Two years ago, the Boston Bruins clinched the President’s Trophy before the end of March following one of the greatest runs in NHL history. Last season, it was an insane race to the finish, with the New York Rangers coming out on top but seven teams, ridiculously, all within five points by the end.
This time around, it’s shaping up to be a two-horse race between the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets — two powerhouses that have spent most of the 2024-25 campaign right at the top of ClutchPoints’ NHL Power Rankings. In Week 24, and with just 25 days left in the regular-season, the pair of behemoths will collide in Western Canada on Tuesday night. The Jets beat the Caps 5-4 in the first meeting between the juggernauts back on February 1 in the nation’s capital.
Tuesday’s contest should be thrilling as an unstoppable force in soon-to-be greatest goal scorer of all time Alex Ovechkin meets an immovable object in Connor Hellebuyck — who will be winning his second consecutive Vezina Trophy come June. Both clubs have fashions on winning the Stanley Cup in a couple of months, but they’ll have to overcome the President’s Trophy curse that dates back over a decade.
Not since 2013 has a team that won the regular-season gone on to capture Lord Stanley; you’d have to go all the way back to the prime of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The Chicago Blackhawks won everything that year, beating the Bruins in six games to win their second championship in four seasons, before winning again two years later to cement the dynasty.
Since the heyday of the Hawks, no first-place team has won the title. Not the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning, who were on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets ever when the Columbus Blue Jackets shockingly swept them. Or the 2021 Colorado Avalanche, who couldn’t make it past the second-round but ended up winning the next year. Or even Ovechkin’s Caps, who won back-to-back league titles in 2016 and 2017, but didn’t capture hockey’s greatest prize until 2018.
The point being, winning the President’s Trophy means absolutely nothing. But after a couple of incredible campaigns, you know both Winnipeg and Washington would love to go into the postseason with home-ice advantage for all four rounds. And we can’t yet count out the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights, who are both 10 points back and playing some great hockey.
After another busy week in the National, we’re getting closer and closer to April 17 — which will be the final day of the season for 16 teams. And what a phenomenal campaign it’s been. Like always, the latest edition of the NHL Power Rankings is here to make some sense of the chaos. Let’s get into it.
Previous 2024-25 NHL Power Rankings: Week 23 | Week 22 | 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. Washington Capitals (no change)
The Capitals are the first team to clinch a berth in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs — and they’re unsurprisingly remaining at the top of the NHL Power Rankings leaderboard in Week 24. It doesn’t hurt that Washington has won nine of 10 games and are looking like a wagon with 12 games left in the regular-season. Everything just seems to be going right for this club in 2024-25; Ovechkin is looking well-positioned to break Wayne Gretzky’s record, Logan Thompson has emerged into one of the league’s best goaltenders, and even Tom Wilson has managed to score 30 goals for the first time in his career. Tuesday’s tilt against the Jets will go a long way in determining whether Spencer Carbery — the frontrunner for the Jack Adams — and co. will remain at the top of the hill for the last three-plus weeks of the season. But the way things are going, the Caps won’t be going anywhere as the franchise eyes another championship after the electric title run in 2018.
2. Winnipeg Jets (no change)
Connor Hellebuyck is the 14th goaltender in NHL history to record multiple 40-win seasons, and the National’s best backstop will look to shut down the Capitals’ high-flying offense on Tuesday night. But the big challenge for the hulking American will be continuing his torrid pace in the playoffs, a place where he has notoriously struggled over the years. The Jets are in great shape to win the Central Division and play a wildcard team in Round 1, but even if that goes well — which is never a guarantee — he’ll be staring down a second-round matchup with one of the two teams directly below Winnipeg in the NHL Power Rankings. And we all know what happened against the Avalanche in the opening round of the 2024 postseason. That’s still a month away, though, and Winnipeg continues to chug along at an excellent 48-19-4. Despite a small blip against the Sabres on Sunday night, this still looks like a true Stanley Cup contender in 2025.
