NHL Power Rankings: Streaking Red Wings Rise as Panthers Stay on Top

It's happy time in Hockeytown.

The Detroit Red Wings are the hottest team in the NHL, having won six straight games to pull comfortably into an Eastern Conference wild-card position and within a point of the top three in a loaded Atlantic Division.

Ten points and three places ahead of them in that group, the conference's reigning postseason champion Florida Panthers have a red-hot 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games.

It's an intriguing and certainly possible matchup for the opening round of the 2023-24 playoffs, and the teams have split two games in the regular season, with the Panthers winning in Detroit in November and the Red Wings returning the favor in Florida in January.

The momentum has had some impact in the B/R Power Rankings, too.

GM Steve Yzerman's roster-building masterpiece has Detroit up two spots from No. 13 to No. 11 thanks to two 10th-place votes, two 11th-place votes and a 12th-place vote from the panel, while the Panthers got four first-place votes and a single second-place tally to remain in the penthouse position for a second straight week..

The Winnipeg Jets jumped three spots from fifth to second, the New York Rangers (no movement) and Vancouver Canucks (down from second) shared third and the Boston Bruins dropped a spot from fourth to fifth.

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

*Statistics were up to date and votes tallied before games on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 15-37-5

Another week of struggle for the Sharks, whose latest losing streak is at four games after they dropped a 7-2 decision to visiting New Jersey on Tuesday. And perhaps even worse is that starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood left in the first period with a lower-body injury after stopping all 13 shots he faced. Kaapo Kahkonen allowed seven goals on 31 shots in relief.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 15-39-5

Oh sure, the Blackhawks were winless for the week, have just one win in their last 10 games and are tied for last overall in the league. But Connor Bedard is pretty good. The top draft pick and would-be franchise savior has two goals and five assists in six games since returning from a broken jaw that kept him sidelined for 14 games.

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 20-35-3

A winless week is the mid-winter status quo for the hapless Ducks, who went 0-2-1 in three games while being outscored 14-8. The two regulation losses were at home for Anaheim, whose 17 points in 29 home games are the fewest in the league.

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 19-28-10

The Blue Jackets won two of three during the week and are near .500 (4-5-1) in their last 10, but it hasn't stopped the trade buzzards from circling. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins and center Jack Roslovic are on an updated list of top trade candidates compiled by NHL.com.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 23-30-5

It's gone from bad to worse to whatever comes after that for the Coyotes, who outshot a skidding Montreal team 38-20 and still dropped a 4-2 decision to the Canadiens on Tuesday to fall to 0-11-2 in their last 13 games. And just as concerning, forward Clayton Keller missed the game with an upper-body injury suffered on Sunday.

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 23-28-8

The Canadiens were heading nowhere fast with a five-game losing streak, so it was a wonderful time to welcome the league's coldest team, Arizona, and end the skid with a 4-2 victory in which Sam Montembeault made 36 saves. "It was a fantastic game by [Montembeault]," defenseman Jordan Harris said, "and I can't speak enough of how he's been all year."

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 25-29-3

The gains made in a 10-3-3 run across 16 games began to slip away for the Senators, who dropped consecutive decisions to Washington and Nashville on Monday and Tuesday. Ottawa is five points out of the Eastern basement and 16 in back of Tampa Bay in the second of two wild-card spots.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 27-28-4

The Sabres won three straight for the week before dropping a 3-2 decision at Florida on Tuesday. Still, coach Don Granato found some positives and focused on Buffalo's performance since January 1, which has seen it go 12-9-0 and pull closer to .500. "They have grown a lot and their appetite is increasing," he said. "We're all watching it happen.''

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 28-25-6

A 2-1 week and a larger stretch of three wins in five games have helped the Wild creep within six points of Los Angeles and Nashville, whose 68 points have them in possession of the West's two wild-card positions. Forward Kirill Kaprizov had seven goals and 11 assists in eight games before the streak ended against Carolina on Tuesday.

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 25-22-11

The Kraken have moved gradually from the fringe toward the center of the playoff discussion in the West, where they're seven points behind the conference's wild-card spots now held by Nashville and Los Angeles. Seattle was 2-1 in three games this week and is 5-4-1 in its last 10.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 24-20-14

New York had five losses in six games (1-3-2), but it's better than six in seven, which is what the Islanders avoided with a 3-2 overtime win at Dallas on Monday. New York entered Wednesday seven points off the playoff pace in the East. "Every game is important here," forward Bo Horvat said. "Every game matters here for the rest of this season."

Previous Ranking: 16 (tie)

Overall Record: 30-26-2

The Blues had lost two of three and four of five heading into Wednesday's date at Edmonton, and the performance of the special teams had something to do with it. St. Louis was producing at a 17.4 percent rate on the power play (24th in the league) and had won just three times in 25 games when it trailed after two periods.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 27-22-9

Five of a possible eight points across four games is a statistical success, but there's more to do these days for the Capitals, who ended that stretch with an 8-3 loss at Detroit and are six points off the Eastern playoff pace. "There are a lot of structural things we need to get cleaned up," coach Spencer Carbery said, "but we've played well."

Previous Ranking: 16 (tie)

Overall Record: 30-25-4

A trip to San Jose was a welcome tonic for the Devils, who'd lost three of four before downing the Sharks 7-2 on Tuesday. It was Timo Meier's first game at San Jose since he was traded to New Jersey a year ago. He played 451 games with the Sharks from 2016 through 2023. "Before the game, some emotions and everything," he said. "But then once you go out there, it's just business."

