NHL Power Rankings: 32 Teams, 1 Key Game Each
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Colorado Avalanche sit atop the rankings at No. 1 with a 73.0% points percentage and host Dallas on April 4, a game the source frames as pushing them closer to clinching the No. 1 overall seed after already securing a playoff spot
- Buffalo Sabres rank No. 3 (65.8%) and face Tampa Bay on April 6, a rematch of their 8-7 win on March 8 that moved them into first place, with the Atlantic Division crown still in play
- Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 8, 60.5%) play Washington on April 11 and 12 in what the source notes could be the final time Sidney Crosby faces longtime rival Alex Ovechkin, whose retirement has not been announced
- Detroit Red Wings sit at No. 15 but their 5-7-2 March has put their bid to end a long playoff drought in peril, and the source notes they will need both a hot streak and outside help to return to the postseason
- Minnesota Wild (No. 7, 64.0%) close the regular season at Dallas on April 9 in what looks like a likely first-round rematch, having lost both prior playoff series to the Stars by 4-2 margins in 2016 and 2023
- Edmonton Oilers rank No. 14 (57.2%) and host Colorado on April 13 in a game the source describes as a barometer of whether they can return to the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight year
Why it matters: With fewer than 10 games left per team, the final stretch determines playoff seeding, division titles, and draft lottery order: Colorado (73.0%) has already clinched while Detroit is fighting just to qualify after a losing March. The Buffalo-Tampa Atlantic race, the Stars-Wild likely rematch, and a possible Crosby-Ovechkin farewell add both standings and emotional stakes to the season's closing weeks.