3. Colorado Avalanche (+1)
Welcome back to the top-three, Colorado. Although the lineup looks remarkably different than it did at the beginning of the season, the Avalanche have looked unstoppable as of late, winning 10 of 12 games and not providing the Stars any breathing room whatsoever in the Central. Dallas might still be three points ahead in league standings, but the NHL Power Rankings is finally giving Jared Bednar’s club the benefit of the doubt in Week 24. This could be as potent as the roster has looked since the 2022 Stanley Cup run, and the Avs are undoutably a favorite again three years later — if they can get out of the first round. It’s a shame that two of the best teams in the league will almost certainly be playing in Round 1, but commissioner Gary Bettman shut down the idea of going back to a one vs. eight playoff format at the GM meetings earlier this month. Either way, the train just keeps rolling, and without Miro Heiskanen, the Stars will likely be the betting underdogs, even if they have home-ice advantage.
4. Dallas Stars (-1)
Not only did the Stars lose to the Avalanche last Sunday afternoon, but they’ve been struggling to mesh at an inopportune time. Dallas has lost four of seven since March 8, allowing the Jets to open up an eight-point lead at the top of the division. With two games in hand, that race isn’t quite finished, but if the Stars keep playing at this pace, it will be by the time Week 25 comes around. Either way, it’s looking like Mikko Rantanen will be playing against his old team in Round 1, and that can’t be too exciting of a prospect for the Finnish star. He struggled in Carolina and hasn’t been great in Texas, either. The franchise badly needs him to return to the player he was in Denver, but without Nathan MacKinnon on his hip, is that possible? It doesn’t help that Jake Oettinger has been average lately, or that Heiskanen has been all-but ruled out for the opening round of the playoffs. Getting Tyler Seguin back is going to be a huge help — he’s back on the ice a few months after hip surgery — but the roster really needs to start playing better between now and April 17.
5. Carolina Hurricanes (+1)
The Hurricanes continue to be absolutely phenomenal coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, racking off nine wins in 10 games dating back to March 2. Although a 7-2 shellacking by the Kings in LA on Saturday was not on anyone’s bingo card, outside of that defeat, Carolina hadn’t lost since the first day of the month. It’s been a supremely encouraging couple of weeks in Raleigh, and Frederik Andersen looks dialed in and fully healthy, which is huge. Most of the hot streak has also been without Andrei Svechnikov, and Rod Brind’Amour said he should be back this week. The Canes are looking playoff-ready, and although they won’t catch the Capitals, they’ll almost certainly have home-ice advantage (probably against the ailing Devils) in Round 1.
6. Vegas Golden Knights (+2)
Jack Eichel has completely put the Golden Knights on his back as he continues to make a reasonably compelling case for the Hart Trophy. Shea Theodore remains out of the lineup, and both Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov have been up-and-down between the pipes. But Eichel has consistently produced, managing 18 points over his last 12 games. And Vegas is back to its winning ways, managing three triumphs in a row including a strong 4-2 victory over the Lightning to end the week. Now with a five-point lead on the Kings and Oilers, that pace is going to be good enough for the squad to win the Pacific Division for the first time since 2022-23 — the same season they won their inaugural Stanley Cup. After a tough Game 7 loss in Round 1 last year, this roster is hungry to make another deep run.
7. Los Angeles Kings (+2)
The Kings have been just terrific over the last three weeks, rectifying five consecutive losses at the beginning of March by winning eight of their last nine games. Darcy Kuemper has been the catalyst, allowing a ridiculous eight goals over his last seven starts. He also almost got in a goalie fight with Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman on Sunday, but the referees got in the way, much to the chagrin of the packed crowd at Crypto.com Arena. LA still managed to win 7-2, and considering that came 24 hours after a 7-2 shellacking of the surging Hurricanes, the league has officially been put on notice. The Pacific continues to be a dogfight, but with a game in hand on the Golden Knights, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Kings to pass them over their last 13 games. If that doesn’t happen, it’ll be a fourth consecutive Round 1 date with the Oilers, and for the first time in years, they might actually be the favorites.
