NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 25 Poll
Despite all the bravado the NHL talks about "parity" in the league, there are only two playoff races between now and the end of the regular season.
Seven teams in each conference pretty much have playoff spots assured, but both eighth and final wild-card spots truly are up for grabs. In the East, that spot likely will come down to either the Detroit Red Wings or Philadelphia Flyers. In the West, it's between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild.
The rest can pretty much start making offseason travel plans starting the second week of April.
Our latest power rankings don't have a change at the top, but there were a couple of sizable jumps and sizable falls. The panel of selectors includes yours truly, Jonathan Willis, Carol Schram, Allan Mitchell and Lyle Richardson.
Let us know what we got right and what we got wrong in the comments section. On with the countdown...
30-26: Vancouver Canucks-Columbus Blue Jackets
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30. Vancouver Canucks (last week: 24)
It seems like the Vancouver Canucks have just quit on themselves. Veteran Daniel Sedin told Vancouver Sun reporter Iain MacIntyre Saturday that the team was "embarrassing" and that some guys weren't giving a full effort against the St. Louis Blues. Their 3-0 loss the Blues was the team's fourth in a row, and their minus-38 goal differential is the largest in the West.
29. Winnipeg Jets (last week: 28)
What a disappointing year for the Winnipeg Jets. Many thought they would build upon last year's playoff showing. Instead, they never got it together and became a seller at the trade deadline. They're just playing out the string.
28. Toronto Maple Leafs (last week: 30)
Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been able to see what a good player they have on their hands for the future in forward William Nylander, who scored his third goal of the season Saturday in a win over the Buffalo Sabres. Nylander should be a regular NHLer by next season, and his talents are considerable. He was leading the AHL in scoring before a concussion sidelined him in December.
27. Calgary Flames (last week: 29)
The Calgary Flames will go down as one of the NHL's biggest disappointments this season. They made it to the second round of the playoffs last year, but shoddy goaltending and underachieving from some counted-upon players (Dougie Hamilton tops your list) has doomed the Flames to life among the cellar dwellers.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (last week: 26)
The Columbus Blue Jackets salvaged another poor week with a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils Sunday. The Jackets haven't been quite bad enough, however, to have a lock on the worst record in the East. It looks like Toronto will grab that distinction—and therefore the better chance at landing the No. 1 pick and Auston Matthews.
25-21: Edmonton Oilers-Carolina Hurricanes
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25. Edmonton Oilers (last week: 25)
The Edmonton Oilers are becoming a team playoff contenders are leery to face. They've been playing pretty good hockey of late, taking a two-game win streak into Sunday's contest with Colorado. Connor McDavid is flying, and Edmonton got a boost with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' recent return to health. The Oilers have played well enough to probably cost themselves the best chance at landing another No. 1 pick.
24. Arizona Coyotes (last week: 23)
For the eighth time in his long career, Shane Doan achieved the 25-goal mark, notching in a win over the San Jose Sharks Thursday. Not bad for a 39-year-old who missed nine games previously with injuries. The Arizona Coyotes, though, just didn't get enough from their other scorers and were a seller at the trade deadline.
23. Montreal Canadiens (last week: 21)
It's still a shock realizing how far this team has fallen after one of the best starts in NHL history (nine straight wins). But that's what can happen when the league's defending Hart and Vezina Trophy winner goes down with a long-term injury, which is what happened with the Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price. Alex Galchenyuk, who had been red-hot, cooled off Saturday in Ottawa, with no points and a minus-four.
22. Buffalo Sabres (last week: 23)
The Buffalo Sabres are 4-3-3 in their last 10 games, which shows this organization hasn't done a tank job down the stretch. Whether they did that last year, the Sabres still lost the draft lottery to Edmonton despite having the league's worst record, with the Oilers therefore getting Connor McDavid. Will Auston Matthews join Jack Eichel to form a deadly one-two American punch to this franchise? The Sabres probably need to lose more games down the stretch to give themselves the best chance.
