NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands Ahead of the 2025 Playoffs

A 1,312-game schedule has come and gone.

Which can only mean one thing: The NHL playoffs are upon us.

The league wrapped up the 2024-25 regular season on Thursday night and will open the best postseason tournament in pro sports on Saturday with first-round games at Winnipeg and Dallas.

Teams of all competitive strains were aiming to head down the stretch on a good run, and it was accomplished in particular in Columbus and Edmonton, resulting in jumps of four and three spots, respectively, for the Blue Jackets and Oilers in the final weekly edition of B/R's Power Rankings.

Columbus failed to qualify for the playoffs but spiked from No. 22 to No. 18, while Edmonton, which reached the Stanley Cup Final last season, moved from 12th to ninth.

Heading in the opposite direction were two teams, Dallas and Colorado, that'll be meeting one another on opening night. The Stars dropped three places from No. 3 to No. 6, while the Avalanche skidded from fifth to eighth.

The B/R hockey team gathered amid its bracket-setting frenzy and awarded 32 points for a first-place vote down to one point for a 32nd-place ballot.

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

Previous Ranking: 32 

Overall Record: 20-50-12

It was (another) miserable season in northern California, so what better way to end it than with an 11-game skid (0-8-3), which finished with a 3-0 home loss to Edmonton on Wednesday.

The good news? Macklin Celebrini is good.

The first overall pick from last summer's draft finished with 25 goals and 38 assists to erase the franchise's previous standard for rookie scoring, established by Pat Falloon (59 points) in 1991-92.

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 25-46-11

It was far too little and way too late, but the 31st overall Blackhawks are nevertheless taking some positivity from a 4-1-1 stretch in their final six games.

Connor Bedard's 67 points in his sophomore season spiked him to 128 in his career, the seventh-most by a teenager in league history. His three points in the finale against Ottawa gave him nine three-point games, which is the fourth-highest total among active players, trailing Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Patrick Kane.

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 30-44-8

It's over, finally, for the Predators, who were a colossal disappointment after a busy summer set them up as a popular dark-horse contender pick heading into 2024-25.

Instead, they finished seventh in the Central and missed the playoffs by 28 points.

“It’s nice to kind of move on from this,” forward Ryan O’Reilly said. “Once you’re eliminated from the playoffs, it’s not easy hockey to play. It’s disappointing."

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 33-39-10

It's an uncharacteristically early spring vacation for the Bruins, who plummeted out of the Eastern playoff race early and missed the tournament for the first time since 2015-16.

“It’s sad it’s over, obviously,” forward David Pastrnak said. “That’s pretty much the only answer I can give you right now. It’s tough. We want to keep playing, I’ll leave it at that.”

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 35-41-6

The magic spring of 2023 suddenly seems generations ago for the Kraken, who've now missed the playoffs for two straight seasons and three times in four seasons since their arrival as an expansion team.

Seattle skidded backward to 76 points this season after registering 81 in 2023-24. A season before, the team racked up 100 and eliminated defending champion Colorado in the first round before losing in seven to Dallas.

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 33-38-10

Looking for a new voice in the locker room is presumably job No. 1 for GM Daniel Briere, who fired veteran coach John Tortorella in late March.

The Flyers responded positively to the change and rode a 5-2-1 wave down the stretch under interim boss Brad Shaw, who'd be pleased to have a chance to take the team through a full season as the permanent coach.

“I’ve enjoyed my time here,” he said. “The one thing that happens when you get a little taste of head coaching, I would really like to try it and have the team from mid-summer.”

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 35-39-7

Buffalo's bid to finish out the regular season with some success was snuffed out by a 0-3-1 stretch that followed a five-game win streak.

Frustratingly, a Tuesday loss to visiting Toronto saw the Sabres' original regional rival clinch a division title and get Auston Matthews his 400th career goal on Buffalo ice. It also ended the Sabres' seven-game win streak at the Key Bank Center.

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 33-36-12

A late-season run of two straight wins and three in four games was scuttled by a loss to Boston in Pittsburgh's penultimate game.

This year's playoff miss was the third in a row for the Penguins after a run of 16 straight qualifications from 2007 to 2022 that yielded 20 series wins and three Stanley Cup titles.

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 35-37-10

Anaheim's quest for an "NHL .500" season crashed and burned in the final handful of games, during which the Ducks went 0-2-2 and scored just six goals.

They've now missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons and haven't won a series since defeating Edmonton in Round 2 in 2017 before a loss to Nashville in that spring's Western final.

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 35-34-12

The postseason hopes have come and gone, instead leaving the Islanders to just their second playoff miss in seven seasons.

That speeds up the bringing up of offseason business, which includes retaining the services of restricted free-agent defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, each of whom are finishing deals signed in 2022.

