The final stretch of the 2025-26 NHL season is upon us. Most of the league has played 70 games coming out of the weekend, so that means we are in the end-of-season sprint with less than four weeks remaining on the schedule.
While the season is wrapping up in short order, there is still so much hockey left to decide the playoff picture. However, the Colorado Avalanche became the first team to claim their place in the 2026 Playoffs, as they reached 100 points with a win against the Chicago Blackhawks and clinched their playoff birth. Expect more of the top teams to claim their place in the coming days, as the divisions have been a bit top-heavy this season.
With roughly 12 games remaining, every point matters. This gives us a desperate situation for those on the playoff bubble, while general managers trying to claim the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft may be happy to see the puck go in their own net more than normal. So, with this all in mind, let’s begin Week 21 of THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings!
32-17: Predators Clawing Back Into NHL Playoff Contention
32. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 32)
31. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 31)
30. Calgary Flames (Previously: 30)
29. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 29)
28. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 26)
27. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 25)
26. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 27)
25. New York Rangers (Previously: 22)
24. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 18)
23. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 23)
22. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 24)
21. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 16)
20. Florida Panthers (Previously: 19)
19. Washington Capitals (Previously: 21)
18. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 20)
17. Nashville Predators (Previously: 28)
Since the NHL returned from the 2026 Olympic Break, we have been desperately asking any team on the bubble of the Western Conference playoff race to just win three games in a row. Seemingly, these cries have finally been answered by the Nashville Predators, who won four straight games while catapulting themselves from outside the hunt to two points up on the Kings for the final Wild Card.
Given where the Predators were in November, this is an outstanding turnaround. Embattled veteran scorer Steven Stamkos has found his game and now sits tied for 14th in goalscoring leaguewide with 34 goals, while Ryan O’Reilly leads Nashville in points with 64 in 69 games played.
In reality, if the Predators can sneak into the playoffs, they may be one of the more dangerous Wild Card teams in recent memory. They have a roster filled with veteran players who have been here before, and they are playing with house money since no one expected them to be in this position this season. So, keep an eye on Nashville in the coming weeks.
Overall, the remaining teams at the bottom of the Rankings are just too far out of the picture to be a real threat for most of the playoff races. For example, the Devils are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games played, but are still more than 10 points out of the final wild card position. The Sharks have also seemingly run out of gas, as a recent four-game losing streak has put them five points behind Nashville in the Wild Card race, so it just looks like they will not be able to claw their way into the playoffs. However, anything can happen with some of these races being so close.
16-8: NHL’s Eastern Playoff Picture Muddied by Mediocrity
16. New York Islanders (Previously: 7)
15. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 12)
14. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 15)
13. Utah Mammoth (Previously: 13)
12. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 6)
11. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 14)
10. Boston Bruins (Previously: 10)
9. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 17)
8. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 9)
While the Western Conference playoff race has been a bit lackluster, the Eastern Conference is a slugfest that looks like it will come down to the last game of the season. First, this week saw the Red Wings fall out of the playoffs to the Islanders despite winning two of their three games, but with a game in hand, they still control their own destiny. However, New York has stumbled a bit in recent weeks, which means they have fallen from a fairly safe place in the Metropolitan Division to barely holding on to the second Wild Card.
As this is happening, the Senators and Flyers have been red hot, with identical 7-2-1 records in their last 10 games played. Suddenly, if Ottawa and Philadelphia win their games in hand, they will either be tied for or within a point of the second playoffs. Even the Bruins, Penguins, and Canadiens are not safe in this picture, as they are only one or two points up in the playoff race and are one cold week away from falling out entirely. At this rate, it’s looking like teams will need at least 95 points to secure a place in the postseason.
Out West, the Ducks look like they will be forced to win the Pacific Division, and the Mammoth seem pretty safe to lock down the first Wild Card, despite both teams playing pretty mediocre hockey in recent weeks. However, they appear to be on a collision course in the first round of the playoffs, which could be a lot of fun to watch as these teams are young and hungry to prove themselves on the grand postseason stage.
7-1: Sabres Proving They are NHL Playoff Contenders
7. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 5)
6. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 11)
5. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 8)
4. Dallas Stars (Previously: 1) – Clinch Playoff Berth
3. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 4) – Clinched Playoff Berth
2. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 2)
1. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 3)
After another successful four-game week where they pulled down seven of eight points in dominant fashion, I have to give the Sabres full marks and move them to the top of the Rankings. This team is absolutely rolling through their schedule, and while everyone expected them to eventually return to Earth, they keep winning and are now so close to ending the 14-year playoff drought that has hung over this franchise.
Barring a genuinely historic collapse, Buffalo should clinch their place in the postseason in the coming days, and they should also claim the Atlantic Division title. Not bad for a team that fired their General Manager and looked genuinely lost back in November.
For the rest of the top of the Rankings, things seem to be getting back to normal again. The Blue Jackets have worked their way into the playoffs with an outstanding 17-3-4 record since firing their head coach, the Lightning shook off their recent struggles by going 3-0-1 in their Western road trip, and the Hurricanes remain the second-best team in the league again with another three-game winning streak.
It’s really only the Stars that had a hiccup by losing three of four games, but a shootout win over the Avalanche still gave the team a moral victory. Late on Sunday, they also clinched their spot in the 2026 postseason, becoming the second team to do so. Expect more teams to follow next week at the top of the Rankings.
2026 NHL Playoffs Mere Weeks Away
With the end of March quickly approaching, the 2026 NHL Playoffs are only a few weeks away. With so much at stake each night, every game feels like it counts for double (even if points in November count the same).
Related: 2026 NHL Draft Guide
This is a fun time of the season, and we expect more action to happen on and off the ice in the coming days. We are getting down to our final weeks of the Power Rankings as well, so keep an eye out to see what changes next week on THW’s 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings!