21. Carolina Hurricanes (last week: 18)
It looks like the Carolina Hurricanes, once again, will fall short of making the playoffs. They've still got a fighting chance, but they probably need to get points in every game the rest of the way to make it. Overall, they're 3-3-4 in the last 10 games. That's just not good enough for a realistic chance at the playoffs.
20-16: New Jersey Devils-Detroit Red Wings
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20. New Jersey Devils (last week: 20)
The New Jersey Devils got smoked 7-1 at Anaheim Ducks last week to close out a Western road trip. Then, they came home and put up seven goals in a win over a desperate Minnesota Wild team. Then, the Devils allowed six goals in their next game, a 6-3 loss to Columbus. Things have been just too up-and-down for this team, which has fallen out of realistic playoff contention.
19. Ottawa Senators (last week: 22)
In what has been an otherwise frustrating season for the Ottawa Senators, they gave their fans a nice treat Saturday with a 5-0 spanking of archrivals the Montreal Canadiens. It's too little, too late for this team as far as the playoffs go, though. Ottawa has been good at home this season (20-12-5) but not good on the road (14-19-3).
18. Minnesota Wild (last week: 17)
The Minnesota Wild keeps hanging tough in the battle with Colorado for the last wild-card spot in the West. Minnesota got a much-needed two points in a shootout win over Carolina at home Saturday after getting blown out 7-4 in New Jersey the game before.
Thomas Vanek was benched for the game against the Hurricanes, which raised eyebrows. But it just shows interim coach John Torchetti isn't playing favorites in his quest to get the Wild into the postseason.
17. Colorado Avalanche (last week: 19)
The up-and-down Colorado Avalanche got bad medical news last week, with its top two centers—Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon—going down with knee injuries. While Duchene is expected back in a few days, MacKinnon will have an MRI on his left knee on Monday in Denver, per an NHL source.
Avalanche fans will be holding their breath waiting on the results. Still, the Avs are managing to get points and entered Sunday with a one-point edge on Minnesota for that last Western wild-card spot. They kept that advantage with a 3-2 win in Edmonton, while the Wild won a shootout decision against the Chicago Blackhawks.
16. Detroit Red Wings (last week: 15)
Just when there was some real worry setting in with the Detroit Red Wings and their bid to extend their playoff streak to 25 years, they got two big wins around the weekend to calm fans' nerves. The biggest win came Saturday against the Florida Panthers. The Wings were down 3-1 to a good Panthers team but came back for a 5-3 win on the strength of two Pavel Datsyuk goals.
The Wings thus gained a three-point lead on Philadelphia for the last Eastern wild-card spot. But the Flyers still have two games in hand.
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15-11: Philadelphia Flyers-New York Islanders
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15. Philadelphia Flyers (last week: 16)
The Phialdelphia Flyers were 9-1-1 in their previous 11 games going into Saturday's game with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they were cooled off in a 4-1 loss. That, coupled with a Detroit win over Florida, dropped Philly three points back of the Red Wings in the race for the final Eastern wild-card spot.
Philadelphia still has two games in hand over Detroit, however. Monday's game against the New York Islanders, as Eastern-accented people might say, is "Yoooge."
14. Boston Bruins (last week: 4)
The team with the week's biggest free fall in the rankings, the Boston Bruins lost all three games of their West Coast road swing last week. Two of the three games, against San Jose and the Los Angeles Kings, were competitive, one-goal games. Still, Boston enters its next game, Wednesday against the New York Rangers, losers of three straight.
The playoffs still look like a strong bet, but Boston needs to end this slide soon.
13. Nashville Predators (last week: 12)
The Nashville Predators have a playoff spot virtually locked up, which is a tribute to the coaching of Peter Laviolette. Nashville was floundering around the All-Star break but got it together to gain a nice lead on one of the last two wild-card spots.
It was a bit of a disappointment, though, to see the Preds get pretty much dominated in a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday. The Caps have made a lot of teams look bad this season, though.
