NHL Power Rankings: Panthers ascending as Eastern Conference playoff race reaches fever pitch

Bruins
The Bruins have already hit the 60-win mark, and they just need eight more points to set the NHL record for most points in a single season. They only have five games to pull that off, but they have a points percentage of 81.2%, so it’s definitely within reach. — 60-12-5
2

Oilers
With Connor McDavid drawing a lot of well-earned attention, Leon Draisatl just recorded his second straight 50-goal season. The Oilers now have a 60-goal scorer (McDavid), a 50-goal scorer (Draisaitl) and a pair of 30-goal scorers (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman). That’s a lot of firepower. 2 46-23-9
3

Avalanche
Through 75 games, Mikko Rantanen has 92 points, which matches his season total from last season. However, Rantanen has reached that number in a very different way this year. He has 49 goals in 2022-23, which is 13 more than he scored last year, and it’s a new career high. Rantanen’s ability to score at an elite level this year has provided the Avs some offense despite a host of injuries to key players. — 46-24-6
4

Kings
Over the last month, the Kings have been one of the best teams in the NHL, and they have played at a high level without star forward Kevin Fiala in most of those games. Fiala returned from injury on March 26, and he already has four points in three games. Los Angeles looks more dangerous by the day. 2 45-23-10
5

Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have been snakebitten over the last month. Since March 4, Carolina has scored on just 7.5% of its shots, and that number ranks last in the NHL. Carolina is getting scoring chances, but it just hasn’t been able to bury them. If the Canes are going to hoist the Cup, at least one forward needs to start finishing on a regular basis. — 50-18-9
6

Golden Knights
Reilly Smith is coming off a strong March. He recorded five goals and seven assists in 12 games played, and he has helped give the Golden Knights some more pop at the top of the lineup. In the absence of Mark Stone, Smith has stepped up for Vegas as the team makes its playoff push. 1 48-22-8
7

Wild
Although Matt Boldy has thrived without Kirill Kaprizov in the lineup, Mats Zuccarello has not. Zuccarello hasn’t scored in 10 games, and he has just four points in that stretch. Perhaps Zuccarello will get back on track once Kaprizov returns, but Minnesota’s offense has been inconsistent enough, even when he is playing well. 2 44-23-10
8

Rangers
It seems like Igor Shesterkin is back to being an anthropomorphic brick wall. In the last month, Shesterkin has saved 10.87 goals above average, per Natural Stat Trick. That leads the league, and if this high-powered Rangers’ offense is getting that kind of goaltending, I’d like to send my condolences to the rest of the Eastern Conference. — 45-21-11
9

Devils
The Devils’ five-on-five numbers have been incredibly strong over the last month, but they’ve struggled to string wins together. That’s because their team shooting percentage (8.81%) and save percentage (89.2%) over that stretch rank near the bottom of the league. New Jersey still has some time to heat up around both creases before the playoffs begin. 3 49-21-8
10

Stars
With a four-point night against the Predators on Monday, Jason Robertson eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time in his young career. The fact that the Stars have Robertson under contract for three more seasons at $7.75 million per year is pretty incredible. That’s their window to build a championship contender. — 42-21-14
11

Kraken
Defenseman Vince Dunn leads the Kraken in points with 63, and he has turned into a legitimate No. 1 defenseman for Seattle. At the risk of jinxing the Kraken, it will be fun to see how Dunn performs against tough competition this postseason. 3 43-26-8
12

Maple Leafs
William Nylander has already set a career high in goals with 37, but he has gotten somewhat cold in the last few weeks. Nylander has two goals in his last 11 games, and he is shooting just 6.7% in that stretch. That is less than half of his career average, so expect Nylander to get going again before long. 1 46-21-10
13

Lightning
Are the Bolts back? Tampa Bay has picked up three straight wins over the Hurricanes, Capitals, and Islanders by a combined score of 14-1. Maybe the Lightning got a whiff of the playoffs in the same way Ryan Raves got a whiff of some fresh smelling salts. 2 45-26-6
14

Panthers
The Flames have made the Western Conference playoff race very interesting. Calgary just won four straight games, some of which came in thrilling fashion, and the team sits just two points behind the Jets for the final wild card spot. That makes Wednesday night’s game between the two teams must-watch television. 3 40-31-7
15

Flames
Carter Verhaeghe is now a 40-goal scorer after a four-goal performance against the Blue Jackets. Verhaeghe now leads the Panthers in goals, and that was not on my bingo card before the season began. If Florida somehow scrapes its way into the postseason, Verhaeghe – along with Matthew Tkachuk – will deserve a ton of credit. 3 36-27-15
16

