The 2023-24 NHL regular season has fewer than six weeks remaining, and with many teams having stocked up prior to last Friday's trade deadline, there will be no lack of intensity down the stretch. While most of the playoff berths in each conference appear to be comfortably occupied right now, there's still enough time for an unlikely team or two to go on a run and sneak into the postseason.

Three of the four division races are very tight, as the top two teams in the Atlantic, Metropolitan and Central entered Monday separated by fewer than five points. The Florida Panthers ended last weekend one point ahead of the Boston Bruins in both the Atlantic and the chase for the Presidents' Trophy, while the Carolina Hurricanes climbed within two points of the first-place New York Rangers in the Metropolitan.

The Central is currently a three-team race, with the Dallas Stars sitting twi points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets and four ahead of the Colorado Avalanche, although Winnipeg entered Monday with three games in hand. The Vancouver Canucks have a 10-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific, but don't expect them to get complacent as they also trail Florida by one point for the President's Trophy. Nine teams are within 10 points of the Panthers.

The wild-card picture in the Eastern Conference has become quite blurry, thanks in part to the New York Islanders' current surge. The club entered Monday with a six-game winning streak that put them in a tie for the second wild-card berth with the Detroit Red Wings, who are in the midst of a five-game slide. The Tampa Bay Lightning are only two points better than the Islanders and Red Wings, while the Washington Capitals trail those two clubs by three points.

Playoff seeding surely won't be determined until the final few days of the regular season, and the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings are dangerously close to falling out of third place in their respective divisions and into a wild-card spot. The only thing for certain right now is that the Chicago Blackhawks will be spectators for the fourth consecutive postseason, as the club officially was eliminated from contention on Saturday.

Now, we'll jump into the power rankings as we begin Week 23 of the 2023-24 NHL season. These rankings are based on the current state of the 32 teams, with their overall performance in several categories also factored in. Also included are SportsLine's odds to make the postseason for each club.

Which teams hold surprising spots in the NHL power rankings for Week 23? And which ones are lower than expected? ... Join SportsLine right now to see the NHL Week 23 power rankings from the expert who has covered the league and the sport of hockey for more than 20 years!