NHL Power Rankings: Franchise-record point streak catapults Los Angeles Kings into top five

Credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea

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After staying relatively static for weeks, the top 10 has seen a drastic overhaul this week as we rapidly approach the playoffs. Not only did the Hurricanes not pass the Bruins, they’ve been dethroned from second, the Stars have finally been knocked out of the fifth spot they’ve held almost all season, and the Kings have jumped up in their place all the way from ninth. All this chaos has happened at the least expected time, but we’ll take chaos nonetheless.

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, although I feel like the five-point rule will prevent that from coming into play anyways.

1. Boston Bruins

Record: 57-11-5 (.815%, 1st)
5v5 Goal Differential: +82 (1st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.8 (10th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.35 (t-2nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.31 (13th)
PK xGA/60: 6.37 (1st)
5v5 PDO: 104
Previous Week: 1st (0)

The Bruins have had more 5+ win streaks than they have back-to-back losses this season, as they’ve put together another one with wins in their last seven games. That’s allowed them to secure the top spot in the Atlantic Division, with the Eastern Conference and Presidents’ Trophy only four points away.

2. New Jersey Devils

Record: 46-19-8 (.685%, 3rd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +39 (3rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.14 (2nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.39 (t-5th)
PP xGF/60: 8.81 (9th)
PK xGA/60: 7.31 (5th)
5v5 PDO: 100.3
Previous Week: 3rd (+1)

The Devils found themselves in quite the slump, with a stretch of five losses in six games, including their first two games last week against the Wild and Sabres. It doesn’t matter, though, as they still clinched their first playoff spot since 2018 thanks to the Panthers’ loss to the Rangers, and then sealed it off with a win of their own against the Senators.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 47-16-9 (.715%, 2nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: +35 (5th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.2 (1st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.09 (1st)
PP xGF/60: 8.54 (11th)
PK xGA/60: 7.44 (8th)
5v5 PDO: 99.4
Previous Week: 2nd (-1)

While they Hurricanes split their games last week, they still got points in three of the four, beating the Rangers and the Leafs while losing in a shootout to the Bruins. They also managed to get a playoff spot clinched thanks to the Panthers losing streak, not that it was ever in doubt for the Canes anyways.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 44-20-9 (.664%, 5th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +38 (4th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.89 (7th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.47 (9th)
PP xGF/60: 9.37 (6th)
PK xGA/60: 6.6 (2nd)
5v5 PDO: 101.5
Previous Week: 4th (0)

Five-game road trips across two time zones are never fun, but the Leafs came out with a 3-2 record that I’m sure they’ll take, even with an ugly 7-2 loss to the Islanders to start the week. That didn’t stop them from being the laughing stock of the league as per usual, as U.S. President Joe Biden of all people took a shot at them while visiting Canada last week.

5. Los Angeles Kings

Record: 43-20-10 (.658%, t-6th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +13 (12th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.73 (13th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.35 (t-2nd)
PP xGF/60: 7.78 (20th)
PK xGA/60: 7.33 (6th)
5v5 PDO: 98.9
Previous Week: 9th (+4)

The Kings added to their point streak last week with three more wins, routing the Flames 8-2, besting the Jets 4-1, and outscoring the Blues 7-6. That puts the point streak to 12 games, which is the new franchise record in Los Angeles, and jumps them all the way up to the top five.

6. New York Rangers

Record: 43-20-10 (.658%, t-6th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +22 (t-7th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.54 (22nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.58 (14th)
PP xGF/60: 9.86 (2nd)
PK xGA/60: 7.49 (10th)
5v5 PDO: 101.1
Previous Week: 6th (0)

The offense hasn’t been quite as dominant, but going 8-1-1 in their last 10 has shown the hockey world that the Rangers will be a serious threat now that the new additions are clicking. Ironically, their one regulation loss in that span came when Ryan Lindgren returned to the lineup after an 11-game absence, and then he proceeded to miss the other two games last week.

7. Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 46-21-6 (.671%, 4th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +20 (10th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.67 (16th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.5 (t-10th)
PP xGF/60: 8.66 (10th)
PK xGA/60: 7.65 (15th)
5v5 PDO: 101
Previous Week: 7th (0)

A trip to Western Canada was just what the Golden Knights needed, as they took all three games against the Canucks, Flames, and Oilers in close fashion to extend their win streak to four games. They also finally got rookie goalie Logan Thompson back in the lineup, although he didn’t even make it through one game before getting hurt again.

The Stars lost two of their last three games and four of their last six overall, and suddenly they’ve not only fallen out of the top spot in the Central that they’ve held down for a while, they’ve dropped to third in the division. They did get Tyler Seguin back earlier in the week, so that’s a boost to their offense that will definitely help them down the stretch as they look to regain first place.

