In each of the last two National Hockey League seasons, the President’s Trophy race has been nothing wanting an insane sprint to the finish. All of us remember the 2022-23 Boston Bruins, who clinched the league’s best record before the tip of March following certainly one of the best runs in history. Within the two years since, it has been a very different story.
In 2023-24, it was a photograph finish, with the Recent York Rangers coming out on top but seven teams, ridiculously, all inside five points by the tip. Last season, the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights all battled right until game No. 82, with the previous capturing the prize for the primary time in franchise history.
This time around, it figures to be one other Central Division behemoth being the last club standing, although things have tightened up tremendously. The Colorado Avalanche have dominated the NHL in 2025-26, but they’ve faltered down the stretch and opened up the door for the Dallas Stars, Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes, who’re all inside seven points. It’s still the Avs’ to lose, but we may very well be in for some more thrilling hockey down the stretch — as if we did not have enough of that with 25 days left.
Not since 2013 has a team that won the regular-season gone on to capture Lord Stanley; you’d should go all the best way back to the prime of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The Chicago Blackhawks won all the things that yr, beating the Bruins in six games to capture their second championship in 4 seasons, before triumphing again two years later to cement the dynasty.
For the reason that heyday of the Hawks, no first-place team has won the title. Not the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning, who were on the unsuitable side of certainly one of the most important upsets ever when the Columbus Blue Jackets shockingly swept them. Or the 2021 Avalanche, who couldn’t make it past the second-round but ended up winning the subsequent yr. And even Ovechkin’s Caps, who won back-to-back league titles in 2016 and 2017, but didn’t capture hockey’s biggest prize until 2018.
The purpose being, winning the President’s Trophy means absolutely nothing. But it surely’s still a standing symbol, and more importantly, guarantees home-ice advantage for all 4 rounds, which does mean something.
All that said, after one other busy week within the National, we’re getting closer and closer to April 16 — which will likely be the ultimate day of the season for 16 teams. And what an outstanding campaign it has been. Like all the time, the newest edition of ClutchPoints’ NHL Power Rankings is here to make some sense of the chaos. Let’s get into it.
Previous 2025-26 NHL Power Rankings: Week 21 | Week 20 | Week 19 | Week 18 | Week 17 | Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Colorado Avalanche (no change)
The almighty Avalanche remain the NHL’s top team in Week 22 — however the hold is as precarious because it’s ever been after Colorado fell in a shootout to Dallas on Wednesday. Still, after righting the ship with back-to-back victories, the No. 1 slot stays secure. With two more editions of CP’s PR’s to come back, there may be a really real likelihood the Avs run the table and end the campaign first in each league standings and the NHL Power Rankings. It’s hard to imagine that these two powerhouses may very well be facing off as soon as Round 2, as this may be an electrical Western Conference Final with a special format. But, as Gary Bettman said at GM meetings last week, he is not even considering changing the format despite the apparent flaws within the system. Getting Gabriel Landeskog back within the lineup is large, though, and he needs to be joined by Artturi Lehkonen, Ross Colton and Logan O’Connor shortly because the roster gets healthy for a vital postseason.
2. Buffalo Sabres (+1)
One other terrific week for the Sabres, and one other jump up the NHL Power Rankings for the Eastern Conference’s elite. Does Buffalo need to be even higher than No. 2? You may make a case; they have been that potent within the second half of the campaign. Regardless, they proceed to win prolifically, something that has been happening for months now. They’re also getting unreal goaltending from the tandem of UPL and Alex Lyon — not counting a 6-5 OT loss to the Geese to finish the week. It’ll be interesting to see if the 2 netminders proceed to separate starts within the postseason, as each have been red hot in front of a locked in defensive unit. There’s probably not way more we are able to say about this franchise, except that there is not a team we’re more excited to observe within the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs — and it is not even close.
