We are back for Week Three of the Power Rankings. As expected, there are some surprises in the list as always. Week Three is going to cause more waves especially at the top because really there is very little separation between these teams honestly.
Expect a little fireworks and fun for all as we delve into this week’s rankings….do not forget to bring the heat in the comments.
Time to see where your team ended up….
15.(tie) Vancouver Canucks (19-15-0, 38 pts, L10: 6-4, PR: 17)
The Canucks have made the Top 15 for the first time mostly based on potential schedule as opposed to anything else. That and Henrik Sedin is scoring for both Sedin’s lately. Vancouver is 3-1 in their last 4 games as well only losing narrowly to Anaheim Wednesday night. Roberto Luongo needs to step it up as Christmas approaches especially with Washington and St. Louis coming to town the next few days. This is a very tenuous ranking to say the least.
15.(tie) Ottawa Senators (17-12-4, 38 pts, LW: 2-1, PR: 15)
Another team on the brink but the schedule saves them a bit. After the game in Jersey….they do play Minnesota….oh wait scratch what I said about the schedule. It could really make or break their stay in the Top 15. Can Brian Elliott continue to play solid in net? That is the question. Though the Toronto loss was a bit alarming…they did come back and shutout Buffalo. That was huge. The fact that Mike Fisher still leads the team in goals is weird but hey….breakouts like this do happen this late in careers. The key for Ottawa is if Kovalev and Fisher can continue to work magic….this team will make the playoffs….that simple!
14. Detroit Red Wings (18-11-5, 41 pts, L10: 7-2-1, PR: 16)
The injuries keep rolling along and at press time Henrik Zetterberg’s shoulder results were not known. Despite it all, Detroit is beginning to look like Detroit again. They are now 7 over .500 in the tough Western Conference. Can Jimmy Howard continue to get the job done? That answer appears to be yes as he is playing above his head a bit. Their fate in this ranking rests somewhat on how long Zetts is out and how Detroit copes with that loss. If they can keep it together, then their spot will be safe. If not, well there are other teams knocking on the door.
13. Boston Bruins (16-10-6, 38 pts, LW: 0-1-1, PR: 8)
One of our big droppers of the week only played two games and lost Mark Stuart for 4-6 weeks with a broken sternum. Losing to the Islanders was one thing but losing to the slumping Flyers at home was another. Scoring three goals in two games really really bad folks. Boston has to get more production. The goaltending is great from Tuukka Rask at a 1.97 GAA but not good enough when the goals do not come. Will anyone ever get to 10 goals on this team? Maybe this week…who knows but they do play a back to back on the road in Chicago and Toronto. Uh oh!
12. Colorado Avalanche (19-11-6, 44 pts, LW: 2-1 PR: 11)
We will take heat for this but oh well. Wins against Tampa and Calgary were obviously nice but losing to Washington and badly just killed any momentum this team had. For the first time all year Colorado has given up more goals (105) than they have scored (104). That my friends is not a good sign heading past Christmas and beyond but their record is good enough right now to keep them in the Top 15 for now. Craig Anderson can not keep this team together in net when there are this many defensive breakdowns. The things we said that would hurt this team could come to pass despite the best efforts of guys like Stastny, Duchene, Wolski, Hejduk, and company. We shall see.
11. Atlanta Thrashers (18-12-3, 39 pts, LW: 3-1 PR: 12)
A 3-1 week only moves you up a bit when everyone else is playing so well. Basically Ondrej Pavelec and Johan Hedberg carried this team to 3 wins this week playing brilliant in goal and making some insane saves. Ilya Kovalchuk is heating it up again with a 5 game point streak and 3 goals in his last 4 games. The Captain has to continue playing like this because the core of the team defense is still so young and so prone to mistakes especially with Ron Hainsey back there. The Thrashers have a tough test tomorrow at home against New Jersey who has won 11 games on the road this year and is probably one of the best road teams if not the best in the league. Then they play Montreal on Monday. It is always a fun week in Atlanta.
10. Phoenix Coyotes (21-12-2, 44 pts, LW: 3-1 PR: 13)
Its simple. A healthy dose of Ilya Bryzgalov makes the medicine go down easier in Phoenix. Get some timely scoring in bunches and they find ways to win. The Yotes, who are on the brink of being bought by Ice Edge Holdings LLC, are 8-1-1 in their last ten games. 79 GA’s and 89 GF…not a big spread but more than Los Angeles. Phoenix is going to need some firepower as the season goes forward because teams figured the Coyotes out last year and my fear is they could once again after the Olympic Break especially. In the meantime, let the good times roll.
9. Nashville Predators (21-11-3, 45 pts, LW: 3-0-1 PR: 10)
Its rough out there! You go 3-0-1 and you expect to move up more but I still see Nashville as a 5 or 6 seed in the West at best. The next two games will be a bigger test than that 18 or 19 game span that saw 12 winnable games in it for the team. The key is to now sustain the gains. Can Jason Arnott and Pekka Rinne continue to buoy this team? Nashville has scored 18 goals in their last 3 games. Their goal differential is now a +3…first time all season it has been in the plus range. What is this team really like? Are they contenders or pretenders or both? They play at Calgary and Vancouver in the next few days…that should tell us something before Christmas. One player to watch out for: Steve Sullivan.
8. Buffalo Sabres (20-10-2, 42 pts, LW: 3-1, PR: 9)
Back in first in the Northeast and by 4 points to boot. I get the balanced scoring effort from Buffalo. Beating Chicago was big for this team and they took care of business but got shutout late by Ottawa and that illustrated the dependency on Ryan Miller. Eight players have 6 or more goals led by Clarke MacArthur’s 10. However, 83 goals scored is not going to cut it even if you lead the league in Team Defense. This is the new NHL where you do eventually have to score some. 9 goals in 4 games this week was better but still not good enough. Toronto and Pittsburgh should provide a bit of a test.
