Final NHL Power Ranking says Flames are best Canadian Cup bet

By Sportlogiq Staff (@Sportlogiq)

The National Hockey League regular season has entered its final week, and with that we present the final edition of our Power Rankings.

According to our model, the Calgary Flames will be the best bet for a Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993. 

The Flames are one of only two teams in the NHL to rank in the top three in goal differential and expected goal differential. The other is the top-ranked Florida Panthers.

Johnny Gaudreau is having a Hart Trophy-calibre season, leading the league in even-strength points with 86 – 10 more than Auston Matthews, who ranks second. Calgary has few if any identifiable weaknesses. Our model has been high on the Flames all season and believes Calgary is the best bet in the Western Conference to reach the Stanley Cup Final. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs went 2-1-1 last week and have dropped out of our top five, falling from fourth to eighth. The slip in our rankings is largely due to some incredible play from other teams and less because of any real concern with Toronto’s play. Auston Matthews missed three games last week as he continues to chase 60 goals. Matthews needs to score twice in the final two games to hit the milestone. 

There is a 91 per cent chance the Leafs will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Toronto is 2-2-0 against the Lightning this season. 

The Edmonton Oilers drop one spot from 10th to 11th in our rankings following a 2-1-0 week. Since the trade deadline, the Oilers have a .706 points percentage, tied for fifth best in the NHL.

Edmonton is on a collision course with the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, a team it won three of four games against this season. Goaltending had been considered the