NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands 1 Week Before the End of the Season
It's 11 days away.
The NHL's annual playoff tournament will get underway on April 17, and it's incumbent upon the 16 teams who'll comprise the field to be playing well when the games begin.
No fewer than four teams entered Wednesday's games having won at least seven of their last 10, including the scalding-hot Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins, who've combined to go 18-1-1 across their last 20 games. In fact, Boston and Edmonton have been the best teams in the league since January 1, with 65 and 59 points, respectively.
They've met twice in the Stanley Cup Final—with the Oilers winning their last title with Wayne Gretzky in 1987-88 and their first (and only) without him in 1989-90.
The Bruins have been posting ridiculous numbers all year, and their latest streak merely guaranteed they'd lead B/R's Power Rankings poll for the 21st consecutive week. Their sweep of the first-place votes kept them ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs elsewhere in the top five.
Edmonton, incidentally, jumped four spots from 10th to sixth.
The B/R voting panel awarded 32 points for first place, one point for 32nd and so on to come up with the weekly list. Teams' last rankings and how much they moved are shown alongside each placement. Scroll through to see where your favorites landed, and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.
Nos. 32-26: Ducks, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Canadiens, Sharks, Coyotes, Flyers
1 of 6
32. Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 29/Move: -3)
The Ducks have skidded to the NHL's basement thanks to a 1-9 run in their last 10 games entering Wednesday, including eight straight losses. They surrendered 11 goals across consecutive losses to Edmonton and Calgary on Saturday and Sunday.
31. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 32/Move: +1)
It ended in a 4-2 loss, but goalie Jet Greaves made 46 saves in his NHL debut on Tuesday against Toronto. He became the seventh goalie with 46 saves in his initial game since 1955-56 and was just three off the record of 49.
30. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 31/Move: +1)
If you can't make the playoffs, the least you can do is spoil someone else's ride. The Blackhawks did that with a Tuesday win against Calgary that ended an eight-game losing streak and gave goalie Petr Mrázek his first win since late February.
29. Montréal Canadiens (Last Week: 28/Move: -1)
Few teams have hit the skids harder than the Canadiens, who've been shut out in two straight, lost four in a row in regulation and have won just four times in their last 18 while falling to 28th overall.
28. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 30/Move: +2)
The Sharks are far closer to the bottom of the league than the top, thanks in no small part to a woeful 8-20-11 mark on home ice at the SAP Center. They're four home wins behind the next-lowest team's total.
27. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 27/Move: 0)
Goalie Ivan Prosvetov picked up his first three NHL wins between March 9 and 18, but he's since dropped two straight starts while allowing 15 goals on 63 shots—a .762 save percentage—amid Arizona's eight-game losing streak.
26. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 26/Move: 0)
The topsy-turvy Flyers lost 4-2 at St. Louis Tuesday to fall to 0-3-1 in their last four games after a 5-0-1 run in their previous six. Assistant Rocky Thompson led things behind the bench as part of a stretch in which coach John Tortorella has ceded control to help develop his staff for future head coaching jobs.
Nos. 25-21: Canucks, Capitals, Blues, Red Wings, Senators
2 of 6
25. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 24/Move: -1)
The bump that followed the dismissal of coach Bruce Boudreau in late January may have leveled out for the Canucks, who've gone 0-2-2 in their last four after starting 16-9-2 under new coach Rick Tocchet.
24. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 22/Move: -2)
The Capitals were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday night, ending the league's second-longest active streak at eight straight seasons. It's just their fourth miss since the arrival of Alex Ovechkin in the 2005-06 season.
23. St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 23/Move: 0)
The Blues have steadied their late-season ship with a 7-2-2 run across the last 11 games, and the most recent six have been fueled by Jordan Kyrou, who's scored seven goals to get to a team-high 37.
22. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 25/Move: +3)
The Red Wings have won four of five to stay on the fringe of Eastern playoff contention, and the latest victory marked the successful return of Ville Husso, who stopped 24 Montréal shots to record his fourth shutout of the season after missing seven games with a lower-body injury.
21. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 21/Move: 0)
An OT loss at Carolina Tuesday was the 10th defeat in 14 games for the Senators, who fell six points below the East's playoff cutline. Claude Giroux scored his 30th goal during the loss to become the third Ottawa player to reach that benchmark in his first season with the team.
Nos. 20-16: Sabres, Penguins, Flames, Predators, Islanders
3 of 6
20. Buffalo Sabres (Last Week 20/Move: 0)
It may not come this season for the Sabres, who entered Wednesday still six points out of a playoff berth, but having one of the league's youngest teams will pay off soon. "For our guys, they just have to go through it," coach Don Granato said after Tuesday's loss to the Panthers. "And I think they're better for it."
19. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 18/Move: -1)
The Penguins are 4-5 in their last nine games and have fallen a point below the Eastern playoff cutline, putting them officially in jeopardy of missing the postseason for the first time since Sidney Crosby's rookie year in the 2005-06 season.
