NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 27 Poll
One more week remains in the NHL's regular season, but as far as the 2015-16 NHL Power Rankings go, this is it. Because, of course, after Sunday's games, the standings will become final.
There will be no more room for maneuver with our panel of experts. The records will go back to 0-0 for 16 teams, and playoff time will officially be upon us.
These final rankings, therefore, will be a little different. For the teams that won't or almost certainly won't make it, short obituaries of sorts will be offered. What went wrong? Why will there be no more hockey after Sunday until the preseason schedule gets underway in September?
For the rest, there is a look ahead at how they can keep playing beyond April and other items of note. As it was all season, our panel is composed of Carol Schram, Jonathan Willis, Allan Mitchell, Lyle Richardson and yours truly.
It was an honor, and as ever, we welcome your comments—pro and con—as to these selections in the forum below.
30-26: Edmonton Oilers to Columbus Blue Jackets
1 of 14
30. Edmonton Oilers (last week: 27)
All that promise of turning the corner, with a new coach and a superstar prospect, ended in another dismal season for the Edmonton Oilers.
Todd McLellan just never could get his troops to overcome the early-season broken collarbone injury to Connor McDavid. Taylor Hall had a fine season, but forwards such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov were subpar. The goaltending and defense were, again, atrocious.
If this team gets yet another No. 1 pick out of it, the outrage will be strong. This team doesn't deserve it. The Oilers played their final game at Rexall Place Saturday night against provincial rival Calgary Flames and got smoked 5-0.
Embarrassing.
29. Winnipeg Jets (last week: 26)
After a surprise playoff showing last term, the Winnipeg Jets were terrible in 2015-16.
"The season is a loss," coach Paul Maurice said, per the Winnipeg Sun's Kirk Penton. "Had we been better at home, it would not have been enough to make the playoffs solely on being better at home. It was a home-and-away issue."
This team needs to find a goaltender. And more offense. And better defense.
28. Toronto Maple Leafs (last week: 24)
The marketing department of the Toronto Maple Leafs should get an award. They set expectations so low for this team that anything less than forfeiting all 82 games was going to be considered a success.
Never mind that the Leafs gave Mike Babcock the highest contract in NHL coaching history or that Lou Lamoriello brought his expertise from the New Jersey Devils. Neither could turn the Leafs into a winner. The future should be better, but that's not saying a lot. It can't get much worse.
27. Vancouver Canucks (last week: 30)
After a horrific stretch, the Vancouver Canucks salvaged some pride last week with a couple of wins. The fans who wanted the club to tank the rest of the way for a shot at Auston Matthews probably weren't happy, but good on the Canucks for being professional.
There is a lot to worry about going forward. The Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, aren't getting any younger, the defense is thoroughly mediocre and Ryan Miller might be nearing the end as a goalie.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (last week: 29)
In a March 23 column for the Columbus Dispatch, columnist Michael Arace noted that no team, to that point, since 2000 had fewer cumulative points than the Columbus Blue Jackets' 1,106. Arace also noted the Blue Jackets are one of only two current teams to never have won an NHL playoff series (Atlanta/Winnipeg is the other). This proved another disappointing year.
The Jackets will bounce back next season under coach John Tortorella, but by no means will the mortgage be bet on it.
25-21: Calgary Flames to New Jersey Devils
2 of 14
25. Calgary Flames (last week: 28)
The Calgary Flames were a massive disappointment, this season and there will no doubt be some changes over the summer. But coach Bob Hartley doesn't deserve to go and probably won't. He deserves another chance to get things back on track. It'll be up to GM Brad Treliving to find better goaltending by next season. No coach could've overcome the kind of play Calgary got from its netminders this year.
But there are still many good young pieces in place, starting with Johnny Gaudreau, likely to finish in the top 10 in scoring.
24. Arizona Coyotes (last week: 19)
Maybe it's a coincidence, or maybe it was karma, but things started to go bad for the Arizona Coyotes after they traded John Scott before the NHL All-Star Game. The bigger problem, though, was a mediocre offense and the lengthy injury-enforced absence of No. 1 goalie Mike Smith. Louis Domingue played admirably at times in relief, but there just wasn't enough quality depth overall to get this team out of the bottom half.
23. Buffalo Sabres (last week: 22)
The Buffalo Sabres improved over last season, and things figure to get better as youngsters such as Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart mature. Another top-10 pick will also be added to the mix. Evander Kane will need to be much better moving forward, however.
The veteran forward did not produce anywhere near expectations, and that can't continue if Buffalo wants to get back to being a playoff team sooner rather than later.