9. Edmonton Oilers

Record: 41-23-9 (.623%, 11th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +12 (13th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.93 (6th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.51 (12th)
PP xGF/60: 10.05 (1st)
PK xGA/60: 8.18 (19th)
5v5 PDO: 100.3
Previous Week: 8th (-1)

The Oilers kept their hot streak going with seven wins in their last eight after beating the Sharks and Coyotes to start last week, but saw that come to an end when the Golden Knights came to town on Saturday. McDavid hit another bonkers milestone as well by scoring his 60th of the season and becoming the fastest player in the cap era to hit the total.

10. Minnesota Wild

Record: 42-22-9 (.637%, 9th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +9 (16th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.5 (23rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.36 (4th)
PP xGF/60: 9.01 (7th)
PK xGA/60: 7.45 (9th)
5v5 PDO: 100.6
Previous Week: 10th (0)

One point streak ends, another one begins, as the Wild have points in four straight games now, although it’s not quite to the level of their previous 14-game streak. Filip Gustavsson has been the best goalie in the league since the start of that first streak, with a 7-1-3 record and a .944% save percentage in that span.

11. Seattle Kraken

Record: 40-24-8 (.611%, 12th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +43 (2nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.59 (21st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.46 (8th)
PP xGF/60: 6.59 (27th)
PK xGA/60: 7.62 (t-12th)
5v5 PDO: 101.1
Previous Week: 14th (+3)

The Kraken busted their mini-slump by taking five of a possible six points last week, including a 5-4 win over the Stars and a big 7-2 blowout over a Preds team that was slowly catching up to them. McCann continues to be one of their best players with five points last week, while Matty Beniers got his 20th goal and 50th point on Saturday.

12. Colorado Avalanche

Record: 43-23-6 (.639%, 8th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +17 (11th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.61 (20th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.42 (7th)
PP xGF/60: 7.89 (18th)
PK xGA/60: 8.21 (20th)
5v5 PDO: 100.7
Previous Week: 12th (0)

The Avs had a brief hiccup that ended their five-game winning streak with that 5-2 loss to the Penguins, but that didn’t completely stop them, as they beat the Coyotes twice to make it seven wins in eight games. They got even more reinforcements over the week as well, with Cale Makar, Erik Johnson, and Evan Rodrigues all returning at some point over the last week – perfect timing as the playoffs approach.

13. Winnipeg Jets

Record: 41-30-3 (.574%, 14th)
5v5 Goal Differential: 0 (17th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.69 (14th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.6 (16th)
PP xGF/60: 8.17 (14th)
PK xGA/60: 7.53 (11th)
5v5 PDO: 100.2
Previous Week: 13th (0)

The Jets started to snap their slump with back-to-back wins over the Coyotes and Ducks, but then ended the week with a 4-1 loss to the Kings. Even with teams switching around them, the Jets stay in the same spot for now, as they aren’t as hot as the Kraken, but aren’t nearly as cold as the Lightning either.

14. Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 42-26-6 (.608%, 13th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +10 (t-14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.85 (8th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.59 (15th)
PP xGF/60: 7.87 (19th)
PK xGA/60: 8.3 (22nd)
5v5 PDO: 100.4
Previous Week: 11th (-3)

While the Lightning are far from being in danger of losing out on a playoff spot, a four-game losing streak isn’t ideal if they’re hoping to get home ice advantage in the first round. That’s dropped them a few spots, and suddenly they’re the lowest they’ve been on this list since the start of the season when they hadn’t quite adjusted to the new lineup, and they could have been as low 17th based on the aggregate.

15. Calgary Flames

Record: 33-26-15 (.547%, 18th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +10 (t-14th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.96 (5th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.39 (t-5th)
PP xGF/60: 8.32 (12th)
PK xGA/60: 6.86 (3rd)
5v5 PDO: 98.1
Previous Week: 15th (0)

The Flames keep flirting with disaster, as not only did they split their games this week, they lost both games against playoff teams that they’re trying to catch up to in the Kings and Golden Knights. They’ve been missing an important piece on the blueline in Chris Tanev as well, so it just keeps getting worse in Calgary.

16. Florida Panthers

Record: 36-30-7 (.541%, 19th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +22 (t-7th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.13 (3rd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.67 (t-19th)
PP xGF/60: 9.8 (3rd)
PK xGA/60: 7.64 (14th)
5v5 PDO: 99.9
Previous Week: 16th (0)

Just as the Panthers were really making a playoff push, that came to a halt with a three-game losing streak last week, including one to a significantly worse team in the Flyers. They stay in the same spot as last week’s ranking, although almost everybody behind them also stayed the same, so that definitely isn’t because of the Panthers’ recent play.

17. Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 36-27-10 (.562%, 15th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -5 (t-19th)
5v5 xGF/60: 3.1 (4th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.67 (t-19th)
PP xGF/60: 8.99 (8th)
PK xGA/60: 8.37 (25th)
5v5 PDO: 99.2
Previous Week: 17th (0)

The Penguins snapped their four-game losing streak thanks to two wins in three games, with a shocking 5-2 victory over the Avalanche and then a tighter 4-3 win over the Capitals to end the week to keep up in the playoff race. However, they have another postseason issue to worry about, as with Tristan Jarry missing a game last week, his injury history from playoffs past is surely setting off some alarms in Pittsburgh at the moment.

18. New York Islanders

Record: 37-28-9 (.561%, 16th)
5v5 Goal Differential: +25 (6th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.66 (t-17th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.76 (24th)
PP xGF/60: 7.44 (23rd)
PK xGA/60: 8.33 (24th)
5v5 PDO: 101.5
Previous Week: 18th (0)

The Islanders started off last week well with a 7-2 blowout over the Leafs to extend their winning streak to three games, but then dropped two straight games to teams outside of the playoff picture. Those losses could be severe for them down the road, as it’s keeping quite a few teams behind them in the playoff race even as they’re also struggling.

19. Ottawa Senators

Record: 35-33-5 (.514%, t-21st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -28 (t-27th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.74 (t-11th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.73 (23rd)
PP xGF/60: 9.48 (5th)
PK xGA/60: 8.17 (18th)
5v5 PDO: 98.1
Previous Week: 19th (0)

The Sens put an end to their five-game losing streak, but didn’t entirely make up for it by splitting their four games last week, getting their wins over the Penguins and Lightning. They’ll be without Jakob Chychrun for a couple weeks as well, but with their playoff hopes all but officially gone, that won’t be too big of a concern for them.

20. Washington Capitals

Record: 34-32-8 (.514%, t-21st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -5 (t-19th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.68 (15th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.65 (17th)
PP xGF/60: 7.58 (22nd)
PK xGA/60: 8.11 (17th)
5v5 PDO: 99.5
Previous Week: 20th (0)

The Caps are on their last legs in the playoff race, as losing four of their last five games has put them in a tricky spot to recover their season. The lone win came during John Carlson’s return to the Capitals lineup, and that could bode well for a final run to squeeze into the playoffs.

21. Nashville Predators

Record: 36-28-8 (.556%, 17th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -2 (18th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.66 (t-17th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.86 (26th)
PP xGF/60: 7.36 (24th)
PK xGA/60: 8.32 (23rd)
5v5 PDO: 100.7
Previous Week: 21st (0)

The Preds looked to be putting an end to their three-game losing streak with a blowout 7-3 win over the Sabres and a shootout win over the Kraken to start last week, but then they responded with two more losses, one also against the Kraken and one to the Leafs to end the week. Their injury struggles continued as well, with Matt Duchene being announced as week-to-week with a hand injury.

22. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 31-32-9 (.493%, t-24th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -28 (t-27th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.2 (29th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.57 (13th)
PP xGF/60: 7.3 (25th)
PK xGA/60: 7.62 (t-12th)
5v5 PDO: 99.1
Previous Week: 22nd (0)

I think we can unofficially call the Red Wings season over, as losing four of their last five games this late in the season is a death sentence when fighting for a playoff spot. They were without goaltender Ville Husso for Saturday’s game against the Flyers to excuse that loss, but considering he was around for the rest of the slump, they don’t exactly get a pass on the entirety of it.

23. Vancouver Canucks

Record: 34-34-5 (.500%, 23rd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -16 (24th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.4 (24th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.72 (22nd)
PP xGF/60: 8.12 (15th)
PK xGA/60: 8.75 (28th)
5v5 PDO: 99.6
Previous Week: 23rd (0)

It’s now 10 of their last 12 games that the Canucks have won, including a three-game winning streak last week over the Sharks, Stars, and Blackhawks. Andrei Kuzmenko has been a big help their with seven goals during this stretch, and as a result has also set a new Canucks record for most goals in a debut NHL season with 35 and counting.

24. Buffalo Sabres

Record: 35-31-6 (.528%, 20th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -11 (21st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.65 (19th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.77 (25th)
PP xGF/60: 6.67 (26th)
PK xGA/60: 9.15 (29th)
5v5 PDO: 99.5
Previous Week: 24th (0)

After a big blowout at the hands of the Predators, the Sabres bounced back with two straight wins over the Devils, and more importantly, an Islanders team they’re still praying they can catch in the playoff race. They still stick around down at the edge of the bottom quarter of the league, as the Canucks have just been too hot to catch up to for the Sabres right now.

25. Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 28-32-12 (.472%, 26th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -12 (22nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.36 (t-25th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.68 (21st)
PP xGF/60: 5.86 (31st)
PK xGA/60: 8.74 (27th)
5v5 PDO: 99.6
Previous Week: 26th (+1)

It really has been hot and cold for the Flyers all year, as after a four-game losing streak, they find themselves with a five-game point streak, going 4-0-1 in that stretch. That point streak is now their longest of the year, really putting into perspective just how bad they’ve been this year.

26. St. Louis Blues

Record: 33-34-6 (.493%, t-24th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -15 (23rd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.32 (27th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.88 (28th)
PP xGF/60: 5.84 (32nd)
PK xGA/60: 8.29 (21st)
5v5 PDO: 100.3
Previous Week: 25th (-1)

The Blues started off last week by splitting a home-and-home with the Red Wings, and then followed that up by splitting their other two games over the weekend, beating the Ducks before losing to the Kings. They had a couple players with solid weeks as well, with both Brayden Schenn and Sammy Blais putting up six points over the four games.

27. Arizona Coyotes

Record: 27-34-13 (.453%, 27th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -20 (25th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.15 (31st)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.87 (27th)
PP xGF/60: 6.02 (29th)
PK xGA/60: 9.67 (31st)
5v5 PDO: 101.1
Previous Week: 27th (0)

The Coyotes’ hot streak came to a grinding halt last week, as they’ve now dropped four straight games to the Jets, Oilers, and twice to the Avalanche. It gets even worse off the ice, as Andrew Barroway, a minority owner of the franchise, has been arrested and as such, suspended by the NHL.

28. Montreal Canadiens

Record: 29-38-6 (.438%, 28th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -25 (26th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.29 (28th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.02 (31st)
PP xGF/60: 6.42 (28th)
PK xGA/60: 9.6 (30th)
5v5 PDO: 100.1
Previous Week: 28th (0)

The Canadiens put a brief stop to their downward spiral, winning two of their three games last week, edging out the Lightning in a close win before blowing out the Blue Jackets 8-2. With nothing to play for now, the Habs announced that both Josh Anderson and Kaiden Guhle will be out for the rest of the season with injuries.

29. San Jose Sharks

Record: 19-39-15 (.363%, 32nd)
5v5 Goal Differential: -43 (29th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.82 (9th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.66 (18th)
PP xGF/60: 7.64 (21st)
PK xGA/60: 7.41 (7th)
5v5 PDO: 97.9
Previous Week: 29th (0)

The Sharks’ tank job has never been stronger, as they’ve lost nine games in a row and 14 of their last 15 games to give them the best odds at Connor Bedard. Erik Karlsson keeps on going though, as he’s now set a career high of 90 points despite this massive slump for the Sharks.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 23-42-7 (.368%, 31st)
5v5 Goal Differential: -68 (31st)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.36 (t-25th)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.97 (29th)
PP xGF/60: 8.08 (16th)
PK xGA/60: 8.62 (26th)
5v5 PDO: 98.1
Previous Week: 32nd (+2)

The Blue Jackets also had a mini-streak going with back-to-back wins against the Capitals and Islanders, but that ended quite quickly as they then got routed 8-2 against the Canadiens. At least some of their young guys are building some hype, with Kent Johnson joining the list of Michigan scorers last week.

This angle of Kent Johnson's Michigan goal 🍿🔥 pic.twitter.com/5eefxYp9VQ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 25, 2023

31. Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 24-43-6 (.370%, 30th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -64 (30th)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.05 (32nd)
5v5 xGA/60: 2.98 (30th)
PP xGF/60: 5.97 (30th)
PK xGA/60: 7.68 (16th)
5v5 PDO: 98.7
Previous Week: 30th (-1)

The Blackhawks’ slump continues, as they’ve now lost five in a row after falling to the Avalanche, Capitals, Wild, and Canucks last week. That drops them a spot, as the streak allowed the Blue Jackets to catch up within five points and leapfrog the Blackhawks on the list.

32. Anaheim Ducks

Record: 23-40-10 (.384%, 29th)
5v5 Goal Differential: -76 (32nd)
5v5 xGF/60: 2.19 (30th)
5v5 xGA/60: 3.51 (32nd)
PP xGF/60: 7.99 (17th)
PK xGA/60: 9.81 (32nd)
5v5 PDO: 98.9
Previous Week: 31st (-1)

It’s yet another losing streak for the Ducks, as they’ve currently lost their last four games to the Canucks, Flames, Jets, and Blues. They also were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention – not that anyone needed to be told that with how this season has gone for them.