Ranking the Hottest Teams in the NHL Heading into the Playoffs

Is it possible to carry momentum from the regular season into the playoffs in the NHL, or does the "second season" begin with a clean slate when the puck drops on Wednesday night?

Looking at last year, it appears that regular-season success will only take a team so far. The Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings entered the 2014 postseason ranked sixth in the Western Conference with 100 points and ultimately met the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final. The Rangers finished the regular season sitting fifth in their conference with 96 points.

Also worth noting—the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks were the two hottest teams in the NHL heading into the 2014 playoffs based on their records over the final 10 games of the season. Both were eliminated by the end of the second round.

Other than getting to the dance in the first place, regular-season success doesn't seem to play much of a part in determining how well a hockey team will do on its playoff run.

Here's a look at this year's hottest teams heading into the playoffs as we prepare for an intense two months. I've put the focus on teams with the best records over the last 10 games of the season, especially the ones that wrapped up their regular seasons on winning notes. Final positions in the overall standings were also a factor.

Which teams do you think have what it takes to make a deep run? Which ones will fall by the wayside sooner rather than later? 

6. Montreal Canadiens

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

2014-15 Record: First in Atlantic Division, 50-22-10, 110 points

Record in Last 10 Games: 5-2-3

What Makes Them Hot 

The Montreal Canadiens would have ranked even higher on this list if the regular season had wrapped in mid-March, when they were tied for first overall in the NHL. They've come back to earth since then, but they still finished strongly enough to edge out the Tampa Bay Lightning for top spot in the Atlantic Division.

The Habs' great year is primarily a function of all-world goaltending by Carey Price. His best month was February, when he went 9-1-1 with a 1.34 goals-against average. In his last four appearances in April, Price had a .882 save percentage and 2.63 goals-against average but delivered in the win column with a 3-0-1 record.

Montreal's solid finish also came without leading scorer Max Pacioretty, who suffered a head injury on April 6. The Canadiens website reports that Pacioretty skated with the team on April 13 and, barring any setbacks, should be able to rejoin his team soon. His return should help spark some offense for the low-scoring Canadiens.

Montreal's reward for a strong season? A first-round date with a troublesome old rival, the scrappy Ottawa Senators. The Habs will need to put the Hamburglar behind bars if they hope to advance to the conference semifinals.

5. Vancouver Canucks

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2014-15 Record: Second in Pacific Division, 48-29-5, 101 points

Record in Last 10 Games: 6-3-1

What Makes Them Hot

When Vancouver's starting goaltender Ryan Miller was suffered a sprained knee on February 22, the Canucks' playoff prospects appeared to be very much in doubt. At that time, the Canucks were second in the Pacific Division standings, but were just three points ahead of the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, who were all nipping at their heels.

With backup goaltender Eddie Lack rising to the challenge, the Canucks went 14-7-2 to close out the season. The Kings and Sharks headed to an early summer vacation while Vancouver hung on to finish with a four-point edge over Calgary, earning home-ice advantage in the playoffs' first round.

Vancouver's power-play was also outstanding during the late stages of the season, going a blistering 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) over the team's last 10 games.

The Canucks have already had a terrific bounce-back season from an awful 2013-14. How much farther can they go?

4. Tampa Bay Lightning

Scott Audette/Getty Images

2014-15 Record: Second in Atlantic Division, 50-24-8, 108 points

Record in Last 10 Games: 6-3-1

What Makes Them Hot

In 2013-14, the Tampa Bay Lightning enjoyed a great season except for two defining moments—sniper Steven Stamkos' broken leg on November 11, 2013, and goaltender Ben Bishop's dislocated elbow on April 8, 2014.

Those two injuries eliminated the two most important tools in Tampa Bay's war chest, leading directly to a 4-0 sweep by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs.

This year, the Lightning have returned at full power, finishing second in the Atlantic Division.

