NHL power rankings: Two teams make coaching changes down stretch

The competition to nail down a playoff berth is intense, so much that two NHL teams have fired their coaches down the stretch.

Bruce Cassidy was the first to go, with the third-place Vegas Golden Knights replacing the 2023 Stanley Cup winner with John Tortorella on March 29 with eight games to go. That followed a 1-4-2 slide that since has been turned down around.

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Then the New York Islanders made their bid for a coaching change bump on Sunday, April 5, with four games left. Patrick Roy is out and veteran Peter DeBoer is in following a four-game losing streak. The Islanders were in third place at the time of the announcement but dropped below the playoff line on the same day. DeBoer, who took the Dallas Stars to the last three Western Conference finals, makes his Islanders debut on Thursday, April 9.

Here are the latest USA TODAY NHL power rankings with 10 days left in the regular season:

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Feb. 28: Referee Cody Beach stops the fight between the Washington Capitals’ Connor McMichael and Montreal Canadiens’ Kaiden Guhle (21) during the third period at the Bell Centre.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Feb. 28: Referee Cody Beach stops the fight between the Washington Capitals’ Connor McMichael and Montreal Canadiens’ Kaiden Guhle (21) during the third period at the Bell Centre.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Feb. 28: The Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk (7) battles along the boards with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Brandon Carlo in the second period at Scotiabank Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Feb. 28: The Nashville Predators’ Filip Forsberg hits the boards alongside the Dallas Stars’ Nils Lundkvist during the third period at the American Airlines Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Feb. 5: The Florida Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk (left) and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman fight during the second period at Benchmark International Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Feb. 4: The St. Louis Blues’ Brayden Schenn fights with the Dallas Stars’ Justin Hryckowian during the second period at the American Airlines Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Feb. 1: Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman fight during the second period of the 2026 Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Jan. 29: St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (left) fights Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer during the second period at Enterprise Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Jan. 27: Vancouver Canucks forward Evander Kane (91) fights with San Jose Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren during the second period at Rogers Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Jan. 19: San Jose Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic (left) fights Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Jan. 15: Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy (5) fights with Calgary Flames left wing Joel Farabee (86) during the second period at United Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Jan. 15: Boston Bruins center Alex Steeves (21) and Seattle Kraken center Ryan Winterton (26) fight during the third period at TD Garden.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Jan 10: Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) checks Seattle Kraken right wing Kaapo Kakko (84) during the first period at Lenovo Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Dec. 30: Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matthew Knies (23) fights with New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) during the third period at Scotiabank Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Dec. 20: Philadelphia Flyers left wing Nicolas Deslauriers (44) and New York Rangers left wing Brennan Othmann (78) are separated by officials and teammates after a fight during the second period at Madison Square Garden.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Dec 8: Toronto Maple Leafs forward Dakota Joshua (81) and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Maxwell Crozier (24) fight during the third period at Scotiabank Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Dec. 4: Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Bokondji Imama (14) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Curtis Douglas (42) fight in the first period at Benchmark International Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Dec. 1: New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (71) and Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) fight during the second period at Prudential Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 28: New Jersey Devils right wing Stefan Noesen (11) and Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) fight during the first period at KeyBank Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 28: Philadelphia Flyers right wing Garnet Hathaway (19) checks New York Islanders center Casey Cizikas (53) during the second period at UBS Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 28: Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews (19) checks Carolina Hurricanes center Justin Robidas (46) during the first period at Lenovo Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov 24: Members of the New Jersey Devils and the Detroit Red Wings fight at the end of the third period at Prudential Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 22: Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) and Edmonton Oilers center Trent Frederic (10) fight during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Utah Mammoth center Jack McBain (22) and Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) fight during the third period at Delta Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 16: The New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings engage in a major scrum after their game at Madison Square Garden.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 6: Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) fights Minnesota Wild center Tyler Pitlick (19) after his hit injured Carolina’s Jalen Chatfield.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 6: Los Angeles Kings right wing Corey Perry (10) and Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) fight during the third period at Crypto.com Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 6: Buffalo Sabres center Josh Dunne (44) and St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (75) fight during the first period at KeyBank Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov 4: New York Islanders and Boston Bruins players get in a scrum after Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) was roughed by Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov (91) during the second period.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 1: Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) fights St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (75) in the first period at Nationwide Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov 1: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) hits St. Louis Blues right wing Jordan Kyrou (25) along the boards in the third period at Nationwide Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Nov. 1: Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) and Buffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (12) fight during the first period at KeyBank Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 24: Calgary Flames right wing Adam Klapka (43) and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley (64) fight in the first period at Canada Life Centre.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 23: Boston Bruins left wing Tanner Jeannot (84) fights with Anaheim Ducks left wing Ross Johnston (44) during the second period at TD Garden.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 21: Anaheim Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano (77) and Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby (83) fight during the third period at Bridgestone Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 18: Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) is held back by a linesman after scuffling with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Marchand is holding Dahlin’s helmet and later pulled off the straps in the penalty box.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 18: Tampa Bay Lightning center Curtis Douglas (42) and Columbus Blue Jackets center Mathieu Olivier (24) fight during the first period at Nationwide Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 16: Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Kaedan Korczak (6) checks Boston Bruins center Michael Eyssimont (81) during the first period at T-Mobile Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct 14: Dallas Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel (6) checks Minnesota Wild center Yakov Trenin (13) during the first period at the American Airlines Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 11: Calgary Flames left wing Ryan Lomberg (70) and St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (75) fight during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 11: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) checks New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) during the first period at PPG Paints Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 11: Los Angeles Kings left wing Jeff Malott (39) and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luke Schenn (5) fight during the first period at Canada Life Centre.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 9: Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) checks San Jose Sharks center Philipp Kurashev (96) at center ice during the third period at SAP Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 9: Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh (43) and Ottawa Senators left wing Kurtis MacDermid (23) fight during the first period at Benchmark International Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 9: Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jordan Martinook (48) checks New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) during the third period at Lenovo Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 9: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) checks New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) as he goes after a loose puck during the second period at KeyBank Center.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct 7: Los Angeles Kings left wing Jeff Malott (39) points to Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) after he finished fighting Josh Manson during the first period at Crypto.com Arena.

