April 3, 2023
By Tab Bamford

CHICAGO, IL — We’re into the home stretch. Less than two weeks remain in the 2022-23 NHL regular-season, and the playoff picture is still far from being decided. Races to the top of divisions – and the top of the lottery odds – are keeping things interesting around the league.

We’ll jump straight into our Power Rankings this week, the penultimate edition for the season, with a nice return from an all-time great in Chicago and finish things up with his counterpart in Boston. If this is indeed the end of the line for Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron, what an induction ceremony that will be! The only question is: who wins that faceoff?

Let us know what we got right and where we’re terribly wrong, as always!

32. Chicago Blackhawks

Toews returned to the ice over the weekend, and the Blackhawks returned to the drivers’ seat in the Bad for Bedard Sweepstakes. Welcome to absolute last place, Chicago.

31. Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim has matched Chicago’s league-worst eight-game losing streak entering Monday and still boasts the worst goal differential (minus-122) in the league. Can they squeak into the second-best lottery position before the season ends?

30. Columbus Blue Jackets

When you’re 9-23-6 away from home and 3-6-1 in your last 10 and somehow there are two teams worse than you in our Power Rankings in early April? It says more about the other two teams.

29. Arizona Coyotes

Tanking a little too late? Arizona has dropped their last seven games and their seven road wins are the fewest in the entire NHL. But their 67 points are 13 more than Chicago.

28. Washington Capitals

Goodbye playoffs. Losers of four straight and owners of a brutal 2-6-2 record in their last 10, the Caps are now looking to next season instead of chasing another postseason berth.

27. Montreal Canadiens

Losers of their last three and six of their last ten, the Habs are now just outside the top four in the draft lottery – but there’s a seven-point gap between Montreal and San Jose.

26. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks have won their last three games to improve to... 3-4-3 in their last 10. They’re the only team in the NHL that still hasn’t reached a ninth home victory, as well.

25. Philadelphia Flyers

Philly has dropped three straight and has a minus-46 goal differential on the season. And yet they’re 17-17-5 on home ice, which isn’t awful. Their 26 regulation wins are tied with St. Louis for the most among teams eliminated from the playoffs already.

24. Vancouver Canucks

With three straight losses, the Canucks fall to 5-3-2 in their last 10 and are officially eliminated. Their minus-22 goal differential is the best of the eliminated teams entering Monday, however.

23. St. Louis Blues

With back-to-back losses the Blues are still 6-2-2- in their last 10, but find themselves officially out of the playoffs. They’re 16-16-6 at home and 19-19-1 on the road.

22. Detroit Red Wings

The problems for the Wings have been away from Detroit, where they have a 19-15-4 record. They moved away from a few pieces at the deadline and the wheels fell off.

21. Ottawa Senators

The Sens’ 22 home wins are the most of any team that has appeared in our Power Rankings thus far this week. And only Washington (minus-three) has a better goal differential than Ottawa’s minus-seven. But the only consistency in their season has been their inconsistency.

20. Buffalo Sabres

They have 22 road wins, which is a ridiculous number for a team that’s out of the playoffs. But their 14-20-4 record at home is why the Sabres are planning tee times for the middle of this month.

19. Nashville Predators

The Preds are still floating around the playoff discussion in the Western Conference because the teams in front of them refuse to close the door. Nashville has as many wins (19) at home as they do on the road.

18. Pittsburgh Penguins

The last team on our Power Rankings with a negative goal differential entering the new week (minus-one), they celebrated Kris Letang’s 1,000th career game with a much-needed win. Can they do that enough to get back into the playoffs?

17. Florida Panthers

They’re back on a bit of a heater, making the playoff conversation interesting. Three straight wins has them one point back of Pittsburgh with five games left for both squads.

16. New York Islanders

Having lost their last two, they have allowed both Florida and Pittsburgh to stay too close for comfort in their rearview mirror. And they have only four games left.

15. Seattle Kraken

At just 4-4-2 in their last 10, the Kraken are in the wild card mix in the West thanks to their stellar 24-10-4 road record.

14. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games and are a strong 24-12-2 at home this season, but their inconsistent play has been obvious to everyone – including their head coach. Seattle and Calgary have another name to watch out for down the stretch.

13. Dallas Stars

At only 5-4-1 in their last 10, the Stars have allowed the conversation in the Central Division to remain wide open. They’re another team that has been surprisingly much better on the road than at home this season.

12. Calgary Flames

Winners of four straight and six of their last ten, the Flames are sneaking into a Western Conference playoff picture that’s as clear as mud.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs are only 5-3-2 in their last 10 so they slide down the rankings this week largely because so many teams are heating up heading towards the playoffs.

10. Minnesota Wild

The Wild currently own the top spot in the Central but that’s far from locked down. They have just a one-point margin on Dallas and both the Wild and Stars have the defending champs streaking up behind them.

9. New Jersey Devils

They picked up a nice win against Chicago on Saturday night, but the Devils are just 4-4-2 in their last 10 games and have allowed a sliding Carolina team to remain on top of their division.

8. Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes have won their last two but are just 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, which is why the race with New Jersey is so interesting. Maybe neither one of them wants the Rangers in the first round?

7. Colorado Avalanche

Don’t look now, but the Avs are 8-2-0 in their last 10 and are just one point back of Minnesota for the top spot in the Central with a game in-hand. The Avs are 24-11-1 on the road.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Bolts have clinched a playoff spot with 96 points and are doing their usual roll as the calendar turns to April. Three straight wins and six in their last ten is where they’re at this time of year. Their 27-7-5 home record is dangerous.

5. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings reached the 100-point mark this weekend and have won their last two. They’ve closed the gap on Vegas, but they both have a team coming behind them to watch, too.

4. Vegas Golden Knights

Like LA, Vegas is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. But their one-point lead in the Pacific is closing because...

3. Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games and might be hot enough to sprint right past both the Kings and Golden Knights for a division crown. I don’t think anyone wants the Oilers in the first round right now.

2. New York Rangers

The Rangers’ plus-54 goal differential is now the second-best mark in the entire NHL. They might not have enough runway to make up the six points they trail Carolina by before the regular season runs out, but they’re a dangerous squad right now.

1. Boston Bruins

I know we keep saying this every week, but the Bruins being 31-4-3 at home is amazing. Still. They’re playing for history with their top seed secure but they’re still 9-1-0 in their last 10.