NFL
By: Jesse Rosales
Youth hockey is winding down, the NHL trade deadline has come and gone, The All-Star game seems like a distant memory at this point. That all means one thing…. it’s PLAYOFF time! Every team’s roster is basically set in stone at this point and you can look at the group of guys on any team and ask yourself, “is this a group that is good enough to win it all”. Every team in these NHL Power Rankings is definitely debating that internally right now. Every team is an injury away from disaster, and every team is a hot streak away from being a main Cup contender.
How will it all shake out between now and the start of the playoffs? I have NO idea but it’s going to be a blast to watch it all unfold over the next month. This is a truly special time to be a hockey fan! With that said, let’s dive into the top 12 teams in this month’s NHL Power Rankings.
Current NHL Power Rankings
12. Winnipeg Jets (-5) 
It was hard to put the Winnipeg Jets down 5 spots in these NHL Power Rankings. They have arguably the 2nd or 3rd best goalie in the league. They made some nice moves at the trade deadline in acquiring Nino Niederreiter from Nashville and Vladislav Namestnikov from San Jose. That all being said the Jets have gone 3-5-2 in their past 10 and lose out to Colorado in the remaining “games in hand”. I still think the Jets are a playoff team, but if there were a team that could fall out of the playoff race in the Western Conference, it would be the Winnipeg Jets. The next move is on you Calgary.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (No Change) 
Admittedly Tampa Bay has not played its best hockey as of late. It really has been from the top down. Previous Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy has a goals-against average of 3.99 and a save percentage of .865 in the month of March so far. The Lightning offense hasn’t helped much only scoring 16 goals in their past 7 games prior to the game against the Devils. I do believe a big part of this slump can be tied to the wear and tear this team has taken from consecutive deep playoff runs over the past 4 seasons. That type of winning doesn’t allow for much rest and I think that is finally catching up with the Lightning.
This team will still easily make the playoffs, but if there was a year for Toronto to match up with them and get out of the first round, this is probably their best shot.
10. Edmonton Oilers (No Change) 
The Oilers have arguably the 2 best hockey players on the planet, and yet they sit in a Wild Card spot. The main reason continues to be defense and goaltending. Neither of which were really addressed at the trade deadline. The Oilers goalies combined have a 3.32 goals-against average and a sub .900 save percentage. It is almost a lock at this point that the Oilers will finish in the 1st Wild Card spot in the West. The Conference hasn’t been this wide open in quite some time so this is a prime opportunity for the Oilers to get it done. They have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games and look prime to make another deep playoff run.
The question is: Can Connor McDavid (along with Leon Driastil to some extent) truly carry this team on his back and get them over the hump. Very few players in NHL history have been able to do that. If he can, he will further etch his name NHL immortality.
9. Colorado Avalanche (No Change) 
This just may not be the year for the Colorado Avalanche. Last year when they won the Cup it seemed like everything went right and fell their way. This year, it’s almost the complete opposite. They are playing well enough but the injuries just keep piling up. They get a player back and lose 2 more. Get 2 more players back, and lose another. It’s been constant. Now, a top 6 forward in Artturi Lehkonen has a broken finger and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. I do a deeper dive into the Avalanche and what reasonable playoff expectations are in my Avalanche report article.
For the purposes of these NHL Power Rankings, this team will certainly make the playoffs and likely win their first-round matchup. They deserve to be in the Top 10 without question. They have an easier schedule the rest of the way and have games in hand on pretty much everyone else in the West.
8. Los Angles Kings (Not Ranked) 
The Kings made 2 very big moves at the NHL trade deadline. Acquiring both Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in exchange for Jonathan Quick and some future draft capital. The moves really solidified the weaknesses of this team and have now made them a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. The Kings are 7-2-2 in their last 11 games and holding onto 2nd place in the Pacific Division.
7. New York Rangers (-1) 
The big winner of the NHL trade deadline in my opinion was the New York Rangers. They brought in Tarasenko and Mikkola from St. Louis, Tyler Motte from Ottawa, and of course, the move that attracted the most attention, acquiring Patrick Kane from Chicago. The top 9 forwards for the Rangers are STACKED. The defense is rock solid. Their goalie is arguably the best in the league. This team really has no weakness and although they have struggled to gel as a cohesive unit after all the moves, I do believe that will come in time.
