NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands Ahead of the Playoffs

And just like that, it's over.

The 1,312-game marathon that is a modern NHL season came to an end with a six-pack of games on Thursday, giving fans a final look at six teams that will advance to the playoffs and another half-dozen that will be cleaning lockers on Friday morning.

The onset of mid-April also signals the end of the B/R Power Rankings season, and our panel of voters marked the occasion with one final get-together that saw the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars emerge jointly with the title of "best team in the league" through 82 games.

New York got three of five first-place votes but were listed third and fifth on the other two ballots, allowing the Stars to slide alongside them with four seconds and a third.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers each received a first-place vote as well and wound up third and fourth, respectively, ahead of the fifth-placed Winnipeg Jets.

The Jets' four-spot jump from ninth was the biggest advance of the week, while the Seattle Kraken's tumble from 21st to 25th was the negative leader.

Scroll through to see where your favorite team wound up and drop a thought of your own in the comments.

Statistics are up to date and votes tallied before games on Thursday, April 18.

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 19-53-9

The season is finally over for the woeful Sharks, who wrapped up with a Thursday visit to Calgary and now focus on the draft lottery in which they'll have a roughly 1-in-4 chance to pick Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 23-53-5

The bad news is that the Blackhawks stumbled into Thursday's finale with a winless week. The good news is that it doesn't really matter and Calder Trophy lock Connor Bedard will still be in a Chicago uniform when training camp opens in September.

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 26-50-5

Like the other teams in low-tier standings positions, it's all about the future for the Anaheim Ducks.

General manager Pat Verbeek has fingers crossed for good lottery news and then some decisions to make about a handful of restricted free agents prior to the start of 2024-25.

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 27-43-12

Things will need to get done in the executive offices before they get done anywhere else for the Blue Jackets, who need to hire a permanent GM to replace the dismissed Jarmo Kekäläinen and then presumably make a call on coach Pascal Vincent.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 36-41-5

You want offseason upheaval? No team can hold a candle to what's underway for the Coyotes, who presumably played their final game at Mullett Arena on Wednesday ahead of an apparently imminent move to Salt Lake City to begin 2024-25.

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 37-41-4

Add the Senators to the list of teams that'll spend the initial portion of the offseason firming up who'll be the next coach.

Jacques Martin finished the 2023-24 schedule at 26-26-4 after taking over for D.J. Smith, but he was an interim gap-filler ahead of the next regime.

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 30-36-14

It was a weird final week for the Canadiens, who earned a point in four straight games but lost twice in overtime and twice in shootouts.

Behind the bench, Martin St. Louis will be steering the ship to begin 2024-25 after he was given a two-year contract extension.

Previous Ranking: 21 (tie)

Overall Record: 33-35-13

To call it a disappointing season would be kind after the Kraken tumbled from a 100-point performance and a playoff series win to a fifth-place tie (entering Thursday) in the Pacific, a playoff miss and a four-game skid in the final week before their finale. Ouch.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 37-39-5

There's not much good to pull out of a playoff miss, but rookie Connor Zary was a bright spot for the Flames in a desultory 2023-24.

The 2020 first-rounder had 14 goals and 33 points in 62 games entering Thursday and was third among Calgary forwards with a plus-11 rating.

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 38-39-5

It was so close and yet so far for the Devils, who plummeted from third overall to 10 points out of a playoff spot thanks to injuries.

Their three highest-paid players—Dougie Hamilton, Timo Meier and Jack Hughes—missed a combined total of 95 games.

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 39-37-6

Three missed playoffs meant a pink slip for coach Don Granato, who was released as the Sabres skidded to the finish of a 13th consecutive season outside the tournament.

GM Kevyn Adams said the next coach will "be someone that has experience and can push this group."

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 39-33-9

Marc-Andre Fleury's 35 starts this season occasionally felt like a goodbye tour for the 39-year-old, but he's staying on for another after signing a one-year extension worth $2.5 million.

He's 50-32-9 across 86 appearances with the Wild since a trade from Chicago in 2022.

Previous Ranking: 21 (tie)

Overall Record: 38-33-11

It's a special kind of limbo for the Flyers, who seemed to be rebuilding as they started the 2023-24 season but stayed in a playoff position for much of it.

They wound up 20th overall (entering Thursday), though, and likely won't land an immediate impact player in the draft.

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 43-33-6

The Blues were up and down several times but stayed on the fringes of the playoff mix until the final week before winding up five points out (before Thursday's games).

It's the second straight miss after four successive qualifications, the first of which yielded a Stanley Cup in 2019.