3. Dallas Stars (-1)
The Stars were on the verge of taking up the highest spot within the NHL Power Rankings after beating the Avalanche. But considering they lost all three of the opposite games they played — two of them in regulation — they are going to spend at the very least one other seven days within the shadow of their bitter Central Division rivals. Dallas is correct there, just five points back within the President’s Trophy race. But with only 12 games left, and considering the Avs have a game in hand, it’ll take a herculean effort to get there. Considering they’ve lost two of the three games they’ve played against the Wild this yr, you recognize the Stars would like to win the division and get away from Minnesota in Round 1.
4. Carolina Hurricanes (no change)
Hot on Buffalo’s trail at the highest of the East is Carolina, who’re locked in to win the Metropolitan Division after crushing Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. They have been barely overshadowed by the Sabres’ dominance over the previous few months, however the Hurricanes are a wagon once more. The goaltending is the one query mark, as rookie sensation Brandon Bussi has faltered as of late, and Frederik Andersen is 36 years old. If the Canes do not get back to the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in 4 years, it’ll probably be due to that, because the offense and defense are each as locked in as they’ve ever been under Rod Brind’Amour.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning (+1)
Is the Hart Trophy Nikita Kucherov’s to lose? He’s been the very best player within the NHL by a large margin for the reason that Recent 12 months, and he’s now passed Connor McDavid within the Art Ross race with an almost unfathomable 118 points in 64 games. He’s also leading the league in points per game, and has a ridiculous 12 in his last three. It almost goes without saying that the Lightning have won all three of those tilts, and none have been particularly close. Yes, Tampa Bay is back after a rough patch, and so they’re now mere points behind Buffalo at the highest of the Atlantic Division. That is going to be an exciting race down the stretch, but one thing is obviously: this can be a team you are not looking for to see in Round 1.
The Wild are in the course of a particularly rough patch, as evidenced by regulation losses to the Rangers, Maple Leafs and Blackhawks over the past week and alter — three of the underside five teams on this edition of the NHL Power Rankings. Yet, they were in a position to end the week with an electrical extra time win over the Stars, certainly one of the league’s elite. Make it make sense! Minnesota looks like a team that has accepted its place within the hierarchy — almost definitely third place within the Central — and are only waiting for the postseason to start. Kirill Kaprizov, who missed the primary two games of his season on Thursday and Saturday, will have to be fully healthy if the State of Hockey hopes to have any likelihood.
Saturday night was probably essentially the most electric game of Montreal’s 2025-26 season. On the back of a Cole Caufield hat trick and five point game, the Canadiens crushed the Islanders 7-3. Juraj Slajkovsky recorded 4 points, the Habs scored 4 goals within the third period, and by the tip, you could not hear yourself think on the Bell Centre. Remarkably, Caufield is now just two goals back of Nathan MacKinnon within the Rocket Richard Trophy race. The way in which the child is scoring goals, don’t count him out. And with five wins of their last eight games, don’t count the Canadiens out of a second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They currently have a one-point cushion on the Islanders after Saturday’s critical triumph, and wish to maintain winning down the stretch to make it a reality.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins (+1)
The Penguins at the moment are back to full strength, with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each returning to the lineup last week. And Pittsburgh had an important seven-day stretch, handing Colorado perhaps its worst lack of the campaign in an eye-opening 7-2 final. Additionally they snuck by Winnipeg 5-4 in a shootout. However the Pens suffered two defeats to the Hurricanes, one in extra time on Wednesday and one other in regulation on Sunday. It goes without saying that this club would like to string a pair more wins together, finish second or third within the division, and avoid the Canes altogether in Round 1 as a wildcard team. But that will likely be easier said than done, especially because the Blue Jackets, Islanders and Flyers will wish to have their say down the stretch. It’s shaping as much as be an intriguing race to the finish within the Metro.
9. Anaheim Geese (+1)
It has been an encouraging eight days for the Geese, who won three of 4 games and picked up seven of a possible eight points in that span. That is especially impressive considering the trio of victories got here against playoff teams within the Canadiens, Mammoth and Sabres. Sunday night’s 6-5 extra time victory over Buffalo was electric, because the Eastern Conference leaders haven’t been allowing many goals in any respect today. Anaheim is heating up at the right time, and so they’ve opened up a four-point cushion at the highest of the Pacific. The division is theirs to lose, and it’s looking more likely by the day that postseason hockey will likely be returning to SoCal for the primary time since 2017-18.
