Welcome back to The Hockey News' NHL power rankings, where we rank all 32 teams based on their weekly performance.
With fewer than 10 games to go, the playoff picture doesn’t look that much clearer.
While the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals remain first and second in the NHL standings, the Dallas Stars have now joined the century club thanks to a six-game winning streak.
Speaking of winning streaks, there is no team hotter right now than the St. Louis Blues. With Cam Fowler’s overtime-winner Tuesday, the Blues have now won 10 straight games. Much credit goes to Jobu, the mysterious voodoo doll bobblehead from Major League that’s suddenly brough all the good vibes to their dressing room.
Upcoming key matchups with major playoff implications include Lightning at Senators on Thursday; Oilers at Kings, Blue Jackets at Maple Leafs on Saturday; Panthers at Red Wings on Sunday; and also the Golden Knights’ back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday against the Flames and Canucks, respectively.
The great chase – for playoff positioning and also Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record – is at full attention.
1. Winnipeg Jets (51-20-4, +80. Previous: 1)
A 4-1 loss to the Kings was the only blemish for the NHL’s only 50-win team (so far). Winning the Presidents’ Trophy will mean a lot to this organization despite its history of not being a good indicator of future playoff success.
2. Dallas Stars (49-21-4, +65. Previous: 5)
The Stars’ six-game winning streak – even if the matchups were pretty easy – finally knocks the Jets and Capitals off the top two spots. The Robertson-Hintz-Rantanen line looks like it might be the best in the NHL, amassing 24 points over their past six games.
3. Washington Capitals (48-17-9, +71. Previous: 2)
A tough stretch for the Capitals allowing 12 goals in two games following an overtime loss to the Jets, and narrowly beating the horrific Bruins after blowing a 2-0 first-period lead. However, the good vibes keep coming; Alex Ovechkin is on the verge of tying Gretzky’s record and top prospect Ryan Leonard has joined the club.
4. Carolina Hurricanes (45-24-4, +42. Previous: 4)
The Hurricanes finished March with the best record in the East (11-3-0) despite having the seventh-worst power play. They’re an excellent team nonetheless and seemed locked into a first-round matchup against the Devils, which they will likely win. Maybe they'll advance one more round before it all falls apart, right?
5. Colorado Avalanche (45-26-4, +40. Previous: 3)
A big 4-0 win over the Kings followed a 2-1 loss to the Blues and then a 3-2 shootout loss to the Flames where they blew a 2-0 lead. It’s not often you see the Avs score so few goals. Good thing, though, the Hawks and Jackets are coming up, which are allowing the second-most and sixth-most goals per game, respectively.
6. Edmonton Oilers (43-26-5, +22. Previous: 8)
Leon Draisaitl’s spectacular performance against the Flames and being a virtual lock to win the Rocket Richard is just more resume padding to be the league MVP. The Oilers will be the only team to have two different winners of the Rocket Richard since the award was introduced, following Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos for the Lightning.
Is Oilers' Leon Draisaitl A Better Goal-Scorer Than Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews? Not QuiteAt the moment, there are only two active NHL players with three or more 50-plus-goal seasons: Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin and…wait, you were expecting us to say Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, weren’t you?
7. Vegas Golden Knights (45-21-8, +54. Previous: 7)
Despite the loss to the Oilers, the Knights become the first team in the Pacific to clinch a playoff spot. They’ll likely be able to decide who gets the final wild-card spot, too, with two games each against the Flames and Canucks to finish the season.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (45-25-4, +23. Previous: 11)
I don’t think the Maple Leafs are getting enough credit for grinding out games. They have the best points percentage (.692) in one-goal games, the second-best winning percentage (.885) when leading after one period, the sixth-best (.939) when leading after two and the most wins (eight) when trailing after two. They’ve improved in each of these categories significantly from last season.