8. Florida Panthers (-3)
It’s been tough sledding for the defending Stanley Cup champions without Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad and now Dmitry Kulikov, and the Panthers are taking a decent hit in the NHL Power Rankings because of it. Florida has lost four of seven since March 11, and were just minutes away from it being four in five before they tied Sunday’s game against the Penguins late before winning in a shootout. This roster is just nowhere near full strength, and a couple of healthy players have been invisible, most notably Carter Verhaeghe. With just two games on the schedule in Week 24, and only a two-point lead on the Maple Leafs — and four on the Lightning — the Cats could be out of the Atlantic Division lead by the time the next edition of CP’s PR’s are published.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning (-2)
The Lightning were an even .500 in Week 23, and that’s not going to do them any favors in the Atlantic Division war. After beating the Flyers and Stars on Monday and Thursday, respectively, Tampa ended the seven-day stretch with disappointing regulation defeats against Utah and Vegas. They’re still right in the hunt to win the division, but the pace needs to pick up significantly over the final 12 games. Brandon Halverson made his first start between the pipes against the Hockey Club, but unfortunately for the Michigan native, he allowed five goals on 24 shots in the loss. Like the Panthers, the Lightning are taking a hit in the NHL Power Rankings; they’ll look to get back on track against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins at home on Tuesday night.
10. Edmonton Oilers (no change)
Losing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for a week or more is nightmare fuel for Oilers fans — and for any managers who are entering fantasy playoffs this week. But despite the absences of the two superstars, Edmonton has been doing well, coming out on top in four of their last five to keep pace in the Pacific Division race. They’re standing pat in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 24, as this kind of success is reasonably not sustainable without the two former Hart Trophy winners. Still, a couple of guys have stepped up, including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (nine points in four games) and Jeff Skinner (three goals in two games). It’ll be interesting to see how the roster fares against the high-flying Stars at Rogers Place on Wednesday night.
11. Toronto Maple Leafs (no change)
With the Panthers and Lightning both struggling, the Maple Leafs have finally reversed their lengthy trend of futility. Although it won’t earn them any better positioning in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 24, Toronto won three of four over the last seven days, closing the gap on Florida to just two points — with a game in hand. Joseph Woll looks to have wrestled the starting job away from Anthony Stolarz, and he’ll likely be leaned on down the stretch as Craig Berube’s team looks to win the Atlantic Division over their last 12 games. That is going to be a photo finish, but if Toronto keeps playing like it did last week over the next couple of games, they could be back into the PR top-10 come next Monday.
12. Minnesota Wild (+1)
Filip Gustavsson is the hero the Wild so badly needed. The Swede was lights out between the pipes last week, helping a depleted Minnesota roster win three consecutive games. He started all three of those and allowed just two total goals in crucial victories over the Kings (3-1) on Monday, Kraken (4-0) on Wednesday and Sabres (4-1) on Saturday. He will likely start 10 of the team’s last 12 regular-season contests, as the Wild have two back-to-back sets between now and April 17. Because of the win streak, Minnesota looks like a lock to make the playoffs, with an eight-point lead on the Flames and a nine-point cushion on the Canucks. Although it’ll be difficult to catch the Avalanche and Stars, they look well-positioned to at least finish in one of the wildcard spots — and should get both Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek back for Game 1 of Round 1.
13. St. Louis Blues (+1)
You’ve just got to tip your hat to the Blues at this point. They lost a heart and soul player in veteran defenseman Colton Parayko, watched as the front office did basically nothing at the trade deadline, and have still managed to win six games in a row and 12 of 15 since February 23. This roster has just been possessed since the 4 Nations break, and although they still aren’t a lock to make the playoffs, things just keep on trending in the right direction for St. Louis. They’re only four points back of the Wild for the top wildcard berth, and if they keep playing at this pace, they could realistically pass Minnesota. Although Calgary and Vancouver are still just four and five points back, respectively, this group seems laser-focused on rectifying last year’s missed postseason.
