Panthers and Avs continue to lead Power Rankings down the stretch

By Sportlogiq Staff (@Sportlogiq)

With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche have separated themselves from the pack. The two teams continue to battle for the Presidents' Trophy with the Avs holding a narrow two-point lead in the standings.

Our model believes in the Panthers, who rank first overall once again in our Power Rankings. Florida has won 10 straight games, while Colorado is riding a nine-game win streak. It has been pure domination from both teams. 

A Canadian team sits third on our list, though it is no longer the Toronto Maple Leafs who drop one spot to fourth place. Following a 2-1-0 week, the Calgary Flames move from fifth to third in our rankings, largely due to their terrific underlying numbers.

While Calgary ranks seventh in points percentage, it sits third overall in goal and expected goal differential. We’ve been saying for months that the Flames are a true Stanley Cup contender. We’ll find out soon enough with the playoffs fast approaching. 

The Maple Leafs finished last week with a 3-1-0 record including a win over the New York Islanders on Sunday without MVP candidate Auston Matthews. Toronto ranks sixth in goal differential and is playing some of its best hockey of the season.

The Leafs have a 94 per cent chance of finishing second in the Atlantic Division, which would secure them home-ice advantage in the first round. Toronto also has an 81 per cent chance of facing the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Those two teams will meet in Tampa Bay on Thursday. 

Winners of nine straight, the St. Louis Blues have jumped into the top five, moving from sixth to fifth on our list. The Blues have scored four or more goals in a franchise-record 12 straight games.

The Blues' top line of Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, and Vladimir Tarasenko is averaging 2.1 goals per 20 minutes of even-strength ice time. Only the Matthews line in Toronto is scoring at a higher rate. The Blues have incredible forward depth and are strong in goal. The defence corps may not be what it was when the Blues won the Cup in 2019, but that doesn’t seem to be slowing this team down right now. 

The Edmonton Oilers drop three spots from seventh to 10th following a 2-1-0 week. This shouldn’t concern Oilers fans much as the gap between Edmonton and the three teams ahead of them in our rankings is minimal.

Edmonton is coming off impressive shutouts against Nashville and Vegas and now has a 96 per cent chance of finishing second in the Pacific Division. There is a 74 per cent chance the Oilers will face the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, and the way Edmonton is playing right now, they will most certainly be considered the favourite if that matchup occurs. 

The Vancouver Canucks are not going gently into that good night. Vancouver has not lost in regulation in April, winning five straight games. The Canucks win streak puts them 13th on our list, however, their playoff chances remain slim.

Vancouver has an 8 per cent chance of making the playoffs despite its recent success. Those odds will improve with a regulation win over Dallas Monday night. The Canucks will have to continue their run of wins without captain Bo Horvat, who will likely miss the remainder of the season due to injury after blocking a shot Thursday against the Coyotes. 

The Winnipeg Jets sit 19th on our list as a pair of losses in Florida last week all but officially eliminated them from playoff contention. The Jets are 10 points out of a wildcard spot and even if they win out, can only collect a maximum of 12 points. 

The Ottawa Senators went 2-0-1 last week and sit 24th on our list, while the honeymoon appears to be over for Martin St. Louis behind the bench in Montreal.

The Canadiens lost all four of their games last week in regulation and have lost five straight overall. In fairness to the coach and remaining players, the losses piling up coincide with the trade deadline, where Montreal dealt several regulars from their lineup.

St. Louis coached the Canadiens to a respectable 9-6-2 record when he took over up until the deadline. Montreal is 3-9-2 since the deadline, with only the Flyers and Coyotes posting worse records.

A bright spot for Montreal was Carey Price making his long-awaited regular-season debut Friday against the Islanders. Price stopped 17 of 19 shots in a 3-0 loss on what was still a memorable night for fans at the Bell Centre.