Exactly two weeks after the National Hockey League produced one of the better All-Star Weekends in recent memory, the league will again look for fireworks at the NHL Stadium Series in East Rutherford, NJ in Week 18. Four Metropolitan Division teams with playoff aspirations will take to the field (ice) at MetLife Stadium, the home of the NFL's New York Jets and Giants. Neither of those teams were present at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas; it was Patrick Mahomes and the dynasty Kansas City Chiefs capturing their second title in a row and third in five seasons.
Back to hockey: the 40th outdoor game in league history will pit the Devils and Flyers against one anther on Feb. 17. It's New Jersey's first game outside since a 7-3 loss to the Rangers at Yankee Stadium back in 2014. Philly is preparing for its fifth contest under the open sky, and first since losing to the Bruins at Lake Tahoe in 2021. One of the two storied franchises will leave the stadium having finally got off the schneid on the ODR.
Next Sunday afternoon, outdoor game No. 41 will see the Rangers take on the Islanders at the same venue. New York is undefeated in outdoor stadiums, having won all four of their games, the most recent a 3-2 victory over the Sabres at Citi Field in 2018. The Isles were on the wrong side of a 2-1 loss to this same Blueshirts team a decade ago, and will look for better results in just their second trip outdoors. For many players on the Devils, Flyers, Rangers and Islanders, it'll be a first-ever trip outdoors. And although they've become extremely saturated over the years, and not at all unique, outdoor games are always a lot of fun.
Also to keep an eye on in Week 18 is game No. 1000 for two longtime NHLers. Alex Pietrangelo will accomplish the feat on Monday night when his Golden Knights welcome the Wild, while Brad Marchand will play his 1000th on Tuesday night at TD Garden. Two Stanley Cup champions who have had excellent careers and will be recognized accordingly.
Now that the All-Star break is firmly in the rearview mirror, the frantic push for the postseason continues. With just over two months left in the regular season, and a ton to be decided before Apr. 18, it's a great time to be a hockey fan. And for the first time in a month, there is finally a new team at the top of ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings.
Previous 2023-24 NHL Power Rankings: 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. Boston Bruins (+1)
Despite playing two of their worst games of the season in Week 17, the Bruins find themselves in the top spot in ClutchPoints' NHL Power Rankings the day after the Super Bowl. That's because the B's knocked off the first-place Canucks on Thursday night, riding timely scoring and a 17-save Linus Ullmark shutout to a 4-0 victory. Boston looked phenomenal in that game, but looked truly awful in losses to the Flames and Capitals on either end of it. Calgary came into TD Garden and won 4-1, while the Capitals did one better in a 4-0 blanking on Saturday afternoon. The boo birds were out in full force for both contests, and that's just the fans in Massachusetts holding this club to a higher standard. Despite the struggles, the Bruins are first in the Eastern Conference, and to CP, the league's best team.
2. Vancouver Canucks (-1)
The Canucks were oh-so-close to suffering their first three-game slide of the season, but instead were able to salvage five of a possible eight points coming out of the All-Star break. An Eastern swing took Vancouver through Carolina, Boston, Detroit and Washington, with wins coming against the Hurricanes and Capitals. But they were badly outplayed by the Bruins on Thursday night at TD Garden, and it was too hard to keep them in the top spot of the NHL Power Rankings after the 4-0 defeat. Still, Sunday's come-from-behind win against the Caps was encouraging, and the road trip will be considered a huge success if the Canucks can bank two more points against the league's worst team in the Windy City on Tuesday.
3. Florida Panthers (+3)
The good times continue rolling right along in South Beach. The Panthers won two of three games coming out of the All-Star break, part of a larger stretch that has seen this club come out victorious a ridiculous 15 of 20 times dating back to Dec. 23. After suffering a tough 2-1 loss to the Flyers, the Cats bounced back remarkably, giving up just two goals in 4-2 and 4-0 wins over the Capitals and Avalanche, respectively. Carter Verhaeghe is on an absolute roll, again forming a dynamic duo with Matthew Tkachuk in 2023-24. And Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart remain on fire, making this one of the most complete offensive teams in the game of hockey. Although an afterthought down the stretch in 2022-23, this is a serious President's Trophy — and Stanley Cup — contender in 2024.
