Ranking Top 5 Stanley Cup Contenders With One Week to Play

Honorable Mentions: Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers

The Canes have been one of the best teams in hockey all season, which makes it difficult to leave them off the list of the top five contenders. However, recent events drop Carolina down a bit.

With a record of 5-5 in the month of April, the Hurricanes are not playing their best hockey at the moment. It could certainly be worse in terms of on-ice performance, but other teams are absolutely on fire, and any team hoping to contend has to be able to match that output.

The more troublesome news, however, is that goaltender Frederik Andersen is currently injured. Antti Raanta has been more than capable this season, and in his career, but Andersen had been lights out for a Canes team that thrives on strong defense and elite penalty killing.

Meanwhile, Carolina’s Metropolitan Division rivals, the New York Rangers, wind up here as an honorable mention for a very different reason. I had picked New York to miss the postseason before the year began, so this early arrival on the playoff stage has been a pleasant surprise.

With that in mind, I feel as though the Rangers are playing with house money. On one hand, I think the conference’s depth will prevent New York from reaching the Stanley Cup Final, but on the other hand, the Rangers can play looser than the veteran teams and that lack of pressure makes them dangerous.

5. Calgary Flames

The Flames have been in control of the Pacific Division for several weeks now, and with the Golden Knights scrambling to even qualify for the playoffs, Calgary is the clear favorite in its division.

This team plays an impressive brand of defense, which has proven to be a winning formula in the playoffs in the past. Beyond that, there are two 100-point scorers on the roster, making Calgary a team that can be dangerous offensively as well.

In addition, the Flames have managed to take their game to the next level, as they are 8-1-1 in their last ten games. Calgary is playing well and has the best goal differential and defense in the Western Conference, so I look for this team to gain some momentum in the Pacific.

With home ice locked up for the first two rounds of the playoffs and the team playing at a high level as April winds down, Calgary takes the fifth spot on this list.