NHL Power Rankings: Red Wings falling fast, putting Stanley Cup playoff hopes in danger

Stars
Roope Hintz will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury after getting tangled up with Nathan MacKinnon. That’s a devastating loss for the Stars because Hintz was building a legitimate Selke Trophy case as the league’s best defensive forward. Dallas’ center depth will be tested now. — 40-14-10
2

Sabres
Since Jan. 1, Alex Lyon has been exceptional between the pipes. In his 10 appearances, Lyon has saved 9.74 goals above average and a .841 high-danger save percentage. Goaltending is one of the biggest reasons why the Sabres are about to end their lengthy playoff drought. 2 40-19-6
3

Avalanche
I keep waiting for the Avs’ power play to improve, and it never does. They’ve converted on just 15.8% of their power play opportunities, which ranks 30th. What makes that number even more painful is that Colorado has been on the man advantage 203 times, which is the fourth-most in the NHL. 1 43-11-9
4

Hurricanes
Can the Hurricanes trust Brandon Bussi in goal this postseason? The undrafted rookie has won 25 of his 30 starts this season — and his numbers have been relatively strong. However, Bussi has struggled a bit more of late. Over his last 15 appearances, Bussi has allowed 3.07 goals above average while posting an .884 save percentage. 1 41-17-6
5

Wild
Kirill Kaprizov is the best player on the Wild, but the line featuring Mat Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek has been driving the bus for most of the season. With those two on the ice at five-on-five, Minnesota has outscored opponents 34-19 while posting a 51.9% expected goals share. — 38-16-11
6

Lightning
Can we talk about the season Gage Goncalves is having for the Lightning? He’s been a force at five-on-five. He boasts a plus-21 goal differential in those situations, and he’s already tied his career high of 21 points. Goncalves has become a tremendous depth piece for Tampa. — 39-20-4
7

Ducks
Leo Carlsson missed the Olympics due to injury — one that he tried to play through for most of December. Since getting some time off to get healthy, Carlsson once again looks like a budding star with three goals and eight assists in eight games. Anaheim needs that to continue if it wants to win the Pacific. 2 36-25-3
8

Penguins
Pittsburgh has now played eight games without Sidney Crosby in the lineup, and the team has weathered the storm relatively well. The Pens have gone 4-2-3 in that span, and Crosby is skating again. This team has refused to go away all season, and it just needs to hold on for 19 more games. 1 32-17-15
9

Mammoth
John Marino is playing like a top-pairing defenseman for the Mammoth. The team is dominating his five-on-five minutes, outsourcing opponents 68-38 while Marino has already blown past his career high in points with 30 in 64 games. He’s brought an exceptional two-way presence to the blue line. 2 34-26-5
10

Canadiens
Earlier this season, it seemed like rookie Ivan Demidov was finding the scoresheet every night, but the rookie has struggled with consistency over the two months. His three goals are tied for ninth on the team in that span, and his 13 points are tied for sixth. — 35-18-10
11

Blue Jackets
Mason Marchment has been a perfect fit for the Blue Jackets since they acquired him from the Kraken in December. In 21 games, Marchment has 19 points and a plus-eight goal differential at five-on-five. I’m excited to see how Connor Garland meshes with this group as well. 2 33-21-10
12

Islanders
Matthew Schaefer is ridiculous. He’s the first 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to score 20 goals, and he’s three goals behind Brian Leetch’s rookie defenseman record of 23. I don’t think even the biggest Schaefer believers could’ve predicted something like this in his rookie campaign. — 37-23-5
13

Red Wings
After sitting on their hands at last year’s trade deadline, the Red Wings did add veterans David Perron and Justin Faulk this year. That’s better than nothing, but I’m not sure those two will be enough to get Detroit past the best teams in the Eastern Conference this postseason. 5 36-22-7
14

Senators
Dylan Cozens has been scorching hot lately, and that’s good news for the Senators’ playoff push. He’s got five goals and one assist in his last five games, and Cozens is now up to 23 goals on the season. If he’s playing at a high level, Ottawa’s center depth looks a lot more dangerous. 2 32-22-9
15

Bruins
The Bruins just keep finding ways to win — even if it’s not always pretty. They’ve gotten the results in spite of some subpar five-on-five metrics. Boston ranks 28th in expected goals share (46.3%), but maybe I should just stop betting against it to make the playoffs. 1 36-22-6
16

