The last week of the regular season is upon us, which means one thing: the playoffs are just around the corner. If you can’t wait until then, check out our latest TWC NHL Power Rankings which contains some wacky late season moves and one of the final comparisons of all 32 teams.
TWC Power Rankings explained
If you’re new to our power rankings, this is how it all works.
Here at TWC, we use a statistical model to effectively rank teams on a week to week basis. The model takes into effect winning percentages, CF%, SCF%, HDCF% as well as SV%. Each statistical category is weighed and scored differently, giving each team a unique TWC Score that determines their ranking after each week. The formula puts the highest emphasis on winning percentages over other statistics. All numbers are taken in all situations, to incorporate special teams into the fray.
We got some excellent feedback over the course of last season from our readers as to how we could improve this model moving forward. We have slightly altered the weightings of the statistical categories, but also added a large recency component to make sure that each week the teams that are riding hot streaks are more appropriately demonstrated in the rankings.
Don’t like where your team is ranked? Unfortunately, they will have to turn it around on the ice, as we take zero personal opinions into effect.
Have any suggestions for the TWC Power Rankings for next season? Leave us a comment and let us know. Without further ado, this week’s power rankings are below!
Week 27 NHL Power Rankings
| Rank | Change | Team | Team Name | Last Week | Record | TWCScore |
| 1 | – |  | Florida Panthers | 3-1-0 | 57-16-6 | 802 |
| 2 | +1 |  | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2-1-1 | 52-21-7 | 771.9 |
| 3 | +2 |  | Carolina Hurricanes | 4-0-0 | 52-20-8 | 770.5 |
| 4 | – |  | Calgary Flames | 3-0-1 | 49-20-10 | 769.7 |
| 5 | -3 |  | Colorado Avalanche | 0-4-0 | 55-18-6 | 766.4 |
| 6 | +2 |  | Minnesota Wild | 4-0-0 | 51-21-7 | 748.6 |
| 7 | -1 |  | Tampa Bay Lightning | 3-1-0 | 49-22-8 | 747.2 |
| 8 | -1 |  | Boston Bruins | 3-1-0 | 49-25-5 | 742.3 |
| 9 | – |  | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2-1-0 | 45-24-11 | 729.4 |
| 10 | – |  | New York Rangers | 2-1-0 | 51-22-6 | 723.4 |
| 11 | – |  | St Louis Blues | 3-0-1 | 49-20-11 | 721.5 |
| 12 | +1 |  | Edmonton Oilers | 2-1-0 | 46-27-6 | 714.3 |
| 13 | +2 |  | Los Angeles Kings | 3-0-0 | 43-27-10 | 711.5 |
| 14 | – |  | Washington Capitals | 2-0-2 | 44-23-12 | 706.4 |
| 15 | -3 |  | Dallas Stars | 1-3-0 | 44-30-5 | 701.6 |
| 16 | +1 |  | Vegas Golden Knights | 1-1-1 | 42-31-6 | 682.4 |
| 17 | -1 |  | Nashville Predators | 1-1-1 | 44-29-6 | 681.8 |
| 18 | – |  | Vancouver Canucks | 1-2-1 | 38-30-11 | 658.5 |
| 19 | – |  | Winnipeg Jets | 1-2-0 | 36-32-11 | 646.3 |
| 20 | – |  | New York Islanders | 0-3-1 | 35-34-10 | 628.1 |
| 21 | – |  | San Jose Sharks | 3-1-0 | 32-35-12 | 619.3 |
| 22 | +1 |  | Columbus Blue Jackets | 1-1-1 | 36-36-7 | 609.1 |
| 23 | +1 |  | New Jersey Devils | 1-2-1 | 27-44-8 | 602.6 |
| 24 | -2 |  | Anaheim Ducks | 0-3-0 | 30-36-14 | 601.9 |
| 25 | – |  | Ottawa Senators | 3-1-0 | 31-41-7 | 598.6 |
| 26 | +1 |  | Buffalo Sabres | 2-0-0 | 31-38-11 | 590.9 |
| 27 | -1 |  | Detroit Red Wings | 2-2-0 | 31-39-10 | 584 |
| 28 | +1 |  | Seattle Kraken | 2-2-0 | 26-46-6 | 568.8 |
| 29 | -1 |  | Chicago Blackhawks | 1-3-0 | 26-42-11 | 568 |
| 30 | – |  | Philadelphia Flyers | 2-1-0 | 25-43-11 | 560.5 |
| 31 | – |  | Montreal Canadiens | 0-4-0 | 20-49-11 | 517.4 |
| 32 | – |  | Arizona Coyotes | 0-2-2 | 22-50-7 | 505.3 |
Things look a little crazy on the TWC NHL Power Rankings list this week. First off, it should come as no surprise that the Florida Panthers retained their first overall position. Even if their eleven-game winning streak was snapped last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Panthers are the odds on favourite to lock up the Presidents’ Trophy this week. It’s almost a race between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals as to who won’t have to play the Panthers.
Moving up to number two this week was the Toronto Maple Leafs. Surprisingly enough with a 2–1–1 record, the Leafs have some very strong underlying numbers that are favoring them in our model. They are top five in almost every category, with a number one ranking this week in SCF%, but are only being hurt by their 23rd ranked SV%. Goaltending is what can get you wins in the playoffs, and that will be the biggest question mark for the Leafs in a potential series with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
One of our biggest movers this week was surprisingly the Carolina Hurricanes. Now the Canes have been a darling of our rankings all season long, the only reason it’s surprising is that with so many key injuries last week we didn’t think they would then rattle off four straight wins. That streak should give them home ice for the first two rounds.
The Calgary Flames went 3–0–1 last week, and clinched the Pacific Division in the process. With two 100-point scorers in Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the team has the potential to get to four 40-goal scorers this week. Yes, four. The Flames are hitting the right strides entering the postseason.
On the opposite end of the coin is our biggest loser this week, the Colorado Avalanche. Who could have expected four straight regulation losses for the Avs this time last week? It reminds us a lot about the Calgary and Colorado series a few years ago, just flipped for the Avs. The West has been locked up for them for a while, and they are simply coasting into the postseason. Will be interesting to see how the team reacts to their first round opponent.
Also moving up big this week was the Minnesota Wild. A current five-game win streak gives them the edge over the St. Louis Blues for home ice advantage. It’s a crime that one of these teams isn’t making it out of the first round, but this will easily be the series to watch when the playoffs begin.
As a result of Minnesota’s dominance, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins dropped one spot each despite a combined 6–2–0 record. This is more about timing here than anything, as both teams are still safely in the top ten.
Other playoff movers on our list include the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings moving up one and two spots respectively. Locked in first round opponents, it’s hard to pin-point just what exactly this series will look like. On the other side, the Dallas Stars went 1–3–0 last week, but yet somehow just need one point to lock up the final playoff spot. You can bet the Avalanche and Flames are hoping the Stars fall to them.
Past Power Rankings
Check here for how teams have done over past weeks and stay tuned for upcoming power rankings. Note: Week 11 was skipped and combined with Week 12 due to a lack of games.
Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27
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