12. New York Rangers (last week: 10)
The Rangers had an up-and-down week, losing consecutive games at Los Angeles and San Jose to finish up a three-game West Coast road swing. They did get a nice 2-1 win at Anaheim, however. Overall, the Blueshirts are 1-2-1 in their last four games. A playoff spot is virtually assured, though, so there are nice things to look forward to for their considerable fanbase.
11. New York Islanders (last week: 11)
It wasn't a great week for the New York Islanders, who went 1-2-1, including consecutive regulation road losses in Nashville and against the Dallas Stars near the weekend.
Their 3-0 loss to the Stars Saturday dropped the Isles from third in the Metropolitan Division into one of the two wild-card spots. They'll most likely get into the playoffs but need to stop this little slide pronto.
10. Florida Panthers
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Record: 40-23-9, 89 points
Last week: 9
Big Picture
The Florida Panthers are becoming big enough in South Florida again to attract some celebrities to their games. On Saturday, against Detroit at the BB&T Center, House of Cards star Kevin Spacey surprised fans by revealing he was behind one of the "Spacey in Space" masks that have become a hit at Panthers games.
Unfortunately, the Panthers lost the game 5-3. But with 89 points and a two-point lead in the Atlantic Division over the Tampa Bay Lightning, it's time to start printing playoff tickets in Sunrise.
By the Numbers
Many pundits are still leery of buying in on the Panthers as more than a potential one-round-and-out playoff team. Part of the reason is their mediocre puck-possession numbers, such as a 48.2 Corsi-for percentage, per Puckalytics. That ranks 19th overall in the league.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Record: 41-26-5, 87 points
Last week: 8
Big Picture
The defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning stopped a bad patch of hockey in its tracks Saturday with a shutout victory in Arizona. The Bolts had lost five of six before that. A playoff spot seems assured, and they will again be tough to beat.
The Lightning are set to play their next six games at home, starting with a game Tuesday night against Detroit.
By the Numbers
Goalie Ben Bishop's shutout over the Coyotes was the 17th of his career and 15th with the Lightning, establishing a new franchise record, according to the NHL.com's Jerry Brown.
8. San Jose Sharks
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Record: 41-25-6, 88 points
Last week: 13
Big Picture
Fear the beards!
Many predicted a year of decline from a team that failed to make the playoffs last season, but the San Jose Sharks have a postseason spot virtually wrapped up this time. The usual suspects, including bearded wonders Joe Thornton and Brent Burns, have been leading the way. Thornton, at 36, leads the team in scoring with 70 points.
Fellow 36-year-old teammate Patrick Marleau reached the 20-goal mark for the 13th time in his career. Coach Pete DeBoer deserves some consideration for the Jack Adams Award.
By the Numbers
One area of real concern entering the playoffs is San Jose's subpar penalty kill. They entered Sunday ranked 23rd overall, at 79.4 percent. You can't be giving up too many easy power-play goals in the playoffs if you want to win a Stanley Cup.
7. Chicago Blackhawks
8 of 14
Record: 42-24-7, 91 points
Last week: 5
Big Picture
The Chicago Blackhawks were spanked 5-0 at home to the Los Angeles Kings last week, then dropped a 3-2 decision the next game to Philadelphia before rebounding with a shutout win over Winnipeg. They lost a 3-2 shootout decision at home to Minnesota Sunday night. So it was not a great week.
That loss to L.A. definitely was a shocker for the totality of the Kings' dominance and something to think about for fans who might have thought another Stanley Cup would be easy.
By the Numbers
6. Pittsburgh Penguins
9 of 14
Record: 40-24-8, 88 points
Last week: 14
Big Picture
So who needs Evgeni Malkin anyway?
After getting what most assumed was devastating news—that Malkin would be out several weeks with a lower-body injury—the Pittsburgh Penguins have won six straight games, including Sunday's impressive 6-2 win over the league-leading Washington Capitals.
Sidney Crosby has done his job, picking up his game in Malkin's absence. He reached the 30-goal mark again, and his 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists) since Dec. 12 leads the NHL.
