NHL Power Rankings: Blues sneaking under radar; Kings take care of business

In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings the Florida Panthers maintain their top spot even though their winning streak came to an end on Sunday against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that might have flipped the playoff switch.

In the Western Conference, the St. Louis Blues continue to inch their way closer to the top with a 16-game point streak that has seen them go 14-0-2 as they continue to fight the Minnesota Wild for home-ice advantage in the First Round. The Blues remain a fascinating team because even with their flaws (defense?) they have some real strengths that could make them a nightmare playoff opponent. Their offense is as good and deep as any team, while Ville Husso has solidified the all-important goalie position. They are getting lost in the shuffle a little bit playing in the shadow of Colorado in the Central Division, but this is not a team to take lightly.

The Los Angeles Kings have also managed to solidify their playoff chances despite some major injury concerns on defense by going on a four-game winning streak and feasting on a favorable schedule down the stretch.

We take a look at all of that and more in this week’s rankings.

Where does your team sit as we enter the final week of the 2021-22 regular season?

1. Florida Panthers (Last week: 1). They were going to lose eventually and the second half of a back-to-back against a team like Tampa Bay was always going to be a tough task.

2. Colorado Avalanche (LW: 2). They have lost four games in a row, but I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt here and a longer leash because they have everything wrapped up in the West as far as seeding is concerned. Every team slips at some point during the season.

3. St. Louis Blues (LW: 4). They are 14-0-2