9. Los Angeles Kings (42-23-9, +32. Previous: 6)
Despite losing to the Avalanche and Leafs, wins over San Jose and Winnipeg keep the Kings second in the Pacific. They currently hold home-ice advantage against the Oilers in the first round if the playoffs started today. That said, L.A. is 2-6 against Edmonton at home in the last three playoff series, compared to 4-6 on the road.
10. Tampa Bay Lightning (44-25-5, +72. Previous: 9)
The Lightning could have as many as five (!) 30-goal scorers this season – Anthony Cirelli is four away from 30 – which has not been done since the 1992-93 season. Their lineup feels deeper and like a legit contender for the first time in three seasons.
11. St. Louis Blues (41-28-7, +18. Previous: 12)
There are the NHL’s hottest team with shades of 2019, but instead of "Gloria!" it’s the mysterious Jobu and his voodoo magic. The Blues are doing this without a bona fide superstar, which is perhaps the most amazing thing about their run.
Five First-Year Coaches Having Strong Impacts On Their NHL TeamsIf we’re going to talk about new NHL coaches doing good things this season, we probably shouldn’t look past our newest candidate.
12. Montreal Canadiens (35-30-9, -25. Previous: 13)
We need playoff games at the Bell Centre. The hockey gods demand it.
13. Florida Panthers (44-26-4, +34. Previous: 10)
Consecutive losses to the Canadiens and zero regulations wins (!) over the past two weeks drop the Panthers into the worst slump of their season since mid-November when they went 1-6-0. There’s no panic with this club, but having home ice in Game 7 in the opening round of the Atlantic Division matchup – there’s no way it doesn’t go seven – would be huge.
14. New Jersey Devils (40-29-7, +26. Previous: 17)
The Devils are limping into the post-season, virtually a lock for the third seed in the Metro with a first-round matchup against the Canes. Since the season-ending injury to Jack Hughes, the Devils are barely over .500 at 7-6-1.
15. Minnesota Wild (41-28-6, -10. Previous: 15)
The good news is Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov are getting closer to returning. The bad news is, if the Wild slip any more, they could slip out of a playoff spot. The Flames and Canucks each have one game in hand, and the Wild face both of them on the road in a back-to-back next Friday and Saturday.
16. Ottawa Senators (39-29-6, -1. Previous: 14)
They secured a key win against the Jackets but somehow scored zero – zero! – goals against the Pens and lost to the Sabres for the fourth straight time. While the Sens’ playoff hopes have likely been sealed, they do have tough matchups coming up, including a home-and-home series against the suddenly red-hot Jackets.
Almost There: Ottawa Senators Set To End Playoff Drought Before Red Wings, SabresThe Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings all had the same goal this season.
17. Columbus Blue Jackets (34-30-9, -4. Previous: 21)
How wonderful to see the Jackets’ offense get back on track following a stretch where they scored just one goal in four games. The returns of Sean Monahan and Boone Jenner have provided a huge boost, and despite some close shaves, the Jackets have now won three of their past four with 21 goals scored.
18. Utah Hockey Club (34-29-12, -17. Previous: 18)
It’s likely too little, too late for Utah, whose win against the Flames on Tuesday moved them two points closer. The losing streaks in December and January ultimately did them in, and despite playing the Preds twice in their final seven games, they have a tough schedule to finish the season.
19. Calgary Flames (35-27-12, -25. Previous: 16)
An impressive four-game winning streak but then only three points out of eight possible points against conference foes. The Flames are really close, but they’ll need to win – good thing they face the Ducks and Sharks in three of their next four – and the Wild to keep stumbling.
20. Vancouver Canucks (34-27-13, -16. Previous: 20)
That the Canucks managed to stay in the playoff race despite battling so many injuries and internal strife is a testament to this team’s potential. But it’s been just one thing after another, and now contract talks with coach Rick Tocchet further threaten the continuity of this team.
21. Anaheim Ducks (33-33-8, -28. Previous: 27)
It’s not talked about enough how the Ducks have really improved from last season, though they’re likely next to be eliminated from the playoff race in the West. The Ducks have had plenty of losing streaks over the past few seasons but since Jan. 21 have not lost more than two games in a row.