By the Numbers
In his last six starts, Marc-Andre Fleury has not allowed more than three goals in any game. Fleury's five shutouts rank second in the league. His .922 saves percentage ranks 10th.
5. Anaheim Ducks
10 of 14
Record: 40-22-9, 89 points
Last week: 7
Big Picture
The Ducks have cooled off slightly from their torrid streak that started after Christmas. But they're in a solid position for a top-three finish in the Pacific Division and finished the week with wins over Boston and Winnipeg. The only downer was the loss of top-six forward David Perron to an upper-body injury. Coach Bruce Boudreau said he'll be re-evaluated in a day or two, per the Ducks' official site.
Now the Ducks go out East for Canadian games in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, with a final game of the road trip all the way across the country in Edmonton.
By the Numbers
Forward Jakob Silfverberg had a nice week, getting his first career hat trick Monday in a win over the Devils and scoring again in Sunday's win over Winnipeg. That gives him 13 goals on the season.
4. St. Louis Blues
11 of 14
Record: 42-22-9, 93 points
Last week: 2
Big picture
Starting his first game in nearly a month Saturday, Brian Elliott made 19 saves in the St. Louis Blues' 3-0 win in Vancouver. The game was even more notable for the number of shots St. Louis put on Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller (50).
The Blues uncharacteristically allowed a lot of goals (13) in back-to-back losses before that in Edmonton and Calgary.
By the numbers
Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 100th career goal in the win over Vancouver. The 24-year-old now has 34 on the season, three shy of last year's output.
3. Dallas Stars
12 of 14
Record: 43-21-9, 95 points
Last week: 6
Big Picture
The Dallas Stars got some bad news last week when, according to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, star center Tyler Seguin would be lost for three to four weeks with an Achilles injury. That is a real worry, as Seguin could miss time in the opening round of the playoffs unless he comes back a little early.
But it was still a good week overall for Dallas in the won-loss column. They're 3-0 victory over the Islanders Saturday put Dallas back atop the Central Division, with 95 points. Forwards such as Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza will have to pick up the slack for the injured Seguin if the Stars want to win the division.
By the Numbers
Kari Lehtonen has been better of late, recording his 34th career shutout in the win over the Islanders. It will be interesting to see whom coach Lindy Ruff goes with as his starter in the playoffs, with Lehtonen having played 38 games to Antti Niemi's 43. More hot outings such as Saturday's could give Lehtonen the nod.
2. Los Angeles Kings
13 of 14
Record: 44-22-5, 93 points
Last week: 3
Big Picture
The Los Angeles Kings are on a roll again, winners of four straight games entering their next contest, on the road against Nashville.
Jonathan Quick, second in the league in wins with 37, was excellent all week. And Anze Kopitar is back in beast mode. He's up to 65 points in 70 games played, with a team-leading plus-31.
By the Numbers
The Kings continue to lead the league in the best puck-possession statistics, such as Corsi-for percentage. At 55.9, per Puckalytics, they are a full 2.8 percentage points up on the next-best team, Anaheim. It's tough to beat a team that always has the puck.
1. Washington Capitals
14 of 14
Record: 51-15-5, 107 points
Last week: 1
Big Picture
Coach Barry Trotz wasn't too happy with his squad after Sunday's 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh.
"I'm not going to let guys off the hook," Trotz told NHL.com's Wes Crosby. "There's no excuse for the sloppy play, the lack of execution when the heat was on. We had some guys that I felt were not strong tonight, and you can't do that against a team that's trending well, because they're in playoff mode right now."
But, hey, you can't win 'em all. Washington has won the vast majority of their games so far and has the Presidents' Trophy virtually assured.
By the Numbers
The Vezina Trophy vote seems like it will come down to between Washington's Braden Holtby and Jonathan Quick of the Kings.
Holtby has the league lead in wins, with 43 to Quick's 37. But Quick has the better goals-against average (2.14 to 2.26), and the two are tied in save percentage (.921).
News and statistics for this report came from NHL.com and Puckalytics.
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