NHL 2024-25 Power Rankings: Week 22

Heading in the other direction, the Islanders are playing .500 hockey despite selling at the trade deadline, which has been enough to keep them in the playoff hunt. This might be more of a sign of how mediocre the race for the final playoff position has been, but no one cares about how you get into the dance as long as you make your way in.

20-12: Ranger and Canucks Fading Down the Stretch

20. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 17)

19. New York Rangers (Previously: 14)

18. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 18)

17. Utah Hockey Club (Previously: 20)

16. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 16)

15. Calgary Flames (Previously: 19)

14. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 15)

13. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 12)

12. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 13)

The Rangers and Canucks have had somewhat entwined seasons. Both teams entered the seasons with big expectations and neither have lived up to them so far. They both have so much talent on their rosters, but neither has been able to put that talent on the ice for consistent efforts game in and game out. Both should firmly be in control of their futures after an up-and-down season, but they both sit on the outside looking in on the playoffs which will require other teams to drop down. Oh, and of course there was the trade…

After these franchises collided on Saturday (with the win ultimately going to New York), it’s hard to tell if either will be able to work their way back to the playoffs. The Rangers have a somewhat easier path forward than Vancouver, but neither are in an enviable spot at the moment.

Now, for two teams in control of their own destiny, the Canadiens and Flames both have a pretty straightforward path ahead of them to make the playoffs: if you can win your games in hand, you should be able to lockdown your spot. While the Blues have been one of the hottest teams in the league and currently hold the final Wild Card spot, Calgary has two games in hand on St. Louis and if they win both, the final Wild Card is theirs to lose.

For Montreal, they simply have to end this two-game slump to extend their lead on both New York teams. If they win their games in hand on the Rangers, it will keep them well above the Blueshirts and Islanders heading into the final weeks of the season. Now, this is easier said than done, of course, but given the position they are in, I find it hard to count them out.

11-1: The NHL’s Divisional Playoff Problem

11. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 9)

10. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 10)

9. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 11)

8. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 8)

7. Florida Panthers (Previously: 5)

6. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 7)

5. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 6)

4. Dallas Stars (Previously: 6)

3. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 2)

2. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 1)

1. Washington Capitals (Previously: 7) – Clinched Playoff Berth

Normally I don’t care about how the NHL structures its playoff format. While I do agree that a typical one through eight seeding format is the preferred method of choice in a professional sports league, the Divisional structure used by the league rarely causes that many issues. For example, in the Eastern Conference, if a 1-8 seeding structure was used, the playoff picture would remaining largely the same.

In the West, however, the Central Division is showing the problem with the current structure. Currently, three of the top five teams in the league are in the Central Division, with the Stars and Avalanche being forced to play each other in Round 1. Their picture would look totally different in a traditional seeding structure, so it does feel a bit silly having these great teams fighting it out in Round 1. I guess that’s the nature of parity, at least.

No matter how you feel about the formatting, you can’t argue with the greatness that is the Capitals, who became the first team to punch their playoff ticket this week. While they’ve largely won the Eastern Division, Alexander Ovechkin’s hunt for all-time greatness is giving the team something to continue working for. Perhaps this will be the trick to give their regular season meaning in order to roll into the playoffs firing on all cylinders?

Building to the 2025 NHL Postseason

The end of the NHL regular season can be so much fun. Every day you look at the standings and something meaningful has shifted. I’m still waiting for one of the bubble teams to finally rocket forward into contention or crash out entirely.

Time will tell who all makes it in, but over the next few weeks, the playoff picture will start coming into shape. This will be an exciting few weeks ahead as this all comes together.