NHL Power Rankings: What is there to play for?

Every team in the league is officially at the 10 games or less mark, and we are going to take a look at what exactly every team has left to play for the rest of the way. You’re going to notice a bit of a theme in this piece. Teams at the top are going to be primarily focusing on fine-tuning, and the majority of teams near the bottom are gearing up for the future. Still though, every team has its own unique set of circumstances that will impact play the rest of the way. 

1. Colorado Avalanche (53-14-6 112 pts)

Last Week – 1

Jared Bednar told the media on Wednesday that his message to the team is still about perfecting the details. They’ve been pretty far out in front of the division for a while now, and have the luxury of experimenting with line combinations and giving guys extra rest. The Avs have seemed to learn their lesson over the last couple of seasons, and know they need to be peaking come May. 

2. Florida Panthers (52-15-6 110 pts)

Last Week – 2

The Cats are in a similar situation to the Avs. They’ve been in cruise control for a little while now, but I really do think they’re pushing for the President’s Trophy. The Panthers have had to play second fiddle to the Tampa Bay Lightning for most of their existence, and they’re looking to change that. 

3. Carolina Hurricanes (48-18-8 104 pts)

Last Week – 4

While they’re still occupying that top spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Canes are hearing footsteps. The New York Rangers are right on their heels, and Carolina is going to have to earn home ice in the playoffs down the stretch. 

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (47-20-6 100 pts)

Last Week – 3

I’m half tempted to say the Maple Leafs are just focusing on praying they don’t draw the Bruins in the first round, but that seems kinda mean. Look, this is a good Leafs team, but with the mind games they seem to play on themselves every year, they need all the good vibes they can get in that first round. Toronto has a four-point cushion over third-place Tampa Bay, and they are going to do everything they can to stay there and get home ice. 

5. Tampa Bay Lightning (44-21-8 96 pts)

Last Week – 6

Everyone knows how good the Lightning are, there’s no question there. The last two-three weeks though, they haven’t looked like themselves. This team has had the mindset of “just get in and then flip the switch” the last couple of years, and while I think they’re embracing that again this year, I don’t know if they’ll be able to crank it up THIS much at the drop of a hat. The Bolts are definitely looking to get things going in a positive direction down the stretch. 

6. Boston Bruins (45-23-5 95 pts)

Last Week – 5

Boston has been chasing down the Division all season, and they aren’t gonna stop now. Currently sitting in the first wild card spot, the Bruins are just one point back of Tampa Bay. I think they’d much rather play Toronto (given their past success), instead of Carolina. 

7. Calgary Flames (45-19-9 99 pts)

Last Week – 9

With just nine games to go, the Flames feel pretty comfortable atop the Pacific Division. Calgary hasn’t had to overcome much adversity this year, and very few injuries. Given their situation in the standings, nothing really to lose or gain, Calgary is just looking to keep the health luck going and get to the playoffs. 

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (42-22-11 95 pts)

Last Week – 8

If they hold their three-point lead over Washington (the Caps have two games in hand), they get the Rangers in round 1, if they fall back of the Capitals, they’ll likely pull the Panthers. It’s not hard to see what they’re shooting for in the final 10 games. 

9. New York Rangers (48-21-6 102 pts)

Last Week – 7

Everything has gone so well for New York this year. They’ve overachieved like crazy thanks to Igor Shesterkin, and suddenly they find themselves within striking distance of winning the division. A young team like this can gain so much from being involved in a race like this in the final few weeks. The Rangers are going to leave it all out there to try and catch Carolina. 

10. Washington Capitals (41-2-10 92 pts)

Last Week – 12

Go see what I said about Pittsburgh, and this is just the other side of that coin. They need to take advantage of their games in hand. 

11. St Louis Blues (43-20-10 96 pts)

Last Week – 15

They are in a fierce battle with the Minnesota Wild for home-ice advantage. This first round series is going to be a slugfest, and both teams want to get off on the right foot at home. They’re tied in the standings with the Wild having a game in hand and a head-to-head matchup this weekend. This is absolutely a race to watch. 

12. Minnesota Wild (45-21-6 96 pts)

Last Week – 10

See above. 

13. Edmonton Oilers (42-26-6 90 pts)

Last Week – 13

The Oilers are in such a fragile position. They’ve got the biggest cushion of teams that you would consider to be fighting for those final playoff spots, but as we’ve seen with them countless times this year, things can come unraveled in a hurry. Edmonton just needs to focus on playing coherent hockey for two more weeks. 

14. Nashville Predators (42-26-5 89 pts)

Last Week – 14

We are officially into the portion of this piece where we are looking at teams fighting for their playoffs lives. Nashville is in the best position, with a four-point gap and a game in hand. This has been a good year for the Preds, they just can’t run out of gas now. 

15. Vegas Golden Knights (40-29-5 85 pts)

Last Week – 17

They activated Mark Stone off LTIR, and are officially in full-on panic mode to make the playoffs. It was a detrimental night for them on Tuesday, as they were the only team of the four teams fighting to get in to lose. It’s a dead sprint for the Golden Knights the rest of the way. 

