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Power Rankings: A break in the action Print
Features
Sunday, February 14, 2010 23:37
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HPT Power rankings (Week 19):



The Olympic break is now upon us. Here's hoping it's not the last time NHL players get to represent their countries in the Winter Games.

How does an entire season of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Ilya Bryzgalov playing in the KHL sound? That could be the reailty if the NHL forbids its players from competing in the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia – the home country of some of the aforementioned superstars.

Ponder that thought while we break for two weeks.
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1. Washington Capitals (41-13-8): The Caps have 90 points with 20 games left in the season. Their 23-3-3 record at home is amazing.



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2. San Jose Sharks (40-13-9): Dany Heatley is goalless in three games going into the break. Canada hopes this mini-slump won’t carry into the Olympics.



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3. Chicago Blackhawks (41-15-5): The Hawks have won four in a row after ekeing out a victory Sunday over the Blue Jackets. They look up only at the Sharks in the West standings.



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4. Los Angeles Kings (37-20-4): The Kings are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and are showing no signs of slowing down. Scott Parse and Brandon Segal were shipped out this week; could Alexander Frolov (two goals in 20 games) be next?



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5. New Jersey Devils (37-21-3): The Devils went limping into the break; they have three wins in their last 10 games. David Clarkson and Paul Martin will return to the lineup after the break to help the team shape up.



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6. Phoenix Coyotes (37-21-5): At this point, it’s time to wonder what kind of damage the Coyotes are going to do in the playoffs instead of wait for them to drop out. They are here to stay. They have won seven of 10.



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7. Pittsburgh Penguins (36-22-4): The Pens are only one point behind the Devils going into the break. Sidney Crosby has 42 goals on the season. Fans are getting to see a whole different element of his game.



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8. Vancouver Canucks (37-22-2): The Canucks finished their seven-game, pre-Olympic road trip with a 6-2 loss in Minnesota. They’ll get homesick after the break, too — as they don’t host a game until March 13.



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9. Buffalo Sabres (33-18-9): The Sabres are 3-5-2 in their last 10 and have the Senators hot on their tails. If they don’t shape up once play resumes in March, the division lead may be gone.



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10. Ottawa Senators (35-23-4): The Sens are 5-2 in February after Sunday’s matinee with the Islanders. The acquisition of Matt Cullen helps them down the middle.


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11. Colorado Avalanche (35-20-6): The Avs are 5-5 in the past 10 games. No team can afford to slip in the West right now. Five teams are within nine points of their No. 6 spot.


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12. Nashville Predators (33-23-5): The Preds defeated Pittsburgh 4-3 on Sunday after being blown out in New Jersey, and head into the break in seventh place in the West.



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13. Philadelphia Flyers (32-25-3): The Flyers swept a home-and-home with the Devils and have won four in a row going into the break. Jeff Carter is on an absolute tear, with five goals in the last four games.


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14. Calgary Flames (30-23-9): The Flames are only 15-14-3 at home this season, a surprising stat. Jarome Iginla has three goals in the last two games.



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15. Boston Bruins (27-22-11): A four-game winning streak has put the Bruins right back into seventh place in the East. Look for them to be buyers at the deadline, likely targeting an offensive goal scorer.



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16. Detroit Red Wings (28-21-12): This year has been quite the rollercoaster ride in Detroit, between injuries and players not living up to expectations. The one man who has exceeded predictions, goalie Jimmy Howard, is a rookie. Will the Wings target a goalie toward the March 3 deadline?


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17. Montreal Canadiens (29-28-6): Andrei Markov is hurt again. If this turns into another long term injury, the Habs can kiss the playoffs goodbye. They absolutely suffered without him earlier this year and new GM Pierre Gauthier may shake things up.


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18. New York Rangers (28-27-7): The Rangers will be handcuffed at the deadline because of cap issues. They’d like to unload Wade Redden’s contract, which would would provide a lot of room to make a move. But it’s unlikely that another team would help.


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19. Anaheim Ducks (30-25-7): It’s hard to know how good any team really is after seeing them play the Oilers – the free space in the Bingo card of the NHL – twice in one week. That said, Anaheim is now only two points out of a playoff spot.


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20. Minnesota Wild (30-27-4): Marin Havlat has seven goals in his last 20 games. He will have to pick it up to help the Wild get into the playoffs, with five teams ahead of them in the standings.



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21. Dallas Stars (28-21-12): The Stars are a completely different team at home (41 points) than they are on the road (27 points). The big question is, which team will Marty Turco be traded to now that the Stars have acquired Kari Lehtonen?



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22. Atlanta Thrashers (26-24-10): Niclas Bergfors seems to have found a home in Atlanta; he now has goals in three straight. Who wants to see them sneak into the playoffs and get the Devils in the first round?



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23. St. Louis Blues (28-25-9): The Blues have won three in a row and are only four points out of a playoff spot. Davis Payne for the Jack Adams award, anyone?



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24. Tampa Bay Lightning (26-24-11): Even after losing three straight, a weak East makes it possible for the Bolts to fight for the playoffs this year.




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25. Florida Panthers (24-27-10): The Panthers look to be the most active team at the deadline after a message to the fans popped up on the team’s Web site – the owners and GM vowed to make a huge roster overhaul.


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26. New York Islanders (25-29-8): They’re 2-8 in their past 10 games and the playoff hopes are dimming on Long Island. Maybe the expectations were a little too high for John Tavares, who has scored two goals in the last 31 games.



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27. Carolina Hurricanes (24-30-7): The Canes are playing very good hockey, having gone 9-2 in their last 11, and won five straight. Surprisingly, the playoffs are not out of the question.



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28. Columbus Blue Jackets (25-28-10): One year after finally reaching the postseason, the Blue Jackets figure to be sellers at the trade deadline. Was last year’s squad overachieving the whole time?



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29. Toronto Maple Leafs (19-31-11): Alex Ponikarovsky, well on the way to back-to-back 20-goal seasons, seems destined to land with a contender soon. Brian Burke could look to rebuild his forward corps over the summer.



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30. Edmonton Oilers (19-36-6): Scary thought: If the Oilers won their next game 57-0, they still will have allowed more goals than they’ve scored all season.

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Last Updated on Monday, February 15, 2010 08:43