Here is my last power ranking for the season heading into playoffs. I talk a bit about what got the teams into playoffs, how they can win and team MVPs. Week 1 ranking: https://www.leaguegaming.com/forums/index.php?threads/s20-preview.345616/#post-2262354 Week 3 ranking: https://www.leaguegaming.com/forums/index.php?threads/power-rankings-update-week-3.346676/ Week 6 ranking: https://www.leaguegaming.com/forums...e-trade-deadline-edition.347626/#post-2267944 1 LA Kings (Week 6 Rank: 4) +3 End of Season Position: T-1st Overall (won tiebreaker with Buffalo) Week 1 Rank: 12 Team MVP: @Morin x 67 Playoffs X-factor: Keeping Composure As I mentioned in my Week 6 post, the Kings went on a run to put them at the top of the league and in weeks 7-8-9 nothing changed. The kings finished off the season 23-3-2 en route to winning the President's Trophy and basically proving Kinger and Bwubz's rebuild last season to be worth it. This team is built on depth and improved dramatically over the season. With big trades for guys like sphyze and jorz, this team is built a lot like arizona and Buffalo with 3 complete lines that are hard to match. That is usually the recipe for success in the regular season. Kuzy could be nominated for the vezina, Morin and Jorz are a solid 1-2 C duo and the DPs on this team, namely Larkin and Gled (calder nominees) have played a massive part in turning around LA from one of the worst to the best in the league. If this team wants to win in the playoffs they just need their best players to continue playing like they have. I have some concerns that some of their players might just not show up when things get tough but if they stay focused, this is clearly one of the early cup favourites. 2 Buffalo Sabres (Week 6 Rank: 2) SAME End of Season Position: T-1st Overall (lost tiebreaker with LA) Week 1 Rank: 15 Team MVP: @X_Smitty30_X Playoffs X-factor: Can't continue just being a regular season team The consistent Buffalo Sabres narrowly missed out on the President's Trophy after just simply not matching LA's insanely hot last 3 weeks. This team had 1 week all season where they lost more than 4 games and have just continued to be good because of their chemistry and solid team defence. Anything can happen in this game but teams built like this SHOULD be in a good position to succeed come playoffs. The reality though is if you're built on depth and your best players don't show up, you are very beatable because your depth becomes average when you play against good players. I think this is the season Buffalo goes on a run but if they don't it's because they got away from good team defence and realistically assisdragon's line lost big games. 3 Calgary Flames (Week 6 Rank: 3) SAME (Done by @BLong67- ) End of Season Position: 3rd in Pacific, 4th in West Week 1 Rank: 5 Team MVP: @SaucyLii and @Joffman- Playoffs X-factor: Depth Fresh off a tough SCF final loss, Joff and the Flames head back into playoffs looking to right the ship from last season. Based around a similar core as the prior season, I believe they made the right moves and got the right people to put them in a place to go on a nice run. This team had a very consistent season where in 7 out of 9 weeks they posted above 6 wins. The obvious x factor for this teams success is the depth being able to pull together wins when it matters as last season their 1st line had to essentially be perfect for them to get to where they were. 4 Arizona Coyotes (Week 6 Rank: 1) -3 End of Season Position: 1st in Central, 2nd in West Week 1 Rank: 4 Team MVPs: @PieR Talent and @GoochLicker_23 Playoffs X-factor: Need that third line to win like they have the past 2 regular seasons Arizona should be a cup favourite just like they were last season but it all comes down to their third line for me. Last season they got swept by San Jose in round 1 because in some ways I think they picked poor matchups. If I'm them, I am choosing to matchup my third against everyone else's third and going 1v1, 2v2, 3v3. Wickie adds some top-end depth to this team that alongside Moti should be able to take down any first or second line, and Gooch and Pier have been winning no matter who they play with so I see it as let their third get 2 wins against weaker thirds and then their top 2 lines need 2 wins between them which is very doable. 5 Seattle Kraken (Week 6 Rank: 6) +1 End of Season Position: 2nd in Pacific, 3rd in West Week 1 Rank: 10 Team MVP: @Tidan x 16 Playoffs X-factor: Keep games low scoring Seattle is built on depth and a defensive style. Aside from Tidan, this team doesn't have a single no-doubt top player that gives you confidence they can win any game. So to compensate for that, a lot of Seattle's identity in my opinion is based on how good they are defensively and their goaltending. Meddy didn't put up the same stats he did last season but still managed to go 36-18 while their backup TamboJ35 had himself a solid season which definitely boosts your team come playoff time. That said, what this team has at times struggled with is keeping games low scoring because when they play good lines, they're not exactly one to outscore them consistently. I see a way in which they can go on a run but it all comes down to