The regular season is supposed to end tomorrow night, but with two games being snowed in, there will be two postponed games playing on Sunday. This makes the final NHL Power Rankings of the regular season kind of interesting.
The Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals, and Anaheim Ducks will play on Sunday on what is now the final day of the regular season. Washington has nothing to play for since they have had the Presidents trophy for a while now. The Ducks and Islanders are also guaranteed a playoff spot, but their spot in the playoffs could change this weekend. The Ducks can still clinch the Pacific Division, and the Islanders will either take third place in the Metropolitan Division or settle for a wild card spot.
No playoff finish, however, will be more intriguing than the Flyers. They lost their biggest game of the season to Detroit on Wednesday, and the only thing separating the Red Wings from a playoff spot is a tough loss in Boston. While the Bruins and Red Wings can finish the season with 95 points each, the postponed game in Brooklyn gives the Flyers a chance at 96 points, which would guarantee a playoff spot. Getting past both Pittsburgh and the Islanders is not only difficult, but a must.
The next NHL Power Rankings will only feature 16 teams, representing all the teams that are in the playoffs.
1. Washington Capitals (118 points)
Last week: 1 (116 points)
It hurts to have nothing to play for, yet have a regular season after most of the NHL is already finished with the schedule. Bad weather can cause havoc, you know. What is even more painful is how bad they have been against the Metropolitan Division. They are just 3-2-3 since March 4, and that will hurt them badly if they do not make a good playoff run. Marcus Johansson had three assists against the Islanders and two goals in a home match to Pittsburgh.
2. Dallas Stars (107 points)
Last week: 2 (103 points)
St. Louis once again caught up with Dallas on Thursday, but they now have to beat Washington on home ice while the Stars get Nashville. This puts the Stars in prime position to win the Central Division and the top spot in the Western Conference. Jason Dickinson, who was Dallas’s first round pick in 2013, made his NHL debut on Thursday and scored in the first period. Nice start.
3. St. Louis Blues (107 points)
Last week: 3 (101 points)
They got three wins this week, but they need to beat the Capitals, whom they shut out last month, for a chance to win the Central Division. Otherwise, they have to face the Blackhawks again, which has been an issue for them in recent years. Colton Parayko has been one of the more vastly underrated rookies this season, but with a goal and an assist this week, he now has nine goals and 24 assists. That is a good stat line for a rookie defenseman.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (104 points)
Last week: 7 (96 points)
With a win over Washington, they have now won eight straight and clinched second place in the Metropolitan Division. They will wait to see which New York team will face them in the first round. While the Capitals are certainly beatable, I think it is absurd that some other Power Rankings have the Pens at #1, especially since they have only been hot for the latter portion of the season. I do give them credit and a top five spot for clearly figuring everything out under Mike Sullivan, though. Eric Fehr had two goals in Sunday win over Philadelphia, and they were his seventh and eighth goals of the season. He will get another chance at beating down the Flyers’ defense on Saturday.
5. Los Angeles Kings (101 points)
Last week: 4 (97 points)
After losing to Dallas and Vancouver, their “just-do-enough” offense came through again. They held Calgary’s potent offense just long enough to get their fifth goal in overtime and got an extremely important victory against Anaheim, a team that had their number of late. All they need to do now is defeat Winnipeg and the Pacific Division is theirs. Kris Versteeg scored in both the Calgary and Anaheim games to give him four goals since being traded from Carolina.
6. Chicago Blackhawks (102 points)
Last week: 5 (97 points)
Despite having more points than the division leader in the Pacific Division, the defending Stanley Cup Champions have to settle for third place in the strong Central Division. Of course, they finished third last season and won it all, so they are probably not too worried. Patrick Kane is cruising to his first career Hart Trophy, and he added to it with a hat trick and one assist against Boston. It is worth noting, however, than Chicago almost blew a 6-0 lead that they held late in the second period.
7. Anaheim Ducks (99 points)
Last week: 6 (96 points)
Maybe losing to both Winnipeg and LA ruined their chances at winning the Pacific Division, especially since they have to face Washington on Sunday. The Ducks should still get credit for recovering after beginning the season as one of the worst and underachieving teams in the NHL. After having just three assists and no goals before Anaheim’s blowout win over Calgary, Nate Thompson has had reason to celebrate. He went on to score in three straight games.
