April 8, 2022
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — We’ll start this week’s Power Rankings with some special recognition of a couple retirements.

First, congratulations to Marian Hossa. The Hall of Famers signed a one-day contract with the Chicago Blackhawks and officially retired as a member of the organization on Thursday. The team then announced they’re going to retire his No. 81 next season.

Ryan Getzlaf announced this will be his final season, ending his Hall of Fame career entirely in Anaheim. He’s been the face of that franchise since he was drafted and will go down as the greatest player to wear the Ducks sweater. His number, like Hossa’s, will end up in the rafters some day soon.  

Once again, this week, we aren’t going to spend much time on the teams that have been officially eliminated from the playoffs. But there are still a few struggling teams at the bottom of our rankings with “hope” according to the math, so we’ll chime in on their seasons to date.

Let’s jump in. As always, let us know what we got wrong and where we might be right.

[View the Power Rankings from Week 21]

32. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks aren’t eliminated… yet. But they lost home games to Arizona and Seattle this week to extend their current losing streak to six – the longest active losing skid in the NHL.

31. New Jersey Devils

30. Arizona Coyotes

29. Montreal Canadiens

28. Seattle Kraken

27. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks aren’t out yet because they’re in the Western Conference, but they’re close enough thanks to a five-game losing streak. We’re all thinking about Doug Wilson as he officially steps away to take care of his health. He’s always been a class act and we’re hoping for the best.

26. Philadelphia Flyers

25. Ottawa Senators

24. Buffalo Sabres

23. Detroit Red Wings

Detroit will be the next Eastern Conference team to get the e- next to their name in the standings. They’re 3-5-2 in their last ten (including wins in their last two) and now boast a minus-67 goal differential.

22. Anaheim Ducks

Ryan Getzlaf announcing this will be his last season is, now, an official signal that the page is turning in Anaheim. They’re 1-7-2 in their last 10.

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets are 2-5-3 in their last 10 and have a minus-38 goal differential this season. At least they can look forward to having Chicago’s first round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (assuming the Blackhawks don’t end up with a top-two pick).

20. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets have had an opportunity all season to make noise in a messy divisional race but have refused to take advantage. They have a minus-four goal differential on the year and are 5-5-0 in their last 10.

19. Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks have won their last two but are just 4-3-3 in their last 10. The fact that they’re 20-14-4 on the road and just 14-14-6 at home is troublesome; they have to be better in their own barn.

18. New York Islanders

The Islanders have rallied but it’s a case of too little, too late. They’ve scored only 192 goals in 69 games this season, but still have a positive goal differential (+3).

17. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have been sliding the wrong direction for a couple weeks and have allowed Vegas to hang around the playoff picture longer than they probably should have. They’re down to a plus-one goal differential.

16. Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas has won seven of their last ten and are still within four points of the Kings with ten games remaining on the schedule.

15. Dallas Stars

Even with a goal differential that’s still in the red, the Stars are 22-9-2 at home this season. They’ve won seven of their last ten and get Chicago this weekend in a must-win.

14. Nashville Predators

They’re 22-11-0 on their home ice and have won six of their last ten. Roman Josi is having a historic season and could skate away with the Norris – and Hart votes? – this year.

13. Pittsburgh Penguins

We’ve arrived at the time of year where a bad week can hurt your playoff position and our power rankings. The Pens have lost three in a row and are 4-5-1 in their last 10, allowing the Rangers to pull away in the division.

12. Washington Capitals

Another team that’s dramatically better on the road (21-7-5) than they are at home (17-15-5). Maybe they want to play more games away from Washington in the playoffs?

11. Tampa Bay Lightning

Losers of their last three but assured of a playoff berth, the Bolts are just waiting for the tournament to start to turn it on… right?

10. Edmonton Oilers

Thanks to the Kings and Knights leaving the door open, the Oilers have climbed into the playoff picture in the Pacific. They’re 7-2-1 in their last 10 and now have a plus-26 goal differential.

9. St. Louis Blues

The Blues have won their last three and are a stellar 23-9-4 at home. They’ll be a hand full in the playoffs for whomever they land in the first round.

8. Minnesota Wild

Minnesota sits just one point ahead of St. Louis but have a game in-hand and are 8-1-1 in their last 10. They’ve rolled to 24-7-2 at home and enter the weekend with the same number of goals scored (254) as the Blues.

7. Boston Bruins

The Bruins have 22 wins at home and on the road this season and have won their last seven games. They get a shot at the two-time defending champs on Friday night in a playoff tune-up.

6. Calgary Flames

Calgary now owns the third-best goal differential in the NHL (plus-72) thanks to allowing a league-low 177 goals. They’re strongly positioned to make a deep run in the Western Conference.

5. New York Rangers

The Rangers’ physical win on Thursday night put them on the cusp of being a 100-point team this season. Chris Kreider has had the best season of his career.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews has absolutely lived up to the hype this season, and the record books will remember his 2021-22 season. The question is if the Leafs have enough for a historic postseason as well.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

One of three teams to have a playoff berth officially clinched entering Friday and 100 points in the standings, the Canes have gone 5-3-2 in their last 10 but are still 26-6-4 at home.

2. Florida Panthers

Winners of five straight and the owners of the best goal differential in the NHL (+84) in just 70 games, the Panthers have every right to claim the title of best team in the East.

1. Colorado Avalanche

They have a league-leading 106 points and are 8-1-1 in their last 10. They’re easily the best team in the Western Conference and have their eyes set on bigger things than just winning a division title.