4. Edmonton Oilers (-1)
The record of 17 consecutive victories, held by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins, remains safe for now. After going 16-for-16, the Oilers finally came back down to earth on Tuesday, losing for the first time since Dec. 19. That was a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champions, which Edmonton quickly erased the memory of by beating the Ducks 5-3 three nights later. The Oil would finish the week with another loss, this time to the Kings, in a game where the high-flying offense couldn't manage a single goal on LA keeper David Rittich. Connor McDavid's team was so close to NHL lore, and instead are losers of two-of-three heading into Week 18. There won't be any more rest down the stretch, and with the streak broken, all eyes in Edmonton turn towards the Stanley Cup chase.
5. Dallas Stars (+2)
The Stars have taken over the top spot in the Central Division, watching the Avalanche and Jets flounder while they enjoy a torrid stretch. Dallas won three straight games before the All-Star break, and triumphed two in three tries on the other side of it, improving to 32-14-6 and increasing the lead to a precarious two points over Colorado with a game in hand. This three-headed monster of a division is going to go right down to the wire, and the Stars are proving they deserve to be the frontrunner. Thomas Harley has been a revelation on the back end, while the line of Tyler Seguin, Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene has been a consistent source of offense all year long. This again looks like a Stanley Cup contender in a competitive Western Conference, and after a successful three-game road trip, the Stars are back in Texas to play the Hurricanes on Tuesday.
6. New York Rangers (+2)
After an few abysmal weeks, it looks like all the Rangers needed was some rest and relaxation. New York crushed Ottawa 7-2 right before the All-Star break, and followed it up with three more tight victories in Week 17. That included wins over the Avalanche (2-1 in OT), Lightning (3-1) and Blackhawks (4-3 in OT), vaulting the Blueshirts back to 33-16-3 and four points up on the Canes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Peter Laviolette made it clear that there's no goalie controversy brewing in the Big Apple, although three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick has been vastly outplaying starter Igor Shesterkin lately. It'll be intriguing to see how the workload of the two netminders is split over the final 30 games, but the latter will be back between the pipes on Monday when the Flames visit Madison Square Garden.
7. Winnipeg Jets (-3)
Even with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor back, as well as Sean Monahan in the fold, the Jets are having a really hard time scoring goals over the last calendar month. Like, a really hard time. A brutal five-game losing skid materialized before the break and continued after it; concerningly, Winnipeg scored just four goals in that span. Obviously, that is not a recipe for success, especially after GM Kevin Cheveldayoff shipped a first-round pick to Montreal for Monahan's services. Mercifully, the Jets were able to squeak by the Penguins 2-1 on Saturday, but they are no longer a top-two team in the Central Division as of Week 18. A great chance to start a more positive streak awaits when the lowly Sharks are in Manitoba on Wednesday.
8. Colorado Avalanche (-3)
Like the Jets just above them, the Avalanche find themselves falling down both league and NHL Power Rankings standings in Week 18. Stunningly, Nathan MacKinnon was held off the scoresheet for three straight games, which all happened to be losses. The Avs have played four games over the last seven days and lost them all, managing to record just a single point. That has them out of the driver's seat in the Central Division, although a couple of victories could quickly change that. But all of a sudden, this team hasn't won since Jan. 26, and that needs to change quickly in Denver. After falling to the Rangers, Devils, Hurricanes and Panthers, all on the road, the roster will be more than ready to get home, but will have to make stops in Washington and Tampa Bay before returning to Ball Arena on Sunday.
