NHL Power Rankings: Dallas Stars are shooting high as the final week arrives

Credit: © Jerome Miron

It’s almost here. In just a week’s time, the regular season will have concluded and the playoffs will be underway. A hot streak is always a bonus to have before a playoff run, and a cold streak is essential for lottery contention, so with only a few more days to go, let’s see where every team stacks up right now.

As I’ve done so far this season, I’ll be ranking teams not just on their results in the standings but also with how they’ve looked in several stats as well. Otherwise I’d just copy and paste the standings, right? No fun in that. The rankings are an aggregate of six different stats: points %, 5-on-5 goal differential, 5-on-5 xGF/60, 5-on-5 xGA/60, power play xGF/60, and shorthanded xGA/60, all coming courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. But, to ground the rankings a bit, no team can be above a team that’s more than five points ahead in the standings, regardless of where the aggregate places them. And as teams are clinching playoff spots, I’ve added another rule that teams that haven’t clinched a playoff spot can’t be ahead of teams that have.

1. Boston Bruins

Record: 63-12-5 (.819%, 1st)
5v5 Goal Differential: +81 (1st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.8 (10th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.35 (2nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.25 (12th)
PK xGA/60: 6.28 (1st)
5v5 PDO: 103.5
Previous Week: 1st (0)

The Bruins certainly want to get those regular season records, as they still can’t be stopped, winning their last six games and 12 of their last 13. They did finally get one of those though, as the most recent victory gave them win No. 63 to beat out the 1995-96 Red Wings and 2018-19 Lightning, and David Pastrnak even got a hat trick in the win to hit 60 goals on the year to boot.

2. New Jersey Devils

Record: 50-22-8 (.675%, 3rd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +42 (3rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.15 (t-2nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.37 (3rd)
PP xGF/60: 8.66 (10th)
PK xGA/60: 7.11 (4th)
5v5 PDO: 100.3
Previous Week: 3rd (+1)

The Devils started off their week well with back-to-back wins over the Penguins and Blue Jackets, but ended it with a loss to the Bruins, although at this point losing to the Bruins isn’t really a bad sign. They might get even better just in time for the playoffs, as they signed prospect and Jack Hughes’ brother Luke Hughes to give their defense another boost.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 50-20-9 (.690%, 2nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +34 (5th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.22 (1st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.08 (1st)
PP xGF/60: 8.65 (11th)
PK xGA/60: 7.27 (6th)
5v5 PDO: 99.1
Previous Week: 2nd (-1)

The Canes saw their winning streak extend to three games with a win over the Senators before it was snapped with back-to-back losses to the Predators and Sabres. It’s been part of a surprisingly inconsistent end to the season for them, although some of that is due to starter Frederik Andersen playing at just a .903 save percentage since the start of March.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 47-21-11 (.665%, 5th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +41 (4th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.94 (7th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.46 (10th)
PP xGF/60: 9.36 (6th)
PK xGA/60: 6.52 (2nd)
5v5 PDO: 101.2
Previous Week: 4th (0)

The Leafs seem to have gotten back into a bit of a groove at the right time, winning two of their three games last week, and dropping a 2-1 overtime game to the Bruins that they otherwise were the better team in. They had to have Jett Alexander as the backup on Saturday, as they needed to leave some cap space to sign Matthew Knies on Sunday, and they even let Alexander play for a minute after the Leafs already had a 7-1 lead.

The Stars have kept their hopes of winning the division alive thanks to wins in three straight games last week over the Predators, Flyers, and Golden Knights. Their star player in Robertson continues his historic season for the Stars, becoming the first player in their franchise history to hit 100 points (post-Minnesota era), and he’ll be a big reason the Stars win or lose in the playoffs this year.

6. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 48-23-9 (.656%, 8th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +21 (12th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.98 (t-5th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.51 (12th)
PP xGF/60: 10.17 (1st)
PK xGA/60: 7.98 (17th)
5v5 PDO: 100.5
Previous Week: 5th (-1)

The Oilers have been tough to beat these days, winning seven in a row now as they keep chasing the Golden Knights for first in the Pacific and the West. They also saw some players hit big milestones this week, with Connor McDavid becoming the sixth player ever to hit the 150 point mark, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hit a measly 100 points.

7. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 49-22-9 (.669%, 4th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +24 (11th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.67 (t-16th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.49 (11th)
PP xGF/60: 8.91 (8th)
PK xGA/60: 7.63 (14th)
5v5 PDO: 101.2
Previous Week: 8th (+1)

The Golden Knights split their four games last week, which haven’t cost them first place in the Pacific Division just yet, but also prevented them from running away with it to give them some breathing room from the streaking Oilers. Losing Jack Eichel in their most recent game doesn’t help, especially since they lost to the Stars as a result.

8. New York Rangers

Record: 47-21-12 (.662%, 6th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +30 (8th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.56 (22nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.59 (13th)
PP xGF/60: 9.92 (3rd)
PK xGA/60: 7.52 (12th)
5v5 PDO: 101.4
Previous Week: 7th (-1)

The Rangers have now won three of their last four games, and suddenly they’re making a push for the Metropolitan Division title with the Canes and Devils being slightly inconsistent. And by that, I mean playing roughly .500 hockey, which goes to show how good this division is that the Canes and Devils playing fine still allows the Rangers to catch up.

9. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 45-25-10 (.625%, 11th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +9 (t-14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.68 (15th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.38 (4th)
PP xGF/60: 7.82 (19th)
PK xGA/60: 7.3 (7th)
5v5 PDO: 98.9
Previous Week: 6th (-3)

The Kings’ hot streak is well in the rearview mirror at this point, as they dropped all three games last week against the Oilers, Golden Knights, and Avalanche. That’s going to drop them a few spots on the list as well, as suddenly this team that was looking like the best in the West finds itself quite cold with the playoffs right around the corner.

10. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 49-24-6 (.658%, 7th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +26 (9th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.69 (14th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.42 t-7th)
PP xGF/60: 8.03 (15th)
PK xGA/60: 8.11 (19th)
5v5 PDO: 100.9
Previous Week: 12th (+2)

The Avs find themselves on yet another late-season hot streak, winning five in a row and eight of their last nine to put themselves in a favorable position to win the Central Division. That seemed like a pipedream at one point with all the injuries they’ve had to deal with, although recent reports state that Cale Makar’s current injury may be more severe than anticipated, and Gabriel Landeskog still isn’t quite close to returning, so the injury problems aren’t done yet.

11. Minnesota Wild

Record: 45-24-10 (.633%, 10th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +7 (16th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.48 (23rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.42 (t-7th)
PP xGF/60: 8.96 (7th)
PK xGA/60: 7.4 (9th)
5v5 PDO: 100.7
Previous Week: 11th (0)

It wasn’t the best week for the Wild’s chase for the top seed in the Central Division, as they started off the week by extending their losing streak to three games with losses to the Golden Knights and Penguins. They did snap it with a 5-3 win over the Blues that also saw the return of superstar Kirill Kaprizov to the lineup, although they did also lose Joel Eriksson Ek in that final loss to the Penguins.

12. Seattle Kraken

Record: 45-26-8 (.620%, 12th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +50 (2nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.59 (20th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.39 (6th)
PP xGF/60: 6.8 (26th)
PK xGA/60: 7.45 (11th)
5v5 PDO: 101.1
Previous Week: 15th (+3)

While their playoff spot was far from in doubt, the Kraken didn’t seem to want to take any risks last week, as they are currently riding a four-game winning streak. That streak has managed to prevent the risk entirely, as it got the franchise their first ever playoff appearance in just their second season.

13. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 45-29-6 (.600%, 13th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +9 (t-14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.86 (8th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.62 (16th)
PP xGF/60: 7.9 (17th)
PK xGA/60: 8.38 (22nd)
5v5 PDO: 100.5
Previous Week: 9th (-4)

Just when it seemed like the Lightning were on a heater to potentially steal home ice advantage in their upcoming series with the Maple Leafs, they dropped three straight games last week to secure a start on the road in the playoffs. Part of that has been due to the insane amount of injuries that they’ve had to deal with, as Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Tanner Jeannot, and Pat Maroon all got hurt at some point last week, with Jeannot’s injury looking to be a bit more severe.

14. Calgary Flames

Record: 37-27-16 (.563%, t-17th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +12 (13th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.98 (t-5th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.38 (4th)
PP xGF/60: 8.09 (14th)
PK xGA/60: 6.74 (3rd)
5v5 PDO: 98.1
Previous Week: 13th (-1)

I think this past week may be the most appropriate one to summarize the Flames season. They took care of business with their most important game last week with a 3-1 win over the Jets, but then squandered any chance to pull ahead in the West playoff race by dropping games to the Blackhawks and the Canucks, and now they’re a point behind with one fewer game to play.

15. Florida Panthers

Record: 42-31-7 (.569%, t-15th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +33 (6th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.15 (t-2nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.66 (t-18th)
PP xGF/60: 9.94 (2nd)
PK xGA/60: 7.95 (16th)
5v5 PDO: 100.4
Previous Week: 14th (-1)

The Panthers have now won six games in a row, and have not only made a comeback into the playoff conversation that seemed unlikely at one point, they’ve managed to put themselves in the drivers’ seat in the first Eastern Conference Wild card spot. If they win, they’re in for sure, and most likely won’t have to worry about playing the Bruins in the first round either.

16. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 44-32-3 (.576%, 14th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +6 (17th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.74 (12th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.61 (t-14th)
PP xGF/60: 8.02 (16th)
PK xGA/60: 7.41 (10th)
5v5 PDO: 100.4
Previous Week: 16th (0)

The Jets had two games with a big impact on the Western wild card race, keeping the Flames in the conversation by losing that game 3-1, but then followed it up with a big win over the Predators to at least distance themselves from them. That gives them a point on the Flames and three points on the Predators for the final Western Conference Wild card, a bit of a cushion but far from safe.

17. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 40-30-10 (.563%, t-17th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -1 (18th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.09 (4th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.65 (17th)
PP xGF/60: 8.89 (9th)
PK xGA/60: 8.1 (18th)
5v5 PDO: 99.4
Previous Week: 17th (0)

The Pens are fighting for their playoff lives and every point counts, as even winning three of their last four hasn’t allowed them to gain any advantage on the Panthers or Islanders. That does mean that we get a little bit of the Sidney Crosby show as he tries to keep them in the hunt, including a three-point game on Saturday to get him to the 1,500 point milestone.

18. New York Islanders

Record: 41-30-9 (.569%, t-15th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +31 (7th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.65 (19th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.75 (23rd)
PP xGF/60: 7.3 (t-23rd)
PK xGA/60: 8.39 (t-23rd)
5v5 PDO: 101.7
Previous Week: 18th (0)

The Islanders only got into two games last week, but they made sure to keep up in the tightening playoff race in the East by taking both games in dominant fashion, besting the Lightning and Flyers by a combined 10-1 score. Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat had solid weeks with four points each in the two games, with the latter seeming to be enjoying his time on Long Island as well, or at least based on his post-game comments on Saturday.

Bo Horvat on #Islesnation and playing at UBS Arena 🥶🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/thCi6q7OxC

— Isles on MSGSN (@IslesMSGN) April 9, 2023

19. Ottawa Senators

Record: 38-35-7 (.519%, 21st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -28 (t-25th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.78 (11th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.66 (t-18th)
PP xGF/60: 9.69 (4th)
PK xGA/60: 8.35 (21st)
5v5 PDO: 98.1
Previous Week: 19th (0)

A four-game losing streak for the Senators saw their playoff chances officially fall to zero, even if they salvaged last week with a strong 7-4 win over the Lightning. It was probably for the best anyways, they likely wouldn’t have gone too far with both Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun out for the season (although they probably could have made it back in later rounds if they went that far).