7. San Jose Sharks (20-8-7, 47 pts, LW: 1-1-1 PR: 3)
I did warn last week this could happen and beating the Ducks was not going to change this one bit. They may lead the West but partially only because the Kings do not play again until December 26th (brilliant NHL scheduling). When you lose to Calgary, LA, Dallas, and Phoenix (teams you are battling)…you do not deserve a ranking in the Top 5. Show me something San Jose. Normally you do not slump until April. The goaltending with Evgeni Nabokov has been solid to win most nights but the offense up until last night has been lacking. That first line of Marleau, Heatley, and Thornton can be shut down as we have seen. Maybe that trade was not quite as worth it as people thought. Sharks go on the road to Dallas and Chicago in the next two. It could be trouble.
6. Los Angeles Kings (22-12-3, 47 pts, LW: 2-2 PR: 6)
A bit of a tough week but LA played it close and lost a couple difficult ones and won a couple rough ones. I think Dustin Brown should get life insurance after getting knocked around all over last night but that is just me. A bit of a concern for me is that the Kings have not scored more than 3 goals in their last five games and have only scored once in two of their last 3 games. Jonathan Quick has been playing better of late and that bodes well but it will be interesting to see how they come out after Christmas. They have no games this week so do not be alarmed if they drop a bit. A key for LA…how they come out when Ryan Smyth comes back…does Kopitar regain the scoring touch?
5. Calgary Flames (20-10-4, 44 pts, LW: 1-2-1 PR: 5)
A bad week but not bad enough to drop them behind San Jose and LA. I am going to go on record and nominate Miikka Kiprusoff for the Vezina and Hart trophies right now. This guy is playing his heart out right now and the Calgary defense should be buying him dinner every single night all year. We all thought Calgary would not give up all that many shots and yet you see Kipper with 35 saves here and 37 saves there. Its amazing! They did lose 3 straight all by one goal before beating LA last night and that likely saved their top 5 slot….BARELY! The bottom line is this. The Flames have to keep fighting and this week they play Nashville and St. Louis. That should put some more bite into this team.
4. Washington Capitals (21-7-6, 48 pts, LW: 2-1 PR: 1)
Ironically the loss to Buffalo is what dropped them so much. The win in Colorado was a big one but really Colorado is not what it was in October honestly. Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin are the usual suspects but with no Semyon Varlamov in net, this team is just not quite the same for whatever reason. Even in their wins, they are inconsistent. That hangover from the Buffalo loss nearly cost them against Carolina and they got smoked by Toronto. Time for a big test in DC as they escape the snow and head on the NW passage for games against Vancouver and Edmonton up next. No pushovers here!
3. Pittsburgh Penguins (24-10-1, 49 pts, LW: 3-0 PR: 6)
In fairness maybe they would be higher if they could beat New Jersey and Chicago. Sometimes that gets taken into account here. They did not play all that well in two of their three this week and honestly Florida and Philadelphia should have taken those two games but good teams find ways to win and that is why the Pens jump 3 spots this week. Marc Andre-Fleury has been solid in net and you know about that Malkin and Crosby duo. The Penguins are doing what they are supposed to be doing. It will be fun to see how they fair this week against Buffalo and New Jersey. Those will be very interesting and defensive tests and maybe a potential #1 ranking is hanging in the balance.
2. New Jersey Devils (23-8-1, 47 pts, LW: 2-1 PR: 2)
Its like a steady ship. Martin Brodeur nearly gets a shutout twice but not quite. 104 was so close yet so far I know. The Devils again are playing that way of just bending enough but not breaking. Winning games by one goal and getting clutch scoring from the likes of Parise and Elias when it counts. The Devils seem to throw in a clunker every so often and that Friday one against Florida is why they are not #1. See why I said they are not a #1 team because top teams do not play as bad as the Devils can at times at home. This week a 3 in 4 stretch with Ottawa, Atlanta, and then Pittsburgh. Could this be the week?
1. Chicago Blackhawks (21-8-3, 45 pts, LW: 2-1 PR: 4)
The boys from Second City TV would be proud. The Hawks despite the 20 cent mess are on top of the charts for the first time this year and it may not be their last. With solid goaltending and disciplined defense, the Hawks may just be the President’s Trophy winner at the end of the season. Antti Niemi and Cristobal Huet has been amazing at times but mostly very good as well. Niemi has more of the spotlight on him though as really he has been the more sparkling of the two with a 1.50 GAA this season. The Hawks have balanced scoring and Patrick Kane leads the way with only 33 pts (10G 23A) but there are six guys with eight or more goals on this team. That is even better balance than Buffalo and I have not even mentioned that Hossa guy. I hear he is good. Chicago gets to sink its teeth into Boston, Detroit, and San Jose this week. Fun times!
So will Chicago hold on to #1 or will Pittsburgh or New Jersey take over next week? Fun times await as we will find a way to have a special Power Rankings coming out late next Friday Night maybe with a white landscape to boot. Now as promised our three teams just outside the top 15 this week and our bottom three in the league. See you next week.
- Dallas
- Minnesota
- Florida
And now the bottom of the bottom…….oh my.
- 28. Anaheim
- 29. Tampa Bay
- 30. Carolina
Ah you were expecting the Rangers and Flyers weren’t you? Well maybe next week.
