NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands 10 Days from 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Ladies and gentlemen, the homestretch has arrived.

Pucks will drop in less than two weeks to begin the NHL's postseason tournament and the amount of jockeying being done across the league is reflected in this week's B/R Power Rankings, with only a handful of teams making more than subtle moves.

The Carolina Hurricanes experienced the biggest blip among the imminent playoff teams, dropping four spots from fifth to ninth. They were joined on the downward spiral by the Philadelphia Flyers, whose new coach spike was interrupted with Saturday's loss in Montreal and yielded a three-spot drop from 25th to 28th.

The Buffalo Sabers led the positive trends, who didn't qualify for additional springtime hockey but have compiled a strong enough finishing kick to jump three spots from 27th to 24th. A handful of other teams moved two spots, including the playoff-bound Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

B/R's hockey staff awarded 32 points for a first-place vote down to a single point for a 32nd-place ballot. Look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the comments.

Votes were tallied after games played on Tuesday, April 9.

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 20-47-10

A six-game losing streak entering Wednesday was par for the course for the Sharks, who were four points behind No. 31 Chicago.

Rookie Macklin Celebrini has been a consistent bright spot since scoring in his initial NHL game last October, and he recorded two assists in a Monday game against Calgary to establish a franchise rookie record of 36.

His 57 points are the second-most in a season by a Sharks rookie, behind Pat Falloon's 59 in 1991-92.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 22-46-10

The Blackhawks won the first half of a home-and-home series against Pittsburgh but traveled to visit the Penguins and lost a 5-0 decision in the back half on Tuesday, a loss that left coach Anders Sorensen discussing team morale.

"I don't think they let me down," he said. "They let themselves and their teammates down, right? I mean, I think that's the biggest part of it. We're a group here. It's not me or them. It's a group thing. We let each other down."

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 28-42-8

It's not a playoff berth or even a .500 record, but the Predators did score both a competitive victory and a moral one when they rallied from two goals down in the final three minutes and then won it OT against the visiting New York Islanders.

The win ended a six-game losing streak and forward Filip Forsberg recorded his 30th goal along the way, stretching a franchise record to five seasons with 30 or more.

Previous Ranking: 29 

Overall Record: 32-38-9

It's not the sort of positive the Bruins are used to celebrating at this point in a season, but David Pastrnak's three-point game at New Jersey on Tuesday got him to 100 for the third straight year and extended a point streak to seven games.

The Bruins are just 2-10-1 in their last 13 games and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 31-37-9

It was bound to happen eventually for the Flyers, whose Saturday loss at Montreal was both the first in the brief tenure of interim coach Brad Shaw and the one that officially eliminated them from the Eastern playoff chase.

Philadelphia had beaten Montreal, Buffalo and Nashville in its first three games after John Tortorella was fired. Still, the team hasn't reached the playoffs since the COVID-affected postseason in 2020.

Previous Ranking: 26 

Overall Record: 32-35-12

Goalie Tristan Jarry recorded his second shutout in four starts and seventh win in 12 appearances since returning from a stint in the minors after he was placed on waivers.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson scored his 200th goal on Tuesday against Chicago to become the second Swedish blue-liner in league history to reach the number.

Elsewhere on milestone watch, Sidney Crosby scored the opening goal of a game for the 285th time, equaling Mark Messier for fourth on the all-time list.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 34-39-6

A three-game win streak came to a screeching halt for the Kraken in the form of a 7-1 loss at Utah on Tuesday, a game that featured the NHL debut of goalie Victor Ostman in a third-period relief appearance after Joey Daccord was pulled.

Ostman, a 6'4" Swede, was signed by Seattle as an undrafted free agent and stopped all 12 shots that he faced.

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 34-35-8

A Monday defeat of visiting Edmonton meant little in terms of the Ducks' overall prospects, but it was noteworthy for a few statistical reasons.

Anaheim was 3-1-0 against the Oilers this season, winning the series for the first time since going 4-0-1 in 2015-16. The team also killed off six straight power plays, lifting its season-long success rate to 73.6 percent, 29th best in the league.

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 35-36-1

Too little, too late is the theme of the week in Buffalo, where the Sabres are a red-hot 8-1-0 in their last nine games but were nevertheless eliminated from the playoff chase on Tuesday when Montreal beat Detroit.

It's the 14th straight postseason miss for the team, which is an inglorious NHL record. Buffalo last reached the playoffs in 2011 and last won a series in 2007, when its current leading scorer Tage Thompson was nine years old.