20. Nashville Predators

Record: 40-31-8 (.557%, 19th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -4 (19th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.58 (21st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.86 (27th)
PP xGF/60: 7.3 (t-23rd)
PK xGA/60: 8.42 (25th)
5v5 PDO: 100.7
Previous Week: 20th (0)

The Preds playoff chances mostly came down to one game against the Jets, and they ended up losing that game 2-0. That basically makes the previous three wins in four games moot, as while not impossible, they need a lot to go their way in order to make the playoffs. Monday’s game against the Flames is going to be huge for them.

21. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 35-34-10 (.506%, t-22nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -28 (t-25th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.2 (t-29th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.61 (t-14th)
PP xGF/60: 7.23 (25th)
PK xGA/60: 7.62 (13th)
5v5 PDO: 99.5
Previous Week: 22nd (+1)

After back-to-back wins to start the week, the Wings dropped their next two games to the Sabres and Penguins. They’re now eliminated from playoff contention, but they have plenty to build on with this late run, especially with one of their younger guys in Lucas Raymond rebounding late in the season with a hot streak of six points in his last four games.

22. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 39-32-7 (.545%, 20th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -9 (21st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.66 (18th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.82 (25th)
PP xGF/60: 6.64 (27th)
PK xGA/60: 9.16 (29th)
5v5 PDO: 99.7
Previous Week: 23rd (+1)

The odds may not be that likely, but the Sabres playoff hopes are still alive according to the math thanks to wins in four of their last five, and six of their last eight. Finally getting Tage Thompson back has been a big help after he’d missed more than a week, and he even hit the 45-goal mark to boot.

23. Washington Capitals

Record: 34-36-9 (.487%, 25th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -11 (22nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.67 (t-16th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.66 (t-18th)
PP xGF/60: 7.55 (21st)
PK xGA/60: 8.39 (t-23rd)
5v5 PDO: 99.3
Previous Week: 21st (-2)

The Capitals definitely seem checked out at this point of the season, as they’ve now dropped their last six games, including losses to the Canadiens and Panthers last week. With Alex Ovechkin missing some time with an injury, they may not even be able to chip away at their not-so-secret goal of getting Ovi the all-time goal record.

24. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 36-36-7 (.500%, 24th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -18 (23rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.38 (t-24th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.73 (22nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.16 (13th)
PK xGA/60: 8.78 (27th)
5v5 PDO: 99.7
Previous Week: 24th (0)

The Canucks started off last week by extending their losing streak to four games with a loss to the Kraken before snapping it with back-to-back wins over the Blackhawks and Flames. It helped that Thatcher Demko’s only two games last week were in those two wins, as he was almost unbeatable by stopping 74 of the 76 shots he faced, along with a shutout.

25. St. Louis Blues

Record: 37-36-7 (.506%, t-22nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -7 (20th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.34 (26th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.89 (28th)
PP xGF/60: 5.87 (31st)
PK xGA/60: 8.27 (20th)
5v5 PDO: 100.7
Previous Week: 25th (0)

The Blues kept at this recent .500 stretch of hockey by taking two of their three games last week, beating the Flyers and the Rangers to start the week before finishing off the week with a loss to the Wild. They’ve also gotten into shutdown mode for the season, even with some of their players, as Marco Scandella and Thomas Greiss won’t be returning this year due to their injuries.

26. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 29-38-13 (.444%, 26th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -23 (24th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.38 (t-24th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.68 (21st)
PP xGF/60: 5.77 (32nd)
PK xGA/60: 8.73 (26th)
5v5 PDO: 99.1
Previous Week: 26th (0)

The Flyers have now lost seven games in a row after last week saw them drop matches to the Blues, Stars, Islanders, and Bruins. It’s certainly getting heated in the dressing room as well, with Tony DeAngelo being a healthy scratch for three straight games, all without so much as a conversation from John Tortorella.