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NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 7: Chicago’s Nick Foligno fights with Florida’s A.J. Greer during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena.

NHL power rankings

All statistics and standings information are through April 5. Figure in parentheses is the change from the most recent power rankings two weeks ago.

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1. Colorado Avalanche (0)

Defenseman Brent Burns has played in 1,001 consecutive games, just the second NHL player to reach an ironman streak of 1,000 games. The recordholder is Phil Kessel (1,064).

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (+4)

The Lightning lead the Atlantic Division heading into the week after a 7-1-2 run. They face the second-place Sabres on Monday, April 6 and third-place Canadiens on April 9.

3. Carolina Hurricanes (0)

The Hurricanes are in position to clinch a division title for the first time since 2023. They missed an opportunity to do so on April 5 and their next chance is on Wednesday, April 7.

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4. Dallas Stars (-2)

The Stars are trending toward playing the Wild in the first round, but their hold on home-ice advantage has shrunk because of a 2-5-2 slide. They play Minnesota, which is two points back, on April 9.

5. Buffalo Sabres (-1)

The Sabres have ended their 14-season playoff drought, a league record. The team started surging after changing general managers but have gone through a 2-3-2 mini-slump heading into their April 6 game against the Lightning.

6. Montreal Canadiens (+1)

The Canadiens’ eight-game winning streak came to an end when they were shut out by the Devils. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki combined for 31 points during the streak.

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7. Minnesota Wild (-2)

Kirill Kaprizov has hit the 40-goal mark for the fourth time in the last five seasons and added a hat trick on April 5. Matt Boldy also has 40 goals for the first time in his career.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (+1)

The Penguins have pulled closer to ending a three-season playoff drought after they outscored the Panthers 14-6 in a weekend sweep.

9. Boston Bruins (-2)

David Pastrnak needs three points to record his fourth consecutive 100-point season.

10. Ottawa Senators (+5)

Brady Tkachuk scored twice in an April 5 win against Carolina as the Senators held onto the second wild-card spot in the East. Two days earlier, he was fined $2,500 for slashing an opponent from the bench.