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 38-32-12

The Penguins seemed dead and buried a few times this season, particularly after dealing prolific forward Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline, but they rallied and stayed relevant until the final week.

Sidney Crosby said his status will be "year to year" after a 94-point campaign.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 41-32-9

There's probably no more frustrated fanbase in the league than Detroit's, which saw the Red Wings go from a seemingly secure playoff position to a near-miss, finishing out of the mix for the eighth straight year thanks to a regulation-wins tiebreaker.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 40-31-11

A 4-1-1 run through their last six games lifted the Capitals past a pack of wannabe contenders and into the East's second wild-card spot, earning a playoff date with the New York Rangers that will begin Sunday.

Washington split four games during the season, winning twice at home.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 39-27-16

There wasn't a hotter team down the stretch than the Islanders, who went 8-1-1 across their last 10 to grab a playoff spot and leap all the way to third in the Metropolitan and a second straight first-round series with Carolina. The Hurricanes bounced them in six last season.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 45-29-8

Welcome to the Battle of Florida, Part III.

The Lightning got hot at the right time, worked their way into the East's top wild-card spot and found out late that they'd get a date with the in-state Panthers.

It will be hard to convince the likes of Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy that it can't be done.

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 43-27-11

It came down to Thursday night for the Kings to find out where they're going to open the playoffs after a season of ups and downs.

Goaltending is a popular topic of concern, but the team's goals-against average before Thursday (2.54) was second-best in the West.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 46-26-10

OK, Maple Leafs fans, buckle up for the most mentally taxing week of the 2023-24 season.

An 0-3-1 run through the schedule's final stretch doesn't exactly inspire confidence, and neither does a 0-2-2 record in four games against first-round opponent Boston.

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 47-30-5

The 18-game point streak the Predators strung together got them into the No. 1 wild-card spot in the West that they never relinquished, but it also brought on a series against a team (Vancouver) that owned the season series. Nashville was 4-4-1 in nine games after the streak.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 45-28-8

It's good to be the champs, even if you're not a top seed/division winner.

The Golden Knights weren't transcendent in their post-Cup season, but they are in the playoff field. They went 3-1-0 in their last four (before Thursday) and do know the route to a parade better than anyone.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 49-25-7

It's easy to forget the Avalanche won the Cup the season before last and were on many short lists of favorites heading into last year's first-round upset.

They have the likely MVP this season in Nathan MacKinnon and a lot of proud, title-winning veterans. Watch out.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 49-26-1

It's time for the nervous optimism/fatalism to begin in northern Alberta. The Oilers have been the league's best team since Kris Knoblauch took over in November, and they're deeper than in past years.

However, it's hard to erase years of springtime frustration with the world's best player, Connor McDavid.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 47-20-15

Given last spring's collapse after a record-setting run, it will be hard to find a rational-thinking Bruins fan heading into this tournament after a late skid cost them the Atlantic title.

Boston owned Toronto in its season series (4-0-0), though, and has consistently good goaltending.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 50-22-9

The Canucks earned the prize for the season's biggest turnaround, vaulting from 22nd overall in 2022-23 to a Pacific title, a No. 2 playoff seed and a fifth overall slot this time around.

Is Thatcher Demko healthy and ready for a deep playoff run? Stay tuned.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 51-24-6

The Jets have done absolutely everything to make believers out of the league, but many won't buy it until there's a playoff series win.

Winnipeg rolled Colorado during their season series and will open at home against the Avalanche. So, it's put up or shut up time.

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 52-24-6

There's a logjam of good teams in the East and it wouldn't be hard to make a case for the Panthers despite their third-place finish (among conference teams) in these rankings and in the standings.

They defend, they play special teams and they score. Look out, Lightning.

Previous Ranking: 2 (tie)

Overall Record: 52-23-7

What the Dallas Stars are in the West, the Hurricanes appear to be in the East. They play defense, they score and they're deep.

However, until the regular-season plaudits are translated into some sustained postseason success, it'll be hard to get a lot of buy-in outside of Raleigh.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 52-21-9

Oh, did we mention the Stars? They secured the Central a while ago, but the confirmation of the top seed in the West and the home-ice edge that accompanies it didn't come until Wednesday's defeat of St. Louis.

Will a third Cup final be the charm for coach Peter DeBoer?

Previous Ranking: 2 (tie)

Overall Record: 55-23-4

OK, New York. You've got your Presidents' Trophy. Now what are you going to do?

The Rangers clinched the hardware for the fourth time but are aware no team has won both it and the Cup since 2013, and only one of their previous three (1994) yielded a ticker-tape parade.