NHL Power Rankings: Lightning Surge with 2 Weeks Left Before Stanley Cup Playoffs

It's Jon Cooper's time of year.

The Tampa Bay coach will soon guide his team into the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons, including four trips to the Stanley Cup Final and two banner hangings.

Which means it should surprise no one that the Lightning are among the league's hottest teams now that we've turned into April, with a four-game win streak translating into a five-spot spike this week in B/R's NHL Power Rankings.

Tampa Bay is up to sixth from 11th and is joined among the week's upwardly mobile by the Philadelphia Flyers, whose behind-the-bench transition coincided with a win streak and a four-spot leap from 29th to 25th.

The other side of the Power Rankings coin is occupied by the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings, who dropped five and four spots, respectively.

Boston plunged from 24th all the way to 29th, while the Kings dipped from fifth to ninth after voters awarded 32 points for a first-place nod down to one point for 32nd place.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the comments.

Votes were tallied after games played on Tuesday.

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 20-44-10

It's been a rough ride in northern California for Alexandar Georgiev since arriving to the Sharks from Colorado in December, to the tune of seven wins and a 3.80 goals-against average in 27 appearances with his new team.

But the 29-year-old impressed coach Ryan Warsofsky in a losing effort on Tuesday at Anaheim, where he stopped 34 shots, his high since he made 38 saves in a loss to Vegas on Jan. 7.

"It's probably the best I've seen him," Warsofsky said.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 21-44-9

Nineteen-year-old Connor Bedard is getting to be a grizzled veteran these days in Chicago, considering two more players—forward Oliver Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel—made NHL debuts in a Sunday game against Utah.

Moore and Rinzel became the third and fourth Chicago players to make NHL debuts this season, following forward Colton Dach and defenseman Artyom Leyshunov.

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 27-40-8

What else can you say about a disastrous season for Nashville?

The Predators were dinged for eight goals in a Tuesday visit to Columbus, which resulted in a fourth straight loss and extended another poor streak to 2-8-1 in 11 games.

Goalie Juuse Saros allowed seven goals in two periods. It's the eighth time he's allowed at least five in a game this season.

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 30-36-9

Things have gone from bad to worse to much worse for the Bruins, whose Tuesday loss to Washington was their ninth in a row (0-8-1).

Boston's last win came March 11 against Florida. Since, its 1.89 goals per game are second worst in the league and its 4.67 goals against per game are tied for 31st.

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 31-38-6

A 1-4-1 stretch across the last six games isn't helping the mood these days in Seattle, where the Kraken became the latest team to be mathematically eliminated from the upcoming playoffs. It's their third miss in four NHL seasons.

But it's not all bad news given the uptick from Kaapo Kakko, who's produced 27 points in 42 games since arriving via trade from the New York Rangers in December. His overall totals of 27 assists and 41 points are career highs.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 32-36-6

Consistency has been a season-long issue for the Sabres but they have shown an ability to handle at least one playoff team time and again, as evidenced by a 4-0-0 record against Ottawa after a 5-2 road win on Tuesday.

Tage Thompson is a goal away from his second 40-goal season after scoring for the fifth straight game. Goalie James Reimer is also red hot, having won five straight starts with a .904 goals-against average.

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 30-34-11

It was quite the week for Tristan Jarry, right?

The 29-year-old was pulled from consecutive starts after allowing eight goals on 19 shots in losses at Tampa Bay and Buffalo on Tuesday and Thursday, then returned for a home game against Ottawa and stopped 31 in a row to record his 20th career shutout in a 1-0 victory.

“I thought our team did a better job at limiting some of the high, high-quality looks that [Jarry] has been faced with the prior couple of games,” coach Mike Sullivan said.

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 31-36-9

Matvei Michkov is pretty pleased with the Philly brass these days.

The prized Russian rookie had a well-publicized scrape with John Tortorella in January but he's been on fire since "Torts" was shown the door, scoring four goals and seven points under new coach Brad Shaw.

The Flyers are 3-0 since the transition was made, scoring 15 goals in home wins over Montreal, Buffalo and Nashville.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 33-33-8

There's some early fodder to satisfy the "building toward next year" crowd in Anaheim, where the Ducks won three of four games to finish a five-game homestand and get themselves back to NHL .500 with eight games left.

"The goal we set as a team is to have a winning record this season," forward Trevor Zegras said. "Just kind of compared to where we were the last couple seasons, I think that's a pretty good goal and something we're all pretty excited about trying to achieve."