Previous Ranking: 23 

Overall Record: 34-32-11

Two straight wins, including one in Alex Ovechkin's record-setting game, were quickly forgotten when the Islanders blew a two-goal lead in the final three minutes and ultimately lost in OT against lowly Nashville.

Add in an upper-body injury to goalie Ilya Sorokin, who was pulled after two periods, and the gap between New York and the eighth Eastern playoff spot seems even wider.

"We've been facing this kind of stuff all year, just in this position where we're at," forward Anders Lee said. "This one hurts."

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 35-33-9

The goal-scoring well went dry at an inconvenient time for the Blue Jackets, who were shut out in weekend visits to Toronto and Ottawa amid a three-game losing streak.

Columbus rallied with a five-goal barrage in a Tuesday defeat of Ottawa, but it scored just three times against Colorado, the Maple Leafs and Senators and entered Wednesday with an eight-point gap between it and the final Eastern playoff spot.

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 36-34-7

The Red Wings had been playing well in a 3-0-1 stretch, but a 4-1 loss to Montreal was a blow, dropping the team eight points below the Eastern cutline and coming in spite of huge advantages in shots, 23-4 in the first period and 36-21 overall.

They ended the period with a one-goal lead but allowed four goals in the game's final 24 minutes.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 36-34-7

A 5-1 loss to visiting Tampa Bay on Monday was the latest in an unfortunate skid for the Rangers, who reached Wednesday having lost two straight games and gone 3-6-1 in 10 games. And the players know the score as it relates to the postseason.

"It's terrible," forward Artemi Panarin said. "I don't know. We've got to win the games. We're not doing that. If we keep playing like that, we're going to miss the playoffs."

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 36-30-12

It's a long shot at best in terms of the playoff race in the West, but a 4-1-0 stretch for the artists formerly known as the Coyotes included a Tuesday defeat of Seattle that yielded a franchise-record seven goals.

On the other end of the ice, goalie Karel Vejmelka made his 21st consecutive start in the same game against the Kraken, the longest streak in the league since 2019. He's 12-6-3 during the workhorse stretch with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 36-29-13

The Canucks were officially eliminated from playoff contention, but they did become the first team in NHL history to overcome a three-goal deficit in the final minute of regulation and beat Dallas, 6-5.

"It's crazy the resilience," winger Kiefer Sherwood said. "I've never been part of a team that has so many crazy comebacks, and so much roller-coaster come-from-behinds. It says a lot about the group and the quality of players."

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 39-30-9

Unlike some other teams, the Canadiens have gotten on a roll as they chase a playoff spot, picking up a sixth straight win with a 4-1 victory against Detroit on Tuesday.

Goalie Sam Montembeault made 35 saves to pick up his 30th win, a career best by 14 over the number he'd topped out at in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He's won five straight starts and allowed just eight goals while doing so, a .939 save percentage.

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 37-27-13

The Flames have had a reliable source of resilience all season and they leaned on it again to record a Monday win in San Jose that kept them playoff-relevant.

Calgary trailed 1-0 after 40 minutes but rallied for a 3-2 win, giving it nine third-period comeback wins, trailing only Montreal's 10 entering Tuesday's games.

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 41-30-7

A blowout loss to visiting Boston wasn't the best way to end a three-game win streak for the Devils, who'd been a point away from locking up a playoff spot heading into Tuesday's games.

But there was good news, maybe, regarding defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who's missed 15 straight games but has resumed skating on his own. Coach Sheldon Keefe said his return for the opening round of the playoffs is possible.

"It's just a matter of how well he continues to progress," Keefe said. "There's been no discussion yet of him joining the team, which speaks to the fact he's not where he needs to be."

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 42-30-6

They didn't arrive with a triumphant flare of horns, but the Senators did clinch an Eastern playoff spot for the first time in eight years when Detroit lost to Montreal.

Ottawa reached the conference final in its last trip to the postseason before losing to the eventual Cup champion Penguins.

"Now that it's confirmed, obviously we still got some games to play, but I think the entire group is just freaking fired up," defenseman Thomas Chabot said. "We're just excited to get in. We can't wait to go."

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 42-29-7

What could be better for the Wild during a heated Western playoff race than the dual returns of forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, who entered Wednesday having missed 41 and 36 games, respectively, this season.

"If both of them come back, obviously it changes the dynamic of your lines and you have to move some things around," coach John Hynes said.

"I think the most important thing is those guys have been off for a while. They've worked hard to get back and we want them to come back and get into the game and bring what they can bring."

