There is really only one week left of power rankings before we dive into playoff hockey. It has been an interesting year to say the least with plenty of teams moving up and down the rankings.
Toronto was once embedded in the top ten and had challenged Boston for the Atlantic Division lead. Oh those days must seem so long ago for Maple Leaf fans who now watch every Detroit, Washington and Columbus game with as much interest as their beloved Spuds.
Here is how the teams shake out in the eDraft Power Rankings 21.0
30. Buffalo Sabres-Big news out of Buffalo is that the Sabres are close to inking coach Ted Nolan to a three-year extension. Yay?
29. Edmonton Oilers-An NHL jersey costs $169.95 on NHL.com. I can’t imagine how disgusted I would have to be to throw almost $200 on the ice because my team sucks. The world feels your pain Edmonton fans. We are all sorry for you.
28. Florida Panthers-The Panthers were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention this week. Season ticket sales were not affected.
27. New York Islanders-The Isles will be the next team to be sent home for the summer. The season has been a disappointment on so many levels for the long-suffering fans of Long Island. The franchise owes it to everyone to wear the Gorton’s fisherman sweaters for all of their remaining games.
26. Ottawa Senators-I find that I actually get angry when I realize how bad the Sens are and how good they should be. I’m not sure what that says about the Ottawa franchise or me.
25. Calgary Flames-The Flames season should be allowed to continue for another ten games all against playoff teams from the Western Conference. The good teams seem to bring out the best in Bob Hartley’s young club. They’re going to be a fun team to watch in a year or two.
24. Carolina Hurricanes-32 wins and 32 losses. Last ten games, five wins five losses. Yep. Welcome to Baskin Robbins, home of 31 flavors! What can I get for you? I’d like one scoop of Carolina Hurricane vanilla in a cup please.
23. Winnipeg Jets-The Jets are the team that doesn’t want something, but doesn’t want anyone else to have it either. That something seems to be the playoffs and Winnipeg seems to thrive in the spoiler role.
22. Nashville Predators-The Predators are still alive in theory, but the fat lady is coming down the hall with a big sign that reads “YOU AREN’T GOING TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!” Then she’s going to sing, and it will be time to get ready for next year. Officially.
21. New Jersey Devils-Maybe it is finally time to take Martin Brodeur out to pasture. This past week he set the NHL record for career losses and got super crotchety by ragging on career toolbag Sean Avery for his Dancing With the Stars appearance. Really Marty? That Hall of Fame career not fulfilling your life enough? How about focusing on the playoffs that are only four points away with nine games left?
20. Vancouver Canucks-Like an angry phoenix rising from the ashes of the dumpster fire, the Canucks and coach John Tortorella just won’t die. Yet. They sit only five points behind Phoenix for the final wildcard spot, but pretty much need to win their final seven games to have a prayer.
19. Toronto Maple Leafs-If Toronto and Ottawa both miss the playoffs, who gets the bragging rights? Considering that the Leafs could have and chose not to write their own ticket to the postseason, it’s a small miracle that they are still in the conversation.
18. Detroit Red Wings-Let’s keep things in perspective here and appreciate the job that coach Mike Babcock has done this year. The Wings could be the most dangerous of the wildcard teams considering they are set to get at least one (Pavel Datsyuk) of their top two players back from injury in the next week.
17. Dallas Stars-Nice going Dallas. The Stars still have two games in hand to close the gap, but they are in danger of playing themselves out of the picture completely. Losing five of their last eight games won’t get the job done.
16. Columbus Blue Jackets-Detroit and Columbus look like they are in a race to see who can lose more important games down the stretch to eliminate themselves. Each has nine games left, but six of Columbus’ nine are against teams that are in or around the playoff picture.
15. Phoenix Coyotes-The Coyotes dodged a major bullet when it was learned that goaltender Mike Smith had no structural damage in his injured knee. Regardless, the rest of the team has stepped up and gained some ground on Minnesota for the seventh spot in the Western Conference.
14. Minnesota Wild-Even though the Wild are sitting pretty comfortably ahead of Dallas and Vancouver, they seem to be holding on to their playoff position for dear life. The Wild have only three wins in their last ten games and look like they are backing in (and almost out) to the playoffs.
13. Washington Capitals-I might have more faith in the Capitals than most, but I feel like they are the team that will overtake Detroit, Columbus or even both to sneak into the postseason. With Jaroslav Halak’s arrival in Washington, Braden Holtby has elevated his game, and the Caps are a much better defensive team.
12. New York Rangers-Losses to Calgary do very little to build confidence in a team looking to make a legitimate playoff run. The Rangers have yet to develop any chemistry with Martin St. Louis which could be a serious red flag for the Rangers’ playoff hopes.
11. Philadelphia Flyers-Despite losing earlier this week in New York, Philadelphia is the better hockey team. The offense is firing on all cylinders, the defense is one of the most underrated in the NHL and the goaltending continues to hold up.
10. Montreal Canadiens-The Canadiens have won seven of their last eight and seem to find a different way to win every night. Carey Price has won five of his six decisions since returning from injury and will play a huge role in Montreal’s postseason success.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning-Tampa has not lost in regulation since Steven Stamkos returned from his broken leg. Tampa held strong while their star player recovered and could be a dark horse contender in the Eastern Conference.
8. Colorado Avalanche-The Avalanche have a window to jump past the Chicago Blackhawks in the standings and claim home ice advantage for their opening round playoff match up. They’ll need any advantage they can get on the defending champs.
7. Chicago Blackhawks-The Hawks looked lost and indifferent against Ottawa Friday night. Bet on Coach Joel Quenneville “inspiring” a better effort from his club on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
6. Pittsburgh Penguins-The Penguins have been struggling a bit lately before Friday’s 2-1 win against Columbus. While Pittsburgh has almost zero chance of catching Boston, they need to rest up for the battle to get out of their division playoffs.
5. Los Angeles Kings-Hey it’s Saturday, must be time for another Los Angeles Kings win streak. The current run has the Kings winning five straight but gaining no ground on San Jose or Anaheim. No matter what the Kings do at this point, they’re destined for a playoff date with Anaheim.
4. Anaheim Ducks-The Ducks are probably happy that they won’t have to worry about the likes of Edmonton or Calgary come playoff time. After another loss to a basement team on Friday, the Ducks squandered a chance to gain some ground on San Jose. If they’d like an easier matchup in the first round of the playoffs, they’ll need to make the most of the two games they have on the Sharks.
3. San Jose Sharks-Even though they had a chance to control their fate, the Sharks look like the deeper and ultimately better team in the Pacific Division. Better goaltending and a deeper roster should serve San Jose well.
2. St. Louis Blues-It’s getting harder to think of a scenario where St. Louis isn’t the top team in the west. They are complete top to bottom and look like a favorite to lift Lord Stanley this summer.
1. Boston Bruins-The Bruins get to hold on to the top spot in this week’s rankings. A shutout of Chicago on Thursday helped Boston become the first team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff berth. It will be interesting to see how the B’s close out the season. Of their final nine games, seven are against teams in or in contention for the playoffs.