10. Recent York Islanders (-3)
The Islanders have had such a terrific 2025-26 season, but all it’ll take is a nasty couple of games to reverse all of that. With the Penguins and Blue Jackets continuing to string wins together, and the Flyers lurking, Recent York needs to complete as strong as they’ve searched for a lot of the campaign. Losing back-to-back games to Ottawa and Montreal was not encouraging, but a good 1-0 victory over Columbus to finish the week was enormous. The Isles at the moment are holding onto the second wildcard berth within the East for dear life, with 4 teams all inside five points. They still control their very own destiny, and with 4 consecutive games coming up at UBS Arena, the wins at home have to keep coming.
11. Ottawa Senators (+1)
The Senators are picking the right time within the season to go on a bit of tear, and even in an ultra-competitive Eastern Conference, they’ve put themselves back within the conversation. Ottawa has won 4 of 5 and 7 of nine, and considering all of that was kept away from Jake Sanderson, it’s extremely impressive. The star defenseman needs to be back within the lineup sometime in the subsequent 7-10 days, and within the month of March, Linus Ullmark has looked like certainly one of the league’s most reliable netminders. The Sens just have to get in to noticeably make some noise, but despite the recent stretch, they continue to be 4 points back. The highlight of Week 21 was a Brady Tkachuk game-winning goal against the Islanders with 12 seconds left in regulation, and people are the type of vibes we’re seeing in Canada’s capital without delay.
12. Boston Bruins (-1)
Even when the Bruins lose, they discover a strategy to get past regulation. And that may very well be the deciding factor that gets Boston back into the postseason this April. They’ve now won two games in a row, and before that, had lost 4 of six — but picked up some extent in five of those. With that, the B’s are a powerful 39-23-8, especially considering they finished dead last within the Eastern Conference in 2024-25. There’s still lots of work to do, but this can be a seasoned club that has been there before, and that counts for something down the stretch. Now occupying the highest wildcard berth within the conference — and just some extent away from third within the Atlantic Division — a busy four-game week begins against the Maple Leafs at TD Garden on Tuesday.
13. Utah Mammoth (no change)
With the East and West playoff races getting increasingly more frantic by the day, there are only a few teams standing pat within the NHL Power Rankings in Week 22. The Mammoth are certainly one of them, as they’ve hovered around .500 for the reason that starting of this month. Utah is looking well-positioned to complete in the highest wildcard berth within the conference, but Nashville is closing the gap, and so they need to enhance the outcomes down the stretch. A shutout victory over the flailing Golden Knights was impressive, and this club needs that version of Karel Vejmelka over their final 12 games. We’re oh-so-close to postseason hockey debuting in Salt Lake City, however the Mammoth have to keep their foot on the gas over the subsequent three weeks.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (+3)
It has been a protracted time coming, but after 70 games in 2025-26, the Blue Jackets are back into the top-three within the Metropolitan Division. That is massive, however the job is way from done. After losing to Recent York on Sunday, the 2 playoff hopefuls are tied. It looks unlikely that the Flyers will find a way to secure anything but a wildcard berth, meaning the Jackets, Isles and Penguins are batting tooth and nail for second and third within the Metro — and the trio are separated by a whopping one point. It may come right down to the wire, and it’ll be electric for fans of all three franchises who’re all eager to see their clubs back within the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
15. Detroit Red Wings (-1)
The Red Wings got Andrew Copp back within the lineup last week, and Dylan Larkin’s return is imminent — but will or not it’s enough? Detroit has lost 4 of six and 6 of nine, and have now fallen out of a playoff spot altogether. That is brutal considering how good they were looking before the Olympic break. They simply have to be higher over these last 12 games, or it’ll be a devastating collapse that might cost GM Steve Yzerman his job. The patience is wearing thin in Motown, and this roster must dig deep and discover a way over the subsequent few weeks. Things do not get any easier in Week 22; actually, they get much harder, against red-hot Ottawa on Tuesday, Buffalo on Friday and Philly on Saturday.