22. Montreal Canadiens (last week: 23)
It's still amazingly hard to believe this Montreal Canadiens team started off the season 9-0-0 and had people really believing this could be the first Canadian (and Canadiens) team since 1993 to win a Stanley Cup.
But the lower-body injury suffered by Carey Price on Nov. 25 just killed everything. Nobody knows for sure whether coach Michel Therrien will be back. It was a stunning fall for his team, and it's hard to believe someone in management won't be held accountable. Price's injury was the main reason for the demise, but the Canadiens shouldn't have fallen apart as badly as they did.
21. New Jersey Devils (last week: 20)
A late-season injury to goalie Cory Schneider and too much offensive mediocrity eventually did in the New Jersey Devils' playoff hopes. Entering Sunday, New Jersey's 176 goals were the fewest in the NHL.
The Devils have a fine goalie in Schneider and a promising young defense, but GM Ray Shero needs to find some goal-scoring to get this once-mighty franchise back to being a real playoff contender.
20-16: Carolina Hurricanes to Minnesota Wild
3 of 14
20. Carolina Hurricanes (last week: 21)
Somehow, this team wasn't awful despite dealing away longtime captain Eric Staal near the deadline and having the lowest average attendance (12,131) in the league, per ESPN.
The question moving forward is whether the Carolina Hurricanes will try to re-sign goaile Cam Ward, who made $6.3 million on the last year of his contract. At 32, he can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Eddie Lack is signed at a lower figure ($2.75 million) for the next two years, but going from Ward to Lack as a starter would be a step down in quality.
19. Colorado Avalanche (last week: 18)
The playoff were a realistic possibility for the Colorado Avalanche entering the final few weeks, but then top centers Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon were lost to knee injuries and that pretty much ended that.
It's too easy an excuse to use for why the Avs will miss the playoffs again, though. The defense isn't close to being good enough, and there has been a distinct tendency to let up after tasting any success, either with a lead or after a couple of wins. One example of their lack of killer instinct is that the team is 0-13 this season on 5-on-3 power-play situations. That's got to be a record.
18. Ottawa Senators (last week: 25)
The Ottawa Senators were generally a competitive team, but that was about it. Owner Eugene Melnyk professed outrage that his team didn't win more, but this was pretty much were most people thought the Senators would finish—out of the playoffs.
Melnyk recently said, per the Toronto Star "nobody is safe." But the Ottawa owner has been known to do some verbal posturing before. Erik Karlsson, who entered Sunday with 79 points as a defenseman, had better be safe or there might be some rioting in Sens country.
17. Boston Bruins (last week: 16)
The Boston Bruins got a big win Friday night on the road against the St. Louis Blues but entered Sunday one point back of the Detroit Red Wings for the last wild-card spot in the East. The pressure is bigger than ever on coach Claude Julien's squad.
If Boston does miss the postseason, its late-season slide might cost Julien his job. That might not be fair, but nothing in the NHL is.
16. Minnesota Wild (last week: 12)
Give John Torchetti credit. He came in for Mike Yeo in February and somehow turned around a Minnesota Wild team that appeared in trouble of a real implosion. Are they good enough to last more than a round or two in the playoffs? It wouldn't seem like it, based on the season's overall lack of real consistency.
But this team is unpredictable enough to make you think anything is possible from here on out.
15-11: Detroit Red Wings to New York Rangers
4 of 14
15. Detroit Red Wings (last week: 17)
The Detroit Red Wings have made the playoffs for 24 straight seasons, the longest streak of any team in pro sports. With one week to go, it remains unknown whether that will extend to 25. It figures to come down to either Detroit or Boston for the last Eastern playoff spot.
The goaltending has been spotty down the stretch, and the offense has been uncharacteristically average too many nights of late. The Wings still seem to win when they have to, though, and their pride will be tough to overcome in this last week.
14. New York Islanders (last week: 13)
It was a struggle at times, but the New York Islanders should make the playoffs. It's hard to get too excited about their Cup chances, though, especially after games such as Saturday's, a 5-0 loss to Pittsburgh.
Captain John Tavares told reporters postgame the effort was "unacceptable." But the Isles did win a couple of big games before that to put themselves in a good spot to play beyond Sunday.
13. Nashville Predators (last week: 8)
It's been an average couple of weeks for the Nashville Predators, but there was enough quality hockey before that to clinch a playoff spot. We'll see whether Ryan Johansen can take his game to the next level in the first round.
Johansen has done a lot of good things since arriving in Nashville in January, but he needs to score more for the Preds to go far. Entering Sunday, he had 14 goals on the season on 179 shots. That's just a 7.8 percent conversion rate.
