As the NHL playoff picture starts to come into focus, a lot of teams find themselves without a whole lot of motivation. The good teams are in, their seeds often already set thanks to Gary Bettman’s universally beloved divisional playoff format.
The bad teams are out, and players already in the NHL don’t give a damn about draft-lottery odds. Ask any player or coach what they have left to play for, and you’ll hear the same answers every time — they’re fighting for jobs, for each other, and for pride.
All of that is true. But there’s always something more tangible to play for, too. With less than two weeks left in the regular season, we’re taking a look at what each team’s final fortnight focus should be:
1. Winnipeg Jets, 52-20-4
Last week: 1
Sean’s rank: 1
Mark’s rank: 1
Avoid the Avalanche: The Jets have been cruising to the top seed in the West all season, but the Stars’ seven-game win streak has them hot on Winnipeg’s heels all of a sudden. Never mind the Presidents’ Trophy or a division-champion banner, winning the Central could mean the difference between facing the Minnesota Wild or facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. That’s all the motivation any team should need.
2. Dallas Stars, 50-21-4
Last week: 2
Sean’s rank: 2
Mark’s rank: 2
Also avoid the Avalanche: Barely two weeks ago, Dallas trailed Winnipeg by 11 points and was far more focused on staving off Colorado, which was just two points back. You know what’s better than home-ice advantage against Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar? Not facing them at all. Or, at least, not until the second round. This isn’t to imply Colorado is some sort of unstoppable killing machine — the Avs were 9.8 seconds away from losing to lowly Chicago for the third time this season on Wednesday night, after all — but there are playoff teams and there are scary playoff teams. The Avs remain scary until proven otherwise.
3. Washington Capitals, 48-18-9
Last week: 3
Sean’s rank: 4
Mark’s rank: 3
Cross their fingers on Logan Thompson: We’re not just saying that because he’s hurt — though Thompson did leave Washington’s game against the Hurricanes on Wednesday with an upper-body injury. We’re saying it because Thompson has been, basically, bad for the last two months. In 15 games since Feb. 1, he’s put up an .881 save percentage and saved nearly three goals less than expected. He’d been wonderful before that, and Charlie Lindgren is a capable backup, but if the Caps are going to deliver on their early-season promise, they need Thompson at his best.
4. Vegas Golden Knights, 45-22-8
Last week: 4
Sean’s rank: 3
Mark’s rank: 5
Get Tomáš Hertl up to speed: Hertl returned to practice, albeit in a non-contact jersey, for the first time since he was injured on March 23. But he still won’t play until at least next week, meaning he’ll have, at most, four or five games to get back up to speed before the playoffs. Hertl’s been a beast since around New Year’s and had two hat tricks in March before getting hurt. Having him at full strength is fundamental to Vegas’ championship hopes, especially if the Knights draw the red-hot St. Louis Blues in the first round.
5. Carolina Hurricanes, 46-24-4
Last week: 6
Sean’s rank: 5
Mark’s rank: 4
Keep the first line rolling: Not enough has been said about how well Jackson Blake has meshed with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. In their 134 minutes together this season, nearly all of which have come since the trade deadline, Carolina has outscored opponents 9-1 and controlled more than 70 percent of the expected goal share.
6. Colorado Avalanche, 47-26-4
Last week: 5
Sean’s rank: 6
Mark’s rank: 6
Chase the numbers: Nathan MacKinnon had the third-highest point total in the salary-cap era last season with 140 points, and still didn’t win the scoring title. He’s neck and neck with Nikita Kucherov again, tied at 111 points entering Thursday night’s action. MacKinnon did win the Hart Trophy last season, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice. But you know the ridiculously competitive MacKinnon wants the Art Ross, too. Meanwhile, Cale Makar became the first defenseman to score 30 goals in a season since Mike Green in 2008-09, and just the third since 1989. Might as well go after Kevin Hatcher’s mark of 34 goals in 1992-93, the highest total in the last 40 years (Paul Coffey’s 48 in 1985-86 is safe). Colorado is pretty well entrenched in the third spot in the Central, so they might as well stay sharp by chasing some hardware and some history.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning, 44-26-5
Last week: 9
Sean’s rank: 7
Mark’s rank: 8
Break-even play from the third line: We know the Lightning have high-end pieces, and we know they’re capable of winning another Stanley Cup. Depth, though, continues to be an issue — and that’s after their widely (and understandably) lauded additions of Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand at the deadline. Neither has been bad, per se, but the Lightning are still losing their minutes. That wasn’t the plan.