Don’t be fooled by their 5-5-1 record in their last 11 games. If there is any team that is well-equipped enough to beat Boston in the playoffs, the Rangers are definitely one of those teams. I don’t see them moving out of the top 10 teams in these NHL Power Rankings for the rest of the season regardless of what happens with their wins and losses.
6. Vegas Golden Knights (+4) 
The Golden Knights have caught fire since the last NHL Power Rankings came out. Going 7-2-1 in their past 10 games, the Knights have shot up past Dallas to currently sit in the top spot in the Western Conference standings. Vegas was very active at the NHL trade deadline and I think the move of acquiring Ivan Barbashev from the St. Louis Blues was such a great move. Barbashev really shores up the top 6 and is currently averaging almost a point per game. Add that to the high level of play they are getting from Jack Eichel and Chandler Stephenson and you suddenly have something forbiddable.
The other move that everyone was curious about how it would play out, was the Jonathan Quick. Vegas had plenty of goaltender health issues to sort through especially with their young star netminder in Logan Thompson. Quick has come in and has played 4 games so far and has a goals-against average of 2.22 and a save percentage of .930. Very solid numbers. Can he keep it up? The jury is still out on that. But there is no doubt that Vegas is back and will be a contender when the playoffs start next month.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (-2) 
Things were looking up for the Maple Leafs when they made some big roster moves at the trade deadline. Specifically acquiring St Louis Blues’ captain and centerman Ryan O’Reilly, Jake McCabe, and Sam Lafferty from Chicago, Erik Gustafsson from Washington, and Luke Schenn from Vancouver. All of a sudden it looked like this team could not only get past the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round but also give Boston a legitimate battle for winning the East overall.
Their goaltending hasn’t been outstanding by any means, but it definitely has been “good enough” to get the job done. The offense is one of the best in the league and that is with Auston Matthews significantly underperforming to his normal elite level of expectations to this point. The Maple Leafs are 6-4 in their last 10 games and currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division.
4. Dallas Stars (No Change) 
The Stars are who they are at this point. They are a solid team with great goaltending and above-average scoring capability. They have gone 6-3-1 in their last 10, which I feel like if you looked at any 10-game stretch this season for them, it would probably be a very similar result. They are that consistent. Two rough losses in Vancouver and Edmonton on their Canadian road trip, lack of playoff experience, and a tough schedule to end the season could definitely impact their final standing. I think Dallas will win a playoff series, but depending on who their second-round matchup is, they might get stuck there.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (-1) 
I really didn’t want to move Carolina down to 3 spots in these NHL Power Rankings behind the Devils, but it’s just the way things have transpired. They lost 4-0 to Vegas, and 3-0 to the aforementioned Devils. They have lost top forward Svechnikov for the rest of the season to an ACL injury and that greatly impacts their ability to create offense which if this team had a weakness already, that would have been it. Where are the goals going to come from now? No idea, but they better figure it out quickly before their first-round matchup.
Who is the best team NHL team right now?
2. New Jersey Devils (+3) 
New Jersey gets the bump to the second spot in these NHL Power Rankings, and they have definitely earned it. I personally have been so impressed with this team, from the goaltending to the forwards and defensemen to the front office and the moves made at the trade deadline. The deal they made for Timo Meier was exactly what they needed. This is a young and fun team to watch. They have gone 6-2-2 in their past 10 with quality wins over the Avalanche and Hurricanes, and two shootout losses to the Knights and Lightning. This team deserves to be where they are and they are going to be a great team for many years to come.
1. Boston Bruins (No change) 
It’s crazy to me how people freak out every time Boston losses back-to-back games. The team is 51-11-5 and breaking NHL records with how they got to 107 points along the way. There is no reason to suspect anything other than potentially a little boredom at this point for the Boston Bruins. And who would blame them? They want to start the playoffs YESTERDAY. They are the only team who have clinched a playoff spot, so truly what else are they playing for? We know they don’t care about individual achievements or regular season records.
It’s Stanely Cup or bust for this team at this point. I’m selling any thought of concern as the Bruins retain the #1 spot in these NHL Power Rankings.
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