NHL Power Rankings: Avalanche on Top Heading Into Conference Final

As it was before the season, during the season, and at the start of the playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche remain favored to win the Stanley Cup. The Avs have a high-powered attack and when they are playing well, can get to a level that is difficult to match.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have won the past two Stanley Cups and just swept the team that finished first in the regular season, the Florida Panthers.

While the Edmonton Oilers have been something of a surprise to reach the Western Conference Final, they have been a much better team since Jay Woodcroft took over as head coach on Feb. 10 and they still have two of the best players on the planet.

It has not been an easy road for the New York Rangers, but they have found a way to get through the first two rounds and will take on the two-time defending champion Lightning. The difference for the Rangers in this series is that Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is a proven playoff star while the Blueshirts have been fortunate to mostly face second and third-string goaltenders through the first two rounds of the postseason.

Here are my Conference Final NHL Power Rankings with Stanley Cup odds from BetMGM, FanDuel Sportsbook, and Caesars Sportsbook.

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NHL Power Rankings

1. Colorado Avalanche

After steamrolling Nashville in the first round, the Avalanche faced a bigger challenge against St. Louis in the second round but still emerged victorious in six games.

The Avalanche seem to have a higher ceiling than other teams. That's thanks in large part to guys like Nathan MacKinnon, who has 13 points and is averaging 5.5 shots on goal per game in the playoffs, and defenseman Cale Makar, who has 13 points in 10 playoff games.

Conference Final: (-250 via DraftKings Sportsbook) vs. Edmonton

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

It is not like the back-to-back defending champions were sneaking up on anyone this season. They scraped past the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round before sweeping the Florida Panthers in the second round.

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That sweep with first-line center Brayden Point out of the lineup was impressive and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has taken his game to a new level. Starting with Game 7 against Toronto, Vasilevskiy has stopped 181 of 185 shots, a .978 save percentage, and that is going to be a challenge for the Rangers to overcome.

The Lightning, of course, still have Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman, so they do not lack star power. But Vasilevskiy has been a rock for them.

Conference Final: (-175) vs. New York Rangers

3. Edmonton Oilers

After defeating the Los Angeles Kings in seven games in the first round, the Oilers took the Battle of Alberta in five games in round two. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combined for 29 points in the series against Calgary, and Draisaitl has been playing through an ankle injury.

That elite talent gives the Oilers a puncher’s chance against the Stanley Cup favorites, but the supporting cast will matter, too. Evander Kane and Zach Hyman have combined to score 20 goals in the playoffs. Still, Edmonton will need more contributions throughout the lineup if they are going to hang with the Avalanche.

Conference Final: (+200) vs. Colorado

4. New York Rangers

The Rangers have generally depended on goaltender Igor Shesterkin to bail them out, for most of the regular season and into the playoffs, which has included two seven-game victories against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.

That plan has worked because Shesterkin has been great — he will win the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender this season — but the Rangers have stars that are rising to the occasion, too. Center Mika Zibanejad leads the Blueshirts with 19 points and defenseman Adam Fox has 18. Chris Kreider leads the team with eight goals. Star winger Artemi Panarin has 11 points in 14 playoff games, so he could take his play to another level, and the Rangers will likely need it if they are going to take down a Lightning team that has now won 10 straight playoff series.

Conference Final: (+150) vs. Tampa Bay

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