NHL Power Rankings: New York Rangers and Florida Panthers surge entering stretch run
Anthony Scultore
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In our latest NHL Power Rankings, the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers on the strength of a strong March move up the list.
Other surging teams include the Boston Bruins who made a nice push from 9th on the list to 4th. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild have now cracked the top 10.
Let’s dive in to the latest Rankings.
NHL Power Rankings
February’s Top Ten Teams:
- Calgary Flames 31-14-6
- Colorado Avalanche 39-10-4
- Carolina Hurricanes 37-11-4
- Pittsburgh Penguins 33-14-8
- St. Louis Blues 32-14-6
- Tampa Bay Lightning 34-11-6
- Toronto Maple Leafs 33-14-4
- New York Rangers 33-15-5
- Boston Bruins 31-17-4
- Florida Panthers 35-13-5
March’s Top Ten Teams:
- Colorado Avalanche 39-10-4 ⬆️
- Florida Panthers 35-13-5 ⬆️
- New York Rangers 33-15-5 ⬆️
- Boston Bruins 31-17-4 ⬆️
- Carolina Hurricanes 37-11-4 ⬇️
- Pittsburgh Penguins 33-14-8 ⬇️
- Calgary Flames 31-14-6 ⬇️
- Toronto Maple Leafs 33-14-4 ⬇️
- Tampa Bay Lightning 34-11-6 ⬇️
- Minnesota Wild 41-20-5 (New)
Daily Goal Horn Power Rankings Breakdown
Colorado Avalanche: The Avs move into first after a 9-4-2 record in March. Preseason predictions had them as Stanley Cup favorites and that still remains to be the case late into the season. Colorado also leads in the Presidents Trophy race with 102 points (4 more than Florida Panthers).
Florida Panthers: The Panthers climbed right back up towards the top of the list after a strong March where they went 11-2-1. Florida was the most aggressive at the Trade Deadline acquiring Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot as they are gunning for a Stanley Cup.
New York Rangers: The Rangers moved up despite a difficult March schedule where they played 9 out of 15 games on the road but still managed to go 11-4-0. In the process they took down the Penguins twice, as well as the Lightning and Hurricanes. New York also made several key trades that are paying handsome early dividends with Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp.
Boston Bruins: The Bruins made a big move at the deadline by acquiring Hampus Lindholm and then extending him immediately. Boston is surging and is going to be a tough out in the playoffs. In March they went 10-3-1 and are firmly in a wild card spot. Although the Lightning and Leafs better keep winning to hold them off.
Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes have slipped thanks to a recent 4-3-3 stretch but overall they are still in a comfortable position by holding first in the Metro. Carolina still went 8-4-4 in March.
Pittsburgh Penguins: They were the hottest team in hockey for awhile. They hit a bump in the road last month but still managed to go 8-4-2 and are fighting with the Canes and Rangers for first place.
Calgary Flames: Darryl Sutter’s charges were the top team last time we released the Power Rankings but they take a fall here. In March, they went a respectable 9-4-3 and are fortunate to be in a weak Pacific Division.
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs are playing well as of late but their question mark in goal will haunt them for the remainder of the season. Toronto went 8-5-1 in March but could fall out of the top ten by the time the season ends.
Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning struggled in March with a record of 8-7-0 but remain in the top 10 on the strength of their lineup and what they can do when it matters.
Minnesota Wild: The Wild went out and made some key deadline deals and adding Marc-Andre Fleury was a great one. Minnesota had an excellent March going 10-4-2 and will likely climb this list by season’s end.