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11. Philadelphia Flyers (+5)

Victories against the Islanders and Bruins allowed the Flyers to jump from out of a playoff position to third in the Metropolitan Division. Porter Martone scored his first NHL goal in overtime to seal the win against Boston.

12. Utah Mammoth (+1)

The Mammoth are trending toward finishing in the first wild-card spot in the West. If they do, they would go through the weaker Pacific Division in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

13. Edmonton Oilers (+6)

The Oilers have gone 5-3 without injured No. 2 scorer Leon Draisaitl to move into the Pacific Division lead. Connor McDavid has 12 points in that stretch.

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14. Columbus Blue Jackets (-4)

The Rick Bowness coaching bump has been slipping away with the Blue Jackets going 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. They have the fewest regulation wins, the first tiebreaker, of the teams within two points of the final playoff spot in the East. Damon Severson had season-ending shoulder surgery.

15. Anaheim Ducks (-3)

The Ducks have lost four in a row as Edmonton passed them for the Pacific Division lead on a tiebreaker. They remain in good position to end a seven-season playoff drought.

16. Vegas Golden Knights (+2)

The Golden Knights have won three in a row under coach John Tortorella after the firing of Bruce Cassidy. That includes a 5-1 win against the Oilers that pulled Vegas within a point of the Pacific Division lead.

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17. New York Islanders (-6)

The Islanders dropped from third in the Metropolitan Division to out of a playoff position on April 5. New coach Peter DeBoer has four games to try to get the team into the postseason.

18. Detroit Red Wings (-4)

The Red Wings enter the week only two points out of a playoff spot but have lost six of their last eight games. They are trying to end a nine-season postseason drought, which is the NHL’s longest after the Sabres clinched a playoff spot.

19. Washington Capitals (-2)

The Capitals were in position to potentially move into a playoff position on April 5 before they were crushed 8-1 by the Rangers.

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20. Nashville Predators (0)

The Predators moved into the second wild-card spot in the West after beating the Kings and Sharks in recent games. They face those teams once each down the stretch, including the Kings on April 6.

21. New Jersey Devils (0)

Jacob Markstrom picked up his first shutout of the season to end the Canadiens’ eight-game winning streak.

22. Los Angeles Kings (0)

The Kings will try to move into the second wild-card spot with a win against the Predators on April 6. The team has gone 7-5-5 under interim coach D.J. Smith.

23. San Jose Sharks (0)

The Sharks followed a six-game losing streak with a four-game winning streak to move into the second wild-card spot, but they dropped out after a loss to the Predators.

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24. St. Louis Blues (+4)

The Blues have pulled within three points of a playoff spot with a 6-1-1 run. Robert Thomas has 12 points in that span, including his first career hat trick.

25. Winnipeg Jets (+1)

Olympic hero and reigning MVP Connor Hellebuyck is still looking for his first shutout of the season after getting a league-best eight last season.

26. Toronto Maple Leafs (+1)

The Maple Leafs’ nine-season playoff streak is over. Before they were officially eliminated, they fired general manager Brad Treliving.

27. Florida Panthers (-2)

The Panthers’ championship run is over as they were eliminated on Saturday, April 4, after a season-long crush of injuries. They had reached the last three Stanley Cup finals and won the last two.

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28. Seattle Kraken (-4)

The Kraken were in a playoff spot heading into the Olympics, but have gone 5-11-2 since to drop six points back.

29. New York Rangers (+1)

The Rangers have been eliminated from the playoffs but have won five of their last six games.

30. Calgary Flames (-1)

The Flames were crushed 9-2 by the Avalanche and lost 6-3 to the Golden Knights, then played spoiler with a win against the Ducks.

31. Chicago Blackhawks (0)

Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, has set career highs with 30 goals and 71 points despite missing 12 games with a shoulder injury.

32. Vancouver Canucks (0)

The Canucks have clinched 32nd overall in the NHL, giving them the best draft lottery odds. They have an 18.5% chance of winning outright and 25.5% odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick. Being last didn’t help last year when the Islanders won the lottery with 3.5% odds.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL power rankings: Playoff drive includes coaching changes