Despite missing key defensemen Braydon Coburn, Jason Garrison and Andrej Sustr, Tampa Bay ended the season with points in five of its last six games, including two home wins that earned the team a 32-8-1 record at Amalie Arena—the best home record in the league this season. 

The Lightning will start the playoffs at home against the Detroit Red Wings. After being bounced so unceremoniously last season, expect underappreciated Tampa Bay to strike quickly and dangerously in Round 1.

3. St. Louis Blues

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2014-15 Record: First in Central Division, 51-24-7, 109 points

Record in Last 10 Games: 6-3-1

What Makes Them Hot

St. Louis Blues beat writer Lou Korac suggests that this year's St. Louis Blues should not be judged based on the failures of past groups, who have had a tough time making meaningful advances in the playoffs:

"

Last year is last year. The year before was the year before. The past is the past.

The Blues, who ended the regular season 51-24-7, are healthy, they're confident, and they come in with a full head of steam winning five of the past six games.

"

The Blues struggled during the late stages of March, winning just one of six games, but flipped the switch in April, posting a 5-1-0 record to show that they're playoff ready. Not coincidentally, the team's turnaround lined up with the return of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to the St. Louis lineup. He missed close to two months after abdominal surgery to repair an injury suffered in early February.

St. Louis' late-season surge kept it above the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks in the year-end standings, which will allow it to avoid the dreaded Blackhawks in the first round. Instead, they draw a team that has been surging since mid-January, the Minnesota Wild.

The Blues wrapped up their season with a 4-2 win over that first-round opponent, Minnesota, on Saturday night. If they can repeat the feat four more times in the next two weeks, they'll punch their ticket to Round 2.

2. Ottawa Senators

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

2014-15 Record: Fourth in Atlantic Division, 43-26-13, 99 points

Record in Last 10 Games: 6-2-2

What Makes Them Hot

With a 21-3-3 record since February 18, the Ottawa Senators have redefined what it means to be hot coming into the playoffs.

According to NHL Public Relations, Ottawa is the first team in NHL history to reach the postseason after being 14 points out of the running at any point during the year.

The Sens started winning when 27-year-old journeyman goaltender Andrew Hammond stepped in to replace an injured Craig Anderson. He got people's attention when he posted back-to-back shutouts in Anaheim and Los Angeles in late February.

By the time Hammond suffered his first regulation loss in his 16th start on March 26, Ottawa had climbed into a wild-card spot. The team fought hard to keep it away from the Boston Bruins during the season's final two weeks.

The Sens are considered the underdog in their first-round playoff series, but they're a dangerous opponent who, despite being a wild-card team, will play hard and loose, with nothing to lose, in front of a goaltender who has already demonstrated phenomenal grace under pressure.

Rookie Mark Stone has also been a revelation down the stretch for Ottawa, ending the regular season on a nine-game point streak where he went 8-5-13.

That's your reward, Montreal, for locking down the Atlantic Division's top spot.

1. New York Rangers

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2014-15 Record: First overall, 53-22-7, 113 points

Record in Last 10 Games: 7-3-0

What Makes Them Hot

The New York Rangers come into the postseason with a 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games—tops in the National Hockey League among playoff participants. (The Dallas Stars also went 7-3-0, while the Columbus Blue Jackets went an impressive 9-0-1).

The league-leading Rangers started their surge for the 2015 Presidents' Trophy during a stretch of the season when arguably their best player, goaltender Henrik Lundqivst, was sidelined with a neck injury for eight weeks.

During the 2012 Vezina Trophy winner's absence in February and March, New York rose from seventh to first in the Eastern Conference behind backup goalie Cam Talbot—a position the team would not relinquish when Lundqvist returned to post a 5-2-0 record with just 16 goals allowed over the last seven games of the season.

After last year's Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, and the 2014 Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins were both knocked out of playoff contention during the last week of the season, the Rangers are one of the few teams with a level of "pedigree," if you will, coming into this year's playoffs.

Expect to see New York surge through the rag-tag bracket and contend for the big prize again when the field narrows to just a few teams this June.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.