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 32-32-10

New York's brief flirtation with an Eastern playoff spot may have been just that, given a six-game losing streak (0-4-2) that's dropped the team five points below the cut line entering Wednesday's games.

The Islanders were 0-for-4 on the power play in a Tuesday loss to Tampa Bay and have allowed four or more goals in four straight games. Their team goals-against average (3.07) had dipped to 19th in the league entering Wednesday and their power play success rate (12.4) was dead last.

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 34-33-7

The Red Wings let another crucial point slip away on Tuesday night when they allowed a goal in the last minute at St. Louis before losing in OT. It was their 12th loss in 16 games (4-11-1) and left them four points behind current No. 8 Eastern seed Montreal entering Wednesday's games.

“We can either feel sorry for ourselves or we can get right back after it," coach Todd McLellan said. "We have no choice. It’s not like we’re in the middle of the season and we can take the time to pout a little bit. We don’t have that."

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 34-30-9

Just when it seemed the league's most resilient team had fallen out of the playoff race, the Blue Jackets responded with three wins in four games that included an eight-goal outburst against Nashville on Tuesday.

Columbus entered Wednesday just two points below the Eastern cut line.

The rout of the Predators was the 14th time the Blue Jackets have scored at least six goals in a game, the most in the league.

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 35-32-7

It's life on the playoff cut line down the stretch for the Rangers, who won at San Jose on Saturday to grab the East's second wild-card spot, then fell two points behind the qualifying number entering Wednesday's games.

Meanwhile, goalie Jonathan Quick is spending his time climbing the league's statistical ladder. The 39-year-old stopped 21 shots to beat the Sharks and tie Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr for 13th on the all-time list with 403 wins, four behind another Hall of Famer, Glenn Hall, in 12th place with 407.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 34-29-12

Cementing himself as the No. 1 workhorse has been a good thing for goalie Karel Vejmelka, who's started 18 straight games—the league's longest streak in six years.

The 28-year-old Czech has started every game since Feb. 23 and he's been solid since March 6, when he signed a five-year contract extension. He's 7-4-3 since inking the deal and has already stretched his career-high win total to 23.

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 34-27-13

The Canucks are already looking at a seven-point deficit just to reach the Western playoff cut line in a season following a Pacific Division title and the stretch drive just got rougher with news that Filip Chytil may be finished for the season.

The 25-year-old center played 15 games with Vancouver after coming over in the J.T. Miller trade but has suffered concussion symptoms since leaving a March 15 game with Chicago. Forwards Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander are also still unavailable after both left a March 22 game with the New York Rangers.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 35-30-9

There's nothing like a little drama in the playoff race and the Canadiens provided plenty on Tuesday night when Nick Suzuki scored with nine seconds remaining and again in OT for a come-from-behind triumph against Florida.

Montreal entered Wednesday's games with the second Eastern wild-card slot, two points ahead of Columbus and five points behind Ottawa for the first spot.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 35-27-12

The engine is leaking oil at a particularly bad time for the Flames, who've lost three of four games and are six points below the Western playoff cutline.

Calgary had won four in a row before a home loss to Dallas on March 27, which was followed two days later by a blown third-period lead in an OT loss at Edmonton. The team has seven regulation goals in the last four games and its 1.75 goals per game rate in that run is last in the league.

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 39-26-6

Frustration was the buzzword for the Senators after a 5-2 home loss to Buffalo on Tuesday in which they were 0-for-4 on the power play while playing with captain Brady Tkachuk.

Tkachuk was injured after a collision with Pittsburgh's Ryan Graves on Sunday.

"That's part of the NHL," coach Travis Green said, "you're going to lose guys. Hopefully he'll just be out for a game."

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 40-29-7

A back-and-forth with Minnesota yielded good results for the playoff position-seeking Devils, who won, 5-2, on the Wild's home ice on Saturday before returning to New Jersey for a 3-2 win on Monday.

The home victory started a five-game stand for the Garden Staters, who've won 18 games at Prudential Arena in Newark compared to 22 on the road.

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 41-28-6

The Wild are falling backward into a playoff race thanks to a 1-2-1 stretch that dropped them into striking range for the teams lurking just below the Western cut line.

Minnesota was 15 points ahead of St. Louis when the league broke for the 4 Nations series but entered Wednesday a point behind the Blues for the first wild-card spot and just six points ahead of Calgary for the second position.

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 41-28-7

There's a "team of destiny" vibe around the Blues these days, especially after a last-minute goal to tie and an OT winner that beat Detroit on Tuesday and stretched a win streak to 10 games.