9. Carolina Hurricanes (no change)
The Hurricanes are well deserving of a top-10 spot in the NHL Power Rankings, a place where they have hovered over the past few weeks. Winners of two straight and five of six, Carolina continues to chase New York for the top of the Metro mountain. Right when it looked like the Canes would drive on into first, the Blueshirts strung together four consecutive wins. It should be a two horse race between the Rangers and Hurricanes over the last two months, and both clubs still have legitimate President's Trophy aspirations. After five straight games at PNC Arena in Raleigh (and four victories), it's onto the road in Week 18, where the Canes will play the Stars, Coyotes and Golden Knights.
10. Vegas Golden Knights (+1)
One week out of the top-10 in the NHL Power Rankings, and the defending Stanley Cup champions are back in Week 18. I said last week that it wouldn't take much for Vegas to make their way back up the rankings — this was the top team in the PRs for quite a while, after all. This will be a completely different team once Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore get healthy, but Adin Hill now is, and the results are coming. The Knights most recently beat the Coyotes, but more excitingly busted the Oilers' streak, first ending their Stanley Cup hopes in 2023 and then their shot at NHL history in 2024. A great rivalry is brewing between two teams that probably aren't done meeting in the postseason. Alex Pietrangelo will be honored at T-Mobile Arena on Monday night, less than 24 hours after the Chiefs captured their second straight SB title just down the strip.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (+1)
The last three games before the All-Star break were kind to the Lightning; Tampa won all of them by identical 6-3 scores against the Flyers, Coyotes and Devils. But it was followed up by a disappointing Week 18 that saw the squad drop back-to-back games to the Rangers and Islanders. The Bolts were able to salvage the week with a 4-2 win over the lowly Blue Jackets, improving to 28-20-5 and continuing to barely hold onto the No. 3 spot in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings and Maple Leafs are hot on the trail — in both league standings and CP's NHL Power Rankings — and a single win is all it would take for Detroit or Toronto to claim the spot. It's that close in the division, and every game is going to count down the stretch. Tampa's next is a big one on Tuesday at TD Garden. Losing Mikhail Sergachev for at least the rest of the regular-season was a brutal blow for this roster.
12. Detroit Red Wings (+1)
The Red Wings have only played a single game New Year's Eve, getting an extended break after All-Star festivities. That was enough time for Showtime to get healthy, and Patrick Kane made a difference in his return, assisting on a Daniel Sprong powerplay goal and helping Detroit beat first-place Vancouver on Saturday afternoon. The winner came on a thrilling penalty shot by D-man Jake Walman, who was impeded by Quinn Hughes in the extra frame. The fans at Little Caesars Arena were sent home happy, and they'll surely be looking forward to watching this team on a more consistent basis down the stretch. The Wings are now off to the Canadian coast, making trips through Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary in Week 18.
13. Toronto Maple Leafs (-3)
The Leafs could have utilized the momentum from Team Matthews winning the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in front of the home crowd, but the team squandered it instead. Toronto split a pair of home games, losing 3-2 to the Islanders on Monday before edging out the Stars 5-4 at Scotiabank Arena two nights later. The week ended with a loss in Canada's capital, a 5-3 Senators win over a suddenly struggling Leafs squad. Auston Matthews and co. will get three more home games in Week 18, welcoming the Blues, Flyers and Ducks before a four-game road trip. The Atlantic Division playoff picture is continuing to heat up, and any lapses down the stretch will be costly.
14. Philadelphia Flyers (+1)
After a cold spell that saw Philly lose five games in a row over the last 11 days of January, John Tortorella's club bounced back in a huge way in Week 17. Philadelphia is winners of three straight games to open up a six-point lead on the fourth place Islanders after getting the better of the Panthers, Jets and Kraken. The Flyers gave up just four goals in that span, riding excellent performances from Samuel Ersson and Cal Peterson to improve to 28-19-6. The hold on the No. 3 spot is precarious, but Philadelphia keeps proving week after week that it is a playoff team. The Yotes are visiting on Monday, and Ersson will be back between the pipes for that clash.