Oilers
Edmonton elected not to upgrade its goaltending at the trade deadline, and that was a bold decision. The Oilers already swapped Stuart Skinner for Tristan Jarry earlier in the season, and Jarry has been a mess since joining the team. He’s allowed 10.5 goals above average while posting an .862 save percentage. 1 32-25-8
17

Golden Knights
The Golden Knights’ win over the Red Wings on March 4 was their first against a team currently in playoff position since Nov. 20. For whatever reason, Vegas has struggled to beat quality competition all season. That probably doesn’t bode well for the postseason (assuming they get there). 1 29-22-14
18

Kraken
One of the only reasons Seattle finds itself in playoff position is its goaltending. No matter who has been in the crease for the Kraken, they’ve been great. Joey Daccord, Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray have combined to save 28.4 goals above average. 1 29-25-9
19

Flyers
Things have seemingly gotten pretty awkward in Philadelphia. Rick Tocchet has verbally expressed his displeasure with Matvei Michkov all season, and the second-year winger has just 33 points in 63 games while playing under 15 minutes per game. 2 29-23-11
20

Sharks
One player the Sharks would probably like to see hit another level is William Eklund. The 23-year-old has been fairly productive (38 points in 58 games), but it feels like there’s still room for him to grow. The former No. 7 overall pick has the tools to be a high-end playmaker, and he could give San Jose another real offensive threat outside Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. 1 30-26-6
21

Capitals
How will the Capitals respond to the John Carlson trade? Washington was in the thick of the playoff race when one of their best players and a team leader got shipped across the country. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, the Caps should be commended for being realistic about their Cup chances in 2025-26. 1 32-26-7
22

Panthers
The Cats can bury any hope of a three-peat, and that’s OK. The first-round pick Florida sent to Chicago last year was top-10 protected, so if the Cats lose enough, that pick will shift to 2027. That would give the Panthers an opportunity to restock their depleted prospect pool — or just use it to make a deal and reload for next season. 1 32-29-3
23

Devils
If you’re looking for any explanation as to why the Devils’ season has gone so far off the rails, their lack of puck luck at five-on-five is probably a factor. New Jersey is dead last with a five-on-five shooting percentage of 6.59%. 1 32-30-2
24

Predators
Nashville has essentially relied upon four forwards for all of its offense this season. If some combination of Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista aren’t getting it done, then the Predators are in big trouble. It’s not a good sign for the franchise that only one of those players is under the age of 31. 2 29-27-8
25

Kings
After struggling to generate any offense for the better part of two seasons, the Kings finally made a coaching change and fired Jim Hiller shortly before the trade deadline. That was a move that needed to be made, but it might be too little, too late at this point in the season. — 26-23-15
26

Blues
Will the Blues continue to explore a Robert Thomas trade this offseason after Alexander Steen takes over as general manager? Dealing a 26-year-old No. 1 center on a reasonable contract seems like something that could blow up in the team’s face, even if it is looking at a multi-year rebuild. 4 25-29-10
27

Jets
It seems like that legendary gold medal performance by Connor Hellebuyck really got him back on track. In five games since then, Hellebuyck has saved 2.76 goals above average while posting a .916 save percentage. 1 26-27-10
28

Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs haven’t won a game since Feb. 3. Yes, the Olympic break makes that sound worse than it is, but the losing streak has still reached eight games. Toronto is about to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. 4 27-27-11
29

Flames
Devin Cooley could be an interesting trade chip for the Flames in the offseason. Dustin Wolf is the long-term No. 1 in goal, but the 28-year old Cooley has outplayed him this season with a sparkling .914 save percentage. Cooley is under contract for two more seasons at $1.35 million. 2 25-32-7
30

Rangers
If there is a real chance the Rangers could trade Adam Fox in the offseason, then 31 teams need to place a call as soon as the Stanley Cup gets handed out in June. For whatever reason, Fox has been labeled as overrated when he’s one of the only reasons New York has been competent over the last two seasons. 1 26-30-8
31

Blackhawks
With Connor Murphy now in Edmonton, the Blackhawks’ blue line is veil thin. Spencer Knight is still working his way back from injury, and I can’t imagine he’ll rush back to play behind this blue line. 2 24-29-11
32

Canucks
Jake DeBrusk just hasn’t been able to find a rhythm in Vancouver since signing that seven-year contract in the summer of 2024. He’s tallied just 32 points this season, and he owns a minus-9 goal differential at five-on-five. He may need a change of scenery this summer. — 19-37-8