18. Calgary Flames (Last Week: 15/Move: -3)
The Flames have ridden a 9-4-2 run over their last 15 games entering Wednesday to get right back into the thick of the Western Conference wild-card race, sitting just two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the final playoff spot. Calgary has made the playoffs two seasons in a row only once since 2009.
17. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 16/Move: -1)
The Predators bounced back from a 5-1 drubbing at Dallas on Monday with an OT defeat of Vegas that kept them in the Western Conference playoff chase. "We know we have to win a lot of hockey games to stay in it," forward Tommy Novak said following his team's latest victory..
16. New York Islanders (Last Week: 13/Move: -3)
The Islanders will need eight points across their final four games to guarantee they'll finish ahead of Pittsburgh and thereby lock in an Eastern Conference wild-card playoff berth. New York hosts Tampa Bay on Thursday and will conclude the regular season with three straight non-playoff teams—Philadelphia, Washington and Montreal.
Nos. 15-11: Jets, Panthers, Kraken, Lightning, Stars
4 of 6
15. Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 17/Move: +2)
Connor Hellebuyck got within one save of a shutout against New Jersey on Sunday, stopping 31 shots to raise his save percentage to .918—good for fifth in the league entering Wednesday. He has not maintained that level over a full season since 2019-20, when he won the Vezina Trophy.
14. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 19/Move: +5)
Journeyman goalie Alex Lyon won his fourth straight start and the Panthers won their fourth in a row Tuesday to tie for the East's top wild-card spot. Lyon has allowed five goals on 121 shots—a .959 save percentage—in this run.
13. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 14/Move: +1)
Seattle's latest resurgence is coming at a good time. A 5-2 win at Vancouver on Tuesday gave the Kraken a five-point lead for the first West wild-card spot and marked the first time they won at least two straight since early March.
12. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 12/Move: 0)
It's beginning to look a lot like April for goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped 99 of 100 shots across three games while recording two shutouts to help the Lightning clinch a playoff berth. "[Making the playoffs] gives us peace of mind, and it gives us so much confidence moving on," he said.
11. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 11/Move: 0)
The Stars clinched a playoff berth Monday with a defeat of the Predators, and forward Jason Robertson made history as the first player to reach 100 points in a season for the franchise since Dino Ciccarelli hit 103 in 1986-87.
Nos. 10-6: Wild, Kings, Rangers, Avalanche, Oilers
5 of 6
10. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 9/Move: -1)
The Wild clinched their spot in the playoffs Monday and are heading toward the tournament on a 5-1-2 run. "We're not focused on getting higher in the standings," coach Dean Evason said. "We're focused on getting two points."
9. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 8/Move: -1)
The Kings fell 3-1 to the Oilers on Tuesday for their first regulation home loss since Jan. 19—ending an 11-0-2 run. Los Angeles dropped into third in the Pacific Division and at least temporarily ceded home-ice advantage for the first round.
8. New York Rangers (Last Week: 6/Move: -2)
A 5-2 win at the Capitals on Sunday gave the Rangers 100 points for the fifth time in the nine seasons since they reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. They're 5-5 in 10 playoff series since.
7. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 7/Move: 0)
It's official. The champs will defend their title. The Avalanche clinched a playoff berth with a win at the Sharks on Tuesday. Colorado is 19-6-3 since Feb. 6—tied for third-best in the league entering Wednesday.
6. Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 10/Move: +4)
There's no team hotter or more prolific than the Oilers, who were 10-0-1 in their last 11 entering Wednesday and had climbed into second in the Pacific. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was one point from making Edmonton the first team since the 1995-96 Penguins with three 100-point scorers.
Nos. 5-1: Maple Leafs, Devils, Golden Knights, Hurricanes, Bruins
6 of 6
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 3/Move: -2)
The true tests won't come for a couple of weeks, but the Maple Leafs are nearing the playoffs in fine form, going 6-3-1 in their last 10 as they approach a second straight first-round date with the three-time defending East champion Lightning, who beat them in seven games last spring.
4. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 5/Move: +1)
A win against the Penguins on Tuesday moved the Devils within one victory of 50 and gave them a five-point lead for second place in the Metropolitan Division, which would mean home ice in the first round.
3. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Week: 4/Move: +1)
A 6-1-2 run across nine games has kept the Golden Knights atop both the Pacific Division and the Western Conference. They'll reach the playoffs for the fifth time after missing them for the first time in franchise history last season.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 2/Move: 0)
Carolina met the 50-win benchmark with its third straight victory, a 3-2 overtime defeat of Ottawa on Tuesday. It's the third time the Hurricanes have hit 50. They did it in their Stanley Cup championship season of 2005-06 and last season, when they won the Metropolitan with a franchise-best 54 victories but followed that with a second-round playoff exit.
1. Boston Bruins (Last Week: 1/Move: 0)
The Bruins beat the Blues on Sunday for their 60th victory, becoming the fourth team in league history to reach that number. Three wins in their final five games would establish a record.
.jpg?w=600 "Grading every NFL team's draft")
.JPEG?w=600 "Best Late-Round Draft Steals ‼️")
.jpg?w=600 "Undrafted Free Agent Tracker ✍️")
.jpg?w=600 "Day 3 Grades 🔠")