The Knights continued to roll over the helpless bottom place teams, the Penguins clawed their way to the top of the East, and the Sharks finally snapped their losing ways! Find out the latest and greatest for each team in contention for the Stanley Cup below in our NHL Power Rankings.
Our rankings are based upon a number of factors, including recent level of play, injuries, and quality wins.
1:Vegas Golden Knights
Stanley Cup Odds: +750
Record: 34-11-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
The Golden Knights claim the number one seed following another perfect week which saw them claim the maximum points from 3 games, extending their win streak to an NHL leading 9 straight.
Let the good times roll 👍 pic.twitter.com/B3bh4vsB59
— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 25, 2021
They have enjoyed an ideal run of fixtures lately, playing the West Division’s 3 bottom teams for the last 7 straight games. The remainder of their season isn’t as easy though, with the majority of their remaining games set to be played against the other teams in the top 4.
2:Colorado Avalanche
Stanley Cup Odds: +400
Record: 31-11-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
The Avs returned strong from their 8 day break this week, jumping straight back into their 4 game series against the Blues with another win, and looked good to take down the remaining 2 fixtures.
However, the Blues came out strong for the final 2 games, getting the better of the Avs 5-3 on Saturday, and again yesterday with a convincing 4-1 win.
The Avs have a mouthwatering final set of fixtures though, playing the 8 of their next 10 games against either the Sharks or Kings, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them reclaim the top spot.
3:Tampa Bay Lightning
Stanley Cup Odds: +650
Record: 32-14-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
The Lightning maintain third place on the power rankings this week. They got off to a bad start with a loss to the Hurricanes, but bounced back with a clean sweep over the Blue Jackets over 2 games.
The sweep ends the recent trend of the Lightning failing to win more than 1 game of a 2 match series, something that they had done in their previous 2.
4: Carolina Hurricanes
Stanley Cup Odds: +1100
Record: 31-10-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
Despite losing 2 of their 4 games this week, the Canes remain in fourth place because they took two of their defeats to overtime, pulling a total of 6 points from a possible 8 against some stiff competition.
Those additional 2 points earnt were enough for the Canes to pull away from the Panthers on top of the Central Division with 69 points after 48 games.
5:Washington Capitals
Stanley Cup Odds: +1400
Record: 31-13-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 6
The Caps only played in 2 games since the last ranking update, but they came away with the win in both, pulling them to within 1 point of the first place Penguins.
On April 27, our building will no longer be empty.
Welcome back, #ALLCAPS fans. We’ve missed you!
Ticket Info: https://t.co/pAg84GrNrU pic.twitter.com/iAjZpN4PLM
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 12, 2021
Both games were played against the Islanders who have been good competition with the Caps this season and are also top of the table contenders. After a 0-0 regulation finish in the first game, the Caps came out firing in the second game, putting 6 goals past the Islanders.
6:Minnesota Wild
Stanley Cup Odds: +2200
Record: 31-13-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
The Wild earnt another sizable climb up the rankings this week following a flawless string of games which saw them take the name of the Coyotes, Kings and Sharks, extending their win streak to 7 straight games.
Such is their success that the Wild have already booked their place in the playoffs, 17 points above the Blues in 4th place, and just 1 point from the Avs in 2nd.
7:Toronto Maple Leafs
Stanley Cup Odds: +800
Record: 30-13-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
Following tandem defeats at the hands of the Canucks in Vancouver, the Maple Leafs weren’t looking their best ahead of a 2 game series away to the Jets.
They bounced back though, picking up 2 convincing wins, 9-4 on aggregate, and for their efforts, remain in 7th place with some solid fixtures ahead of them.
8:Pittsburgh Penguins
Stanley Cup Odds: +1600
Record: 32-14-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
The Penguins not only get a well earnt move up the power rankings, but also claimed the top of the table in the East Division, surpassing the Capitals by a point following their flawless run of games.
They started their week off with a clean sweep over 3 games against the Devils, scoring 16 goals over the 3 games before welcoming the Bruins who had won 6 of their last 7 games, edging them out with a 1-0 win.
9:Florida Panthers
Stanley Cup Odds: +2000
Record: 31-14-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
The Panthers had to be bumped back down the rankings this week, they didn’t have an awful week though, winning 2 of their 4 games, one of which a tight overtime victory against the Hurricanes.
