The conference finals are upon us. But before the games begin and we find out which two teams will meet in the Stanley Cup Final, we need to update our NHL Power Rankings after the first two rounds of the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference Final, the Florida Panthers will once again try to earn their way to a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final berth when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes, who are a combined 0-12 in their last three conference final appearances, and were swept by Florida in 2023.
In the Western Conference Final, the Edmonton Oilers take on the Dallas Stars in a rematch of the 2024 West Final. Connor McDavid and the Oilers look to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season; the Stars seek revenge with new top gun Mikko Rantanen after losing last year in six games.
A lot of movement has happened in the power rankings after four more teams were sent packing for the offseason, so let’s check out Sportsnaut’s latest NHL power rankings at the start of the Stanley Cup Playoff Conference Finals.
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1. Florida Panthers – ECF vs CAR
The Florida Panthers have fully proven that they are the team to beat in these playoffs, as they continue to defend their 2024 Stanley Cup championship. They easily handled the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round, and rallied from 2-0 down to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in Round 2, putting on an absolute clinic in Game 7 on the road, winning 6-1. The Panthers have shown once again that their style of play is built to win championships. They grind teams down, and by the end of the series, the opposition has nothing left. We’ll see what Carolina brings, but until proven otherwise, Florida remains at No. 1 in our power rankings.
2. Dallas Stars – WCF vs EDM
The Dallas Stars continue to roll after dispatching the Presidents’ Trophy winners, defeating the Winnipeg Jets in six games in the second round. Mikko Rantanen leads all skaters in the playoffs with nine goals, and goalie Jake Oettenger continues to put up strong performances in net; after besting Team USA teammate Connor Hellebuyck in Round 2, he may have even won the starting job for the upcoming Olympics. For now, his focus will be on shutting down McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Oilers. A tall task at hand in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Final.
3. Edmonton Oilers – WCF vs DAL
After falling behind 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1, the Edmonton Oilers have been nearly perfect with an 8-1 record since. Stuart Skinner found his game in net, recording back-to-back shutouts to ice the series against the Vegas Golden Knights, which is exactly what the Oilers have needed in the crease. The Stars won’t be an easy out by any means, but if things continue on this path, McDavid may finally get that elusive Stanley Cup.
4. Carolina Hurricanes – ECF vs FLA
Many counted out the Carolina Hurricanes when it came to facing Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, but Carolina put on a defensive clinic in the second round, holding the Caps to just seven goals en-route to a five-game series win. Some might call it boring hockey, but the Hurricanes call it winning hockey. They haven’t had the best track record in the Eastern Conference Final since they were swept in each of their past three appearances, but they’ll look to break that streak as the underdogs once again, when they face the Panthers.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs – Eliminated Round 2 by FLA
Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs were absolutely dominated in Games 5 and 7 by the Florida Panthers on home ice. It’s a bad look, but they still took the defending champions to a hard-fought seven-game series, and had a massive road win in Game 6. It was a much closer battle than any of the other eliminated teams in the second round, earning the Maple Leafs the top spot of the eliminated teams to this point. Many questions loom for the Maple Leafs heading into the offseason, especially for Mitch Marner, the unrestricted free agent all but assured of playing elsewhere next season.
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6. Winnipeg Jets – Eliminated Round 2 by DAL
This one has to hurt for the Winnipeg Jets, who capped off the best season in franchise history by losing in six games by the Stars in Round 2, dropping the decisive game 2-1 in overtime. After winning the Presidents’ Trophy, and making one of the most historic Game 7 comebacks in NHL history in the first round, they ran into an incredibly deep and talented team in the Stars, and just couldn’t find that elusive road victory needed to send the series back to Winnipeg. They finished 0-6 on the road in these playoffs. Above all else, nothing but respect for Mark Scheifele, who had an incredible Game 6 and scored the Jets’ lone goal less than 24 hours after his father’s unexpected passing.
7. Washington Capitals – Eliminated Round 2 by CAR
The Washington Capitals losing in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes was one of the biggest surprises of the playoffs to this point. After the historic regular season that they had, it seemed as though they were primed to make a deep run, but they were smothered by the Hurricanes suffocating defense. They simply couldn’t solve it. Still, there’s plenty to be happy about for the Capitals, including Alex Ovechkin’s historic milestone, setting the all-time NHL goals record. He’s already announced his return for next season, when he’ll secure and surpass his 900th NHL goal.
8. Vegas Golden Knights – Eliminated Round 2 by EDM
The Vegas Golden Knights are another team that seemed poised to make a deep run after defeating the Minnesota Wild in six games in the first round. It wasn’t out of the question to see Edmonton advance here, but to do so in five games was definitely a shocker. Vegas has one of the more talented and deep rosters in the NHL, and many picked them to go the distance. But there top guns went silent in the second round. That’s the nature of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
9. Colorado Avalanche – Eliminated Round 1 by DAL
It’s hard to drop the Colorado Avalanche down to ninth on this list, but with eight other teams still alive in the postseason, they fall after being regarded as one of the favorites to win it all. They, too, had a two-goal lead in the third period of Game 7, but late game heroics by Rantanen sparked an epic comeback for the Stars. Let’s face it, this was a Conference Final matchup that was played out in Round 1, and it’s a shame that such a great team was sent home so early.