12. Philadelphia Flyers (last week: 15)
The Philadelphia Flyers entered Sunday with just a one-point lead on Detroit and Boston for a playoff spot. But the Flyers had two games in hand on Detroit and one on the Bruins and are playing their best hockey of the season.
Wayne Simmonds was tremendous in Saturday's big 3-2 win over Ottawa, scoring two goals. Steve Mason has been big in goal down the stretch, and Shayne Gostisbehere has been an inspiration as a rookie defenseman.
The Flyers stubbed their toe in Pittsburgh on Sunday, so there is more work to do to get into the playoffs, but the odds are in their favor.
11. New York Rangers (last week: 5)
The New York Rangers could have clinched a playoff spot with a win over Buffalo at home Friday but let a Sabres team playing out the string beat them. It's those kinds of performances that leave many unsold on the Rangers as anything possibly more than a one- or two-round playoff team.
The Rangers only seem to do just enough to get by, which isn't going to cut it when the games get much bigger. One of the main reasons people have trouble buying in on the Rangers is their relatively poor puck-possession metrics. Their 47.2 Corsi-for Percentage is better than only three other teams in the league, per Puckalytics.
10. Tampa Bay Lightning
5 of 14
Record: 45-28-5, 95 points
Last week: 11
Big Picture
Devastating news came down Saturday night: Steven Stamkos, the Tampa Bay Lightning's best offensive player, would be lost for one to three months because of a blood clot near his right collarbone, reported the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith.
Couple that loss with the absence of top defenseman Anton Stralman for at least the first round with a fractured left leg, and the defending Eastern Conference champs have some serious, sudden adversity to overcome. It's hard to imagine the Lightning overcoming this to get back to where they were last spring without those two.
By the Numbers
If ever a certain player needed to up his production for a team, it's Tyler Johnson for the Lightning. He had 72 points in 77 games last season. He's got 37 so far this season in 65 games. With Stamkos gone, Johnson must get back to his previous form if the Bolts want to go anywhere.
9. San Jose Sharks
6 of 14
Record: 44-29-6, 94 points
Last week: 14
Big Picture
With three players in the top 10 in scoring (Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns), the San Jose Sharks have no problem putting pucks in the net. Their 233 goals rank them second in the Western Conference behind the Dallas Stars (260).
It was a strong comeback season for a Sharks team that missed the playoffs last year. Their harrowing playoff history looms large, though, as another one nears. Fans' hopes have been crushed so many times, but to the players' credit, they keep trying.
By the Numbers
Somewhat lost in the big-scoring years from the aforementioned has been the strong play of forward Tomas Hertl. He scored two goals in Saturday's 3-2 win in Nashville, giving him 21 on the season. That's the first time in his career he's hit the 20 mark.
8. Florida Panthers
7 of 14
Record: 44-25-9, 97 points
Last week: 10
Big Picture
The rats were back on the ice Thursday night in a Florida Panthers home game against New Jersey. Twenty years ago, when the Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Final, it was an endearing aspect of their Cinderella run. But all it got the Panthers were two delay-of-game penalties, which upset 44-year-old star Jaromir Jagr.
Things should be fine between the fans and team from here on out, though, as everybody around the long-suffering franchise is excited about getting back to the playoffs for just the second time since 2000.
By the Numbers
For Jagr, this will be the 19th season of his career in which one of his teams made the playoffs. He needs one more point for 200 in his postseason career, something only four others (Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson) have done.
7. Anaheim Ducks
8 of 14
Record: 44-24-10, 98 points
Last week: 7
Big Picture
The Anaheim Ducks had a showdown game of sorts Sunday night against conference-leading Dallas, and they beat the streaking Stars 3-1. That vaulted them one point past Los Angeles into the lead of the Pacific Division. This, for a team that stumbled horribly out of the gate.
Coach Bruce Boudreau should get consideration for the Jack Adams Award. The way he kept his cool and refused to change his systems radically when the Ducks were struggling early showed a lot.
By the Numbers
Andrew Cogliano played in his 700th consecutive game against the Stars. That leaves him with 264 more to tie Doug Jarvis' NHL record of 964.
Cogliano has the longest streak of any active player.
6. Los Angeles Kings
9 of 14
Record: 46-27-5, 97 points
Last week: 4
Big Picture
The Los Angeles Kings are in a fight with Anaheim for the Pacific Division crown, which should make for a fun final week for the SoCal rivals. L.A.'s quest for the title took a bit of a hit with Saturday's 3-2 loss to Dallas, but this team doesn't go into real slumps too often.
Anze Kopitar, who got off to a slow scoring start, has 70 points in 77 games. One more point, and he would have his highest-scoring season since 2011-12 (76 points). He's also at plus-33. Not bad.