Dobson is due a qualifying offer of $4 million by June 25, while Romanov is due an offer of $2.5 million.

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 38-36-7

It's not the kind of history you want to make once, let alone twice, but that's what the Rangers did for a second time by missing the playoffs this season after winning last season's Presidents' Trophy.

New York did the same thing in 1992-93, plummeting to 79 points after racking up 105 the season before. The good news? The team won its most recent Stanley Cup the season after that inglorious playoff miss.

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 39-35-7

A strong stretch to end the season is little solace to one of the season's most disappointing teams, as the Red Wings missed the playoffs for the ninth straight time.

Still, Dylan Larkin provided more evidence that he's one of the league's elite players, reaching 30 goals for the fifth time to join Gordie Howe (14), Steve Yzerman (11), Sergei Fedorov (9), Brendan Shanahan (7) and John Ogrodnick (5) in team history.

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 38-20-4

It was a dizzying fall from a division title and a second-round playoff berth to the outside looking in for the Canucks, who wrapped with a 4-1 loss to Vegas.

It could also be the end of the line in Vancouver for forward Brock Boeser, who's an imminent free agent and told Sportsnet last week it was "unlikely" he'd return to the team. The 28-year-old is finishing a three-year, $19.95 million deal signed in 2022.

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 38-31-13

They won less than half their games and wound up seven points below the Western playoff cut line, but a first season in Utah was a success in a lot of ways for the artists formerly known as the Coyotes.

Captain Clayton Keller established a career high with 90 points and two youngsters, 20-year-old Logan Cooley and 22-year-old Dylan Guenther, combined for 52 goals and 125 points.

"We set our expectations really for the young guys in our group to take a step forward in their development and for us to be playing meaningful games down the stretch," said Chris Armstrong, the franchise's president of hockey operations.

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 39-33-9

The league's most resilient team finally ran out of gumption on Wednesday when the Blue Jackets were eliminated from the playoff chase with a loss to Carolina.

It's been five straight seasons without a berth in Columbus. This year's miss came largely due to a 4-11-1 skid following the Stadium Series game in March.

Still, the resolve they showed after the summertime loss of Johnny Gaudreau was remarkable.

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 40-27-14

The Flames pushed their unlikely playoff bid to the season's penultimate game before they were eliminated, but runs of 5-0-2 and 10-2-3 to the point of elimination speak to the mettle the team forged amid low outside expectations.

"At the beginning of the year no one believed in us," center Mikael Backlund said. "We believed in ourselves from Day 1 starting in training camp. Right away we got the sense everyone was buying in and was believing and when everyone buys in and believes, you can achieve some big things."

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 40-31-11

It may not mean a thing when it comes to a first-round series with the East's best team, but the Canadiens are certainly arriving in fine form, thanks in no small part to a 10-0-2 run on home ice to finish the season.

It's the first time in the tournament in four seasons for Montreal, which made a surprise run to the final round before falling to Tampa Bay in 2021.

“We believe in each other, that we’re not just going to roll over against the first seed, so I’m excited for the opportunity,” team captain Nick Suzuki said.

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 42-33-7

Dougie Hamilton is used to spending time on the shelf with injury, but he could hardly have chosen a better time to return to the Devils than Wednesday's season finale, during which he slotted in for nearly 24 minutes of ice time.

New Jersey opens with one of Hamilton's former teams, Carolina, and he'll be continuing to chip off the rust after missing 18 games. The 31-year-old has exceeded 64 games just once in four seasons since arriving from the Hurricanes as a free agent.

Previous Ranking: 13 

Overall Record: 45-30-7

The return of forward Kirill Kaprizov by no means guarantees a Minnesota victory in the first round against Vegas, but his absence would have essentially locked in a loss.

The Wild were 21-10-4 before his prolonged time on the shelf and 3-1-0 upon his return in April. Matt Boldy stepped up in his teammate's absence and ended up leading the team in goals (27), assists (46) and points (73), but it's a much better team with both of them rather than one.

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 44-30-8

The Blues are certainly an intriguing entry into this year's field after their stellar play in the season's final quarter included a 12-game win streak.

St. Louis also made a coaching change and had a long win streak on the way to a surprise Cup run in 2019, and another common denominator this season is goalie Jordan Binnington, who was 13-3-1 with a 2.23 goals-against average in his final 17 appearances.

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 44-30-7

Welcome back to the playoffs, Ottawa. Now get ready for the most pressure-filled first-round series you could imagine: A Battle of Ontario.

The Senators had success times three against the Maple Leafs in the regular season, winning 4-2, 3-0 and 2-1. Goalie Linus Ullmark earned two of the wins and stopped all but two of 50 shots he faced, setting himself up as a possible difference maker.