10. St. Louis Blues – Eliminated Round 1 by WPG
After soaring into one of the final playoff spots in the back half of the regular season, the St. Louis Blues almost took down the Presidents’ Trophy winners. As in 1.6 seconds away. They held a 3-1 lead with two minutes remaining in Game 7, but the Jets pulled off a miracle comeback, and won it in double overtime to advance, sending the Blues home in heartbreaking fashion.
11. Los Angeles Kings – Eliminated Round 1 by EDM
The Los Angeles Kings jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, as many predicted considering they were the best team on home ice during the regular season. After that, they seemed to implode. They made costly mistakes, sat back on their heels against two of the best players in the NHL in McDavid and Draisaitl, and couldn’t solve Pickard. They lost four straight, and were sent home in six games. This one’s a head scratcher considering how things started. Nonetheless, the Kings go home early. They’ve already moved in a new direction, hiring Ken Holland as their new General Manger.
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12. Tampa Bay Lightning – Eliminated Round 1 by FLA
The Tampa Bay Lightning had a tough draw going up against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Panthers, but not many people had this one ending in five games. Just when it looked like Tampa Bay had the edge, the Panthers came storming back, and eventually won Game 5 to make quick work of their rival.
13. Minnesota Wild – Eliminated Round 1 by VGK
Many counted the Minnesota Wild out of this one from the start, calling for a sweep at the hands of the Golden Knights. That was nowhere near the case, as Minnesota actually looked like the better team for a good portion of this series. It also looked like they had the best player in the series; Kirill Kaprizov was outstanding. Minnesota now becomes the first team of all the major U.S. sports to make the playoffs in eight out of 10 years and lose in the first round each time. Ouch.
14. Ottawa Senators – Eliminated Round 1 by TOR
The Ottawa Senators made things interesting after falling behind 3-0 to the Maple Leafs in the first round, forcing a fifth and even sixth game in this series. When it came to winning a third straight, they couldn’t match up to Toronto’s big guns, who showed up when it mattered most. That being said, Brady Tkachuk and the Sens showed some serious fight as they look to build on their first playoff berth since 2017.
15. Montreal Canadiens – Eliminated Round 1 by WSH
The Montreal Canadiens faced a tall task matching up against the Capitals in Round1. Though they were eliminated in five games, they put up one hell of a fight. Even in the losses, the Canadiens were in it most of the way, and a couple bounces here and there easily could have pushed this series to a sixth or seventh game. Big props to the Canadiens and head coach Martin St. Louis, who have a very bright future ahead of them.
16. New Jersey Devils – Eliminated Round 1 by CAR
Though they were without injured star Jack Hughes and dealt with several injuries to their defense corps throughout this series, it was clear that the New Jersey Devils just didn’t stack up against the Hurricanes in every facet of the game, except goaltending, where Jacob Markstrom was terrific for New Jersey. It was a disappointing end to the season for the Devils, but they’ll be back and fully healthy, ready to give it another go.
17. Calgary Flames (41-27-14) – Eliminated
The Calgary Flames were the best team in the NHL to miss the playoffs at 15th League-wide. It was a close race between them and the St. Louis Blues as they both finished with 96 points, though St. Louis won the tie breaker with more regulation wins. Still, the Flames should be proud of their season, and have plenty to build around starting with rookie goalie Dustin Wolf who was incredible and is a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
18. Vancouver Canucks (38-30-14) – Eliminated
The Vancouver Canucks put an end to a drama-filled season that saw J.T. Miller get shipped out and the Canucks underperform as a whole, missing the playoffs after being one of the better teams in the League last season. Now a new rift has entered the organization after general manager Jim Rutherford revealed that Quinn Hughes wants to play with his brothers Jack and Luke. Whether that’s in Vancouver or New Jersey is open for interpretation, but it’s certainly another dramatic piece to the puzzle in Vancouver. They’ve taken steps in a new direction, when Adam Foote was promoted to the head coach position, replacing Rick Tocchet.
19. Columbus Blue Jackets (40-33-9) – Eliminated
The Columbus Blue Jackets ended the season with a strong push, making it all the way until game 82 before being eliminated from playoff contention. While they won’t be fighting for the Stanley Cup, the entire team and organization deserve their flowers for playing as well as they did in light of the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy. Columbus has a bright future ahead as they look to break into the postseason in 2025-26.
20. Utah Hockey Club (38-31-13) – Eliminated
The Utah Hockey Club missed the playoffs by seven points but now at least have a nickname: the Mammoth. It had to have been a difficult adjustment for the players coming over from Arizona and beginning a new franchise this season, but they didn’t do all too bad. Utah is a young team with a core led by Clayton Keller that should only improve next season.
