The quest for the Stanley Cup is now reaching its endgame. As a result, it’s the quietest week on the TWC NHL Playoff Power Rankings, with just two small moves happening on our list. That being said, we now know three of four conference finalists, with the last to be determined tonight in Game 7 action. All this means we’re another week closer to naming the 2021–22 Stanley Cup Champions. Let’s see how the rankings stack up and what to expect from the final teams.
Welcome back to the TWC Playoff Power Rankings!
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 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 Playoff Power Rankings? Leave us a comment and let us know!
| Rank | Change | Team | Team Name | Last Week | Record | TWCScore |
| 1 | – |  | Colorado Avalanche | 2-1 | 8-2 | 1179.4 |
| 2 | – |  | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1-0 | 8-3 | 1058.8 |
| 3 | +1 |  | Edmonton Oilers | 2-0 | 8-4 | 1033.3 |
| 4 | -1 |  | Carolina Hurricanes | 1-2 | 7-6 | 987.9 |
| 5 | – |  | 0-2 | 5-7 | 940.1 | |
| 6 | – |  | 1-2 | 6-6 | 908 | |
| 7 | +1 |  | New York Rangers | 2-1 | 7-6 | 895.1 |
| 8 | -1 |  | 0-1 | 4-6 | 872 |
Power Ranking Notables
The Colorado Avalanche reign supreme yet again on our list, by another wide margin. They closed out their series against the St. Louis Blues on Friday night thanks to a last-second goal by Darren Helm. The Avs got somewhat of a scare against the Blues, who were far better than most experts pegged them to be. That being said, Colorado is the deepest and strongest team we have seen in the Western Conference for a while. It will be fascinating to see how they match up against the Edmonton Oilers next round.
The Tampa Bay Lightning needed just one game last week to sweep the Florida Panthers and have been simply resting since. The defending champs look very much like defending champs, and are now just casually waiting for the winner of a tough seven-game series. Are they poised for the elusive three-peat? Or will they meet their match?
The Edmonton Oilers took the first Battle of Alberta in 31 years after winning four straight games against the Calgary Flames. Tragically, it was just a five-game series, but it was full of thrills, lead changes, and some controversy. That being said, the Oilers were the better team in the series and were being led by the ridiculous talent of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Do the Avs have the personnel to stop the two-headed monster and a deeper than expected Oilers squad?
Finally, the last series standing of the second round has almost been a duplicate for the Carolina Hurricanes. This team cannot win a game on the road despite being the better team. The Rangers are getting a huge lift from Igor Shesterkin as well, but it has to be frustrating for the Canes to not able to win a single game on the road over its past six. If Carolina wins tonight, they will have to find a way to buck that trend fast in the Conference Finals.
What are your thoughts? Are you surprised where your team landed this week? Let us know at @wincolumnblog.
All data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
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