It is time to officially admit it: after advancing to back-to-back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals — and winning two of them — the Panthers won’t even get the chance for the threepeat. The injuries and insane amount of hockey over the past three years has just been an excessive amount of to beat, and Florida suffered one other blow when Niko Mikkola went down with an ailment last week. It would not be surprising if he, Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart all got shut down, as Paul Maurice’s team has lost three of 4, and at the moment are an insurmountable 14 points back of a playoff spot. It is a disappointing but comprehensible final result, and Panthers fans will still have the incredible memories created over the past three campaigns. Do not be surprised if a well-rested Cats roster is correct back within the dance within the spring of 2027. And congrats to Paul Maurice, who will develop into just the second head coach in NHL history to teach 2,000 games on Tuesday night.
17. Philadelphia Flyers (+4)
Do the Flyers have the juice to make a miraculous late-season playoff push? They’ve looked terrific as of late, with Dan Vladar locked in between the pipes. Philadelphia has won three games in a row, five of six and nine of 12 since Feb. 26. Rick Tocchet’s club has just looked like a special beast for the reason that Olympic break, and so they’ve decreased the magic number for a playoff berth to simply five with 13 games left. We were totally ready to jot down off this club, but as we proceed to learn within the National Hockey League, not so fast. The Flyers are playing inspired hockey and treating the fans within the City of Brotherly Like to a very impressive level on a game-to-game basis. Let’s have a look at in the event that they can stick with it over a busy — and crucial — four-game Week 22 slate.
18. Vegas Golden Knights (-2)
What a fully abysmal week for the Golden Knights. Vegas, which is just flush with offensive talent, got shutout in back-to-back games, losing 2-0 to Buffalo on Tuesday and 4-0 to Utah on Thursday — each at home. They were in a position to rating a goal against Nashville on Saturday, but still lost 4-1. Thank goodness for them that they were in a position to bank so many points earlier within the season, because it has been a slog. Not less than they were in a position to finish the week strong, beating a terrific Stars team 3-2 on the road on a late regulation goal. Still, unexpectedly, the Western Conference wildcard teams are creeping up, and if the Knights don’t right the ship soon, there is no guarantee there will likely be playoff hockey on the strip this spring.
19. San Jose Sharks (-1)
The Sharks put themselves in a wonderful position coming out of the Olympic break, and so they’ve absolutely squandered it. San Jose looked like near a lock at the tip of February, but have now lost 4 games in a row and 7 in nine tries. With Yaroslav Askarov on the shelf, Alex Nedeljkovic had a terrible week, starting three straight games and allowing 12 goals over three regulation defeats. Now 32-30-6, the Sharks have fallen down the Western Conference table, and are a full five points away from getting back into wildcard positioning. It is not looking good, and Macklin Celebrini goes to have to be much more heroic than he’s already been to provide this club a fighting likelihood.
20. Washington Capitals (-1)
If this finally ends up being Alex Ovechkin’s final season within the National Hockey League, it will be just brutal if the Capitals were unable to advance to the dance for just the second time since 2013-14. Especially considering he just scored his 1,000th profession goal when counting each regular season and the playoffs. And it isn’t looking good. After Sunday afternoon’s extra time loss to Colorado, Washington is six points out with just 12 games left. And teams like Boston, Ottawa, Philadelphia and Columbus are usually not making things even a bit of bit easier. It may take a miraculous run over the past couple of weeks, and considering the Caps are playing .500 hockey for the reason that Olympic break, it isn’t looking good. All three road contests this week — in St. Louis, Utah and Las Vegas, in that order — are must-wins.