15. New Jersey Devils (no change)
The Devils finally welcomed Jack Hughes back to the lineup in Week 17, but it didn't lead to too much success for another Metro team that is battling tooth and nail for a playoff berth. After an impressive 5-3 over the Avs on Tuesday, New Jersey suffered a defeat by the same score to the Flames on Thursday, and followed it up with a brutal 1-0 overtime loss to the Canes on Saturday. That drops the Newark-based franchise to 25-21-4, and fifth place in the division. The Devils have the same amount of points as the Caps, one more than the Pens, and two less than the Islanders. It truly is a gauntlet of a division, but NJ should be able to have more success now that Hughes is healthy. The Kraken are at the Prudential Center on Monday.
16. Los Angeles Kings (+1)
For the first time in weeks, the Kings are heading in a positive direction in the NHL Power Rankings. It was a very small sample size, as Los Angeles has played just one game since New Year's Eve, but it went their way. In fact, it was a resounding 4-0 David Rittich shutout win over the surging Oilers on Saturday night. That is a monumental victory for this club, and considering Jan. 31's 4-2 triumph over the Predators, it's just what the doctor ordered in California. It looks like Cam Talbot has completely lost the net, with Rittich taking over as the new starter. Let's see if it leads to more success for a Kings team that is now 24-15-10 and just three points back of Edmonton for the No. 3 spot in the Pacific Division. Quinton Byfield returned from injury and scored two goals and three points over the two wins, and the youngster is going to be a key piece in the last two months.
17. St. Louis Blues (+5)
What a time to be alive in Missouri. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions, and the St. Louis Blues have won two in a row and seven of their last eight. The team continues to surge in the Central Division, riding both Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer to wins. Even without Justin Faulk on the blue line, players like Colton Parayko, Nick Leddy and Torey Krug have been stepping up, while the offense has begun to come alive. That was evident in a 7-2 shellacking of the Canadiens on Sunday afternoon; Krug amassed an insane five assists, while Robert Thomas potted a goal and three helpers of his own. This is looking like a playoff lock as of late, and it'll be interesting to see if Drew Bannister's team can keep this kind of play up down the stretch.
18. Nashville Predators (-2)
The Predators are victims of not playing much hockey over the last few weeks, and it just made sense for the Blues to jump them in the NHL Power Rankings. They did pass them in league standings, taking over the No. 4 spot in the Central and looking poised to challenge the Jets and Avs over the next few months. Nashville played just once last week, a 5-4 come-from-behind overtime win over the Coyotes, who have lost five straight and watched their playoff hopes plummet. The postseason dreams are still alive in Smashville, but the three consecutive losses before the All-Star break wasn't encouraging. The Preds are on the outside looking in ahead of an outer-conference clash with the Devils on Tuesday.
19. Seattle Kraken (-1)
Seven losses in nine tries for the Kraken is not what anyone in the State of Washington was looking for, especially after Seattle went on a nine-game heater between Dec. 20-Jan. 13. Joey Daccord is doing his abs0lute best, basically starting every game for this team, but he can only do so much. The Kraken are having a very tough time scoring; they've potted just nine over the last four games — three of them losses. Like Nashville above them, Seattle is outside of a playoff spot as of Monday, with six points separating them from a postseason berth. It's going to take a huge push for the third-year franchise to return to the dance in April.
20. Calgary Flames (+5)
The Flames shipped Elias Lindholm out 0f town, and then started winning games. Andrei Kuzmenko hasn't missed a beat in his first few games in Calgary, looking great on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich and scoring a goal in his first period with his new team. That was part of an impressive 4-1 win over the Bruins in Boston, and Kuzmenko potted another one in a 5-3 victory over the Devils two nights later. The red hot Flames finished up the week with yet another road win, this time a convincing 5-2 final in Long Island. Jacob Markstrom deserves a ton of credit for his excellent play, especially as he tries to shut out the trade rumors. Craig Conroy's decisions are getting harder and harder as his club continues to surge ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.
