flexoffers
Back

NHL Rankings Recap

05 May 2021

We are in the final week of the 2021 National Hockey League regular season. What a season it has been. While they played a few less games this regular season, the excitement and thrills remained. It will be interesting to see the first two rounds of the postseason against other teams they have played eight times each throughout the season.

Will that lead to upsets, or will it be basically chalk through the postseason? Only time will tell. Make sure to check out the latest Dunkel NHL Rankings before you do anything else today!

Top Remains Solid

The top of the rankings remain super solid. It's hard to see this in the history of the National Hockey League, but the top two teams are the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning. While the Lightning have won a couple Stanley Cup's - people do not think about Carolina when talking NHL powerhouses. This year's version is really good, with a record of 36-10-7 on the season. The Hurricanes have moved four points ahead of the Panthers and 6 points ahead of Tampa Bay.

That's going to lead to a crazy first-round matchup between the Panthers and Lightning, most likely. In the rankings, Tampa Bay is second, while the Panthers are 5th. Two teams from the West are sandwiched between at third and fourth. The Colorado Avalanche are third with their 34-12-4 record, while Vegas has dropped to fourth. The Golden Knights are coming off a loss to Minnesota and hold just a 2 point lead over the Avalanche.

Who's Going to Finish Last?

The Buffalo Sabres are last in the rankings, with the Anaheim Ducks just ahead of them at 30th. But the race for the least points this season is right. Buffalo comes into the games on Wednesday with 37, while the Ducks are at 39. Anaheim is coming off a loss to St. Louis and will meet against Wednesday night. But - don't forget about the Vancouver Canucks. They also have 41 points but have played just 47 games to the Ducks 53.

The Canucks are 23rd in the rankings, and with their 18 points still available, they are technically still in the playoff race.  The San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senator, and New Jersey Devils round out the bottom 5.

Clinched Spots

There are 12 teams that have sealed the deal for the 2021 postseason. The entire East is clinched. Positioning may still change, but the teams are in. In the Central, Nashville is 4 points ahead of Dallas for the final spot. The Predators have three games left, while Dallas has 4. The Predators are 14th, while Dallas is at 11 in the rankings. In the East - all four teams are within 5 points of each other.

Positioning and matchups are going to be key and interesting as we come down the stretch. In the North, the Maple Leafs and Oilers are in - the Jets and Canadiens are tied for the final two spots. Calgary and Vancouver are still alive but on life support. The Maple Leafs sit at 8th and Edmonton at 13th. Finally, the St. Louis Blues look to have a stranglehold on the final spot in the West.

The Blues are 5 points up on the Coyotes and even more on the Kings. St. Louis needs just a win on Wednesday and a Kings loss to seal the deal. The 2019 Stanley Cup Champions will be underdogs in the first round but a tough opponent. The Blues are 18th in the rankings.

Enjoy the rest of the regular season. See you soon for postseason hockey! Remember - take a look at the latest rankings here!

DAILY NBA PICKS

Dunkel NBA Prediction

Best NBA Picks & Predictions!

GET YOUR PICKS

DUNKEL PODCAST

About Us

The Dunkel Index podcast is a weekly look behind the numbers. Hosted by Ben and Bob Dunkel.

Read More

DAILY NCAAB PICKS

Dunkel NCAAB Prediction

Daily College Basketball Picks & Predictions!

Get Your Picks
Fanduel