The injuries just proceed to pile up for the Oilers at absolutely the worst time. As Edmonton continues to battle for a top-three berth within the Pacific Division, they’ve lost Trent Frederic, Mattias Janmark, Curtis Lazar, Colton Dach and Leon Draisaitl, who’ve all suffered significant injuries over the previous few weeks. Obviously, Draisaitl is essentially the most significant, and the actual fact he’s back in Germany seeing a well known sports doctor is just not excellent news in any respect. It doesn’t appear like he’ll be an option in any respect for the remainder of the regular season, and the Oil have lost two games in a row and 4 of six. They’ve banked enough points that it’s not time to panic just yet, but the maths shows them just 4 points ahead of the Kings, who’re on the skin looking in.
22. Recent Jersey Devils (+1)
There are only too many productive teams within the Eastern Conference for the Devils to get back into contention this late within the season. Despite winning three of their last 4 games, Recent Jersey stays a full 13 points back of the ultimate wildcard berth with 13 games left. At this point, they’re closer to getting mathematically eliminated than they’re to being certainly one of the last eight teams standing within the conference. It’s a troublesome spot to be in, as they are not more likely to get a really high pick within the 2026 NHL Draft, either. It’s nice to complete strong, but for management, they might probably prefer just a few more losses and just a few less wins over these last couple weeks.
23. St. Louis Blues (+2)
The Blues were the one team within the NHL that played just two games last week, and so they got here against the 2 bottom teams within the standings within the Flames and Canucks. St. Louis lost in a shootout to Calgary before beating Vancouver, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive. With 13 games left of their campaign, they should leapfrog five teams. Although they’re playing arguably higher hockey than any of those teams, with seven wins of their last 10 — and points in nine of those — it’s looking very very bleak. Let’s have a look at what Week 22 brings; at the very least the Blues have three games on the schedule, all against non-playoff opponents.
24. Nashville Predators (+4)
Right when it looked just like the Predators were going to go quietly into golf season, they said not only yet. Nashville is on a late-campaign heater — stop me should you’ve heard that before — playing 4 games in Week 21 and winning all of them. That not only has them firmly back within the playoff race, it has them in a postseason slot with 12 games left. Catching the Mammoth, who’re five points ahead, seems unlikely. However the three teams chasing the Preds — the Kings, Kraken and Sharks — have lost a combined 10 consecutive games. They needed some help to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and boy are they getting it! This roster is fiddling with a ton of confidence, and considering they play San Jose three more times, and LA twice, Nashville controls its own destiny down the stretch.
25. Seattle Kraken (-1)
The Kraken also controlled their very own destiny in a good Western Conference playoff race — and so they’ve thrown it away. Seattle has lost three games in a row and 7 of nine since March 4. So as to add insult to injury, all seven of those defeats got here in regulation, with the roster unable to bank even a single point in that span. That is just detrimental to the postseason hopes, as they’ve now fallen out of a wildcard berth altogether. The dream is not over, but with the Mammoth, Predators and Kings all ahead and playing higher, the possibilities of playoff hockey returning to the Emerald City are getting slimmer by the day. It doesn’t help that, after losing back-to-back games on the road, Seattle has to play 4 more away from Climate Pledge Arena between now and the last day of March.
26. Los Angeles Kings (no change)
The Kings proceed to play uninspiring hockey down the stretch, but they’re certainly one of the few teams standing pat within the NHL Power Rankings in Week 22 because of the struggles of just a few teams around them. That, and the proven fact that they’re already pretty low down the leaderboard because it is with only three weeks left. At crucial time of yr, LA has floundered, losing 4 of 5 games. They have been in a position to bank a pair points past regulation, but it surely’s probably not going to be enough. Artemi Panarin is doing his part offensively, but there just is not enough firepower here. With 12 games left, the second wildcard berth appears to be the one reasonable path to the postseason, and never only are the Predators now two points up, they’ve won 4 in a row and are showing no signs of slowing down. It’s gut check time for this Kings club, and road games in Calgary on Tuesday and Vancouver on Thursday are must-wins.
