Week 2 and Ryan tosses out some bombs….be back later as we start watching some hockey coming up very soon. Thanks to Christopher Columbus.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (4-1-0), LW: 1
The Pens responded well after a bad 3-0 loss to Phoenix at home. Road wins over Philly and Toronto could start a little winning streak as their schedule loosens up for the rest of the month.
2. San Jose Sharks (3-2-0), LW: 5
Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton are starting to click on all cylinders, which is bad news for the other 14 teams in the West. They’ll start a 6-game trek out East on Thursday in DC!
3. Philadelphia Flyers (3-1-1), LW: 2
John Stevens has to be a little disappointed with his team after two close losses at home. In a bit of a schedule snafu, the Flyers will only play 1 game in the next 9 days – at Florida on Friday.
4. Calgary Flames (4-1-0, LW: 4
Brent Sutter’s club stays at #4 after another solid week. They suffered their first loss of the year to Dallas with Curtis McElhinney in net. 3 big games await them this week: back-to-back in Chicago and Columbus, then a home date with Vancouver.
5. Washington Capitals (2-2-1), LW: 3
The sky is falling!! Alex Ovechkin hasn’t scored in the last 2 games! No need to worry, Caps fans… but you do need to keep an eye on the goaltending which has been subpar so far. The Caps could get back on track this week with 3 home games.
6. Detroit Red Wings (2-2-0), LW: 12
You almost expected the Wings to bounce back right away from their winless Sweden trip. Two big wins over the high-flying Hawks and Caps vaults Detroit into the top 10. Even without the ‘Mule’, they should be able to keep this up over the next two weeks.
7. New York Rangers (4-1-0), LW: 16
I am now a believer in this Rangers team. It’s only been 5 games, but they’ve been quite impressive with two road wins over New Jersey and Washington. This week’s high risers will get to play Toronto twice with a home date vs. the Kings sandwiched in between.
8. Chicago Blackhawks (2-1-1), LW: 8
Chicago has failed to get rolling just yet this season, as they’ve had to deal with a few injuries already. They have a hectic slate this week, having to play 4 games in 6 nights. Are you ready, Antti Niemi??
9. Vancouver Canucks (2-3-0), LW: 9
Alain Vigneault’s gang got off the schneid this week with a 7-1 pounding of Montreal. They squeaked by Dallas without Daniel Sedin, which was kind of a good sign. They have 4 days off before they travel to Calgary on Friday.
10. Anaheim Ducks (2-2-1), LW: 11
They didn’t play well in New York, but picked up big comeback wins in Boston and Philly after Tuesday’s debacle in Minnesota. Randy Carlisle’s bunch kept their heads above water, and now they return to Anaheim for a 6-game home stand.
11. Boston Bruins (2-2-0), LW: 6
I don’t care if they came back to beat the Isles after being 3-0… the fact that they were being dominated by the worst team in the league speaks for itself. They were also blown out by Anaheim. Early signs from this team indicate they could be in battle for the division.
12. Columbus Blue Jackets (3-1-0), LW: 13
The Jackets had bookend road wins in Vancouver and Phoenix last week, which were impressive. They now have two key home games against the Flames and Kings before they hit the road again.
13. New Jersey Devils (2-2-0), LW: 14
Zach Parise & company got off to a sluggish start at home, but responded two exciting wins in Florida. They’ll play 4 games over the next 2 weeks against playoff teams from last season.
14. Los Angeles Kings (3-1-0), LW: 17
The boys in purple jump 3 spots this week after 3 big wins over conference opponents. Anze Kopitar seems to have taken the next step as he’s been almost unstoppable. The Kings have a big 4-game trip coming up this week.
15. St. Louis Blues (2-2-0), LW: 7
Did we overrate the Blues after their Sweden trip?? They returned home and lost to Atlanta and LA. Andy Murray will look to get his team back on track as they play out west this week in Phoenix and Anaheim.
16. Carolina Hurricanes (2-3-0), LW: 15
The ‘Canes dropped a spot even with a winning record this week… they just had nowhere to go. They’ll jump a bit if they can pick up wins against the Pens and Devils this week.
17. Ottawa Senators (3-1-0), LW: 19
Ottawa’s three wins have come against bottom-feeders. Pascal Leclaire has been great so far, though, with a 2.34 GAA. I’ll be interested to see how they fare against Pittsburgh and Montreal this week.
18. Buffalo Sabres (2-0-1), LW: 18
The Sabres picked up 2 wins and stayed at 18… why? They need to find some offense. They currently have more points in the standings than goals scored. At least Ryan Miller started the year on fire.
19. Edmonton Oilers (2-1-1), LW: 23
Nikolai Khabibulin & company are two self-destructing losses vs. Calgary away from still being unbeaten. The Oilers will finally get away from Rexall Place and travel to Nashville and Chicago this week.
20. Nashville Predators (2-1-0), LW: 20
Like Buffalo, the Preds need to start putting more biscuits in the basket. The goaltending duo of Dan Ellis & Pekka Rinne has been fantastic thus far. They have 3 big games against Western opponents, along with a trip to Washington to finish the week.
21. Montreal Canadiens (2-3-0), LW: 9
The Habs plummet this week after a less-than-impressive showing in Western Canada this week. The loss of Andrei Markov seems to be taking its toll already. They have a 6-game home stand coming up, so maybe they can turn things around.
22. Dallas Stars (1-0-3), LW: 24
There’s something to be said for picking up points in every game, even though they’ve only won one game. They’ll be put to the test over the next couple weeks with 7 games in 11 days.
23. Colorado Avalanche (2-1-1), LW: 21
The Avs dropped a couple close games after starting the year 2-0. Craig Anderson will have to play lights-out hockey for this team to stick with the rest of the West. Their long road trip continues this week, and 8 of their next 10 are away from home.
24. Atlanta Thrashers (2-1-0), LW: 26
I think this Thrashers team believes it can win, and they showed it in St. Louis last week. They have 3 key road games upcoming before they return home for the Caps and Sharks.
25. Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1-2), LW: 30
The Bolts had a big win over Carolina after a pair of overtime losses. Antero Niittymaki is going to get a chance to play after Mike Smith was run over on Thursday. Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh will be a good litmus test for this team.
26. Florida Panthers (1-3-0), LW: 22
Their last 3 games have been crappy, for lack of a better of a word. Tomas Vokoun has had to stand on his head, and it could get even worse over the next couple weeks.
27. Minnesota Wild (1-3-0), LW: 27
Todd Richards’ gang failed to carry the momentum of the comeback win vs. Anaheim out west. They still have 3 games on the Pacific coast, and they need to start to turn it around this week.
28. Phoenix Coyotes (2-2-0), LW: 29
The ‘Yotes were involved in 3 low-scoring games this week, including a shutout against the Penguins. Would you expect anything else from a Dave Tippet-coached team?? They’ll look to rebound from a disappointing home opener, but have a tough slate for the rest of the month.
29. New York Islanders (0-0-3), LW: 28
They are on pace to go 0-0-82! It’s been a good sign, though, that they’ve been really competitive against good teams. Expect them to play close games all year. It won’t get any easier for them, though, over the next couple weeks.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (0-3-1), LW: 25
The offense has been atrocious in Toronto to say the least. Looking at their schedule, if they fail to beat Colorado on Tuesday, I don’t know when their first win will come. The Bruins must be licking their chops with the Leafs’ 1st round pick.