They most recently went up against the Predators in Nashville, losing by a convincing 4-1 yesterday with another game to play today.
10:New York Islanders
Stanley Cup Odds: +1400
Record: 29-14-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
Their Islanders got the week off to a cracker with a 6-1, home dismantling over their cross town rivals, the Rangers.
Following such a clinical win on home soil the Islanders should have been filled with confidence for their 2 game set with Caps, however, they lost in both games, salvaging a point for taking the first game to shootout.
2️⃣ on the road and 1️⃣ at home this week! 🗓📺 pic.twitter.com/LGechlXT0c
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 26, 2021
11:Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup Odds: +2000
Record: 28-16-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
The Oilers weren’t too busy this week with just the 2 games to play, they started things off with a tight 4-3 defeat to the Canadiens, but rebounded after their 5 day break with a 6-1 thumping of the struggling Jets.
Connor McDavid bagged himself an NHL leading 3rd hat trick on top of an assist in the win, his 12th point over the last 4 games played.
12:Nashville Predators
Stanley Cup Odds: +6000
Record: 27-21-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
The Predators get yet another well earnt bump up the rankings this week, they continue to look improve, and this week picked up wins over the Blackhawks and Panthers.
Their only loss came to the Blackhawks but they took the game to overtime, picking up a very important point that keeps them 2 points clear of the Stars who are hungry for a playoff position.
13:Boston Bruins
Stanley Cup Odds: +1300
Record: 27-14-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
The Bruins had mixed success this week, it started strong with back to back defeats over the Sabres, but they choked the 3 game sweep on the final game, losing 6-4.
They then travelled to Pittsburgh and narrowly lost to the Penguins in a 1-0 snoozefest of a game. They still sit in 13th place this week, but with an ideal run of fixtures ahead of them we would be surprised not to see them move up the ranks.
14:New York Rangers
Stanley Cup Odds: +15000
Record: 25-18-6
Last Week’s Ranking:14
After a disappointing start to the week which saw the Rangers pick up back to back losses, they turned things around in the latter half, beating the Flyers in the second game of their set before a 6-3 win against the Sabres on Sunday.
Mika’s third hatty. Fox doing Fox things. Laffy and Kaapo coming up big.
Yeah, last night was a good night for the Rangers. #PlayLikeANewYorker | @MedliminalLLC pic.twitter.com/8HsoSriAwC
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 26, 2021
The Rangers edged 2 points closer to a playoff position for their efforts, however, the road ahead is tough, after 1 more game with the Sabres they play their remaining 6 against top 4 teams.
15:St Louis Blues
Stanley Cup Odds: +3400
Record: 21-19-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 16
The Blues make a slight move northwards up the rankings this week, and they probably could have gone higher following back to back wins over the Avalanche.
They currently sit in 4th place in the West Division, with playoffs now looking likely given that their main competition, the Coyotes, have won just 2 of their last 10, but with a tough run of games ahead, and given how inconsistent the Blues are, nothing is certain.
16:Dallas Stars
Stanley Cup Odds: +3400
Record: 21-15-12
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
The Stars continued to silence their critics this week, with a 7-1-2 record over the last 10 games, no team in the Central Division is running hotter than the Stars at the minute.
This week they wrapped up their 4 game series with the Red Wings, winning 2 of the 3 remaining games before heading back to Dallas to score a huge overtime win over the Canes.
17:Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup Odds: +2000
Record: 27-18-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
The Jets plummet down the rankings this week, they still sit in third place in the North, but they aren’t playing like a team that is playoff ready.
🎥 Paul Maurice speaks with the media following a loss to the Oilers. pic.twitter.com/ohd7peL0ej
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 27, 2021
They have played the last 4 games at home, and have lost all 4 by an aggregate score of 18-5. While they were coming up against some admittedly tough opposition, it is unlike the Jets to consistently lose so convincingly.
18:Montreal Canadiens
Stanley Cup Odds: +2200
Record: 21-17-9
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
The Canadiens maintain the 18th spot this week, with just 4 wins from the last 10 games the Canadiens are the worst performing side in the North at the moment.
However, they picked up 2 wins from the 4 games they played during the week, and given that all 4 games were played on the road it isn’t a bad return.