8. Florida Panthers (101 points)
Last week: 9 (95 points)
Claws up! After a big week beating up lowly Canadian teams, the Panthers have won the Atlantic Division. The fact that their youngest stars are still in their late teens/early 20’s should be a concern for other teams, and that is not even including the fact that Florida’s leader in points is 44 years old. It was the Rocco Grimaldi show in Toronto, as he scored two goals in Florida’s win over the Maple Leafs. Grimaldi, Florida’s second-round pick in 2011, had played in just seven NHL games before this season (19 games), and he doubled his career goal total in Toronto.
9. New York Islanders (99 points)
Last week: 12 (93 points)
In a shocking turn of events, the Islanders ripped off three straight wins, including a impactful victory over the Rangers. Not only do they get to play Buffalo at home on Saturday, but they also have a make-up game with Philly on Sunday, giving them two chances to take third place in the Metropolitan Division. Matt Martin, a fourth-liner known for his penalty minutes, and done fairly well offensively this season. His goal against Tampa Bay gave him nine overall.
10. Tampa Bay Lightning (97 points)
Last week: 10 (93 points)
Maybe they cannot win the division anymore, but they will get to play either Boston or Detroit, two teams that have yet to lock up a playoff spot. That has to be encouraging for the Lightning. It likely will not help him stay in Tampa Bay, but Jonathan Drouin scored in his first NHL game since December 30. He still has the front office shaking their head about their decision to draft him.
11. New York Rangers (99 points)
Last week: 8 (95 points)
Despite wins over Columbus and Tampa Bay, the Islanders caught up with the Rangers, who now are staring a wild card spot right in the face. It is possible, however, that playing Florida in the first round is easier than playing Pittsburgh, so who really wins in the Big Apple? Mats Zuccarello is leading the team in points, and he added on to it with a goal on the Blue Jackets and two assists on the Lightning.
12. San Jose Sharks (96 points)
Last week: 11 (92 points)
Losing to Winnipeg officially prevented the Sharks from passing the Ducks or Kings in the Pacific Division, so they will now wait and see which part of Southern California they will visit. Patrick Marleau took over offensively this week, with two goals in a shutout win over Minnesota and a goal in the loss to the Jets.
13. Nashville Predators (96 points)
Last week: 13 (91 points)
Nashville also has nothing to play for because Chicago and Minnesota are very far away from them in the standings. They will take on the winner of the Pacific Division in the first round. Filip Forsberg had two goals and two assists this week, and two of those points helped Nashville eliminate the Avalanche from the playoffs.
14. Boston Bruins (93 points)
Last week: 14 (88 points)
Boston was on the verge of collapsing to elimination for the second straight week. Then a convincing win over Detroit, who had just defeated Philadelphia the night before, brought new life in the TD Garden. If they beat Ottawa at home on Saturday, they could lock up a playoff spot after another stressful end to the season. Loui Eriksson, the major piece to the awful Tyler Seguin trade, has heated up at the right time. He has points in four straight games, including a goal and an assist against the Red Wings.
15. Detroit Red Wings (93 points)
Last week: 16 (89 points)
Detroit would have clinched their 25th consecutive playoff spot with a win in Boston, but they let it slip away very quickly. Now they almost have to beat the Rangers at MSG. If not, then all Philadelphia needs to do is beat either the Penguins or the Islanders to eliminate Detroit. Mike Green had a goal and an assist in a close win over Toronto.
16. Philadelphia Flyers (92 points)
Last week: 16 (89 points)
They should be thankful that their road game against the Islanders was postponed to Sunday. While the Red Wings and Bruins have just one game to reach 95 points, the Flyers have two games left and can have as much as 96 points. Unfortunately, they need to beat both Pittsburgh and New York to lock up a playoff spot without any help. Basically, they need to beat the two hottest teams in the NHL. No big deal. Wayne Simmonds scored four times this week, including two against Ottawa. Unfortunately, Philly has not won since the Senators came to the Wells Fargo Center.
17. Minnesota Wild (87 points)
Last week: 17 (87 points)
The Wild are going to the playoffs, but they probably do not deserve it. They collapsed badly in January and February, and they have now lost four straight games. Boston, Philly, or Detroit will have at least three more points than Minnesota, and one of those teams will be eliminated after Sunday. Ryan Suter had two assists in the loss to the Red Wings.
18. Carolina Hurricanes (86 points)
Last week: 19 (79 points)
After Boston/Philly/Detroit, the Hurricanes will have the most points for an eliminated team. That is either a great sign for a rebuilding team or a disaster since they will get a lower pick in the NHL draft. Cam Ward messed around with the Eastern Conference playoff picture when he made 35 saves on Boston’s 36 shots and beat the Bruins in a shootout.