Jets
The Jets have a rather large week ahead of them. Winnipeg is just two points ahead of the Flames for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, and the city’s collective hindquarters are clenched. It’ll be a nerve-wracking week with games against the Flames and Predators coming up in the next few days. — 43-31-3
17

Islanders
The Islanders need Mat Barzal to return soon for more reason than one. Not only is Barzal an exceptional player in his own right, but Bo Horvat has been slumping in his absence. Since Barzal has been out of the lineup, Horvat has played 19 games, and he has just three goals and four assists in those contests. 5 39-30-9
18

Sabres
A regulation loss to the Panthers on Tuesday night may have finally been the nail in the coffin of the Sabres’ season. It has been a fun year in Buffalo, and with a couple offseason upgrades, this team will be in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 6 37-32-7
19

Canucks
The 2022-23 season hasn’t been kind to Brock Boeser, but he might be on track to finish on a high note. Boeser has four goals in his last six games, bringing his season total up to 17. If Boeser can show he still has his scoring touch over the last two weeks, it might boost his trade value in the offseason. 2 34-36-7
20

Penguins
Through his first 17 games with the Penguins, Mikael Granlund has been somewhat of a mixed bag. Pittsburgh controls 57.6% of the expected goals with Granlund on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. However, the production just hasn’t been there. Granlund has just one goal and four points with his new team. 1 38-30-10
21

Predators
Cody Glass, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, has taken advantage of more opportunity in Nashville this season. Glass has 14 goals and 18 assists in 67 games this season, and he has four goals in his last six games. It’s starting to look like Glass will be part of the Predators’ long-term future. 2 39-30-8
22

Senators
Shane Pinto now has 20 goals in what has been a very strong rookie campaign. The former No. 32 overall pick has shown that he can light the lamp at the NHL level, and it’ll be interesting to see whether he can take the next step in his development in the 2023-24 season. 3 37-34-7
23

Blues
The 2021-22 season was a tough one for Jordan Binnington, but he has completely fallen off a cliff this year. Binnington has allowed 20.41 goals above average this season, which ranks 99th in the NHL this season, according to Natural Stat Trick. Only five goalies have been worse. The Blues will likely have to explore other goaltending options in the offseason. 2 36-35-7
24

Red Wings
Dylan Larkin recorded a hat trick against the Maple Leafs on Sunday, and he broke the 30-goal mark for the third time in his career. With Larkin signed for the long-term, Steve Yzerman’s focus in the offseason has to be bolstering the supporting cast around the Detroit captain. 3 35-33-9
25

Capitals
The bottom has fallen out in D.C. The Capitals have won just two of their last 10 games, and Alex Ovechkin will miss the postseason for just the fourth time in his 18-year career. The question now is whether Washington can retool quickly enough to get Ovechkin at least one more shot at another Stanley Cup. 5 34-34-9
26

Sharks
Erik Karlsson needs just four points in his last five games to reach 100 points on the season. If Karlsson can get there, it will be the first time an NHL defenseman has hit that mark since Brian Leetch did it in the 1991-92 season. 6 22-39-16
27

Flyers
One of the players that seems to have responded to John Tortorella’s coaching in Philadelphia is Scott Laughton. The 28-year-old forward has new career highs in goals (18), assists (23), and points (41). He’s shown he can be a solid depth forward for the Flyers moving forward. 2 29-35-13
28

Blue Jackets
After sitting with the best chances to win the draft lottery for much of the season, the Blue Jackets have shown a semblance of a pulse in a few contests, which has damaged their draft lottery chances. By actually winning a couple of games, Columbus has allowed a couple other teams to sneak ahead of them in the Battle for Bedard. 3 24-45-8
29

Canadiens
After getting shutout in back-to-back games, the Canadiens haven’t scored a goal since March 30. They could really use a generational player at forward. Maybe there’s one at the top of the 2023 NHL Draft. 1 30-42-6
30

Coyotes
The Coyotes have lost eight straight games, and yet, they somehow seem far more competent than a couple of teams at the bottom of the power rankings. At least Arizona was able to get a point in a couple of its losses. 8 27-38-13
31

Blackhawks
Going into Tuesday night, the Blackhawks had lost eight straight games in regulation, and then they shocked the league by beating a desperate Flames team. Still, Chicago has done some solid work in terms of improving its draft lottery chances. 3 25-46-6
32

Ducks
If I could leave 10 open spaces and then put the Ducks at No. 40, I would. This team has picked up exactly zero points in its last eight games, and Anaheim’s goal differential now sits at a hilariously bad -122. 6 23-44-10