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 29-25-5

Calgary moved two points closer to a playoff spot with a 4-2 defeat of Los Angeles, whose 68 points represent the current Western wild-card line, on Tuesday. The Flames have 63 points and have played one more game. "If you want to have a chance to go to the playoffs, and we're chasing teams, we have to go on a run like this," goalie Jacob Markstrom said.

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 27-21-8

Just when it looked like the Penguins were drifting into a mandatory sell mode ahead of the trade deadline, they rattle off a 3-0-1 stretch in which they've scored 19 goals to jolt an offense that had been tied for 25th in the league with 2.87 goals per game.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 32-24-5

Four straight road wins came at a good time for the Lightning, who finally lost at Philadelphia on Tuesday but moved five points ahead of New Jersey in the chase for the second wild-card position in the East. Tampa Bay has played two more games than the Devils.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 33-25-2

It could be "break up the Predators" time in Nashville, where the team beat Ottawa on Tuesday to both open a five-game homestand and extend a winning streak to six games. The first five wins came on the road, a first in franchise history. "I think we're just playing really well as a team," defenseman Roman Josi said. "I think it helps everyone."

Previous Ranking: 11 (tie)

Overall Record: 29-19-10

It's been a maddening turn back toward mediocrity for the Kings, who went 6-1 in seven games before more recently losing three of their last four, including consecutive games to Pacific rivals Edmonton and Calgary. Los Angeles trails the Oilers by two points for third in the division and is five up on the Flames in the wild-card race.

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 31-22-7

The Flyers needed a win after a 1-3-1 stretch and they dipped into their resilience pool to get it, scoring five times in the third period for a 6-2 triumph against visiting Tampa Bay on Tuesday. It was their first five-goal period since January 2023.

Previous Ranking: 11 (tie)

Overall Record: 33-19-7

The Golden Knights have been pedestrian or worse in the last few weeks, going 1-4-1 in six games before a rousing 6-2 win at Toronto on Tuesday. Vegas is squarely in the middle of the Western playoff picture. It trails first-place Vancouver by 10 points in the Pacific and is 10 points up on Calgary, which leads the conference's "outside looking in" pack.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 33-20-6

There's certainly some time left between here and April, but it's starting to look like this is the "return to the playoffs" year for the Red Wings, who went 4-0 on the week and are eight points above the Eastern cut line. Detroit hasn't reached the tournament since 2016 and hasn't won a series since 2013.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 34-20-2

All of a sudden the 16-game winning streak that yielded an unbeaten January for the Oilers seems a while ago. Edmonton was 5-5-1 in its last 11 games heading into Wednesday's date with St. Louis, with the 30th-best goaltending (4.00 goals-against average) and the 31st-best penalty kill (64.7 percent) in that period.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 33-17-8

It was as good an 11-day stretch as you could have for the Maple Leafs, who won seven in a row between February 13 and 24 before losing at home to Vegas on Tuesday. Toronto scored a league-high 38 goals in the week-plus run while allowing only 17, tied for 10th-best in the league over the same time period.

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 36-19-5

Tuesday's 5-1 win over Dallas not only got Colorado within two points of the Stars in a tightly packed Central Division, but it also provided a milestone stage for Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. MacKinnon extended his season-opening home point streak to 29 games, good for sixth in league history, while a Makar assist made him the highest-scoring defenseman in franchise history.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 35-18-6

The brief two-game skid that ended with a Tuesday win at Minnesota was a particularly rare sight for the Hurricanes, whose 15-5-2 record since January 1 is fourth-best in the league by points percentage (.727). Carolina's 2.09 goals-against average in those 22 games is best in the league.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 35-17-9

A loss at Colorado extended a subpar stretch to 1-3-1 over five games and left Dallas in a tie atop the Central Division with Winnipeg, though the Jets have four games in hand. The Stars are two points ahead of the third-place Avalanche and have an 11-point cushion over fourth-place Nashville, which holds a wild-card position in the West.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 34-12-13

A 3-2-5 run across 10 games for the Bruins while Florida went 8-2-0 has provided a tie atop the Atlantic Division at 82 points apiece. Meanwhile, forward Jake DeBrusk is pondering his fate as an imminent free agent before the deadline. "It's in the back of everybody's mind obviously because nobody is really safe," he said.

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 38-16-7

Is the grind getting to the Canucks now that they've passed the 60-game mark? That seemed to be at least a short-term implication by coach Rick Tocchet after a home loss to Pittsburgh dropped them to 1-4-1 in their last six. "We're hanging in there, but we need some individuals to up their game," he said. "Some guys are just OK."

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 39-17-3

It was a bit of scheduling irony that had the Rangers dropping a 4-2 decision at Columbus to end a 10-game winning streak on Sunday and then hosting them on Wednesday night. New York averaged 4.1 goals per game during the streak from January 27 to February 24 and allowed just 1.9.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 37-15-5

Numbers don't lie. And the numbers say the Jets are 7-3-0 in 10 games since acquiring Sean Monahan from Montreal on February 2 for two draft picks. The 29-year-old has played in nine of those games for Winnipeg and has six goals and seven points alongside an average ice time of 17:43 on the Jets' second line.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 39-16-4

Winning two of three for the week and eight of nine overall says it all for the front-running Panthers, who share the lead with Boston (with a game in hand) in the Atlantic and are a point behind overall leader Vancouver (with two games in hand). Florida has been prolific on one end and stingy on the other, allowing two or fewer goals in 14 straight games.