Teams are getting more competitive as the deadline approaches.
Week 19 of the 2021-22 NHL season is in the books and we haven’t seen teams play as competitively as they have been.
Playoff races are getting close so everyone, from teams at the bottom of the standings to the ones at the top, is giving it their all.
We saw it coming, but there was a shift in the top-six, even though the Colorado Avalanche are still the best of the best. After several months at 32, the Montreal Canadiens are on of the hottest teams in the league and were able to start moving up.
Let’s take a look at our Week 19 power rankings. Check out Week 18’s power rankings here.
32. Arizona Coyotes
Week 19: 1-2-0, 8 GF, 9 GA (Opponents: LAK, CGK, WPG)
Previous Ranking: 31
Objectively speaking, defenseman Dysin Mayo has had a bad season, but the rookie was thrown into the fire and Arizona have liked what he’s done enough to extend him for three more years.
31. Montreal Canadiens
Week 19: 3-0-0, 11 GF, 3 GA (Opponents: TOR, BUF, OTT)
Previous Ranking: 32
The Canadiens are tied for the longest winning streak in the NHL with five. Martin St. Louis is beginning to look like the real deal.
30. Seattle Kraken
Week 19: 0-3-1, 7 GF, 16 GA (Opponents: VAN, NYI, BOS, SJS)
Previous Ranking: 30
A case can be made that no team has been worse than the Kraken over the past month or so.
29. Buffalo Sabres
Week 19: 0-3-0, 5 GF, 13 GA (Opponents: MTL, STL, DAL)
Previous Ranking: 28
The Sabres have lost six in a row and things are looking worse for them than they have all season.
28. New Jersey Devils
Week 19: 1-1-0, 11 GF, 9 GA (Opponents: PIT, CHI)
Previous Ranking: 29
A 6-1 win against one of the best teams in the league, the Pittsburgh Penguins, was followed by an ugly loss to an underwhelming Blackhawks team. Goaltending continues to kill this promising, young Devils team.
27. Philadelphia Flyers
Week 19: 1-1-1, 6 GF, 9 GA (Opponents: CAR, STL, WSH)
Previous Ranking: 27
The Flyers were able to end their six-game losing streak this week. Getting healthy has been nice. But which players will stay in Philly through the deadline?
26. Chicago Blackhawks
Week 19: 1-1-0, 8 GF, 9 GA (Opponents: NJD, STL)
Previous Ranking: 25
It’s all about trade speculation at this point in Chicago’s season. When will they name their new general manager? And which players will he move when in that seat? That person will have three weeks (from today) to make big decisions in Chicago.
25. Ottawa Senators
Week 19: 1-1-0, 5 GF, 5 GA (Opponents: MIN, MTL)
Previous Ranking: 26
Erik Brännström is becoming an important defenseman for this Senators team.
24. Detroit Red Wings
Week 19: 0-2-0, 9 GF, 15 GA (Opponents: COL, TOR)
Previous Ranking: 21
Scoring seven goals in a game but still losing is never what you want to see.
23. New York Islanders
Week 19: 2-1-1, 14 GF, 11 GA (Opponents: SEA, SJS, LAK, ANA)
Previous Ranking: 24
The Islanders ended the week with an easy 4-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks, but lost Mathew Barzal and Zdeno Chára to injuries the game before. How will that affect them moving forward?
22. San Jose Sharks
Week 19: 2-1-1, 11 GF, 11 GA (Opponents: ANA, NYI, BOS, SEA)
Previous Ranking: 23
The Sharks bounced back in Week 19 after what were a dreadful two weeks and look to get back to winning.
21. Winnipeg Jets
Week 19: 1-2-1, 11 GF, 15 GA (Opponents: CGY, DAL, COL, ARI)
Previous Ranking: 19
As has been the trend all season-long, the Jets just can’t remain consistent.
20. Columbus Blue Jackets
Week 19: 2-2-0, 12 GF, 13 GA (Opponents: TOR, FLA, CAR, PIT)
Previous Ranking: 20
Blowing leads like the Blue Jackets did on Sunday to Pittsburgh isn’t a good way to climb the standings, but the playoff push is still on.
19. Anaheim Ducks
Week 19: 1-2-0, 5 GF, 11 GA (Opponents: SJS, LAK, NYI)
Previous Ranking: 18
John Gibson has been struggling mightily in net and is costing the Ducks wins. What is there to do about him?
18. Vancouver Canucks
Week 19: 3-0-0, 17 GF, 5 GA (Opponents: SEA, CGY, NYR)
Previous Ranking: 22
What a week for the Canucks. They won three in a row, scored goals a plenty, and played sound defense. They’re very much alive in the playoff race.
