from Vegas as their new starter between the pipes.

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6. Utah Hockey Club

Defensive Pairings:

• Mikhail Sergachev – Olli Maata
• Ian Cole – Michael Kesselring
• Juuso Valimaki – Nick DeSimone – Sean Durzi – Josh Marino – Vladislav Kolyachonok – Robert Bortuzzo

Goaltenders: Karel Vejmelka, Connor Ingram

Key stats: 27.0 average shots against, 2.68 average goals against, 78% penalty kill

This season marks Salt Lake City’s first foray into the NHL, with the former Arizona Coyotes franchise moving to town over the off season, but they’ve already made a bigger splash than their predecessors, especially on the defensive end of things.

 Despite being plagued by injuries across their defensive lines and inconsistent play between the pipes, Utah is still posting some impressive defensive stats, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Olli Maata, who is seeing extensive ice time, and forward Clayton Keller, who has supported the defense well.

7. Edmonton Oilers

Defensive Pairings:

• Mattis Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
• Darnell Nurse – Troy Stecher
• Brett Kulak – Josh Brown – Ty Emberson – Alec Regula

Goaltenders: Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard

Key stats: 26.2 average shots against, 2.72 average goals against, 77.1% penalty kill

8. Minnesota Wild

Defensive Lines:

• Jacob Middleton – Zach Bogosian
• Declan Chisholm – Travis Dermott
• Jon Merrill – Jonas Brodin – Jared Spurgeon – David Jiricek – Brock Faber

Goaltenders: Filip Gustavsson, Marc-Andre Fleury

Key stats: 29.5 average shots against, 2.73 average goals against, 71.6% penalty kill

True to their name, the Minnesota Wild have been a force of nature this season and their defense ranks near the top of the league by most measures. They’ve got a pair of veteran goalies in Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury, the former of which has one of the league’s best save percentages.

Outside the pipes, the Wild’s Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon, the team captain, are a reliable presence on the blue line. Jake Middleton also extended his contract, turning the Wild’s top two lines into a fortress – and it’s showing this season.

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New York Rangers

Winnipeg Jets

9. Carolina Hurricanes

Defensive Lines:

• Jaccob Slavin – Brent Burns
• Dmitry Orlov – Jalen Chatfield
• Shayne Gostisbhere – Sean Walker – Ty Smith

Goaltenders: Pyotr Kochetkov, Dustin Tokarski, Frederick Anderson

Key stats: 25.0 average shots against, 2.75 average goals against, 85% penalty kill

Since former star center and team captain Rod Brind’amour took the reigns as head coach in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes been a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup in the Eastern Conference.

Despite Andersen being sidelined for 8-12 weeks due to knee surgery, Pyotr Kochetkov has been excellent between the pipes, and the team acquired Spencer Martin from the Blue Jackets last season to round out the goalie room.

The team may have lost Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, two of the team’s longtime, lynchpin defensemen, over the off-season, but the Canes’ defense is still top tier.

Veterans Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin, both equally talented on both sides of the ice and the former with a howitzer of a shot and the latter considered one of the leagues’ best defensemen, bolster their top line. Jalen Chatfield has been a clutch player for the team, netting him a three-year extension, while Shayne Gostisbhere has been offensively exceptional in his second stint with the team.

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10. Ottawa Senators

Defensive Pairings:

• Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
• Thomas Chabot – Nick Jensen
• Tyler Kleven – Jacob Bernard-Docker – Nikolas Matinpalo – Travis Hamonic

Goaltenders: Leevi Merilainen, Anton Forsberg, Linus Ullmark

Key stats: 27.3 average shots against, 2.77 average goals against, 78.6 penalty kill

Ottawa has seen much more success this season than in recent years, and a lot of that can be credited to their defensive play, especially that of Thomas Chabot and Nick Jensen on their second line, who have helped improve the Senator’s transtioning.

And despite former Bruins starting goalie Linus Ullmark sidelined with injury, the Senators still have depth between the pipes in the form of Leevi Marilaninen and veteran netminder Anton Forsberg.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Honorable Mentions

• Tampa Bay Lightning
• Calgary Flames
• St. Louis Blues
• Vancouver Canucks Nashville Predators

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2024-25 NHL Season Team Defensive Stats

Here are key defensive stats for every NHL team as of Nov. 19, 2024, sorted by average goals against per game.

Team	Shots Allowed	Goals Allowed	Avg Shots Against	Avg Goals Against	Save %	Penalty Kill %
LA Kings	1,020	99	24.9	2.41	90%	82.1
Winnepeg Jets	1,293	109	28.7	2.42	92%	79.3
Dallas Stars	1,136	105	26.4	2.44	91%	85.2
New Jersey Devils	1,177	115	25.6	2.5	90%	82.7
Washington Capitals	1,217	111	27.7	2.52	91%	83.6
Utah Hockey Club	1,190	118	27	2.68	90%	78.0
Edmonton Oilers	1,128	117	26.2	2.72	90%	77.1
Minnesota Wild	1,298	120	29.5	2.73	91%	71.6
Carolina Hurricanes	1,102	121	25	2.75	89%	85.0
Ottawa Senators	1,172	119	27.3	2.77	90%	78.6
Tampa Bay Lightning	1,193	118	28.4	2.81	90%	82.0
Toronto Maple Leafs	1,311	128	29.1	2.84	90%	82.5
Calgary Flames	1,251	126	29.1	2.93	90%	71.0
St. Louis Blues	1,272	134	28.3	2.98	90%	73.9
Vancouver Canucks	1,234	128	28.7	2.98	90%	81.3
New York Islanders	1,228	130	28.6	3.02	89%	65.6
Florida Panthers	1,229	137	27.3	3.04	89%	80.0
Colorado Avalanche	1,196	139	26.6	3.09	88%	78.9
Anaheim Ducks	1,401	137	31.8	3.11	90%	73.2
New York Rangers	1,343	134	31.2	3.12	90%	83.1
Boston Bruins	1,292	144	28.1	3.13	89%	75.9
Nashville Predators	1,254	135	29.2	3.14	89%	82.9
Vegas Golden Knights	1,176	135	27.3	3.14	89%	81.1
Seattle Kraken	1,281	144	28.5	3.2	89%	77.7
Detroit Red Wings	1,251	139	29.1	3.23	89%	68.5
Montreal Canadiens	1,232	141	28.7	3.28	89%	82.0
Buffalo Sabres	1,257	145	29.2	3.37	89%	78.4
San Jose Sharks	1,480	157	32.2	3.41	89%	78.6
Philadelphia Flyers	1,195	154	26.6	3.42	87%	78.4
Chicago Blackhawks	1,341	152	30.5	3.45	89%	83.3
Columbus Blue Jackets	1,277	153	29	3.48	88%	73.8
Pittsburgh Penguins	1,420	169	30.9	3.67	88%	79.2

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Watch NHL Hockey on DIRECTV

The 2024-25 NHL season is in full swing, and there are plenty of places on DIRECTV to catch your team’s games from now until the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

• REGIONAL SPORTS LINEUP (only available in some areas)
• TNT – 245
• ESPN – 206
• ABC –Check local listings
• NHL Network
• NHL Center Ice*

*currently available for satellite customers

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