14. Ottawa Senators (-2)
The Senators are in a playoff spot with just over three weeks left in the regular-season, and that’s a huge win for a team that hasn’t advanced to the dance since 2016-17. Ottawa has won seven of nine, creating five points of breathing room on the Rangers while also having two games in hand on New York. Although it’s unlikely Travis Green’s group will be able to catch any of Florida, Tampa Bay or Toronto with only 13 games left, if they keep playing at this pace, they’ll at least finish in one of the East’s two wildcard berths. The work continues in Buffalo on Tuesday and Detroit on Thursday, respectively.
15. New Jersey Devils (no change)
Both the Devils and Canucks are battling for their playoff lives, and that should make Monday night’s tilt in Newark one to remember. Even more so because Quinn and Luke Hughes are the best players on Vancouver and New Jersey’s blue lines. That has always been the case for Quinn — he did win the Norris Trophy last year, after all — but Luke has really come into his own with Dougie Hamilton on the shelf. He’s been playing upwards of 23 minutes per night while quarterbacking the top powerplay unit, and that will continue for the rest of the team’s season. But after losing two straight, the Devils are in jeopardy of losing the third seed in the Metropolitan Division; they’re just six points ahead of the Rangers and seven up on the Islanders, who have two games in hand. This team will still most likely make the playoffs, but they badly need to right the ship against the visiting Canucks in another edition of the Hughes Bowl — minus Jack — on Monday.
16. Calgary Flames (+3)
The Flames are doing everything they can to keep pace with the Blues in the Western Conference wildcard race, winning three consecutive games on the heels of a trio of losses. At 33-25-11, they’ve passed Vancouver and are only four points back of St. Louis with three games in hand. Considering that, Calgary still controls its own destiny with 13 games left. It’s not a terribly hard schedule, either, with a pair of games against the Sharks and Ducks, respectively, along with a visit from the lowly Kraken on Tuesday night. If the Flames do end up getting in, Dustin Wolf should get a long look for the Calder Trophy, and he should be a finalist either way. It’s going to come down to the wire, but Calgary is still in control of its own fate with 25 days left.
17. Montreal Canadiens (+2)
There is a ton of buzz around the city of Montreal right now, and for good reason — the Canadiens are playing meaningful hockey at the end of March for the first time in four years. Although they’ve lost two games in a row, they’re gaining two places in the NHL Power Rankings. They erased a 3-1 Islanders lead in the third period and managed to pick up a point on Thursday, before making a wild three-goal comeback against the Avalanche at the Bell Centre two nights later, only to lose in a shootout. Still, points are points, and the Habs will take any they can get right now. Like the Flames in the Western Conference, Montreal controls its own destiny in the East with 13 games left, and they currently occupy the final playoff spot. Lane Hutson continues to make his Calder Trophy case with 53 points in 69 games, while the top line remains red hot. Doubt this roster at your own peril.
18. New York Rangers (no change)
The Rangers are holding on by the skin of their teeth, getting dominated by the Canucks on Saturday but still managing to beat JT Miller’s old team in regulation. And the bruising American sealed the game with an empty netter. New York remains on the outside looking in, but they’re just a single point behind Montreal despite the Habs having two games in hand. The Blueshirts are staying where they are in the NHL Power Rankings in Week 24, and a three-game California road trip that begins on Tuesday in Los Angeles will go a long way in determining which way they are headed next Monday. There is still a path for the Rangers to get into the postseason, but it’s been a really tough season, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they ended up missing by a point or two when all is said and done.
19. Vancouver Canucks (-2)
The Canucks started off Week 23 with a fantastic 6-2 win over the Jets — the team they will likely play if they can sneak into the final wildcard spot in the West — but it’s been all downhill since. Vancouver lost back-to-back games against St. Louis and the New York Rangers right afterwards. The latter was especially heartbreaking for fans of the franchise, as the Nucks dominated the game but still came away with a 5-3 loss in the Big Apple. Kiefer Sherwood became the all-time hits leader in that contest, breaking Jeremy Lauzon’s record of 383 (which was set last year), but it’s hard to get too excited about it considering Rick Tocchet’s team is now five points back of the Blues for the final playoff spot. That was a place the team occupied a couple short weeks ago, and things won’t get any easier down the stretch. The Canucks will play four more games on the road before returning to BC — starting with a Quinn vs. Luke Hughes matchup in New Jersey on Monday — and if they don’t win at least a couple, that could be curtains on the postseason hopes.
