Power Ranking Every Team Left in the 2024 NHL Playoffs

In March, they're called the "Elite Eight."

However, until the folks at NHL headquarters come up with a catchy May tagline for the octet of teams still standing in the race for the Stanley Cup, we're in marketing limbo.

At any rate, that's what we're down to. Now that the first round of the tournament is complete and we've culled the field from 16, those still alive have to be considered legit contenders.

Some, like the New York Rangers, blew through their lower-seeded foes with great haste, while others like the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins went all the way to a Game 7.

Those facts and more were laid in front of the B/R hockey staff to digest as they returned to the Power Rankings table to set the surviving field from bottom to top.

Dallas earned 75 percent of the first-place votes after rallying from a 2-0 series deficit to oust the defending champion Golden Knights, while the Avalanche, the 2022 champs who were swept by Winnipeg in their regular-season series, quickly regained their playoff legs, blew the Jets away in five games and swept the remaining 25 percent to grab second.

Scroll through to see what we came up with and drop a thought in the comments.

Statistics were up to date and votes tallied before games on Tuesday, May 7.

Season-Ending Ranking: 7

First-Round Result: Beat Toronto in 7

Given where they were just four days ago, down a goal in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs, it's unlikely the Bruins will be too insulted by their bottom-rung placement.

Boston sidestepped a second straight blown 3-1 series with a late goal and an OT winner, and shocked much of the hockey world with a 5-1 win at Florida to start the second round.

Season-Ending Ranking: 6

First Round Result: Beat Nashville in 6

Where's the love for the Canucks, you ask?

Still not there among the voters, none of whom positioned them higher than fifth even after a Pacific Division title, a first-round road clincher at Nashville and a second-round matchup with a team (Edmonton) they beat four times in the regular season.

Coach Rick Tocchet seems to have an embarrassment of goaltending riches with Arturs Silovs, who had a .938 save percentage against the Predators, and Casey DeSmith, who beat the Oilers twice during the season.

Meanwhile, Vezina Trophy finalist Thatcher Demko resumed skating on Thursday after a Game 1 injury.

Season-Ending Ranking: 1 (tie)

First-Round Result: Beat Washington in 4

Speaking of love, how about a little for the Rangers, huh?

New York won the Presidents' Trophy with a 114-point regular season and swept the Capitals out of the first round but could do no better than a third-place nod from the voters on the way to taking sixth in our rankings, even after finishing the season tied for first.

Home-ice advantage was maintained with a 4-3 win in Game 1 of the second round against Carolina, which finished three points back in the Metropolitan Division.

Season-Ending Ranking: 3

First-Round Result: Beat New York Islanders in 5

The Hurricanes were a popular pick heading into the tournament thanks to a league-best 16-4-1 run after acquiring prolific forward Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline.

The 29-year-old had 25 points with Carolina to end the regular season and had a goal and three assists in the quick defeat of the Islanders.

It's depth that drives success, though, and no fewer than 13 players have already scored at least a postseason goal for coach Rod Brind'Amour, whose team was pegged as high as third on two ballots after finishing the season in that Rankings spot.

Season-Ending Ranking: 4

First-Round Result: Beat Tampa Bay in 5

It's not hard to find folks who believe the Panthers, who surprised everyone with an eighth-seeded run to last spring's Cup Final, will find their way there again as a favorite.

They did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm with a quick dispatch of the in-state rival Lightning in the first round, including a 6-1 win in the clincher.

A four-goal home loss to the Bruins to begin Round 2 was a shocker, though, and it puts Florida into something near but not quite a must-win scenario as the series continues Wednesday.

Season-Ending Ranking: 8 (tie)

First Round Result: Beat Los Angeles in 5

Looking for a team whose stock rose dramatically after the first round, it's the Oilers.

Edmonton shook off a Game 2 loss and won three straight to eliminate Los Angeles in the first round for the third straight season, and it spiked from an eighth-place tie in the season-ending rankings to No. 3 here, thanks to a pair of second-place votes.

Goalie Stuart Skinner had a .910 save percentage against the Kings, a significant uptick from his .883 on the way to last spring's second-round loss to Vegas. He was an ugly .830 against Vancouver in the regular season, though, and that'll have to be much, much better.

Season-Ending Ranking: 8 (tie)

First-Round Result: Beat Winnipeg in 5

Oh, so you thought the Oilers had cornered the market on first-round spikes?

Nope. They're right there with the powerful Avalanche, who took care of their nemeses from Winnipeg in impressive fashion and suddenly look an awful lot like the deep, skilled team that lost just four games on the way to hoisting a Cup in 2022.

Eight players scored at a point-per-game rate against the Jets, and it'll take that sort of top-to-bottom production to deal with a Dallas team whose M.O. for success is similar. The series also shines a spotlight on goalie Alex Georgiev, who was good but not great in Round 1.

Season-Ending Ranking: 1 (tie)

First-Round Result: Beat Vegas in 7

You beat the champs, you get rewarded.

That's the Power Rankings case for the Stars, who lost the first two games on home ice but went 4-1 the rest of the way to end Vegas' chance at a second straight desert parade.

Dallas was tied with the Rangers for first in the final regular-season poll and it's faced with another recent champion in its second-rounder with Colorado.

Goalie Jake Oettinger is a big key for the Stars after rebounding to allow just 10 goals in the final six games (.941 save percentage) against Vegas after he surrendered four on 15 shots (.733) in a desultory opener.