St. Louis has outscored opponents, 41-14, during the streak and has allowed two or fewer goals nine times. Goalie Jordan Binnington has won six straight starts since last losing on March 13 and has stopped 141 of 150 shots, a .940 save percentage.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 43-26-5

It may or may not matter when Stuart Skinner returns to full health, but backup goalie Calvin Pickard has staked a claim to reliability in big games lately with consecutive wins over Calgary and Vegas.

The 32-year-old relieved Skinner when he was hurt against Dallas on March 26, then gave up five goals in a loss to Seattle the next night. But he's beaten the Flames and Golden Knights since while stopping 46 of 50 shots for a .920 save percentage.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 44-26-4

The defending Cup champs will have something to say down the stretch about who'll join them in the Eastern Conference playoffs this time around.

Florida, which was in Toronto on Wednesday night, will host the Maple Leafs on Tuesday and the team also faces Tampa Bay (which entered Wednesday second in the Atlantic) and Ottawa (which held the first wild-card position) in its final seven games.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 42-23-9

It wasn't a trade that moved a lot of needles, but the Kings have been the beneficiary of an 11-3-0 surge since acquiring Andrei Kuzmenko from Philadelphia on March 7.

The 29-year-old Russian was a 39-goal scorer for Vancouver in 2022-23, then had just 28 goals in parts of three seasons since while playing for the Canucks, Calgary and the Flyers.

But he has four goals and nine points with the Kings and the line of Kuzmenko, Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe had six points in a Tuesday defeat of Winnipeg.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 45-25-4

Toronto's three-game western trip started ingloriously with a shootout loss to lowly San Jose, but it rallied with consecutive wins at Los Angeles and Anaheim as the stretch-drive chase for the Atlantic Division title heated up.

The Maple Leafs entered Wednesday's games amid a three-team clump with Tampa Bay and Florida that was separated from top to bottom by just two points. The division winner would currently be lined up for a first-round series with top wild-card Ottawa, while the other two would play one another.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 45-26-4

It was an unsightly blip on the radar for the Avalanche on Saturday and Monday in the form of consecutive home losses to St. Louis and Calgary that ended a four-game win streak.

Nevertheless, Colorado entered Wednesday with a 10-2-2 mark since March 1, tied for third in the league based on points percentage (.786). Its 3.71 goals-per-game average since then is the league's best, as is its 1.93 goals-against average.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 44-25-5

The Lightning still have a core of players from their run of two Stanley Cups and three straight final-round appearances, including uber-skilled forward Nikita Kucherov, who pulled into the league's scoring lead through Tuesday's games.

Kucherov has 19 points in his last nine games and entered Wednesday with 111 points, one point ahead of Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon. He led the league in 2018-19 with 128 points and again last season with 144.

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 45-24-4

Things are trending well lately for the Hurricanes, whose Saturday defeat of the Islanders was their 11th in 13 games and kept them in firm possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina entered Wednesday's games trailing first-place Washington by 11 points and seven points up on third-place New Jersey, whom it's likely to meet in the first round of the playoffs. The teams split four games this season, with Carolina holding a narrow 13-12 edge in goals.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 45-21-8

The loss to division-rival Edmonton wasn't ideal but the Golden Knights did accomplish the first of their season-long goals on Tuesday night with a playoff berth that was clinched when Calgary lost to Utah.

Vegas leads the Pacific Division by five points over Los Angeles and seven over the Oilers but will not play either opponent during its final eight games.

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 49-21-4

There's a lot of hot to go around for the Stars, whose back-to-back wins in Seattle on Saturday and Monday boosted their win streak to six and got them a smidge closer to first place in Winnipeg.

Twenty-one-year-old center Wyatt Johnston has been the biggest individual beneficiary with goals in five straight games. The run has gotten him within two goals of his career-best 32 with eight games remaining.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 48-17-9

If you think the Capitals as a whole have been somehow distracted by the hoopla surrounding Alex Ovechkin's quest for 895 career goals, think again.

In fact, it's quite the opposite, according to coach Spencer Carbery.

“I think it’s brought our group up,” he said. “And the anticipation and him scoring and the jolt of energy that it’s provided on a nightly basis, I don’t think it’s been a negative or weight on anybody’s shoulders, his or the rest of the group.”

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 51-20-4

A run of three straight wins and seven in nine games was stunted by a 4-1 loss at Los Angeles on Tuesday, which kept the Jets from adding to their four-point edge over Dallas in the Central.

It ended a four-start win streak for goalie Connor Hellebuyck, though he's now gone five straight starts without surrendering more than three goals. He's stopped 111 of 120 shots in those five games, good for a .925 save percentage.