Power Ranking Every Team Left in the 2025 NHL Playoffs
OK, now things get serious.
The first round of the NHL playoffs has come and gone, which should mean we're left with eight teams with a legitimate chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.
That's all well and good but not quite good enough for the B/R hockey team, which is transitioning its Power Rankings habit from the regular season and applying an 8-to-1 ranking order to the remaining clubs.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
8. Edmonton Oilers
1 of 8
Well, someone's got to be eighth, right?
The Oilers were Western Conference champions last spring, but after a third-place finish in the Pacific amid the usual concerns about defense and goaltending, they were widely dismissed against Los Angeles, particularly after going down 2-0.
Then Calvin Pickard stabilized the crease and the depth scoring chipped in, with none of the team's last nine goals in the series scored by either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
The payoff? A second-round rematch against a Vegas team that eliminated Edmonton in this spot on the way to its own Cup parade in 2023. McDavid and Co. are off to a good start, stealing Game 1 on the road.
7. Winnipeg Jets
2 of 8
Avert your eyes, St. Louis fans.
The Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets came as close to elimination as a team ever has before rallying to defeat the Blues in a classic Game 7. And let's face it, they were the regular-season champs for a reason. So, a stirring run from here isn't impossible.
But the persistent question of which Connor Hellebuyck is going to show up remains valid. And the dings sustained by Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele in Round 1 won't be ignored by a Dallas team that engineered a Game 7 rally of its own.
6. Carolina Hurricanes
3 of 8
When it comes to the Hurricanes, perhaps it's buyer's remorse.
Lest anyone forget, Carolina has been a core contender in the Eastern Conference for the last several seasons, finishing first in its division three straight times before taking second in 2023-24.
But none of it has mattered come playoff time, where Rod Brind'Amour and Co. haven't gotten past halfway to a title parade.
Hope springs eternal in 2025, though, and the team handled its business in Round 1 with a five-game waxing of New Jersey.
However, repeating the task against Alex Ovechkin and his top-seeded teammates won't be easy, particularly with starter Frederik Andersen returning after missing time in the series with the Devils.
Tuesday's OT win in Game 1 will give hope to those in Raleigh and the hope that this will finally be the Canes' year.
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5. Toronto Maple Leafs
4 of 8
Truth told, fatalist fans of the Maple Leafs might prefer we ignore the team entirely rather than point out how legitimate their chances seem.
Toronto was a popular pick to tank in the opening round against an Ottawa team that had swept the season series, but the Atlantic champs ripped off three wins to open the matchup and averted a collapse with a gutsy Game 6 road victory.
The injury to Anthony Stolarz in a Game 1 win against Florida on Monday doesn't help, though, and leaves the goaltending duties to an unproven Joseph Woll. How the 26-year-old handles the pressure will be a hugely decisive factor.
4. Washington Capitals
5 of 8
Some things are bigger than math.
Though the Washington Capitals lapped the Metropolitan Division field by 12 points and finished three ahead of the next-best team in the entire Eastern Conference, it's difficult to find too many experts picking them for a deep Cup run.
Considering Alex Ovechkin, six others with at least 20 goals and the second-best collective goals-against average (2.40) in the league, there's plenty to like.
A first-round blitz of Montreal saw them win two games by one goal and two others by three, so the Caps have done nothing to suggest the standings were a fluke.
There's work to be done, though. Tuesday's OT loss to the Hurricanes means they've lost home-ice advantage.
3. Florida Panthers
6 of 8
More so than any team still standing, the Panthers know the route.
They were beaten finalists against Vegas in 2023 but returned last year to vanquish Edmonton in a compelling seven-game duel. This year, they opened with a five-game wipeout of a very good Tampa Bay team, outscoring the Lightning 18-7 in their four victories.
A Game 1 loss in Toronto scuttled the momentum just a bit, but it's not a series until a home team loses anyway, and Florida won seven road playoff games in the way to its title celebration last June.
Until proved otherwise, the Panthers are the beasts of the East.
2. Vegas Golden Knights
7 of 8
Like the Panthers, the Golden Knights know the way.
Vegas defeated Florida in the 2023 title round and has made some prudent adjustments to the roster since, allowing stalwart Jonathan Marchessault to leave as a free agent last summer to allow long-term deals for defenseman Brayden McNabb, center Brett Howden and goalie Adin Hill.
It all led to another first-place regular-season finish (its fourth in eight seasons) for the franchise, which had luck on its side when a go-ahead goal for Minnesota in Game 5 of the opening round was disallowed.
A Game 6 elimination of the Wild set up a rematch with Edmonton, during which the brilliance of Jack Eichel and the heavy ruggedness of a deep blue-line corps could be balance-tipping factors.
Tuesday's loss to the Oilers will be one Vegas wants back. After racing out to a 2-0 lead, the Golden Knights let it slip away and find themselves behind in the series.
1. Dallas Stars
8 of 8
Perhaps Nathan MacKinnon said it best.
After the Colorado Avalanche were bounced by the Dallas Stars following a third-period rally in Game 7, he said: "They were missing their best D (in Miro Heiskanen) and maybe their best forward (in Jason Robertson). We still couldn't beat them."
Guess what? It won't be any easier for anyone else.
Both Robertson and Heiskanen are back in the fold for Dallas' Round 2 showdown with the Jets, and coach Peter DeBoer's team remains preposterously deep, skilled and hungry after last season's final-four loss to Edmonton.
Add a surging Mikko Rantanen (12 points in the first round) to the mix, and it's difficult to envision anyone left in the field beating them four times out of seven.
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