20. Utah Hockey Club (+1)
The Utah Hockey Club has battled a plethora of injuries throughout the season, the most damaging being long-term ailments to key blue liners Sean Durzi and John Marino. But besides a couple of depth players, Utah is completely healthy for the stretch run. And they aren’t out of it just yet. Andre Tourigny’s club has won four of six and picked up at least a point in six of eight. The problem is, there’s really only one wildcard spot up for grabs, and the Blues have gone nuclear as of late. Utah is six points back of St. Louis but have two games in hand, so the dream isn’t over yet. But they’ll probably have to win nine or 10 of their last 12, and that is a tall, tall task. It goes without saying that Monday night against the Red Wings in Salt Lake City is a must-win.
21. Columbus Blue Jackets (-5)
Things just keep on getting worse and worse in Ohio. A couple of short weeks ago, the Blue Jackets were on the verge of making their 2024-25 debut in the top-10 of the NHL Power Rankings. Fast forward six consecutive losses — and eight in 10 tries — and it’s not hard to see why Columbus has completely fallen out of the top-20. Getting Sean Monahan and Erik Gudbranson back on Monday night against the Islanders is great, but the damage has probably already been done. Now four points back of the final wildcard in the East and needing to pass the Rangers, Islanders and Canadiens, it’s looking bleak. For starters, they need to avoid losing seven games in a row when puck drops at UBS Arena in Long Island on Monday.
22. New York Islanders (+1)
Don’t count the Islanders out just yet. Right when it looked like New York was going to throw in the towel, Patrick Roy’s group has strung together three wins in five tries — and picked up a point in all five of them. With that, the playoff magic number is down to two. The Rangers are a point ahead; the Canadiens, two, but the Isles have two games in hand on New York, and have played the same amount as Montreal. Although they don’t play the Habs again, they face the Blueshirts on April 10, and are very close to controlling their own destiny the rest of the way. Even without Mat Barzal in the lineup, the club has continued to battle, and the roster deserves a ton of credit. With 13 games left, every single one is going to be critical — starting with a visit from the Blue Jackets on Monday night.
23. Detroit Red Wings (-1)
Game by game, the Red Wings fall further and further out of playoff contention in the Eastern Conference. When Steve Yzerman shockingly did nothing to improve the team ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline, it looked like it really took some of the fight out of the current roster. Detroit has lost nine of 11 since February 27, all in regulation, and that’s not going to cut it in the conference logjam. Now five points out of a wildcard spot, it would take a herculean effort for this squad to get in, and the way things have gone in Motown lately, that’s just not going to happen. It was such a promising season in Detroit, but it’s looking like it will be a ninth year without postseason puck in Michigan.
24. Pittsburgh Penguins (+1)
The Penguins were on the verge of winning their sixth game in seven tries, but were unable to close out the Panthers, who tied it late and won in a shootout on Sunday. Pittsburgh still managed to recoup a point in the contest, and they aren’t dead yet in the Eastern Conference because of the heater. It’s probably too little, too late in Pennsylvania; every single point is crucial. With six points separating them from the Canadiens, who own the final wildcard — and considering Montreal has three games in hand — it’s probably all over. But Sidney Crosby continues doing everything he can, and he’s on the verge of being the first player in NHL history to play at a point-per-game pace for 20 straight seasons. That’s a ridiculous record that Crosby is now just two points away from breaking.
25. Anaheim Ducks (+1)
While the Ducks have hung around the playoff picture in the Western Conference for most of the season, that’s no longer the case after the team dropped five of seven games between March 11-23. It’s definitely been a better campaign in Anaheim than it was last year, and the roster is filled with young talent who should only continue to get better. But at 30-32-8, the Ducks are 13 points out of a playoff spot, and the dream is finished. They’re still getting a little bump in the NHL Power Rankings due to the Bruins’ futility, and they’ll look to finish strong over their last 12 regular-season games.
