The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers could be on a collision course to face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth time in NHL history and first time in 11 years.
The teams that make up the "Hudson River Rivalry" nearly collided in the Super 16 power rankings this week.
The Devils are ahead of the Rangers by one voting point, 152-151, but down one spot from last week to No. 4 this week. New York, which had won three straight before a 2-1 loss to New Jersey at Prudential Center on Thursday, are up three spots to No. 5.
The Boston Bruins, to nobody's surprise, are again the unanimous No. 1. It's the fifth consecutive week the Bruins are the unanimous No. 1 among the 13 voters who participate in the Super 16 rankings each week. It's their 20th straight week atop the Super 16.
They clinched the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best regular season record in the NHL and set a Bruins record for wins in a season with 58 in a 2-1 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden on Thursday. Boston won 57 games in 1970-71 before a seven-game loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the Quarterfinals.
But the Bruins, like the Devils, Rangers and the other 13 teams ranked this week, all have questions they need to answer before the 2023 playoffs begin. For some, the questions need to be answered ASAP if they plan to just simply get in the playoffs.
That's the theme this week for the Super 16, the one big question facing each team as the regular season grinds to a close in the next two weeks.
As a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the 13 voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like. A point total assigned to each with the team selected first is given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on down the line.
Here it is, with a participating voter writing about one big question facing each team.