27. Arizona Coyotes

Record: 28-39-13 (.431%, 27th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -31 (27th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.16 (31st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.84 (26th)
PP xGF/60: 5.9 (30th)
PK xGA/60: 9.63 (31st)
5v5 PDO: 100.4
Previous Week: 27th (0)

The Coyotes saw their losing streak extend to nine games before they finally put an end to it on Saturday – by beating one of the few teams worse than them in the Anaheim Ducks. That won’t put them anywhere close to the top spot for lottery odds, as they’re still 13 points ahead of the last place Blue Jackets and Blackhawks.

28. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 31-43-6 (.425%, 28th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -33 (28th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.25 (28th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.01 (30th)
PP xGF/60: 6.29 (28th)
PK xGA/60: 9.34 (30th)
5v5 PDO: 99.8
Previous Week: 28th (0)

The Canadiens played in three consecutive blow outs last week, losing 5-0 to the Red Wings on Tuesday, beating the Capitals 6-2 on Thursday, and then suffering the worst one on Saturday in a 7-1 blowout loss to the Maple Leafs. And while many thought it was a cool moment for the Leafs to let Jett Alexander play at the end of that 7-1 blowout and experience some NHL action, Chris Wideman disagreed.

“They’ll get what they deserve in a few weeks,” … Habs Chris Wideman on #Leafs bringing in ATO Jett Alexander

— Kevin McGran (@kevin_mcgran) April 9, 2023

29. San Jose Sharks

Record: 22-41-16 (.380%, 29th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -46 (29th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.81 (9th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.76 (24th)
PP xGF/60: 7.51 (22nd)
PK xGA/60: 7.31 (8th)
5v5 PDO: 98.1
Previous Week: 29th (0)

The Sharks have reverted to their losing ways after a hot streak last week, losing three straight to keep themselves alive in the lottery race, although it will still be tough to drop down to last with how bad the other three teams are playing. They’ve also been losing a few players in these final days, with Nikita Okhotiuk, Tomas Hertl, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic all getting hurt this week, with the former of the three out for the year.

30. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 25-48-6 (.354%, t-31st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -74 (30th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.05 (32nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.93 (29th)
PP xGF/60: 6.01 (29th)
PK xGA/60: 7.79 (15th)
5v5 PDO: 98.5
Previous Week: 31st (+1)

The Blackhawks managed to put an end to their eight-game losing streak by being a massive spoiler for the Flames with a 4-3 win on Tuesday, but then they went back to losing with back-to-back defeats to the Canucks and Kraken. That win could prove to be costly in the tank battle, as they are currently “trailing” the Blue Jackets by a tiebreaker.

31. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 24-47-8 (.354%, t-31st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -86 (32nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.31 (27th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.05 (3st)
PP xGF/60: 7.85 (18th)
PK xGA/60: 8.83 (28th)
5v5 PDO: 97.7
Previous Week: 30th (-1)

The tanking battle is getting intense, with every team not giving an inch in the lottery race, including the Blue Jackets, who’ve lost seven of their last eight games. The lone bright spot of this stretch was the performance of rookie goalie Jet Greaves, who, even in a loss to the Leafs, still managed to stop 46 of 49 shots in the game.

32. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 23-45-12 (.362%, 30th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -82 (31st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.2 (t-29th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.52 (32nd)
PP xGF/60: 7.64 (20th)
PK xGA/60: 9.97 (32nd)
5v5 PDO: 99
Previous Week: 32nd (0)

The Ducks have done about as much as they can keeping themselves in the lottery race, as they’ve now lost 11 straight games. Unfortunately, the other lottery contenders are no different, so just by simply getting overtime points in their last two games, they’ve actually moved out of last and into 30th, two points ahead of both the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets.

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