21. Detroit Red Wings (39-35-8) – Eliminated
The Detroit Red Wings were close to landing a playoff berth, but came up five points short in the wild-card race in the Eastern Conference. The pot was stirred by captain Dylan Larkin at Detroit’s breakup day, when he said that he and the team were unhappy with general manager Steve Yzerman’s decision not to add ahead of the trade deadline. We’ll see what kind of response that warrants as the offseason begins for Detroit.
22. New York Rangers (39-36-7) – Eliminated
There was no bigger disappointment in the NHL this season than the New York Rangers. As a result, coach Peter Laviolette was fired after he oversaw a 29-point drop-off on his watch. The Rangers quickly hired Mike Sullivan to begin a busy, and important, offseason.
23. New York Islanders (35-35-12) – Eliminated
The New York Islanders main priority is to get healthy in the offseason and return with players like Mat Barzal and Ilya Sorokin at full health. But the big story here is that they won the 2025 draft lottery and moved from No. 10 to No. 1 in this year’s draft. Of course, the Islanders still need a general manager to replace Lou Lamoriello.
24. Pittsburgh Penguins (34-36-12) – Eliminated
The clock is ticking on Sidney Crosby’s Hall of Fame career, and the Pittsburgh Penguins want to make the most of what he has left, which includes another shot at the Stanley Cup. They’ll have to make some serious improvements to do that, which is hard to do while keeping the trio of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang together. We’ll see what Kyle Dubas elects to do this offseason, including hiring a new coach to replace Mike Sullivan.
25. Anaheim Ducks (35-37-10) – Eliminated
The Anaheim Ducks ended a sub par season two games below NHL .500, and subsequently relieved Greg Cronin of his coaching duties. The expectation in the Ducks organization is that they will make the playoffs next season, which is going to take a lot of work, starting with newly hired Joel Quenneville behind the bench. Anaheim is loaded with young talent, and if they can all take a significant step next season, there’s no reason why they can’t contend for a playoff spot.
26. Buffalo Sabres (36-39-7) – Eliminated
The Buffalo Sabres capped off another year of missing the playoffs, though they showed signs of being a good hockey team, especially late in the season when they went on a 8-1-0 run. The problem is how they follow that up with a 1-3-1 stretch to end the regular season. Still, there’s plenty to build on for Buffalo this season, as they begin yet another year-long quest to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
27. Seattle Kraken (35-41-6) – Eliminated
The Seattle Kraken had a finish their season six games short of NHL .500, and have just fired coach Dan Bylsma after just one season behind the bench. A surprising move considering he had so much success with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Seattle’s AHL affiliate. They’ll begin interviewing for their next coach as the offseason begins, looking to build around young players like Matty Beniers and Joey Daccord.
28. Boston Bruins (33-39-10) – Eliminated
No one expected the Boston Bruins to miss the playoffs this season, let alone finish 28th in the League standings, but that’s exactly what happened after Jeremy Swayman struggle following his contract drama and the Bruins were forced to eventually trade their captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. Once that happened, the Bruins pretty much packed it up, winning just three games of their last 16. Expect a better effort next season from one of the better teams over the last decade.
29. Philadelphia Flyers (33-39-10) – Eliminated
The Philadelphia Flyers were poised for a solid season when they found out they’d be getting rookie sensation Matvei Michkov earlier than expected. Michkov had a strong season, scoring 63 points, but the Flyers themselves struggled to find wins at a consistent rate. After firing John Torterella, they’ve turned to former Flyer forward Rick Tocchet as their new coach, who will help build around Michkov to create their core of the future.
30. Nashville Predators (30-44-8) – Eliminated
The Nashville Predators capped off a huge let down of a season considering the talent they added in the offseason. Looking ahead, they’ll get a nice reset with a long summer break, and a likely top-three pick in the draft as well. With the names on Nashville’s roster, it’s hard to imagine they’ll have another season as bad as this one. Expect them to rise in the rankings come October.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (25-46-11) – Eliminated
It was an all-around bad year for the Chicago Blackhawks, who managed just 25 wins on the season. That being said, they have plenty of young pieces to build around, including Connor Bedard who is a star in the making in the NHL. In just his second season, Bedard logged a career-high 67 points on a struggling team. At just 19 years old, he’s bound to keep improving on those numbers, especially as the team gets better. Chicago will likely have a top-three pick in the draft, with the second-best odds of selecting first-overall.
32. San Jose Sharks (20-50-12) – Eliminated
The San Jose Sharks are quickly looking ahead to the NHL draft, where they have the best chance at the first-overall pick, after winning just 20 games this season. They struggled all around, and already announced they’ll be moving on from goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. The two bright spots are rookies Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini. Smith logged 45 points in 74 games for the Sharks while Celebrini had 63 points in 70 games. They’re two young cornerstones that San Jose will look to build around with a top-three pick and some offseason moves.
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