They sit in 4th place on the table, a position it feels like they have been in all year, 6 points off of 3rd, and 6th points off of 5th.
19:Philadelphia Flyers
Stanley Cup Odds: +15000
Record: 20-18-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 20
The Flyers got a slight nudge up the ranks after a week which saw them notch 2 wins from a possible 3, the same number they had won from the 8 games prior.
That is not to say they were at all convincing though, only narrowly getting the job done over the Rangers 3-2, followed by a comeback victory against the Devils which they didn’t have much right to be winning.
20:Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup Odds: +10000
Record: 22-21-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 19
The Blackhawks didn’t have a lot to do this week, only playing in 2 games since last week’s rankings. They picked up a big overtime win over the Predators in the second game of their series, and were beaten by them 3-1 two days later.
Now 7 points behind the Predators in the heavily desired playoff position, it doesn’t look likely to happen for the Blackhawks this season.
21:Calgary Flames
Stanley Cup Odds: +10000
Record: 21-24-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 23
The highly elastic Flames jump back up to the 21st place this week, they got the ball rolling well with wins on back to back days against the Canadiens over the weekend, after a 2 day break they then lost to them 2-1 in the final game of the three match set.
The Flames now travel to Edmonton for the next 2 games, they will need to be at their best for the rest of the season with the gap between them and a playoff position now at 6 points.
22:Arizona Coyotes
Stanley Cup Odds: +4900
Record: 21-23-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 21
The Coyotes miserable form continued for the most part this week, short of their 4-0 win against the Kings they were quite poor, picking up losses to the Wild, and a 6-4 loss to the Sharks yesterday.
The comeback fell just short.
Jakob Chychrun, Michael Bunting, and Coach Tocchet speak on tonight’s game: pic.twitter.com/Tgy1rCBA8s
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) April 27, 2021
With a measly record of 2-8-0 over the last 10 games only 2 teams in the league have had a worse run than the Coyotes, now finding themselves bumped out of a playoff position for their efforts.
23:Los Angeles Kings
Stanley Cup Odds: +15000
Record: 17-22-6
Last Week’s Ranking: 22
The Kings had an average week, through a busy set of 4 games they managed to walk away with 2 wins, both of which came in the form of a 4-1 victory over the Ducks at home.
With their next 3 games also set to be played against the Ducks they will like their chances to add some more points to the board, however, 6 points off a playoff position, things aren’t looking too good for the Kings.
24:Vancouver Canucks
Stanley Cup Odds: +10000
Record: 19-20-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 24
The Canucks maintain the 24th seed this week, they were kept quite busy, starting things off with another impressive win over the Maple Leafs before beginning a 4 game set with the Senators.
After 3 games, the Canucks are down 2-1 in the series with the final game set to be played on Wednesday. The Vancouver side currently sit in 2nd last place, 10 points away from a playoff position, however, they have played a full 5 less games than the Canadiens in 4th.
25:Ottawa Senators
Stanley Cup Odds: +25000
Record: 18-27-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
The Senators also remain in place this week, they have only been seen against the Canucks, and have done well so far with 2 wins from 3 games, including a shutout win in the first game.
With 49 games played, no team has played more than the Senators in the North, and they still find themselves in bottom place with any hopes of playoffs all but gone.
26:San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup Odds: +15000
Record: 18-24-5
Last Week’s Ranking: 27
With their win against the Coyotes yesterday, the Sharks finally ended their losing streak before they could see it extend to 9 straight.
Back in the WIN column! pic.twitter.com/oWTJRdLROE
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 27, 2021
Despite their awful string of results, they still only find themselves 5 points off the Blues in a playoff position, however, with a 4 game series against the Avs looming, we don’t like their chances.
27:Anaheim Ducks
Stanley Cup Odds: +25000
Record: 14-27-7
Last Week’s Ranking: 29
The Ducks round out the list, and considering they need to win their final 7 games straight, we don’t expect to be seeing them on the rankings next week.
Regardless, they lost all 3 games they played this week, conceding 13 goals while scoring just 3 across the 3 games.
The 2021 NHL is well underway now! If you want to catch up with all the latest information and get the best free NHL picks, make sure you visit our NHL hub page.
Do you want to bet on all of the daily NHL action with the best information possible? We have just launched our Premium Picks service, and for a limited time only, it is free! *T&Cs Apply.
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
