NHL Power Rankings: Week 27
10 days left in the season. We have 10 of the 16 Playoff Spots locked up and likely will see 3 or more locked up within the next week or so. If we look at the standings, we are starting to see who will likely make it. The march continues!
#16 Montreal Canadiens (38-30-9; 85 Points)
Previously Unranked
The Habs sit 6 points up on the Rangers with 5 straight wins and they are poised to make the playoffs with a putrid negative 20 goal differential. Sure the differential will improve with wins but to make up -20 in 5 games is nearly impossible. Regardless, the second half of the Habs season has been really great. Congrats to Nick Suzuki for being the first Habs player since 2008 to have 80 points in a season. That stat alone is crazy…
#15 New Jersey Devils (41-29-7; 89 Points)
Unchanged
The Devils looked great against the Rangers who absolutely needed to win. The Devils may have ended the Rangers season with that great win. They are a cursed franchise for sure but they are coming together here and giving it a shot.
#14 Minnesota Wild (42-29-7; 91 Points)
Previously #13
The Wild will matchup against the top team in the West likely, given St. Louis ascension. This will be a tough first round whoever they end up playing. Luckly for them, Calgary is further out and don’t control their destiny and as long the Wild grab a couple more wins, they should be safe.
#13 Ottawa Senators (42-29-6; 90 Points)
Previously #14
Winners of 3 straight and a spot in the Atlantic is within reach, if you can believe that. The Senators will make the playoffs and its so great to see. They are a team that has really come together and will be a tough out for anyone in the Altantic, even Toronto.
#12 St. Louis Blues (43-28-7; 93 Points)
Unchanged
They can’t lose as they are at 12 in a row. Unbelievable. The tough part is they likely wont have former Oiler Dylan Holloway in the lineup as he’s considered week to week. That’s a huge part of their depth. The Blues are not the team I want to be playing in and the winner of the Pacific will get to play them. Glad the Oilers are steering clear of that mess…for now.
#11 Edmonton Oilers (44-27-5; 93 Points)
Previously #10
No way LA was losing that game…Leon is out for a short period of time again. I am thinking its minor, and the Oilers knowing they won’t get home ice, just take as much time as you can for your ailing stars. There might be some worry about the lack of depth but the Kings are the BEST team in the league on home ice. The Oilers have $34MM of high level players on the IR, between the top players in the league, their goalie, and their best shut down D. All these guys are taking their time to comeback but this version of the Oilers we saw last week is not the “real” Oilers, and they still won 2/3 with 1 against the Golden Knights.
#10 Florida Panthers (44-29-4; 92 Points)
Previously #7
Panthers are in free fall. 5 straight losses. Are you trying to lose so much you fall into the wildcard and play the Leafs…not a bad idea all things considered.
#9 Toronto Maple Leafs (47-25-4; 98 Points)
Previously #11
Toronto will likely win the division and likely play their little brother at the nation’s capital. The Battle of Ontario will be awesome to see and if the Leafs lose to none other than the Senators…it will be amazing to see.
#8 Colorado Avalanche (47-27-4; 98 Points)
Unchanged
Cale Makar will be your Norris trophy winner after scoring his 30th friken goal of the season. 100 points is not out of the realm, he is 9 points away with 4 games left. He will need to really get going but its not impossible.
#7 Tampa Bay Lightning (44-26-6; 94 Points)
Previously #9
The Battle of Florida might not stick after all. Regardless I think Tampa is playing as the better of the Florida teams right now. Don’t sleep on the Bolts.
#6 Carolina Hurricanes (46-26-4; 96 Points)
Previously #4
Goaltending issues are starting to arise here. The Canes are hoping that flips very soon. Mark Jankowski has more goals than Mikko Rantanen…I don’t know who Mark Jankowski is either guys.
#5 Los Angeles Kings (44-23-9; 97 Points)
Previously #6
The Kings probably solidified (unofficially) their home ice advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs in that win against the injury infested Oilers. I have to say, the Kings still struggle mightily. You need an average to above average powerplay to win games in the postseason, its paramount. The Kings sit 28th in powerplay percentage, and it looked bad against the Oil.
#4 Washington Capitals (49-19-9; 107 Points)
Previously #2
Unreal. We witnessed history this weekend. Alexander Ovechkin sits alone with the most goals scored and his record sits at 895. The question now is, how far does he go? That being said, I watched a lot of Capitals this weekend and boy they aren’t very impressive. I don’t know if it’s fatigue but sure they can score, but their speed is much to be desired. I’m not saying they are frauds but I expect a lot more from this team now that the record has been broken.
#3 Vegas Golden Knights (47-22-8; 102 Points)
Previously #5
Vegas sits 5 points up on the Kings with 1 extra game played. They control their destiny and have been winning games, even with 3rd string goalies between the pipes. They are also clicking under the hood and this is the Knights team we expect to be the hardest out in the Pacific.
#2 Dallas Stars (50-22-5; 105 Points)
Previously #3
Dallas sits 3 points out from the top spot of the division and conference. They have a game against the Canucks and a 4-point night against the Jets on Thursday, which could prove to be a pivotal game in the race for #1. Don’t sleep on the Stars’ ability to take that spot…
#1 Winnipeg Jets (52-21-4; 108 Points)
Unchanged
Weaker week for the Jets and Hellebuyck with a very tough .842 SV% for the week. The Jets hope this is just a blip on the radar and not the start of a decline/fatigue period as they enter the playoffs. Jets don’t have the 1st spot locked down, but is it worth sitting Helley over the next games?