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 47-29-5

It's been a rough ride lately in the playoffs in years when Carolina was a Cup favorite, so maybe it'll be different with the Hurricanes slightly under the radar.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour's team took second in the Metropolitan and finished double-digit points behind Washington. It'll open with New Jersey in Round 1 and arrive with a top-10 offense (eighth, 3.22 goals per game) and a top-10 defense (eighth, 2.75 goals-against average).

Previous Ranking: 10 

Overall Record: 47-31-4

The defending champs skidded down the stretch and finished third in the Atlantic, but they know the route as well as anyone and how much better the trip would be with forward Matthew Tkachuk, who's been out since the 4 Nations event.

"Whenever that day is, hopefully, very, very soon," Tkachuk told the Up and Adams Show on Wednesday. "So, I’m excited to get back.”

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 48-29-5

Connor McDavid got healthy and surged down the stretch (10 points in four games) to get to 100 for the eighth time, tying him with Marcel Dionne and trailing only Wayne Gretzky (15) and Mario Lemieux (10).

But it's all about the postseason for the defending Western champs, who've been riddled by injuries but finished with a 4-1-0 flourish and are expecting to at least approach full health by the time they re-engage with the Los Angeles Kings.

"We definitely would like better health, and we look like we are getting close to that," coach Kris Knoblauch said. "The majority of the guys are gonna be ready for Game 1."

Previous Ranking: 5 

Overall Record: 49-29-4

The Avalanche were bounced by Dallas in Round 2 of last season's playoffs and get a first-round rematch this spring in search of a first postseason defeat of the Stars since 2006.

They were 2-1-0 and scored 13 goals against them in three meetings in 2024-25 and arrive this time with a steadiness in goal, thanks to first-half trade acquisition Mackenzie Blackwood, that yielded a .667 points percentage (tied for second-best in the league) following his initial appearance on December 14.

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 47-26-8

Can a team from Florida make the Stanley Cup Final for a sixth straight season? If so, it'll have to be the first-round winner of the Lightning against the Panthers, who'll meet for the fourth time in five seasons.

Tampa Bay arrives this time with home-ice advantage, the league's best offense (3.60 goals per game) and its busiest goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made a league-high 63 starts this season and has 66 wins and a 2.41 goals-against average in 115 career playoff appearances.

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 50-26-6

The Stars enter the tournament as the favorite according to DraftKings and they're coming off a run to the Western final last season, but a 1-5-2 stumble through the final eight games wasn't exactly fuel for the Dallas fire.

Drawing Colorado in the first round is a tough ask and it's sure to be emotional for forward Mikko Rantanen, who played against the Avalanche just once since they dealt him to Carolina. He then came to the Stars and finished with five goals and 18 points in his final 20 games.

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 48-24-9

Is this the year the Kings finally get past Edmonton and into the second round?

That's still a maybe. But there's no doubting it's the best Los Angeles team that has encountered the Oilers in their now-four-part drama, thanks to a league-best 17-6-1 record since March 1.

Darcy Kuemper probably won't win the Vezina, but he had a remarkable bounce-back after an offseason trade from Washington, winning 31 games to last season's 13 and lowering his goals-against average (3.31 to 2.02) while boosting his save percentage (.890 to .922).

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 51-26-4

It's all about the playoffs for the Maple Leafs in hockey-mad Toronto, where teams haven't seen a title parade since the Original Six era and have suffered countless postseason heartbreaks in the years since.

A first-round matchup with intra-province rival Ottawa will surely get the intensity ratcheted up early, which is just fine with captain Auston Matthews.

"They're a good young team. They're hungry. They've taken steps as well," he said. "So, I think it's going to be great. It's going to be fun. It's good for hockey."

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 50-22-10

What it means in terms of a Cup chase remains to be seen, but the Golden Knights' outlook for Round 1 against Minnesota certainly got better with the return of Jack Eichel, who'd missed four games with an upper-body injury before playing in their Wednesday season-ending game at Vancouver.

Eichel scored a goal against the Canucks to get to 100 in 241 games with the franchise, becoming the fastest to triple digits and erasing the previous mark of 295 games held by Jonathan Machessault.

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 51-21-9

The Capitals started fast, stayed consistent and basked in the glow of Alex Ovechkin's chase for the all-time goals record all season, but their goaltending is looming as a question mark as the tournament begins.

Logan Thompson hasn't played since April 2 thanks to an upper-body injury and next man up Charlie Lindgren is winless in four career playoff starts with an .864 save percentage.

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 56-22-4

The Jets accomplished one mission by capturing the first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history. Still, it won't mean much if they don't at least back it up with a deep playoff run.

Connor Hellebucyk is the favorite to earn a third Vezina Trophy, but he's got some redemption to get after winning the trophy last season and posting a 5.23 goals-against average in five playoff games.