19. Colorado Avalanche (82 points)
Last week: 18 (82 points)
At least the Wild went cold and still locked up a playoff spot. They did because Colorado lost five straight games and seven of eight to guarantee that their final game of the season is on Saturday. Matt Duchene had been out for most of the skid, and that may have had an effect. He has a goal and two assists since returning on April 1.
20. Ottawa Senators (83 points)
Last week: 21 (81 points)
Not much went right for Ottawa, the best team in Canada, this week. Even with a victory over Florida, they could not play spoiler because the Panthers had already won the Atlantic Division crown. Craig Anderson made 32 saves and allowed just one goal in that win.
21. New Jersey Devils (82 points)
Last week: 20 (82 points)
Another team that is clearly done with this season. They have lost four straight games and six of seven, including two to the Lightning. Sergey Kalinin had not scored since February 23, but he got two goals on Thursday to give him eight in his first season in the NHL.
22. Montreal Canadiens (80 points)
Last week: 22 (78 points)
They lost to Florida to this week…twice. If there is any silver lining to this team, it is that they still have the skills to return to the playoffs next year. If they fail like this season, however, more significant changes could be on the way. Defenseman Darren Dietz scored his first career goal in Thursday’s win over Carolina.
23. Buffalo Sabres (79 points)
Last week: 24 (75 points)
After a strong week that included a win in Manhattan, the Sabres are a win and a Habs’ loss from finishing sixth in the Atlantic Division. That would be:
1. Entirely unexpected
2. A significant boost for a young team whose front office is already getting kudos for their success in drafting great players like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.
Ryan O’Reilly score twice in the win over the Rangers to give him 20 for the season.
24. Arizona Coyotes (78 points)
Last week: 23 (75 points)
They finished their home schedule of win an upset victory over Washington, but the road has been unkind. Their overtime loss to Nashville was their only point in three games. Nineteen-year veteran Shane Doan continues to contribute, scoring against the Predators and giving him a surprising 28 goals for the season. No other forward on the Coyotes has more than 20.
25. Winnipeg Jets (76 points)
Last week: 28 (70 points)
Winnipeg gave the home crowd a lot to cheer about in their final home game of the season, and their success has continued on the road. They have also beaten both Anaheim and San Jose. Mark Scheifele has a nine-game point streak, and he capped it off with two goals on the Sharks.
26. Calgary Flames (75 points)
Last week: 26 (70 points)
As long as they win and Vancouver loses, the Flames can brag about being the best Canadian team in the Pacific Division…if that means anything these days. They did blow out both Edmonton and Vancouver this week, and Mikael Backlund deserves most of the credit. He scored six goals this week, including five in those two games. He got a hat trick against the Canucks.
27. Columbus Blue Jackets (74 points)
Last week: 27 (68 points)
They can brag about being the only team to win, 4-1 over Buffalo, on Friday, but there is more. They also crushed the Maple Leafs and the Hurricanes in convincing fashion this week. Brandon Saad is loving April. He got a hat trick in Carolina and has six goals in his last five games. His goal in Buffalo gave him 30 for the season.
28. Vancouver Canucks (73 points)
Last week: 25 (71 points)
Inconsistent. After sweeping the California teams, the Canucks were crushed in both Edmonton and Calgary. They have not beaten the Flames since Opening Night in Calgary, and do not forget that Calgary eliminated the Canucks from the postseason last year. Not good. Jared McCann’s breakaway goal, which was the game-winner, against Los Angeles was good, and that is encouraging for Vancouver considering he is one of their prized possession for the future.
29. Edmonton Oilers (69 points)
Last week: 29 (67 points)
Rexall Place is no more, and the Oilers gave the fans a great night with an incredible ceremony and a blowout win over Vancouver. Now we will find out whether Toronto or Edmonton will have the highest odds at the #1 draft pick after Saturday night. Patrick Maroon scored twice on Wednesday, but Leon Draisaitl has the honors of scoring the final goal at Rexall Place.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (69 points)
Last week: 30 (67 points)
Go ahead and swap Toronto and Edmonton if Toronto finishes with more points. They are both bad (But could be worse) and seem to win at random times. For example, the Leafs beat the Flyers in overtime and contributed to the chaos that is the race to the final playoff spots. William Nylander had a goal and two assists in that win, and he is now at six goals and seven assists for his career.