NHL power rankings: Two teams make coaching changes down stretch
NHL power rankings: Two teams make coaching changes down stretch
Mike Brehm, USA TODAYMon, April 6, 2026 at 11:53 AM UTC
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NHL power rankings: Two teams make coaching changes down stretch
The competition to nail down a playoff berth is intense, so much that two NHL teams have fired their coaches down the stretch.
Bruce Cassidy was the first to go, with the third-place Vegas Golden Knights replacing the 2023 Stanley Cup winner with John Tortorella on March 29 with eight games to go. That followed a 1-4-2 slide that since has been turned down around.
Then the New York Islanders made their bid for a coaching change bump on Sunday, April 5, with four games left. Patrick Roy is out and veteran Peter DeBoer is in following a four-game losing streak. The Islanders were in third place at the time of the announcement but dropped below the playoff line on the same day. DeBoer, who took the Dallas Stars to the last three Western Conference finals, makes his Islanders debut on Thursday, April 9.
Here are the latest USA TODAY NHL power rankings with 10 days left in the regular season:
1 / 0NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits
Feb. 28: Referee Cody Beach stops the fight between the Washington Capitals' Connor McMichael and Montreal Canadiens' Kaiden Guhle (21) during the third period at the Bell Centre.
NHL power rankings
All statistics and standings information are through April 5. Figure in parentheses is the change from the most recent power rankings two weeks ago.
1. Colorado Avalanche (0)
Defenseman Brent Burns has played in 1,001 consecutive games, just the second NHL player to reach an ironman streak of 1,000 games. The recordholder is Phil Kessel (1,064).
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (+4)
The Lightning lead the Atlantic Division heading into the week after a 7-1-2 run. They face the second-place Sabres on Monday, April 6 and third-place Canadiens on April 9.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (0)
The Hurricanes are in position to clinch a division title for the first time since 2023. They missed an opportunity to do so on April 5 and their next chance is on Wednesday, April 7.
4. Dallas Stars (-2)
The Stars are trending toward playing the Wild in the first round, but their hold on home-ice advantage has shrunk because of a 2-5-2 slide. They play Minnesota, which is two points back, on April 9.
5. Buffalo Sabres (-1)
The Sabres have ended their 14-season playoff drought, a league record. The team started surging after changing general managers but have gone through a 2-3-2 mini-slump heading into their April 6 game against the Lightning.
6. Montreal Canadiens (+1)
The Canadiens' eight-game winning streak came to an end when they were shut out by the Devils. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki combined for 31 points during the streak.
7. Minnesota Wild (-2)
Kirill Kaprizov has hit the 40-goal mark for the fourth time in the last five seasons and added a hat trick on April 5. Matt Boldy also has 40 goals for the first time in his career.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins (+1)
The Penguins have pulled closer to ending a three-season playoff drought after they outscored the Panthers 14-6 in a weekend sweep.
9. Boston Bruins (-2)
David Pastrnak needs three points to record his fourth consecutive 100-point season.
10. Ottawa Senators (+5)
Brady Tkachuk scored twice in an April 5 win against Carolina as the Senators held onto the second wild-card spot in the East. Two days earlier, he was fined $2,500 for slashing an opponent from the bench.
11. Philadelphia Flyers (+5)
Victories against the Islanders and Bruins allowed the Flyers to jump from out of a playoff position to third in the Metropolitan Division. Porter Martone scored his first NHL goal in overtime to seal the win against Boston.
12. Utah Mammoth (+1)
The Mammoth are trending toward finishing in the first wild-card spot in the West. If they do, they would go through the weaker Pacific Division in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
13. Edmonton Oilers (+6)
The Oilers have gone 5-3 without injured No. 2 scorer Leon Draisaitl to move into the Pacific Division lead. Connor McDavid has 12 points in that stretch.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (-4)
The Rick Bowness coaching bump has been slipping away with the Blue Jackets going 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. They have the fewest regulation wins, the first tiebreaker, of the teams within two points of the final playoff spot in the East. Damon Severson had season-ending shoulder surgery.
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15. Anaheim Ducks (-3)
The Ducks have lost four in a row as Edmonton passed them for the Pacific Division lead on a tiebreaker. They remain in good position to end a seven-season playoff drought.
16. Vegas Golden Knights (+2)
The Golden Knights have won three in a row under coach John Tortorella after the firing of Bruce Cassidy. That includes a 5-1 win against the Oilers that pulled Vegas within a point of the Pacific Division lead.
17. New York Islanders (-6)
The Islanders dropped from third in the Metropolitan Division to out of a playoff position on April 5. New coach Peter DeBoer has four games to try to get the team into the postseason.
18. Detroit Red Wings (-4)
The Red Wings enter the week only two points out of a playoff spot but have lost six of their last eight games. They are trying to end a nine-season postseason drought, which is the NHL's longest after the Sabres clinched a playoff spot.
19. Washington Capitals (-2)
The Capitals were in position to potentially move into a playoff position on April 5 before they were crushed 8-1 by the Rangers.
20. Nashville Predators (0)
The Predators moved into the second wild-card spot in the West after beating the Kings and Sharks in recent games. They face those teams once each down the stretch, including the Kings on April 6.
21. New Jersey Devils (0)
Jacob Markstrom picked up his first shutout of the season to end the Canadiens' eight-game winning streak.
22. Los Angeles Kings (0)
The Kings will try to move into the second wild-card spot with a win against the Predators on April 6. The team has gone 7-5-5 under interim coach D.J. Smith.
23. San Jose Sharks (0)
The Sharks followed a six-game losing streak with a four-game winning streak to move into the second wild-card spot, but they dropped out after a loss to the Predators.
24. St. Louis Blues (+4)
The Blues have pulled within three points of a playoff spot with a 6-1-1 run. Robert Thomas has 12 points in that span, including his first career hat trick.
25. Winnipeg Jets (+1)
Olympic hero and reigning MVP Connor Hellebuyck is still looking for his first shutout of the season after getting a league-best eight last season.
26. Toronto Maple Leafs (+1)
The Maple Leafs' nine-season playoff streak is over. Before they were officially eliminated, they fired general manager Brad Treliving.
27. Florida Panthers (-2)
The Panthers' championship run is over as they were eliminated on Saturday, April 4, after a season-long crush of injuries. They had reached the last three Stanley Cup finals and won the last two.
28. Seattle Kraken (-4)
The Kraken were in a playoff spot heading into the Olympics, but have gone 5-11-2 since to drop six points back.
29. New York Rangers (+1)
The Rangers have been eliminated from the playoffs but have won five of their last six games.
30. Calgary Flames (-1)
The Flames were crushed 9-2 by the Avalanche and lost 6-3 to the Golden Knights, then played spoiler with a win against the Ducks.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (0)
Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, has set career highs with 30 goals and 71 points despite missing 12 games with a shoulder injury.
32. Vancouver Canucks (0)
The Canucks have clinched 32nd overall in the NHL, giving them the best draft lottery odds. They have an 18.5% chance of winning outright and 25.5% odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick. Being last didn't help last year when the Islanders won the lottery with 3.5% odds.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL power rankings: Playoff drive includes coaching changes
Source: “AOL Sports”