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 45-28-5

Good game or good sign?

Connor McDavid returned earlier than expected on Wednesday and the still-undermanned Oilers beat a St. Louis team that had won 12 of 13.

Does that mean, upon the supposedly imminent returns of Leon Draisaitl and others, that Edmonton will reassume its role as a Western powerhouse? Stay tuned.

Previous Ranking: 12 

Overall Record: 43-29-7

A Monday loss in Winnipeg ended the longest win streak of the 2024-25 season, the 12-gamer the Blues went on from March 15 through April 5.

The Jets' 11-gamer from January into February had been the league's longest until the St. Louis run.

The Blues' 4.25 goals per game during the streak was the best in the league and their 1.83 goals-against average was second. Their .827 points percentage since Feb. 1 is also best in the league.

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 45-29-4

It was an uncharacteristic time for a swoon for the defending Cup champs and two-time defending bosses of the Eastern Conference, who'd lost five in a row before rallying with a home defeat of visiting Toronto on Tuesday night.

The win was coach Paul Maurice's 914th, which tied him with Barry Trotz for third on the league's all-time list. Three of those wins have come this season against the Maple Leafs, who entered Wednesday atop the Atlantic Division.

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 46-27-4

It's still more than likely to arrive before the season ends, but the Hurricanes missed a chance to secure home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs when they were beaten, 3-0, at Buffalo.

Carolina has lost three straight games and scored four goals while doing so, lowering its goals-per-game average to 2.25 since April 1, tied for 22nd in the league.

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 45-26-6

It's been a remarkable season for the resurgent Lightning, and the homestretch has been chock-full of statistical benchmarks for several players.

Brayden Point scored twice Monday to break the 40-goal threshold for the third straight season, equaling Steven Stamkos' franchise record. Teammate Nikita Kucherov entered Wednesday with a share of the league's scoring lead with 115 points.

Kucherov became the fourth player in NHL history to record at least 80 assists in three straight seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (13), Paul Coffey (three) and Bobby Orr (three).

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 44-24-9

The Kings arrived at a two-day midweek break on the heels of a 7-3-0 run that has firmly entrenched them in second place in the Pacific Division.

Darcy Kuemper has a Stanley Cup pedigree from his days in Colorado, and he's been playing like a winner lately while stringing together 14 starts allowing two or fewer goals. He's just the third goalie to do so since expansion in 1967-68.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 47-26-4

It'll be a nail-biter down the stretch for the Maple Leafs, who entered Wednesday's games in the Atlantic Division lead and seeking a first division title in a non-COVID season since 1999-2000.

Toronto won the Canada-only North Division in 2020-21 but was eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round of the playoffs. The team has won one playoff series since the 2003-04 tournament.

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 48-27-4

It was good news all around for the Avalanche in a Tuesday night game against Vegas, which led, 2-0, in the second period before Colorado rallied to force OT and eventually won in a shootout.

Perennial MVP candidate Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend a home point streak to 26 games, and the point was his 1,015th since the franchise relocated from Quebec, tying him with Hall of Famer Joe Sakic.

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 47-22-9

Losing a two-goal lead at Colorado was a bad enough result, but it's a cautionary note as the playoffs approach that forward Jack Eichel did not play due to a lower-body injury.

The No. 2 pick behind Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft leads the Golden Knights with 93 points but has been pointless for his last four games amid a wave of injuries and illness in the Vegas locker room.

"We'll see where he's at when we get back home," coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 50-22-6

The Stars missed a chance to pull within striking distance of Winnipeg's lead in the Central when they blew a 5-2 lead in the final minute and lost a 6-5 decision in OT.

"I've won and lost a lot of games in this league, and I don't think I've ever lost one in that fashion before," coach Pete DeBoer said. "Thankfully it's not a playoff game."

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 49-19-9

It'll be interesting to see what the Capitals are all about now that the hoopla surrounding Alex Ovechkin's chase of Wayne Gretzky has finally come and gone.

The loss to the Islanders during the "Great 8's" record-setting game kept Washington from clinching the Metropolitan Division, but the title was secured on Tuesday when Carolina lost in Buffalo.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 53-21-4

A Monday win over streaking St. Louis was good for the league-leading Jets for several statistical reasons.

Beating the Blues got Winnipeg to 53 victories, which eclipsed a franchise record established in 2017-18 and tied last season. The team is five points from breaking a franchise record of 114 set in the first of the 52-win seasons.