April 4, 2024
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — Anybody have the license plates from the gong show between the Rangers and Devils on Wednesday night? If anything screams April hockey this season, it’s a game-opening line brawl the likes of which we haven’t seen in the NHL in years.

There are still a handful of teams that are fighting that hard for a playoff spot, while others are checking their flight arrangements and tee times already. It’s noticeable which teams are ready for the offseason, who’s trying to finish strong, and who really, desperately, wants Macklin Celebrini.

Before we get the Frozen Four started and someone else gets tossed from the Devils-Rangers game, let’s jump into our Power Rankings. We’ve got two weeks left in the regular-season.

As always, let us know what we got right and which team we massively disrespected this week.

32. San Jose Sharks

The worst team in the league continues to cement their spot at the top of the lottery odds. The Sharks are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games and now sit seven points clear of Chicago for the worst record in the league with two weeks remaining.

31. Anaheim Ducks

At the rate they’re losing, they might be here in the standings by the end of the regular-season. Chicago got relatively hot and Anaheim is 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.

30. Calgary Flames

They had their lunches handed to them in Chicago last week and are just 3-7-0 in their last 10 games. They sold at the deadline and now the dividends – read: losses – are starting to arrive.

29. Chicago Blackhawks

At 5-5-0 in their last 10, the Blackhawks are once again winning at the potential expense of lottery balls. But they’re okay with that, because they already have Connor Bedard this time.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets

It’s been a year filled with injuries and upheaval in Columbus. The new front office is going to have a lot of decisions to make this summer. The Jackets have a minus-56 goal differential and they’re only 3-5-2 in their last 10 games.

27. Arizona Coyotes

The Yotes are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games and had the emotional Doan debut to highlight their final stretch, but this summer looks like one in which off-ice issues take top billing in the desert.

26. Philadelphia Flyers

Torts has been candid about some of his coaching decisions of late, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Flyers enter Thursday riding a league-worst five-game losing streak. They’re only 2-5-3 in their last 10 games.

25. Montreal Canadiens

Still not yet eliminated from the playoffs (officially) entering Thursday, the Habs are 5-3-2 in their last 10. But the 15-18-4 home record isn’t going to work next year. They need to get healthy and better.

24. Seattle Kraken

The Kraken are 3-6-1 in their last 10 and have officially kissed the postseason goodbye this year. They, too, are under .500 on home ice and have 13 overtime/shootout losses this season.

23. Pittsburgh Penguins

This is going to be a long, hard off season for the Pens and their front office. They went for it last summer and it backfired. And they’re winning just enough that their top-ten protected first-round pick is going to miss that benchmark without the lottery helping and wind up in San Jose.

22. Ottawa Senators

The start of the season was a trainwreck for the Sens and they never recovered. But they’re playing better lately, winning six of their last ten. With a 13-21-2 record on the road, that’s an area that needs to be addressed this summer.

21. Detroit Red Wings

Can they sneak into the playoffs? Maybe. But they’re going to have to finish the season better than the 4-4-2 they’ve been in their last 10 games. The Wings are 21-22-5 at home this season.

20. Washington Capitals

Riding a three-game losing streak entering Thursday, the Caps are still 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. The Caps’ minus-35 goal differential as a team is a surprise for sure.

19. New Jersey Devils

Also losers of three straight, they lost the fight(s) and the game to the Rangers on Wednesday night. A disappointing season continues to leave a lot to be desired for the Devils and their fans.

18. Buffalo Sabres

The definition of a .500 team this season, the Sabres are 19-19-1 at home, 17-16-4 on the road and 5-5-0 in their last 10 games. They didn’t take the big step forward this season many expected.

17. New York Islanders

Another in the group of Eastern Conference teams thinking about maybe making the playoffs if they can get their act together in time, the Isles are just 4-5-1 in their last 10 but are hanging around because other teams are allowing them to.

16. Minnesota Wild

At 6-1-3 in their last 10, the Wild are trying to make things interesting in the Central Division. But did they wait too long to make this push? They’re three points back of St. Louis and nine points back of the Preds.

15. St. Louis Blues

They’re still ahead of the Wild because the Blues are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. But they have a minus-10 goal differential for the season and are under .500 on the road.

14. Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have a plus-50 goal differential and are 25-8-3 at home this season, but they’re allowing the Pacific to be interesting because of a 5-3-2 stretch over their last 10 games.

13. Florida Panthers

Based on their overall record, they should be much higher. But the Panthers are limping to the finish line right now; they’re 2-7-1 in their last 10 games and have lost their last two. We’ll see if they can turn things around before the postseason begins.

12. Nashville Predators

Loses of three straight, the Preds are allowing there to still be a conversation about the fourth spot in the Central and a wild card berth. They’re 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

11. Los Angeles Kings

With the Preds, the Kings are allowing the wild card conversation to be interesting much longer than it probably should be. With 11 OT/SO losses, only one team in our Power Rankings this week have more negative results after regulation.

10. Winnipeg Jets

At just 4-5-1 in their last 10, they have allowed the Preds to stay in the rearview mirror. They’re 21-13-3 on the road, however, and have a plus-41 goal differential.

9. Vancouver Canucks

At 25-9-4 in Vancouver, the Canucks have been stellar at home. But they’re 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and have to keep an eye on their motivation more than the rest of the Pacific before the playoffs begin.

8. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Bolts are doing what the Bolts have done seemingly every year for the past decade. They’re 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and are now just four points back of Toronto with seven games to play.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews is doing incredible things, but they need to round out their team game quickly. The Leafs are 5-4-1 in their last 10 and need to get a healthy Mitch Marner on the ice for the postseason.

6. Vegas Golden Knights

Winners of their last three, Vegas has a plus-25 goal differential and is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.

5. Boston Bruins

The Bruins have 15 OT/SO losses this year, a seemingly remarkable number for a team that has 103 points with six games remaining in their regular season. The Bs are 23-9-6 at home.

4. Colorado Avalanche

At 7-2-1 in their last 10, the Avs would feel great about having clinched a playoff berth if they weren’t still looking up at a team in the Central. They’re five points back of Dallas with seven games left (they have one in-hand on the Stars).

3. Dallas Stars

It speaks to how well the top three teams in our Power Rankings are playing right now that each has won eight of their last ten. Dallas is 8-2-0 in their last 10 and have won their last eight games in a row.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

They went for it at the deadline and it appears to be paying off. The Canes are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and have a plus-56 goal differential, which is the same as Vancouver and better than Colorado and Edmonton.

1. New York Rangers

Want to play physical? They’re good. Want to play up and down? They’re fine. The Rangers are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, they’re 27-10-0 at Madison Square Garden and have an NHL-best 106 points entering Thursday.