them using their D matchups wisely and finding ways to keep the other team to 2 goals or less. 6 Philadelphia Flyers (Week 6 Rank: 5) -1 End of Season Position: 2nd in Metro, 3rd in East Week 1 Rank: 3 Team MVP: @Sahzyyy Playoffs X-factor: 2nd Line The Flyers have been somewhat of an up and down team throughout the season but mainly been at the top of the standings. Led by their first line, Philly is built to win 2 games each series then needing just one from their 2nd or 3rd to force a game 7 that they should be favoured in based on chemistry. Sah is by far the MVP of this team producing like a forward on D, but the winger duo of bombxass and willis really caught fire as the season went on which has helped Philly stay at the top of the standings. Habs put up another great season but for this team to win he needs to be even better. I don't know if they plan to put him with the third but after playing them, I know very well that he can come close to singlehandedly stealing them games. The x-factor for this team is their second line that has the ability to play like a first but also because they lack chemistry I could see them struggling in a tight game. 7 New York Rangers (Week 6 Rank: 7) SAME End of Season Position: 1st in Metro, 2nd in East Week 1 Rank: 14 Team MVP: @BigMalaka17 Playoffs X-factor: Consistency from a 2nd line The Rangers are a team that is constantly doubted because they have a lot of lesser known names. Akon is the MVP because really he's just the most consistent player and it feels like this team would be nowhere without him. Metro, Chuck, Fou all put up solid seasons and it should be noted that Blacky has won 2 straight cups. This team is a lot like Seattle in that I think they are best suited for low scoring games. They are your typical team that goes to G7 with all 1 goal games in the series. If they are to go on a run, it's because whoever their second line is figured it out consistently. 8 Dallas Stars (Week 6 Rank: 16) +8 End of Season Position: 2nd in Central, 5th in West Week 1 Rank: 6 Team MVP: @JaYI77I and @TMills71 Playoffs X-factor: Bringing regular season scoring into playoffs Dallas has one of the better forward groups on paper just based on scoring ability. They are 5th out of all playoff teams in terms of goals for, and that's even with their very average start to the season. They've really picked it up after the deadline with Rag obviously being a big acquisition for them but we've also seen them fail to score a lot of goals in a couple of key games against my flames and that oilers line. If this team is going on a run it's because they're scoring because as much as I think benny is a solid G, I'd say their goaltending and defence is very average amongst playoff teams. 9 Boston Bruins (Week 6 Rank: 8) -1 End of Season Position: 2nd in Atlantic, 5th in East Week 1 Rank: 2 Team MVP: @AyoMoran Playoffs X-factor: @nehxC Boston is a cup favourite in my eyes because they have a first line that can win 2 every series and then Cohen on their second to get them 1 win which gets you to 7 at minimum. This is a team that lacks the depth of Moran and Tommy's (and Bo) Vegas team obviously but much like the Carolina team they were on last season, it's expected they win 2 and the other lines gotta get them at least one. They had a bit of a rough patch in week 8, not sure what happened there, but they rebounded nicely in week 9 to set them up with what I think most people think is one of if not the most favourable first round matchup a lower seed could have. 10 New York Islanders (Week 6 Rank: 13) +3 End of Season Position: 3rd in Metro, 4th in East Week 1 Rank: 25 Team MVP: @Jxsse-21 and @BRIEREx Playoffs X-factor: Line Matching The Islanders are the most doubted team in the playoffs right now. Nobody believes they're good and they half think they're good half don't care at all. Jxsse and Briere are their two no doubt first line guys that have carried them all season and they've built around them with great complimentary pieces like bombay and Chipy which has been what's helped them remain in a playoff spot after their hot start. If they are going to go on a run they gotta avoid the matchups everyone's gonna attack them with. Their depth either has to prove it's good or it's gonna be a short stay in the playoffs for them. 11 San Jose Sharks (Week 6 Rank: 10) -1 End of Season Position: 4th in Pacific, 6th in West Week 1 Rank: 7 Team MVP: @Jxson71 Playoffs X-factor: Sweaty Third Line This team once again goes as far as Jxson's line takes them in my opinion. I think their roster is actually not far off what they had last season. Yes they lost Lehk and Brydxn, but the add of rawjuice is pretty underrated, Nolan is a solid complimentary add, and they have depth on D. Gio once again got hot after a rough start to the season so it's safe to say we can expect him to be one of the main reasons they go on a run again. Catigory needs his third to be winning games like they did last season, even though the line isn't at good, it looks like they have bouch playing on it now and Mclub's aids build is enough to make some top lines frustrated. 