17. Edmonton Oilers
Week 19: 1-2-0, 8 GF, 12 GA (Opponents: TBL, FLA, CAR)
Previous Ranking: 15
The hot Oilers were slowed down in Week 19 by some tough competition.
16. Dallas Stars
Week 19: 2-0-1, 8 GF, 6 GA (Opponents: WPG, NSH, BUF)
Previous Ranking: 17
The Stars, who have been playing solid hockey since the All-Star break, just got deeper after claiming forward Marián Studenič off waivers from the Devils.
15. Washington Capitals
Week 19: 0-2-0, 2 GF, 6 GA (Opponents: NYR, PHI)
Previous Ranking: 11
Staying consistent has been the grandest of issues for the Capitals, as of late.
14. Nashville Predators
Week 19: 2-1-0, 10 GF, 8 GA (Opponents: FLA, DAL, TBL)
Previous Ranking: 14
The Predators couldn’t come away with a Stadium Series win at home but as Nashville forward Colton Sissons said, this was a “big win for Nashville hockey”.
13. Vegas Golden Knights
Week 19: 0-2-0, 3 GF, 6 GA (Opponents: ARI, COL)
Previous Ranking: 12
Having Jack Eichel is obviously nice, but it’s clear that the Knights are going to have to make some big moves at the deadline in order to make a deep run.
12. Los Angeles Kings
Week 19: 3-0-0, 12 GF, 8 GA (Opponents: ARI, ANA, NYI)
Previous Ranking: 16
The Kings are tied for the league’s longest winning streak, have jumped to second in the Pacific, and are just three points out of first. Watch out.
11. Boston Bruins
Week 19: 3-0-0, 11 GF, 4 GA (Opponents: COL, SEA, SJS)
Previous Ranking: 13
Check out this save by Jeremy Swayman on San Jose’s Tomáš Hertl:
Jeremy Swayman robs Tomas Hertl with a sprawled-out glove stop: pic.twitter.com/3IDTGC5cSW
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 27, 2022
10. Minnesota Wild
Week 19: 0-3-0, 7 GF, 14 GA (Opponents: OTT, TOR, CGY)
Previous Ranking: 8
Poor goaltending in recent games, especially from Cam Talbot, is costing the Wild important points.
9. Calgary Flames
Week 19: 2-1-0, 11 GF, 11 GA (Opponents: WPG, VAN, MIN)
Previous Ranking: 9
An ugly 7-1 loss to the Canucks aside, Calgary had another strong week and continues to be one of the better teams in the NHL.
8. New York Rangers
Week 19: 1-2-0, 6 GF, 7 GA (Opponents: WSH, PIT, VAN)
Previous Ranking: 5
Filip Chytil has been a healthy scratch in the last two games. Could this be the end for the young forward in New York?
7. St. Louis Blues
Week 19: 3-0-0, 13 GF, 4 GA (Opponents: PHI, BUF, CHI)
Previous Ranking: 10
The Blues followed up a solid Week 18 with an even better Week 19 in which they went 3-0, scoring lots of goals and conceding few.
6. Pittsburgh Penguins
Week 19: 2-1-0, 5 GF, 8 GA (Opponents: NJD, NYR, CBJ)
Previous Ranking: 7
The future Hall of Famers carried the load in an important Week 19 for Pittsburgh, who remain in a tight race.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs
Week 19: 2-1-1, 18 GF, 17 GA (Opponents: MTL CBJ, MIN, DET)
Previous Ranking: 6
In what ended up being a game with an NFL-like score of 10-7, the Maple Leafs notched their highest-scoring win since 1980s against the Red Wings.
4. Florida Panthers
Week 19: 0-3-0, 10 GF, 16 GA (Opponents: NSH, CBJ, EDM)
Previous Ranking: 2
The Panthers have lost three in a row in regulation for just the second time this season.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
Week 19: 2-0-0, 8 GF, 5 GA (Opponents: EDM, NSH)
Previous Ranking: 4
The Lightning’s huge win over the Predators in the Stadium Series, their outdoor debut, is another success in the organization’s recent history.
2. Carolina Hurricanes
Week 19: 3-0-0, 10 GF, 4 GA (Opponents: PHI, CBJ, EDM)
Previous Ranking: 3
Tony DeAngelo, one of the team’s most important scorers, is out long-term, but that hasn’t affected Carolina, who have won five in a row.
1. Colorado Avalanche
Week 19: 3-1-0, 15 GF, 12 GA (Opponents: BOS, DET, WPG, VGK)
Previous Ranking: 1
A Gabriel Landeskog hat-trick highlighted an overall strong offensive week for the Avalanche.