21. Pittsburgh Penguins (-2)
If the Penguins are serious about not missing the postseason twice in a row for the first time since Sidney Crosby started playing, now is the time to drive on. Not only are the Pens seven points back of the Wings for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, they've got the Capitals, Devils and Islanders all to surpass with just 33 games to go. Pittsburgh started the post-All-Star break push excellently, riding a Tristin Jarry shutout to blank the Jets 3-0. But Winnipeg would get revenge in a tight 2-1 win on Saturday, and the Wild beat the Penguins 3-2 after a ceremony for Marc-Andre Fleury the night before. We'll see if Kyle Dubas tries to improve this team even more ahead of the deadline, but he might have to trust in the team to string some wins together and get back into postseason contention.
22. New York Islanders (-2)
The Islanders desperately needed some wins coming out of the All-Star break after losing their last three games in January. And that's just what happened. New York visited Scotiabank Arena the day after the All-Star Game and came out with a gusty win, with former Maple Leaf Pierre Engvall fittingly scoring the winner in his return to Toronto. The club followed it up with another impressive win in Tampa Bay, crushing the Bolts 6-2 on Thursday. But the Isles couldn't overcome the surging Flames, losing 5-2 to end the week. It was still a positive seven days, but the Pens are just three points back with three games in hand, and could very quickly send NY to seventh place in the division. The division is insane, and it's only going to get wilder down the stretch. It'll be just two games this week for Patrick Roy's club, with the Kraken and Rangers passing through UBS Arena.
23. Minnesota Wild (+1)
The Wild are slowly climbing back up in the Western Conference and NHL Power Rankings, with two straight wins closing the gap to just seven points on the final wildcard berth. It's very realistic that Minnesota could still get in, especially if Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury keep playing the way they did last week. The former allowed just one goal in a 2-1 win over the Hawks on Wednesday, while the latter beat the team he won three Stanley Cups with two nights later. The Wild have some momentum now, and they can see a playoff spot. The question is, do Kirill Kaprizov and co. have enough in the tank to make it happen? A great challenge awaits in Las Vegas on Monday night — less than 24 hours after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium.
24. Washington Capitals (-3)
Outside of an uncharacteristically fantastic performance that saw the Capitals enter TD Garden and leave without allowing the Eastern Conference's best team to score a single goal, it was a bad week in the nation's capital. The 3-0 win over the Bruins was probably the worst game Boston has played all season, and the fans let them know it. But outside of that impressive victory, the Caps didn't win another game in Week 17 — and they were in action four times. Washington lost 5-2 to Montreal, then 4-2 to Florida, then followed up Saturday's win in Boston with another loss, this time 3-2 to the Canucks. That has Spencer Carbery's team down to 23-20-8 and six points out of a playoff spot. A meeting of two teams who badly need to get back in the win column will see the Avalanche travel to D.C. on Tuesday.
25. Ottawa Senators (+2)
Just when it looked like the Senators had absolutely no hope of making a late playoff push in 2024, a run of three straight wins has decreased the magic number to 16. That's still borderline impossible for this club, but with three games in hand on the Red Wings, crazier things have happened. This looked like a much-improved team in victories over the Predators, Wings and Leafs, the finale a thrilling 5-3 win on Hockey Night in Canada. Joonas Korpisalo has been excellent between the pipes as of late, while Shane Pinto looks like he has something to prove following his half-year gambling suspension. There may not be hope, but there looks to be at least some belief in Ottawa's locker room, and we'll see if the winning ways continue. It should this week, with the Jackets, Ducks and Blackhawks on tap — three of the league's four worst teams.