8. Florida Panthers, 44-27-4
Last week: 7
Sean’s rank: 8
Mark’s rank: 7
Change Carter Verhaeghe’s luck: He’s a good player, as anyone who’s paid attention to the last couple postseasons can attest — but this season, Verhaeghe is proof that being good isn’t the same as being lucky. He’s scored 17 goals, down from 35 in 2023-24, and has seen his shooting percentage nearly cut in half (14.1 to 7.5). The bright side, though, is that he’s still getting looks, with nearly 28 expected goals. Florida needs some of those chances to find their way into the net.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs, 46-25-4
Last week: 10
Sean’s rank: 9
Mark’s rank: 9
Bubble-wrap the goaltenders: There was reason to believe in the Anthony Stolarz-Joseph Woll tandem coming into the season. There was also reason to doubt it, revolving mainly around both goalies’ injury history. They’re healthy now, and on the verge of helping Toronto finish as a top-10 team in save percentage. Toronto also allows 0.4 goals fewer than expected per 60 minutes of play. They’re getting legitimately good play from their goalies.
10. Los Angeles Kings, 43-23-9
Last week: 8
Sean’s rank: 12
Mark’s rank: 10
Secure home-ice advantage against the Oilers: A Pacific Division championship is still possible for the Kings, but it’s a longshot that they’ll be able to make up five points in eight games without any head-to-head matchups with the Golden Knights left. So they’re almost certainly looking at a fourth straight first-round matchup with Edmonton. Will things be different this year? Maybe. The Kings look good, Connor McDavid is looking like a mere demi-god these days, and Stuart Skinner has been off his game for a while. And the Kings are now in the driver’s seat for home ice, something they didn’t have in any of the three previous matchups. Oh, and they just so happen to have a league-best 28-4-4 record at The Center Formerly Known As Staples.
The Oilers only need average goaltending but they’re not getting it from Stuart Skinner. (James Guillory / Imagn Images)
11. Edmonton Oilers, 44-26-5
Last week: 11
Sean’s rank: 11
Mark’s rank: 11
Get right: Since the 4 Nations break, the Oilers goaltender has a .866 save percentage at five-on-five. Among No. 1 goalies, only Philadelphia’s Samuel Ersson has been worse. Skinner has given up at least four goals in six of his 11 starts in that span, and the Oilers are 4-7-0 in those games. Last spring proved that the Oilers can be Cup contenders with merely adequate goaltending, but Skinner isn’t even giving them that much right now. He has two weeks to figure it out.
12. St. Louis Blues, 42-28-7
Last week: 12
Sean’s rank: 12
Mark’s rank: 10
Stay hot: Only one of the Blues’ 11 straight wins has come against a team that’s safely in a playoff spot. But 11 wins is 11 wins, and the Blues are suddenly the team nobody wants to face in the first round of the playoffs. St. Louis doesn’t have to extend the win streak to the end of the season — that’d be 16 straight — to keep the good times rolling, but they need to win most of them. Both to remain ridiculously confident heading into the playoffs, and to simply ensure they make the playoffs at all. Don’t get comfortable yet.
13. Ottawa Senators, 40-29-6
Last week: 13
Sean’s rank: 13
Mark’s rank: 13
More of the same from Dylan Cozens: Ottawa seems to have traded for the 2023 version of Cozens — and that’s great news. He has nine points in his first 14 games and looks great centering David Perron and Drake Batherson; the Sens have a goals percentage (real and expected) of about 57 with those three on the ice. If they keep that up, Ottawa could be a tougher out.
14. New Jersey Devils, 40-29-7
Last week: 15
Sean’s rank: 15
Mark’s rank: 14
Find some sort of bright side: Expecting a team without Jack Hughes or (potentially) Dougie Hamilton to beat Carolina in the first round is unfair, regardless of how many points New Jersey finishes with. Yes, Hamilton could return early from his knee injury; yes, Jacob Markstrom is capable of becoming the latest goalie to “goalie” the Hurricanes. Overall, though, things are bleak. No point in pretending otherwise. Since Hughes’ injury on March 2, they’ve been outscored 47-41.