27. Winnipeg Jets (-3)
The Jets didn’t do themselves any favors in a razor-thin Western Conference playoff race last week, losing three of 4 games in a stretch that they might barely afford to lose once. Although they got past regulation in three of those tilts and picked up 4 of a possible eight points, Winnipeg is just not doing themselves any favors down the stretch. Now .500 at 29-29-12 and three points out of a postseason berth — with 4 teams to leapfrog — things are getting more dire by the day. Coming up is a really difficult week that features games against the Golden Knights once, and NHL-leading Avalanche twice.
28. Recent York Rangers (-1)
Right when it looked just like the Rangers were going to go on a bit of little bit of a late-season heater, they regressed to their lowly ways in a very brutal Week 21. Recent York lost all 4 games they played — three of them at Madison Square Garden — giving up 18 goals in that span and scoring just nine. It ended with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Jets on Sunday, and in addition included regulation losses to the Kings (4-1), Devils (6-3) and Blue Jackets (6-3), in that order. With that, any probabilities the Blueshirts could have had of coming out of the conference basement were firmly dashed, and with 13 games left of their regular-season, it’ll be a last-place finish within the East. April 16 cannot come soon enough for this franchise.
29. Toronto Maple Leafs (no change)
The Maple Leafs finally showed some signs of life in the course of March, managing to win two times in three tries — the primary time that had happened since before the Olympic break. But they were back to their old tricks last week, losing three consecutive games, to the Islanders on Tuesday, Hurricanes on Friday and Senators on Saturday, respectively. And, in true Toronto fashion, William Nylander took a high shot on goaltender Anthony Stolarz in warmups on Saturday that not only took him out of the sport, but sent the injury-prone netminder to the hospital. Just brutal. Nylander probably feels terrible, as does much of the fanbase in town at this point. Now 29-29-13, your complete organization just cannot wait for what may very well be certainly one of the worst seasons in franchise history to finish — and that is saying something.
30. Calgary Flames (+1)
The Flames won consecutive games for the primary time for the reason that end of February last week, and even though it won’t matter in any respect within the standings, moral victories. Calgary beat St. Louis in a shootout on Wednesday before putting together a terrific effort against the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions on Friday, beating Florida 4-1. They followed it up with a 4-3 extra time victory over resurgent Tampa Bay on Sunday evening, concluding a terrific seven days. Despite a really poor team in front of them, each Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley have performed well this season, and that tandem figures to stay intact for at the very least the subsequent couple of campaigns. Cooley is a UFA in the summertime of 2029, while Wolf is signed through 2033 because the goalie of the long run in Alberta.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (-1)
It was one other losing week within the Windy City, which is to be expected when you’ve gotten to play the Wild twice and the Avalanche once. The Blackhawks fared reasonably well considering, managing to select up 4 of a possible eight points. But with the Flames happening a bit of little bit of a run, it’s back to an all-too-familiar No. 31 slot within the NHL Power Rankings in Week 22. Ah well, at the very least it is not the basement, a spot Chicago spent quite a little bit of time in in 2024-25. With 12 games left of their regular-season, the Hawks are letting the children play, and it would not be surprising to see them finish on this exact spot — in each league standings and CP’s PR’s.
32. Vancouver Canucks (no change)
Although there’s nothing more to say in regards to the 2025-26 iteration of the Canucks from a standings perspective — they have been mathematically eliminated — it’s nice to see a few developments over the previous few weeks. Marco Rossi is looking like a bonafide 2C, as evidenced by his incredibly impressive five-game, 10-point streak. He’s formed a terrific second line with Brock Boeser and Liam Ohgren, one which figures to stay intact to start out next season as well. Defenseman Victor Mancini also earned a two-year extension with the big-league club last week and will get a chance to make the team out of coaching camp in 2026-27. The roster is getting younger, and with significant capital over the subsequent few drafts, Vancouver has an actual likelihood to rebuild properly. The massive query for next yr: who will likely be named the sixteenth captain in franchise history? My gut tells me Filip Hronek has an important likelihood.