22. New York Rangers (35-32-7, +2. Previous: 19)
The sea change that Chris Drury is probably still in process because not a whole lot has changed with the Rangers. They have only three regulation wins since March 5 and face a gauntlet of Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay to finish the season.
23. Buffalo Sabres (32-36-6, -19. Previous: 24)
Trust the Sabres to win games when it no long really matters. They’re 7-3-0 in their last 10, the best record outside of the East’s top six teams, including wins over the Jets and Caps. They’re doing this with James friggin’ Reimer in net. The Sabres have the talent but only ever seem to win when it doesn’t really matter.
24. Detroit Red Wings (34-33-7, -23. Previous: 23)
Since March 1, the Wings have the second-worst record in the league (4-10-1) and lost key points to the Sens. Now, they face the daunting task of facing teams that are higher in the standings for the rest of the season. At this point, I’m not sure if this is a sabotage of the Yzerplan or another massive miss.
25. New York Islanders (32-32-10, -26. Previous: 22)
Patrick Roy had some choice words for Anthony Duclair, and he’s probably the most entertaining soundbite since the Flyers fired John Tortorella. They’ve lost six in a row and now fall five points back of a wild-card spot. The Isles can’t score, but this is inevitably what happens when you fill your roster with a few top six players and a bunch of bottom six ones.
26. Pittsburgh Penguins (30-34-11, -56. Previous: 25)
Tristan Jarry looked so promising – as did the Pens’ playoff hopes, however slim – but then they imploded once again, and now find themselves basically on the outside looking in again. While Sidney Crosby’s Pens had much more success earlier in his career, the contrast between them and Alex Ovechkin’s Caps has been really stark.
27. Seattle Kraken (31-38-6, -21. Previous: 26)
With one win in their past six games and no playoffs yet again, you wonder how the Kraken can pull themselves out of mediocrity. Will they take some big swings again, as they did this off-season, or patiently wait until Matty Beniers and Shane Wright are top-tier NHL players?
28. Philadelphia Flyers (31-36-9, -46. Previous: 32)
The coaching bump under Brad Shaw seems to be real, and at least the Flyers are scoring again. Let’s face it, though – no coach could’ve coaxed much out of this lineup, and John Tortorella’s patience finally ran out, not that he had a wealth of it to begin with.
29. Nashville Predators (27-40-8, -55. Previous: 28)
Juuse Saros was pulled Tuesday against the Jackets in an 8-4 loss. Never mind the disappointing offense; when their best player isn’t their best player, they have zero chance. The key question is if Barry Trotz makes big moves again in the summer or steps back and hopes this team can resolve its problems itself.
NHL Rumor Roundup: Trade Stamkos? Go Young? What's Next For The Predators?A season that began with high expectations for the Nashville Predators after a summer of notable free-agent signings will end in disappointment.
30. San Jose Sharks (20-44-10, -89. Previous: 29)
Even when Macklin Celebrini’s car gets hit by the opposition’s team bus – intentional or not, who knows – and despite sitting last in the standings, the Sharks have this aura about them that good things really going to come. They’re a really entertaining team. They’re dynamic on offense, while their defense and goaltending is worth watching for all the wrong reasons.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (21-44-9, -68. Previous: 31)
Yes, the Hawks have won consecutive games just once since Dec. 19, but things keep getting better, if only slightly. We’ll overlook Spencer Knight’s numbers because the team in front of him isn’t very good, but he’s shown flashes of a potential future No. 1, and top prospects Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel recently signed. The question for them, and the NHL’s marketing team, is when we can see Connor Bedard in the playoffs.
32. Boston Bruins (30-36-9, -52. Previous: 30)
Ranking the Bruins third-last last week felt a little strange and somewhat insulting for a team that had been dominant for nearly two decades, but that crash you hear with that nine-game winless streak is the sound of this Bruins era catastrophically collapsing.
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