15. Minnesota Wild, 41-28-7
Last week: 14
Sean’s rank: 15
Mark’s rank: 14
Just make the playoffs: With just one win in their last six games, the Wild aren’t exactly peaking at the right time. Next week’s back-to-back on the road against Calgary and Vancouver can still carry some weight if Minnesota doesn’t win a couple games soon. The good news is, Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are on the mend and on the way. This is a very different team with those two in the top six, obviously, and could be a more serious threat in the first round if they’re both healthy and on their games. But the Wild have to get there first. And that’s not set in stone just yet.
16. Montreal Canadiens, 36-30-9
Last week: 18
Sean’s rank: 16
Mark’s rank: 15
Let Nick Suzuki cook: Only three players have more points since the 4 Nations break than Suzuki (27). Montreal’s first-line center had a goal and an assist in Thursday’s win over the Bruins. That makes him the first Canadien to total at least 80 points since Alexei Kovalev had 84 … in 2007-08. That’s 16 years ago. Kovalev is currently 52 years old.
17. New York Rangers, 36-32-7
Last week: 22
Sean’s rank: 17
Mark’s rank: 18
Have Artemi Panarin drag them to a couple more wins: Wednesday’s game against the Wild was a mess, but the Rangers pulled it out largely due to Panarin. He had a breakaway goal and two assists, including on the overtime winner. Only Nikita Kucherov has more points since March 1.
18. Vancouver Canucks. 34-28-13
Last week: 16
Sean’s rank: 18
Mark’s rank: 19
Run the table: The vibes have been off in Vancouver all year. A season that began with such hope and promise will forever be remembered for the J.T. Miller-Elias Pettersson rift, the Miller trade and the Pettersson swoon. And now Canucks fans have to worry about their coach leaving given Rick Tocchet’s ties to the Flyers. Now they’ve lost three straight, including a dismal 5-0 loss to Seattle on Wednesday night. But there’s still one way to make it all seem worthwhile — make a run. It won’t be easy, with games against Vegas (two of them!), Dallas and Colorado still ahead. But if the Canucks win out, they very well could leapfrog the fading Wild (or the Blues if they suddenly crash back to Earth) and sneak into the playoffs, after all.
19. Calgary Flames, 36-27-12
Last week: 17
Sean’s rank: 21
Mark’s rank: 17
Get Dustin Wolf the Calder: Sure, the Flames are still trying to make the playoffs. But this exercise would get awfully redundant around this part of the rankings if we just wrote “try to make the playoffs” for each team. Wolf, Calgary’s precocious goaltender, was starting to pull away from the trio of impressive skaters with whom he’s competing for the Calder — Lane Hutson, Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov — until a middling March brought him back to the pack. With two games against the Sharks and two games against Anaheim (and one against the punchless Wild) over the final eight games, there’s still time to play some good hockey and boost Wolf’s candidacy. Oh, and try to make the playoffs, if you’re into that kind of thing.
20. Utah HC, 34-30-12
Last week: 21
Sean’s rank: 19
Mark’s rank: 20
Get a better copyright lawyer: Seriously, we’re just going to roll over for the water bottle people here? Ah, well. OK, here’s a better one. Close out strong: Utah’s done a nice job building on the promising foundation built in Arizona, and the future is bright. Now it’s time to finish the year on a high note and leave a new and vibrant fan base wanting more. There’s a lot of positive momentum on and off the ice in Salt Lake City, so keep building on it.
21. Columbus Blue Jackets, 34-31-9
Last week: 20
Sean’s rank: 20
Mark’s rank: 21
Get a save: Might be too late for that, actually.
Since a 1-0 OT loss to #TimeToHunt on March 20, #CBJ Elvis Merzlikins has an .843 save percentage and a 5.11 goals-against average.
He stopped 21 of 28 shots in 45:49 tonight before turning the net over to #CBJ Daniil Tarasov.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 4, 2025
22. Detroit Red Wings, 34-33-7
Last week: 23
Sean’s rank: 22
Mark’s rank: 22
Remember one thing: Bleak as things look after Wednesday’s results — they went from one to four points out of a playoff spot based on a couple bounces — the Red Wings should keep something in mind; that while they’re not particularly good, none of the teams they’re chasing (the Canadiens, Rangers and Blue Jackets) are, either. There’s still time.
23. New York Islanders, 32-32-10
Last week: 19
Sean’s rank: 23
Mark’s rank: 23
Prevent any more Patrick Roy theatrics: Their season feels lost (for what seems like the third or fourth time) and Roy has already publicly dragged and alienated Anthony Duclair. End the six-game losing streak, then quietly play out the string.