26. Boston Bruins (-2)
The highlight of the Bruins’ week was Swayman and Kuemper almost getting into fisticuffs, although the last thing Boston needs is its starting goaltender to suffer any kind of injury. Regardless, there’s no fight left in Massachusetts; the B’s have lost six games in a row for the second time this season and fallen to six points back of the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference. With only 10 games left in their regular-season, the Bruins have faded into irrelevance. And that seemed the only viable option after Brad Marchand and Brandon Carlo were shipped out. It isn’t official yet, but for the first time since 2015-16, the postseason will not involve Boston.
27. Seattle Kraken (no change)
The Kraken are hanging around at 27th in the NHL Power Rankings, and like they’ve done for most of the season, they’re playing .500 hockey. Seattle has won four and lost four since March 8, and that seems to be a consistent trend. It hasn’t quite been .500 overall, though, as Dan Bylsma’s team is 30-36-5 as of Monday. With Chandler Stephenson out of the lineup with an injury, there aren’t too many guys left on the roster who can rack up points. That should be a key area of improvement over the summer, and expect the front office to select at least one high-end forward at June’s draft.
28. Buffalo Sabres (+2)
The Sabres might be well out of the playoff picture — and realistically have been for a while — but they aren’t exactly waving the white flag. Buffalo got a huge win over the Western Conference-leading Jets on Sunday, and have strung together four victories in seven tries dating back to March 10. This is another franchise that cannot wait for the campaign to end, and rightfully, there will be a lot of question marks surrounding management in the offseason. What do they have to do to ice a competitive roster? As the longest drought in North American professional sports continues, it seems obvious that something needs to change. The fact it probably won’t is maybe the most concerning thing looming in Western New York this summer.
29. Nashville Predators (-1)
The quote of the week out of Nashville came from veteran Ryan O’Reilly on the verge of the team being called out by its head coach: “I want to be mad, but I’m not good enough to get mad right now.” If that doesn’t perfectly sum up the Predators’ 2024-25 season, I don’t know what does. Just a miserable year in Smashville, and the poor play continues; the Preds have lost five of six since March 14. Everyone around this organization just cannot wait for the season to be over at this point, and the only silver lining will be a high draft selection come June. Hard to believe the franchise hasn’t picked in the top-1o since selecting Seth Jones fourth overall in 2013.
30. Philadelphia Flyers (-1)
The Flyers have been absolutely brutal since the end of February, managing only a single victory since March 4. And they needed a shootout to get it. Philly has lost 10 of 11 games, falling to last place in the Metropolitan Division in the process. With only a three point lead on Buffalo, and considering the Sabres have three games in hand and have been far less futile lately, it’s looking likely that John Tortorella’s team will finish dead last in the Eastern Conference. This is the second straight year the Flyers have completely imploded at the end of the year, and that has to be concerning for Danny Briere and the front office.
31. San Jose Sharks (no change)
The Sharks got a brief taste of not being last place in the NHL Power Rankings and decided they would hang around there for at least another week. San Jose has won two of four, which isn’t much, but it’s a lot for a squad that has only won 19 games in 2024-25. Macklin Celebrini still has a legitimate shot to win the Calder Trophy, although Hutson’s play as of late may have begun to create a gap between the two young phenoms. Either way, with 21 goals and 52 points in his first 58 NHL games, it’s been an excellent rookie season for the Canadian, and he should only continue to get better. Ideally, the Sharks will do the same as they look to come out of the rebuild sometime over the next couple of seasons.
32. Chicago Blackhawks (no change)
The Blackhawks may have been the second team eliminated from playoff contention, but they remain in 32nd place in the NHL Power Rankings for a second straight week. Although Chicago finally got off the schneid on Sunday, crushing the badly struggling Flyers 7-4, that came after a string of seven consecutive losses. The 21-41-9 record is just abysmal, but the feel-good story out of Illinois this week was Patrick Maroon announcing his retirement ahead of Sunday’s win. Of course, he scored the team’s first goal and added an assist for good measure. It’s been quite a career for the 36-year-old, who won three consecutive Stanley Cups between 2019-21 — one with the Blues and two with the Lightning.
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