We are less than a month away from the start of the greatest postseason tournament in American professional sports: the Stanley Cup playoffs.
At this point in the season, most of the postseason field has been all but decided (although only one team has officially clinched). There still is work to do before the Game 1s can begin, though, as each team has between 10 and 14 games remaining on its regular-season schedule.
So, as the NHL begins its final stretch, here’s a look at NESN.com’s NHL power rankings. All records are current as March 16.
1. Washington Capitals (50-14-5, Last week: 1): Washington became the first team to clinch a playoff spot when it knocked off the Hurricanes on Tuesday night. We doubt they’ll be moving from this top spot any time soon.
2. Los Angeles Kings (42-22-5, Last week: 5): Fifth to second is a significant leap, but the Kings deserve it after the tear they’ve been on. L.A. is 7-2-1 over its 10 last games, including an overtime win over the Capitals and blowouts of the Stars (5-2) and Blackhawks (5-0).
3. Chicago Blackhawks (41-23-6, Last week: 2): The defending champs haven’t exactly looked like world-beaters of late, dropping four of their last five games and losing to both of their top Central Division competitors: the Stars and Blues. The Blackhawks’ track record speaks for itself, though, so they fall just one spot.
4. St. Louis Blues (41-21-9, Last week: 4): While Chicago and Dallas stumbling a bit, St. Louis has surged, reeling off six consecutive wins before falling to the lowly Flames on Monday. As always, though, it’s hard to have too much faith in the Blues until they prove they can get it done come playoff time.
5. Anaheim Ducks (38-21-9, Last week: 6): The Ducks rebounded from a three-game losing streak by demolishing the Devils 7-1 on Monday. They’ve won 19 of their last 24 but still trail the Kings by four points in the Pacific.
6. Dallas Stars (41-21-9, Last week: 3): Is it time to start panicking in Big D? The Stars are 4-6-4 since Feb. 16, going 1-4-3 against playoff teams. They remain in first place in the Central, however, thanks to a tiebreaker with St. Louis.
7. Boston Bruins (39-24-8, Last week: 7): The Bruins dropped a one-goal game to the Sharks on Tuesday, their first regulation loss since before the NHL trade deadline. Boston has looked solid post-deadline, but its mettle will be tested this weekend with games against the Ducks and Kings.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning (40-25-5, Last week: 8): The Bolts on Tuesday squandered a golden opportunity to gain ground in the crowded Atlantic, falling 4-1 to a Maple Leafs team that’s been in tank mode for weeks. Tampa Bay has lost four of five and managed just four total goals in those four defeats.
9. San Jose Sharks (39-24-6, Last week: 13): The Sharks continue to climb thanks to a strong start to March that’s seen them go 7-3-0 over their last 10 games. Similar to the Blues, though, we’ll believe this team can win in the playoffs when we see it.
10. Pittsburgh Penguins (37-24-8, Last week: 11): The Sidney Crosby-led Pens keep on piling up W’s. They’ll be a tough draw for any Eastern Conference team, though losing Evgeni Malkin until at least the second round does hurt.
11. New York Rangers (39-23-7, Last week: 9): Henrik Lundqvist & Co. recently knocked off the Caps, but they’ve also dropped four of their last six while allowing an average of 3.67 goals per game over that span.
12. New York Islanders (38-21-9, Last week: 10): Here’s to hoping the New York teams’ three-point lead over the Penguins holds and we can see an Isles-Rangers playoff series for the first time since 1994.
13. Florida Panthers (39-22-9, Last week: 12): The Panthers reclaimed first place in the Atlantic on Tuesday by blowing out the hapless Canadiens, but they haven’t been particularly impressive lately despite playing a relatively soft schedule.
14. Nashville Predators (35-23-13, Last week: 14): Recent losses to the Devils, Flames and Canucks are a tad concerning, but the Preds shouldn’t have any trouble grabbing the West’s first wild-card spot — not that that’s a very desirable position to be in this season.
15. Philadelphia Flyers (31-23-11, Last week: 16): The Flyers have made things very interesting in the Eastern Conference wild-card race by winning seven of their last 10 games. That includes a 4-3 win Tuesday over the Red Wings, whom they now trail by just one point for the final berth.
16. Detroit Red Wings (34-25-11, Last week: 15): A 2-5-0 stretch with losses to the Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs? That’s not what a team needs when it’s fighting for its playoff life.
17. Minnesota Wild (32-27-11, Last week: 17): The battle for the West’s second wild-card spot basically is down to Minnesota and Colorado. Neither team has been able to make any real headway, with the Wild going 5-4-1 over their last 10 games and the Avalanche going 5-5-0.
18. Colorado Avalanche (35-31-4, Last week: 20): Colorado is not a particularly good team, but it earns a bump this week for being the only remaining club with a realistic shot of making the playoffs. The Avs currently trail the Wild by a point in the wild-card race.
19. Carolina Hurricanes (31-26-13, Last week: 18): We’ve officially reached the “does it really matter?” portion of the rankings. The Canes sit just four points back of a playoff spot and continue to play close games, but it’s hard to imagine them securing a surprise postseason trip after their decision to sell at the deadline.
20. Ottawa Senators (33-30-8, Last week: 19): Fun fact: The Nos. 10 through 14 teams in the East all have lost six of their last 10 games, which is why you’ll notice limited movement in the bottom half of this list. The Senators are one of those teams.
21. New Jersey Devils (33-30-7, Last week: 21): Remember how we said the Devils lost to the Ducks by six goals? They also lost to the Penguins by five a week earlier. They’re not going anywhere.
22. Montreal Canadiens (32-32-6, Last week: 22): The Habs have been put through the ringer lately, playing playoff-bound teams in six of their last eight games. They’ve beaten just one of those six and would need a legitimate miracle to finish anywhere even close to the postseason.
23. Buffalo Sabres (28-33-9, Last week: 23): The young Sabres have been competitive on an almost game-to-game basis. For a team in this stage of its development, that’s progress.
24. Vancouver Canucks (27-29-12 Last week: 25): Wins over the Sharks and Predators over the last two weeks headline an otherwise dismal stretch in what’s been a frustrating season in Vancouver.
25. Calgary Flames (29-35-5, Last week: 28): After losing 10 times in 11 games, Calgary is 3-1-1 in its last five, beating playoff teams in the Penguins, Predators and Blues in the process.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (28-33-8, Last week: 24): The Jackets’ last four games include losses by scores of 4-0 and 6-0.
27. Arizona Coyotes (30-32-7, Last week: 26): It’s a race to the bottom now for the Coyotes, who have lost seven of their last 10 and surely would love to land Arizona kid Auston Matthews.
28. Winnipeg Jets (29-35-5, Last week: 27): The Jets’ 2015 playoff bid continues to fade further into the memory banks of Winnipeggers.
29. Edmonton Oilers (27-38-7, Last week: 29): Connor McDavid is very good and probably will be for a long time. His team is not and might not be for a while.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (24-34-11, Last week: 30): The lowly Leafs did a few favors for some of the teams far above them in the East standings by beating the Red Wings on Sunday and the Lightning on Tuesday.
Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images
