For every NHL fan, seeing the calendar flip to April brings with it a rush of emotions. For those safely in the playoffs, excitement is palpable as a potential Stanley Cup run dances through your dreams. If you’re on the postseason bubble, this excitement turns to anxiety as you watch playoff glory standing just out of reach. And of course, if your team is nowhere near the race, then you might just be feeling relief at the thought that this difficult season will soon be over.
With the end of the NHL regular season quickly approaching, the final weeks can feel like a true whirlwind of activity. Games of importance are being played every night, especially as teams desperately grasp at points that they may have let slip through their fingers back in November. Even teams at the bottom of the standings are playing for pride, draft positions, and future contracts, so there are still no easy games on the calendar.
However, sometimes a storyline comes in at the 11th hour that becomes the focal point of the week. This time, we can thank the Vegas Golden Knights for making one of the riskiest and most on-brand moves imaginable. With only eight games left in the 2025-26 NHL Regular Season, the likely playoff-bound Golden Knights fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella to take his place.
This move didn’t come out of nowhere, of course, as Vegas have underperformed all season long, but the idea of firing your coach in the final two weeks of the season is almost unheard of (almost). This is now the most interesting storyline to watch in the NHL, as there’s a chance the Golden Knights get a massive new coach bump and go on a run to the Stanley Cup, or this change falls flat, and they miss the playoffs entirely.
So, with the final stretch ahead of us in the 2025-26 NHL Regular Season, let’s take a look at a wild playoff race in Week 22 of THW’s Power Rankings!
32-19: NHL’s First Postseason Eliminations for 2025-26
32. Vancouver Canucks (Previously: 32) – Eliminated From Playoff Contention
31. San Jose Sharks (Previously: 28)
30. Chicago Blackhawks (Previously: 29)
29. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previously: 31)
28. Seattle Kraken (Previously: 27)
27. Florida Panthers (Previously: 20)
26. Los Angeles Kings (Previously: 26)
25. Vegas Golden Knights (Previously: 21)
24. New York Rangers (Previously: 25) – Eliminated From Playoff Contention
23. Nashville Predators (Previously: 17)
22. Winnipeg Jets (Previously: 23)
21. Calgary Flames (Previously: 30)
20. New Jersey Devils (Previously: 18)
19. St. Louis Blues (Previously: 24)
One of my favorite parts of any NHL regular season is seeing how long it takes for the first team to be mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. Even the worst team in the league, in this case the maligned Canucks, were still technically able to make the playoffs until March 23rd if everything went right to end the season. This team has been out of the race since roughly October, however, so we all knew this was inevitable, but it’s still wild to think it took this long to make the math work out. Expect more eliminations in short order, as the Rangers joined the eliminated list on Friday.
When it comes to the bottom of the Rankings, I will remain annoyed with the Western Conference. The Predators had a chance to run away with the final Wild Card, but they lost three straight games, which let the Kings (who have 18 overtime losses, tying the previous NHL record), the struggling Kraken, and the somehow still in the hunt Jets all stay in the picture. It’s not always been good hockey, but it’s at least been entertaining.
Also, I haven’t mentioned the Panthers much this season, which is a bit of a surprise for the defending Stanley Cup Champions. It’s been well documented how injured this team has been, but it still feels like every game, another player is lost for the season. Perhaps what’s most shocking is that Florida has the fifth-worst record in the NHL right now, which means it’s a great thing they made the first-round pick they sent to Chicago for Seth Jones top-ten protected. A little bit of foresight really prevented disaster here.
18-8: NHL’s Metropolitan Division Postseason Brawl
18. Washington Capitals (Previously: 19)
17. Utah Mammoth (Previously: 13)
16. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previously: 15)
15. Anaheim Ducks (Previously: 14)
14. Detroit Red Wings (Previously: 11)
13. Edmonton Oilers (Previously: 22)
12. Ottawa Senators (Previously: 8)
11. New York Islanders (Previously: 16)
10. Philadelphia Flyers (Previously: 9)
9. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previously: 5)
8. Boston Bruins (Previously: 10)
It’s a bit ridiculous just how close the Eastern Conference playoff picture is. The Islanders, Penguins, Blue Jackets, Capitals, and Flyers all find themselves between 73 and 74 games played, with six points separating second through sixth place in the Division. Plus, with the Bruins, Red Wings, and Senators in their own fight for the Wild Card, you have eight teams in contention for four playoff berths.
Every game feels desperate, as teams understand how close they are to the playoffs while still realizing that half of them will miss the dance. It’s been amazing seeing the rise and fall of each franchise listed here throughout the 2025-26 regular season, but ultimately, it will come down to an eight or nine-game sprint to claim your postseason opportunity. If there was ever a time to get hot for a week, this is when you need it to happen.
Out West, the Oilers are starting to look a little more like the Oilers. With only their second three-game winning streak of the season, they have seemingly locked down second place in the Pacific Division from the struggling Golden Knights, and they realistically could still win the Division over the Ducks. Plus, with Leon Draisaitl expected to return for the playoffs, this franchise could be getting hot at the right time to make another push to the Stanley Cup Final.
7-1: Canadiens Finding Their Late-Season Form
7. Minnesota Wild (Previously: 7)
6. Dallas Stars (Previously: 4) – Clinched Playoff Berth
5. Montreal Canadiens (Previously: 12)
4. Colorado Avalanche (Previously: 3) – Clinched Playoff Berth
3. Buffalo Sabres (Previously: 1)
2. Carolina Hurricanes (Previously: 2)
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previously: 6)
When discussing teams on the border of the playoff picture, last week I had the Canadiens as a candidate to watch because they were a bad stretch of games away from falling out of the postseason, despite having a strong regular season. In response, they won five straight games, which moved them eight points ahead of the Red Wings and Senators in their division.
Now, barring a late-season collapse, it looks like they will be ending the season on a strong note, while preparing for a very tough first-round matchup against either the Lightning or Sabres. This isn’t a great reward for a good season, but you can’t control your first-round matchups.
It’s also time to have the conversation about the Wild, who just haven’t looked right since returning from the Olympic Break. Sure, they won against the Stars and Panthers recently, but losses to the Bruins and Lightning made them look fairly human against some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Minnesota seems content with third place in the Central Division, a position they have been destined to earn for months, so this could just be a case of a team waiting for the playoffs to start. They don’t have much to play for right now, but they also look the part of a team without much to play for. We will see if they can flip the proverbial switch and get back to their winning ways before the regular season wraps up.
NHL Playoff Push In Full Swing
With April mere days away, it’s amazing that there is still so much to decide before the end of the 2025-26 NHL Regular Season. Outside of the President’s Trophy, which should be earned by the Avalanche, almost every other spot in the playoffs can change. From Division winners to playoff hopefuls, every point matters in these final games of the season.
Related: Maple Leafs Reportedly Ready to Move Players Out This Summer
So, let’s end the 2025-26 NHL season strong with a few more weeks of consequential hockey. I guarantee a lot will change over the next seven days, and I will be excited to unpack the outcomes of this absolutely crazy NHL season.