26. Arizona Coyotes (-3)
On Dec. 29, the Coyotes were 19-14-2 and looked to have a legitimate shot to sneak into a wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Fast forward about six weeks and the hopes have faded rapidly, along with the team's NHL Power Rankings standing. Arizona is losers of five straight games and eight of 11, dropping to exactly .500 and second-last place in the Central. Connor Ingram was putting together a Vezina Trophy-like campaign, but he's really struggled over his last few starts. With a very challenging final two months on the schedule, it's going to take a miracle for Clayton Keller and co. to return to the dance for the first time since 2020.
27. Buffalo Sabres (-1)
The Sabres entered the All-Star break on a light winning streak, having beaten the Kings and Sharks before the pause. But despite the success against the Pacific Division, the same couldn't be said for contests against the Central in Week 17. Buffalo lost 2-1 to Dallas on Tuesday at home, and again at KeyBank Center to red hot St. Louis three nights later. Forget about a playoff spot, the Sabres are just six points ahead of the Blue Jackets for the No. 16 spot in the Eastern Conference. This squad could be in the basement before the end of the season. Two more home games await against the Kings and Panthers this week.
28. Montreal Canadiens (no change)
The Habs have a few scorching hot players coming out of the All-Star break, but the individual success hasn't translated to too many victories in Montreal. Cole Caufield's 11-game point streak was snapped against the Blues, but Nick Suzuki increased his to seven games by scoring one of his team's two goals in the lopsided loss. He has 11 points in that span, while Mike Matheson is on a streak of his own, with seven assists in five games. That's encouraging for the future, but the Canadiens still lost two times in three tries coming out of the break. A 5-2 win over the Caps was nice, but back-to-back weekend matinee defeats to the Stars and Blues will leave a bad taste. Especially as both were in front of an engaged crowd at the Bell Centre. Only 10 points separate Montreal from a playoff spot, but it feels like a lot more considering their sixth place standing in the Atlantic.
29. Columbus Blue Jackets (no change)
The Blue Jackets were one of the few teams to play just a single game last week; they were doubled up by the Lightning at home on Saturday, and that's all that was happening in Ohio. Boone Jenner finally registered his first points back from a broken jaw, scoring both of his team's goals. Columbus won't be coming out of the basement of the Metropolitan Division anytime soon, and the No. 29 spot in the NHL Power Rankings seems to be where they will remain for the foreseeable future.
30. Anaheim Ducks (no change)
No. 30 in league standings, and No. 30 in the NHL Power Rankings yet again for the Ducks. Another team that played just one game out of the All-Star break, Anaheim lost 5-3 to the Oilers in a game that didn't mean much. Edmonton wasn't winners of 17 straight and looking to make NHL history, and instead were just a Pacific Division team looking for two points. The Ducks probably aren't looking for any points as they continue to chase a high selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. A four-game Eastern swing will take the California dwellers into the cold — Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Buffalo — in Week 18.
31. San Jose Sharks (no change)
The Sharks still haven't played a hockey game in February. This team lost in overtime to the Ducks on New Year's Eve, and will finally return to action — a full 14 days later — in a back-to-back set against Winnipeg and Calgary on Wednesday and Thursday. San Jose will look for better fortune than their last trip to Canada, when they lost two of three as part of a larger Eastern road swing in early January. This club will return home on Saturday when the Blue Jackets visit the SAP Center, but will have to do it without Tomas Hertl. The team's best player is set to have surgery and will be out multiple weeks.
32. Chicago Blackhawks (no change)
Another week without Connor Bedard, and another week in the basement of the NHL Power Rankings for the Hawks. Chicago is mired in a six-game slide, truly looking like the worst team in the league and not even really trying to hide it anymore. At a ghastly 14-35-3, nothing can rescue this team from the new lows they continue to find on a weekly basis. Now firmly entrenched in the No. 32 spot in both league standings and ClutchPoints' PRs, the only thing that can inject some life back into the Hawks in 2023-24 is Bedard's much-anticipated return.
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