12 Carolina Hurricanes (Week 6 Rank: 19) +7 End of Season Position: 4th in Metro, 6th in East Week 1 Rank: 1 Team MVP: @GoNicsGo95 Playoffs X-factor: Line Matching I didn't expect this team to finish this low in the regular season but as I also said many times throughout the season, they just strike you as a team that doesn't care where they finish. Jclaus' teams are very difficult to line match and for that reason he finds ways to exploit matchups against weaker lines without hurting his top 2 lines. They are built on capable depth and goaltending. GoNicsGo had an incredible season even though he was barely .500 and he is a goalie that I think people are still ignoring as top 3 in the league. If they go on a run, he's going to be lights out. 13 Minnesota Wild (Week 6 Rank: 18) +5 End of Season Position: 3rd in Central, 7th in West Week 1 Rank: 17 Team MVP: @Streetsmurf Playoffs X-factor: Third Line Minnesota has a better team than most see. Their first is capable of beating any other first line and then their 2nd and 3rd lines are pretty interchangeable but they are both capable of winning games. For the purpose of this write-up, I will say cellycenter's line is their third. Both him and Sevy have been grinding non-stop and I think they are way better than their stats show. The only problem with their third is they don't score that much. If they can find ways to keep games close and then get that extra goal, Minnesota has serious potential to upset Arizona in Round 1. But based on the season they had, Minny's third scoring is a big if. 14 St. Louis Blues (Week 6 Rank: 17) +3 End of Season Position: 4th in Central, 8th in West Week 1 Rank: 27 Team MVP: @Blades l59l Playoffs X-factor: Surprising other teams This is the people's team. Obviously nobody thought St. Louis would make the playoffs. This team went from awful to solid very very quickly. They always had a decent roster but it seems like they just needed to move some pieces around to find the right guys that would help them win consistently and not treat playing for PP like it's a joke. YourFriendBR had an amazing season and STL just kept on surprising people as the weeks went by. If there is one upset anyone wants in round 1 it's for STL to beat LA just because it would be hilarious. It's not impossible but very very unlikely. If LA takes them lightly, there's a chance. 15 Toronto Maple Leafs (Week 6 Rank: 14) -1 End of Season Position: 4th in Atlantic, 8th in East Week 1 Rank: 26 Team MVP: @DxT Gerbe and @Musty88_ Playoffs X-factor: Doer's line Toronto is pretty underrated in my opinion. I think Gerbe's line can win 2 every series and they then just need one more win. I don't see their third winning a game in playoffs so it all comes down to Doer's line. I'm not sure of how they plan to use Willee but I'd expect him to not be on the third and then just use it as a full sui. The Rangers second and third are very beatable 4 times so that's probably the route I'd try to go if possible. 16 Detroit Red Wings (Week 6 Rank: 11) -5 End of Season Position: 3rd in Atlantic, 7th in East Week 1 Rank: 20 Team MVP: @l-bidas-l Playoffs X-factor: Consistency Detroit's biggest weakness is consistency. I have them ranked as the lowest playoff team because it seems like you don't know which Detroit team you'll get each week. They don't have the top players that some teams do, and I think that could be a problem against Buffalo but I do think they are still very underrated. Dudethisishard was a solid pickup to help fix their goalie situation so I expect them to keep games close if he's playing as well as he can. This team needs Bidas and Frozy to keep playing as well as they have been as a d-pair and then titan, charmop and maje to not slow down. Biggest Fallers: Winnipeg Jets (Week 6 Rank: 9, Week 1 Rank: 11) Missed Playoffs Nashville Predators (Week 6 Rank: 12, Week 1 Rank: 9) Missed Playoffs Tampa Bay Lightning (Week 6 Rank: 15, Week 1 Rank: 13) Missed Playoffs Playoff Series Previews: Eastern Conference (1) Buffalo Sabres v (8) Detroit Red Wings Prediction: BUF in 5. Wxldo gets aggressive with the line matching and has his third go 2-0. (2) New York Rangers v (7) Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction: NYR in 6. Akon gets 2 wins and Toronto's third goes 0-2. (3) Philadelphia Flyers vs (6) Carolina Hurricanes Prediction: PHI in 7. a 3-1 from their top 2 lines and their third goes 0-2 but their top guys pick up a big win in game 7. (4) New York Islanders v (5) Boston Bruins Prediction: BOS in 5. Tommy and Moran will be smart with their matchups and exploit NYIs lack of depth. Western Conference (1) Los Angeles Kings v (8) St. Louis Blues Prediction: LA in 5. Depth is too much to handle for STL. (2) Arizona Coyotes v (7) Minnesota Wild Prediction: ARZ in 6. Shambles line wins some big games and Smurf's line goes 1-1. (3) Seattle Kraken v (6) San Jose Sharks Prediction: SJ in 6. SJ has sneaky good depth that's gonna frustrate one of SEA's top two lines. (4) Calgary Flames v (5) Dallas Stars (done by @BLong67-) Prediction: CGY in 7. I think the Flames will win this series in 7. While both teams are deep enough to go far in playoffs, this series will be close throughout and come down to a G7 where I believe the Flames have a bit of an advantage in that outcome.
