Somehow, despite it feeling like the All-Star Break was merely a week ago, we have now reached the final Power Rankings of March! This means we are about to flip the calendar to April and start preparing for the end of the regular season while looking forward to the start of the NHL Playoffs which are mere weeks away.
Even though all hockey fans are excited to see the first round of the postseason kick-off, we still have a lot of hockey left before we get there. Most teams have roughly 10 games left on their schedule, with only a handful having locked down their spot in the playoffs as of this writing. However, despite having plenty to play for, many teams are dealing with a laundry list of injuries that is limiting their potential for the end of the season, while those at the bottom of the standings are embracing an end-of-season tank (if you believe they would do such a thing).
Related: NHL 2022-23 Power Rankings: Week 24
So, this means we have a bit of a weird Power Rankings, as there are a lot of not-great teams losing a lot of games while those at the top are rolling toward the postseason. If this continues, we may see some obscene winning and losing streaks over the remaining weeks.
32-20: Eliminated Teams Grow as Playoffs Loom
32. San Jose Sharks (Last Ranking: 32) – Eliminated
31. Montreal Canadiens (Last Ranking: 31)
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Ranking: 30) – Eliminated
29. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Ranking: 29) – Eliminated
28. Anaheim Ducks (Last Ranking: 27) – Eliminated
27. Detroit Red Wings (Last Ranking: 26)
26. Arizona Coyotes (Last Ranking: 25)
25. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Ranking: 28)
24. St. Louis Blues (Last Ranking: 24)
23. Washington Capitals (Last Ranking: 23)
22: Ottawa Senators (Last Ranking: 22)
21: Buffalo Sabres (Last Ranking: 21)
20: Vancouver Canucks (Last Ranking: 20)
The Anaheim Ducks joined the list of eliminated teams this week, and we should expect many others in this section of the Rankings to join them soon. Still, at the very bottom sit the San Jose Sharks, who are riding a nine-game losing streak to the top spot on the Connor Bedard Sweepstakes.
Along with them, most of the teams down here simply aren’t able to keep up with the rest of the league. Wins are sparse unless you are playing another team that is struggling, and then anything can happen.
However, it’s not all bad… even if some fans may wish it was. The Vancouver Canucks are playing some of their best hockey of the season, and have nearly moved out of contention for the top draft selection even if they won the lottery this year. Given their incredibly low odds to make the playoffs, however, this streak of great play might ring hollow even if it continues for the rest of the regular season.
19-12: Every Point Matters for the Playoffs
19. Nashville Predators (Last Ranking: 18)
18. Florida Panthers (Last Ranking: 16)
17. Calgary Flames (Last Ranking: 17)
16. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Ranking: 11)
15. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Ranking: 19)
14. Winnipeg Jets (Last Ranking: 14)
13. New York Islanders (Last Ranking: 13)
12. Seattle Kraken (Last Ranking: 15)
Despite this section featuring a number of teams that are fighting for their playoff lives, no one has been able to take steps toward securing their spot in the postseason. With no real winning streaks to talk of this week, the standings are relatively unchanged and as such, the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins are holding onto their postseason spots seemingly by default. If I’m being honest, I feel like most of these teams are interchangeable at this point, with positions 19-14 feeling rather mediocre at best.
However, there is one meaningful outlier in this section of the Rankings this week; the Tampa Bay Lightning. While they are still relatively secure by sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 10-point buffer between themselves and fourth place, you also can’t feel confident in their play as of late. Since mid-February, they have been one of the coldest teams in the league, as they are piling up more losses than wins with worrying regularity.
Now, you can write off the Lightning at your own risk, especially with how this team has shown the ability to turn it on once the postseason starts, but it is a bit strange just how rough around the edges they have looked.
11-2: Winning Streaks and Racking Up Points
11. Dallas Stars (Last Rankings 12)
10. Minnesota Wild (Last Ranking: 8)
9. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Ranking: 4)
8. Edmonton Oilers (Last Ranking: 10)
7. New Jersey Devils (Last Ranking: 5) – Clinched Playoffs
6. Los Angeles Kings (Last Ranking: 9)
5. New York Rangers (Last Ranking: 7)
4. Colorado Avalanche (Last Ranking: 2)
3. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Ranking: 3) – Clinched Playoffs
2. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Ranking: 6)
Of the 10 teams listed in the top third of the Power Rankings this week, four have at least eight wins in their last 10 games, and every single team has a points percentage above .500 during that same time span. Needless to say, this makes ranking them a bit difficult, as you are having to split hairs to decide which dominant team is really “the best.”
First, I felt that it was finally time to acknowledge the Vegas Golden Knights by placing them in second place, which is an unexpected feat given how many goaltenders they cycled through this week. However, they still managed to dispatch their opponents in tight games, which makes me think they are ready to make another long run.
When it comes to the fallers this week, the Toronto Maple Leafs took the biggest tumble, but this is still very relative. The Maple Leafs are a dangerous team that I expect a lot out of in the weeks ahead, but their two losses were enough to push them down the Rankings, especially as their rivals kept rattling off wins by the bunches.
If you’re looking for the hottest teams in the league, look no further than the L.A. Kings and the New York Rangers, who have combined for one loss in regulation since before the trade deadline. Everything is clicking for these two, despite the fact that neither has been able to take over the top spot in their respective divisions. They are both very much in contention for it still, however, so it’s worth keeping an eye on them as we work through the final games of the season.
1. Boston Bruins – Clinched Playoffs
Last Ranking: 1
Do you remember when it looked like the Boston Bruins were slowing down a few weeks ago? Yeah, those were good times. The Bruins are back on a roll again, having rattled off seven straight wins, and they are still right on track to break pretty much every team record when it comes to wins and points in a season.
None of this will matter, however, if they stumble in the playoffs. With the Presidents’ Trophy close to being clinched, it’s possible that they start resting players and preparing for the long journey ahead to the Stanley Cup. However, if I had to bet I’m expecting them to keep their foot on the gas by treating every matchup like it’s Game 7 in order to be ready for the postseason.
With Weeks Remaining, Changes Lay Ahead
It feels like the 2022-23 NHL season will come down to the very last game before everything is decided for the playoffs. With teams struggling to pull away in the standings, they will need to find ways to win in the coming days or risk being left behind. No matter what happens, this is going to be an exciting week ahead leading to the penultimate Power Rankings of the season.