16. Los Angeles Kings (39-27-10 88 pts)

Last Week – 11

Oh man, you feel for the Kings. What a season it has been, taking a bigger step forward than anybody thought was possible, but they might be running out of gas at the wrong time. Just two weeks ago, they were knocking on Calgary’s door for tops in the Pacific, now suddenly they’re on life support, with Vegas breathing down their neck. Losing Doughty for the season doesn’t help matters. They’ve gotta dig deep if they want to get in. 

17. Dallas Stars (42-27-10 88 pts)

Last Week – 16

The Stars may be the most interesting team in the league. They have played some lights-out hockey at points this season, but they have had a chance to solidify a playoff spot for like, three weeks now and just refuse to do it. They’ve used up almost all of their games in hand, and are still in this dog fight. Gonna be interesting to see if they can get it together for long enough. 

18. Vancouver Canucks (36-28-10 823 pts)

Last Week – 18

They’re technically still in the race, and I think that’s how they’re going to treat it. We’re in it until we aren’t. 

19. Winnipeg Jets (35-28-11 81 pts)

Last Week – 20

I think the Jets are trying to figure out who they are at this point, and who they are going to be going forward. There’s a great chance this core is officially tapped out, and I think Winnipeg is going to use the last 10 games or so to figure out how they can right the ship. 

20. New York Islanders (34-29-9 77 pts)

Last Week – 21

Talk about things not going your way. I think this is a good Islanders team that just had everything go wrong. The Isles just want this season over with. They probably won’t make many moves in the summer, just gotta regroup and try again next year. 

21. Columbus Blue Jackets (35-33-6 76 pts)

Last Week – 23

The Jackets have started bringing in their college prospects, so it’s officially about seeing who might be in the mix for them next year. It’s a rebuild in Columbus, and they’re treating it as such. 

22. Buffalo Sabres (27-37-11 68 pts)

Last Week – 19

Sure the Sabres are like a lot of these other bottom-feeders, and they’re looking towards the future with the likes of Owen Power coming in, but I think there’s something a little more special building in Buffalo. The last 1/3 of the season has probably been the brightest point in the last 10 years for the Sabres, and I think they’re looking to keep that going to try and build a culture of winning and positivity. 

23. Anaheim Ducks (29-33-13 71 pts)

Last Week – 22

It’s the Getzlaf farewell tour down the stretch for the Ducks. We’ll see them start rotating in some of the kids, but they are just going to be worried about sending Getz off right. 

24. Chicago Blackhawks (24-38-11 59 pts)

Last Week – 25

The Hawks are in a similar position to the Jets. Who are they? There’s a great chance we see a full tear down and rebuild this summer in Chicago, and they’re trying to get a pulse on who they want/need sticking around to be a part of the next core, and whose time in the Windy City is up. 

25. Philadelphia Flyers (23-40-11 57 pts)

Last Week – 27

Full-on evaluation mode in Philly. They are bringing guys up from the AHL in droves, signing their college prospects, and getting them all in the lineup. It looks like they’re going to fully embrace the rebuild after back-to-back catastrophic seasons. 

26. Ottawa Senators (27-40-6 60 pts)

Last Week – 26

While they are in full rebuild mode, the Sens are really at the stage where they are letting the pieces they already have in place build. A few players here or there coming in, but ultimately just looking for as much growth as they can get out of their young core. With games against Boston and Toronto left on the schedule, they’ll be looking to play spoiler as well. 

27. San Jose Sharks (29-33-10 68 pts)

Last Week – 24

With a new GM coming in this summer, and this team is very obviously out of their contention window, I think the end of the Sharks season will feel similar to Chicago’s. Lots of evaluating who is in and who is out. San Jose’s issue is that they are strapped with bad contracts. 

28. Seattle Kraken (23-44-6 52 pts)

Last Week – 29

I honestly don’t know. I don’t know what the Kraken are looking to get out of the rest of the season. Their roster will look so different next season, and they already have good lottery odds. Just a countdown until golfing season for the expansion Kraken. 

29. New Jersey Devils (26-41-6 58 pts)

Last Week – 28

The Devils are just playing out the string here. The big question for them is in net. I think New Jersey’s top brass will be evaluating what’s going on in net more than anything else with the last few games of the season here. 

30. Montreal Canadiens (20-43-11 51 pts)

Last Week – 31

This one is more about what I’m watching for, rather than what the Habs are looking for the rest of the way. The story around Carey Price is fascinating. It looks like he’s trying to get back into some game action this season, and I think that will determine what the team does with him in the summer. If he’s able to get back before this year officially comes to a close, I think they’ll trade him in the offseason. If not… that may be a wrap on his career. 

31. Detroit Red Wings (28-35-10 66 pts)

Last Week – 30

The Wings are just trying to end the year without giving up double-digit goals in a game again. 

32. Arizona Coyotes (22-46-5 49 pts)

Last Week – 32

The Yotes will be done in Glendale at the end of this season, and that’s really all there is to look forward to until the draft.