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Analyzing the NHL Power Rankings for all 32 teams
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    Analyzing the NHL Power Rankings for all 32 teams

    Irish or not, come Sunday afternoon, chances are most of us will carve out some time for a cup of cheer.

    St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, so get out your green and hope a little luck of the Irish tickles you and your favourite hockey team through the rest of the season and playoffs, if that’s where yours is headed.

    Once upon a time, our Sportsnet pal Luke Fox used to delight us with an annual haiku edition of the Power Rankings. Today, as tribute to both Luke and leprechauns, we’ll let the great Irish poets inspire us (I’m sure they’d be touched) and sketch out a rhyme for all 32 teams.

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    1. Florida Panthers (45-17-4) Thanks to Barkov, Bobrovsky Ekblad and Tkachuk, these are the glory days for South Florida puck.

    2. New York Rangers (43-18-4) No pressure boys, but it’s time for more; it’s been 30 years since Leetch and “Mess” in ’94.

    3. Colorado Avalanche (42-20-5) MacKinnon in motion is like a moving piece of art; this has to be the year he finally gets his Hart.

    4. Vancouver Canucks (42-17-7) We never would have guessed it when last year was up, but one season later, we might see a first Vancouver Cup.

    5. Dallas Stars (40-18-9) Does any team do better when it comes to the draft? The gems they’ve unearthed proves Dallas is best at the craft.

    6. Edmonton Oilers (39-21-3) They can’t wait any longer to reach hockey heaven; there’s only two more years on the contract of 97.

    7. Boston Bruins (38-14-5) More than any NHL team, they play in an Irish town; the B’s lost their top two centres and the league still can’t keep them down!

    8. Winnipeg Jets (41-19-5) Manitoba’s boys have surprised us all season; a couple nice deadline moves has even more Winnipegers believin’.

    9. Nashville Predators (38-25-4) It’s hard to imagine this season will conclude with a ring, but Trotz and Brunette have gotten Music City’s team to sing.

    10. Carolina Hurricanes (39-20-6) The last few years have concluded with heartbreak; perhaps that will change with the addition of Guenztel-comma-Jake.

    11. Toronto Maple Leafs (37-19-8) At this time of year, they always don green and white; it’s in their usual colours — about a month from now — they must show more fight.

    12. Los Angeles Kings (33-20-11) We can’t see the future, can’t offer real spoilers; but does an up-and-down year end with another Round 1 loss to the Oilers?

    13. New York Islanders (29-21-14) The Isles are led by their own St. Patrick as coach; with their recent rise, who could argue with Roy’s approach?

    14. Vegas Golden Knights (35-23-7) Don’t get mad at this team for leveraging the rules so far; if they win it again, the Conn Smythe just goes to LTIR.

    15. Philadelphia Flyers (34-24-8) Oh, Danny Boy! The playoffs, the playoffs are calling! Briere’s Flyers have soared when even he thought they’d be falling!

    16. Tampa Bay Lightning (34-25-6) With the loss of Sergachev, it felt like this team needed a deadline defence jolt; but when it couldn’t land Hanifin, Dumba became the newest Bolt.

    17. Washington Capitals (30-25-9) Seeing Ovechkin sitting on 18 goals in mid-March is insane; but with a few years to go, he should still be able to catch Wayne.

    18. Minnesota Wild (32-27-7) Let’s give it up for the rookie who answers to Brock; if not for Bedard, Faber would be a Calder lock.

    19. St. Louis Blues (34-29-3) For the first time since 2011, it’ll be consecutive playoff misses for the team from Missouri; things need to improve, and improve in a hurry.

    20. Detroit Red Wings (33-26-6) C’mon Detroit fans, you knew it wouldn’t be easy; do the Motor City proud, Wings, dig down and get greasy.

    21. Seattle Kraken (28-24-12) It’s been a tough year in the Pacific Northwest; it will take more time for Seattle to be at its best.

    22. Buffalo Sabres (31-30-5) The Sabres’ sparkling pipeline is all well and good for a prospect dork; that doesn’t do anything to balm the disappointment in Western New York.

    23. Pittsburgh Penguins (28-27-9) The bottom has fallen out on a team that previously had no lid; more and more talk will be focused on the future of Sid.

    24. New Jersey Devils (31-30-4) This season in Jersey has been nothing but bad news; next year will be far better for Hischier, Hughes and Hughes.

    25. Montreal Canadiens (25-30-10) The progress in Montreal isn’t always plain to see; more and more, though, there’s hope for what this rebuild can be.

    26. Calgary Flames (31-29-5) Can somebody please buy rookie GM Craig Conroy a St. Paddy’s Day drink? This has been one heck of a first year at the rink.

    27. Columbus Blue Jackets (22-33-10) The vibes should be much better come next September; until then, it’s another season not to remember.

    28. Ottawa Senators (26-33-4) Still no step forward, last in the Atlantic; don’t make it worse with off-season moves that are frantic.

    29. Chicago Blackhawks (18-43-5) Contending again will take a while but there’s still Connor; watching Bedard play each night is basically an honour.

    30. Anaheim Ducks (23-39-3) In terms of young talent, there’s certainly some birds of a feather; sooner or later, the Anaheim team should be as good as the O.C. weather.

    31. Arizona Coyotes (26-35-5) How much more can these players and this franchise endure? On and off the ice, we’re just not sure.

    32. San Jose Sharks (16-41-7) Total rebuilds take time, there’s no magical trick; just pray for the luck of the Irish when it comes to the first-overall pick.

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    The NHL Power Rankings are a weekly ranking of all 32 teams in the National Hockey League based on their performance and overall strength. These rankings are determined by a panel of experts who take into account various factors such as win-loss record, goal differential, strength of schedule, and recent performance.

    As of the most recent update, the top teams in the NHL Power Rankings include the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes. These teams have been consistently performing well throughout the season and have shown themselves to be strong contenders for the Stanley Cup.

    The Colorado Avalanche have been dominating the league with their high-powered offense led by superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. They have one of the best goal differentials in the league and have been able to shut down opponents with their solid defense.

    The Tampa Bay Lightning, last year’s Stanley Cup champions, have continued their winning ways this season with a potent offense led by Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. They have also been getting strong goaltending from Andrei Vasilevskiy, making them a formidable opponent for any team.

    The Carolina Hurricanes have been a surprise team this season, with their strong play on both ends of the ice. They have a balanced scoring attack and solid goaltending from Frederik Andersen, which has helped them climb up the rankings and establish themselves as a top team in the league.

    On the other end of the spectrum, teams like the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, and Seattle Kraken find themselves at the bottom of the NHL Power Rankings. These teams have struggled to find consistency and have been plagued by injuries and poor play throughout the season.

    Overall, the NHL Power Rankings provide fans with a snapshot of where each team stands in relation to the rest of the league. While these rankings are subjective and can change from week to week, they give fans an idea of which teams are performing well and which teams are struggling. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how these rankings evolve and which teams will emerge as true contenders for the Stanley Cup.