By the Numbers
According to the Los Angeles Times' Lisa Dillman, it doesn't look like Marian Gaborik will be ready to return from a sprained knee, suffered in February, in time for the playoffs. In the Kings' 2013-14 championship season, Gaborik posted 22 points in 26 postseason games.
5. Chicago Blackhawks
10 of 14
Record: 46-26-7, 99 points
Last week: 6
Big Picture
The big news of last week for the Chicago Blackhawks was the six-game suspension of Conn Smythe defenseman Duncan Keith for a one-handed stick to the face of Minnesota's Charlie Coyle. That means Keith will have to sit out the first game of the playoffs.
Keith expressed remorse for the incident, telling the Chicago Tribune's Chris Hine: "You don't want to put the team in that situation. That's the tough part, but...I know we have a lot of great defensemen, we have a good team and we have experience."
By the Numbers
Patrick Kane entered the final week with an eight-point lead on Dallas' Jamie Benn for the NHL scoring title, and he probably clinched the Art Ross Trophy after Sunday's 6-4 win over Boston. He reached the 100-point mark, becoming the first Blackhawk to do so since Jeremy Roenick (107) did it in 1993-94, per Blackhawk Zone.
4. St. Louis Blues
11 of 14
Record: 47-23-9, 103 points
Last week: 1
Big Picture
After spending a week in the top spot of our rankings, the St. Louis Blues dropped back a bit. A 6-5 home loss to Boston on Friday night had something to do with that, but those nights will happen. The Blues are a long shot to unseat Dallas for the Central Division crown, but it's not over yet.
St. Louis had another excellent regular season. The team's playoff history, though, is littered with more heartbreak than a Hank Williams song. Is this finally their year? We'll start to know more about that soon.
By the Numbers
Paul Stastny, who signed a four-year, $28 million contract before last season only to suffer through his lowest-scoring full campaign as a pro (46 points), has gotten his game back together. Entering Sunday's contest against former team Colorado, Stastny had 46 points again but in 14 fewer games than he played last year (70).
3. Pittsburgh Penguins
12 of 14
Record: 45-25-8, 98 points
Last week: 9
Big Picture
What a turnaround. The Pittsburgh Penguins are red-hot with the playoffs right around the corner. The Penguins aren't just winning games; they're blowing teams away.
They handily beat the equally hot Philadelphia Flyers Sunday, a day after shutting out the Islanders 5-0. A team that was on the playoff bubble just a handful of weeks ago, who lost Evgeni Malkin to an upper-body injury, has been on fire since. There seems to be no rush to welcome back Malkin, who was hurt March 11 and was listed as being out six to eight weeks.
By the Numbers
Sidney Crosby is back. Back with a vengeance it seems. The star forward has at least one point in 18 of his last 19 games, moving himself into third place on the league scoring list. He will again average more than a point per game, something he's done every season since entering the league in 2005-06.
2. Washington Capitals
13 of 14
Record: 55-17-6, 116 points
Last week: 2
Big Picture
I had these guys at No. 1, but was outvoted by my colleagues. A 3-0 loss at Arizona Saturday night was a bit of a head-scratcher, though, especially after thoroughly dominating Colorado the night before.
On 47, Braden Holtby needs one more victory to tie Martin Brodeur's all-time record for most wins in a season. He's likely to win the Vezina Trophy, which would be the first of his career. Coach Barry Trotz might want to rest him a bit in the final week, though. No need to overplay a guy when the playoffs are near, record or no record.
By the Numbers
Friday's 4-2 win over Colorado set a new franchise mark for victories in a season (55). According to Washington's PR on Twitter, the Caps became the 10th team in NHL history to win 55 games.
1. Dallas Stars
14 of 14
Record: 48-23-9, 105 points
Last week: 3
Big Picture
Just like the experts who predicted doom for the Penguins after Malkin got hurt were proved wrong, so too have the Dallas Stars made the pundits who said the end was near when No. 1 center Tyler Seguin went down with an Achilles injury look bad.
The Stars took a four-game winning streak into Anaheim Sunday night and have a strong chance of winning the Western Conference crown. OK, so they lost that one. But their recent hot streak was enough to convince the majority of our panel that they deserved the final top spot in this season's rankings.
According to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, Seguin, who has been out since mid-March, should be back soon too.
By the Numbers
Jamie Benn won the NHL scoring title last year but will lose out to Patrick Kane this time around, barring a miraculous output in the final week. But Benn has had another great season, hitting the 40-goal mark.
.png?w=600 "2027 NFL Mock Draft 🔮")