24. Philadelphia Flyers, 31-36-9
Last week: 30
Sean’s rank: 24
Mark’s rank: 24
Relax a little bit: Fellas, we get it — you were sick of playing for John Tortorella. Three consecutive wins is enough, though. The stink of that 1-10-1 stretch has been washed off; start stocking up on lottery balls.
25. Seattle Kraken, 32-38-6
Last week: 27
Sean’s rank: 25
Mark’s rank: 25
Stop winning games: Sure, it’s fun to beat up on the Oilers and Canucks the way the Kraken did over the past week-plus. But it’s not exactly what’s best for the franchise at this point. Seattle is in a death struggle with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Boston for 29th place. And there’s quite a difference between a 9.5-percent chance at the top pick (and a guaranteed top-six pick) and a 6-percent chance at the top pick (and merely a guaranteed top-10 pick).
26. Anaheim Ducks, 33-34-8
Last week: 24
Sean’s rank: 26
Mark’s rank: 27
Finish above .500: Anaheim hasn’t had a winning record (well, the NHL’s definition of a winning record, using points percentage) since the 2017-18 season. But the scrappy Ducks have a chance at it this season. They’ll have to fare well through a very difficult season-closing stretch that features only teams that are either in or fighting for playoff spots. But it’d be a heck of an accomplishment for a team few expected to be even this competitive.
27. Buffalo Sabres, 32-36-6
Last week: 26
Sean’s rank: 26
Mark’s rank: 28
Watch Devon Levi make a run: Still just 23, Levi has (finally) gotten some necessary AHL seasoning; he put up a .918 save percentage in 37 appearances for Rochester, was named the league’s goalie of the month for February and on Wednesday helped the Amerks clinch a playoff spot.
28. Pittsburgh Penguins, 30-34-12
Last week: 25
Sean’s rank: 27
Mark’s rank: 28
Get what they need from Tristan Jarry: Earlier this season, Jarry almost single-handedly tanked Pittsburgh’s season. In March, he almost single-handedly tanked the tank. What’s best for the Penguins — for now, at least — is for Jarry to be the worst version of himself. There’s nothing left to learn.
29. Boston Bruins, 30-37-9
Last week: 28
Sean’s rank: 29
Mark’s rank: 29
Fire Jim Montgomery for a second time: We’re assuming he’s somehow to blame for their current 10-game losing streak, too. Boston now has the worst points percentage in the Eastern Conference. Incredible.
30. Nashville Predators, 27-41-8
Last week: 29
Sean’s rank: 30
Mark’s rank: 30
Do some soul searching: Is Andrew Brunette still the right coach? Were the Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei signings fatal mistakes? Is Juuse Saros’ precipitous decline a mere fluke or a trend? This season can’t end fast enough for the Predators, by far the league’s biggest disappointment. It’s been a hard, hard season. Figuring out what to do about it might be even harder.
31. Chicago Blackhawks, 21-44-10
Last week: 32
Sean’s rank: 31
Mark’s rank: 31
Let the kids run wild: Connor Bedard lost a defensive-zone faceoff draw in the dying seconds of the third period on Wednesday and Cale Makar tied the game an instant later. So what? You can’t become a clutch player without being put in clutch situations. Do that for everybody now. With nothing else at stake and all these 19- to 22-year-old prospects suddenly in the lineup, throw them in the deep end and see if they can swim. Have Artyom Levshunov kill penalties. Have Sam Rinzel match up against Nathan MacKinnon. See what Frank Nazar can do in do-or-die moments. Bonus: If they struggle in those situations, 32nd place and a guaranteed top-three pick are still very much within reach.
32. San Jose Sharks, 20-45-10
Last week: 31
Sean’s rank: 32
Mark’s rank: 32
Let Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith run wild: Smith played 25 minutes in Tuesday’s overtime loss to Anaheim; he had never even played 20 before in an NHL game. More of that, please. Let Celebrini and Smith do their thing on the top line together with no pressure, developing long-term chemistry, boosting Smith’s confidence heading into the offseason and maybe getting Celebrini the Calder Trophy in the process. Best-case scenario for the Sharks is they score a bunch of points, the Sharks still lose because of everyone else, they win the draft lottery and Matthew Schaefer becomes the 1D to Celebrini’s 1C and Smith’s 1RW.
(Top photo of Jackson Blake: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
