Things are looking up again in the Windy City, despite a fairly drab behind-the-scenes look at the life of Patrick Kane. Of course, if you saw his shootout tally against Minnesota, that’s forgivable.
1 Chicago Blackhawks (21-8-4) – “NHL 36” peered into Patrick Kane’s life for 36 hours leading up to a game and, while it wasn’t HBO’s “24/7” series, it was illuminating nonetheless. The disappointing part? No cab rides.
2 Boston Bruins (21-9-1) – Milan Lucic is scheduled to have a hearing with Brendan Shanahan on Monday for his hit on Zac Rinaldo. Tin-foil hat alert: Being that he got off scot free for running Ryan Miller, Bruins fans might not have a lot to worry about.
3 Nashville Predators (17-11-4) – You’ve got to love Twitter. Just one week after his unceremonious demotion, Jonathon Blum announced his return to the franchise over the social media device. Remind me why we even need the media anymore?
4 Philadelphia Flyers (20-8-3) – You know, the universe is so humungous big, the Flyers probably shouldn’t worry about their injury problems right now.
5 Florida Panthers (18-9-6) – Florida is enjoying the fact that Krys Barch is tough, which is good, because the last thing anyone wants to see is Erik Gudbranson breaking his hand on someone’s face.
6 St. Louis Blues (19-9-4) – If Alanis Morissette wrote a sequel to “Ironic,” The Blues’ win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday would undoubtedly find a place in the lyrics.
7 Minnesota Wild (20-8-5) – Some might see the Wild’s two points in their last three games as a sign that the team is slipping. That is, of course, until you realize that four of their top-six forwards are out with injury. Then, three straight one-goal losses (including two in the shootout), don’t look so bad.
8 Vancouver Canucks (19-11-2) – NHL Hall of Famer Mark Messier is going after the Vancouver Canucks, citing deferred money from the free agent contract he signed with the Canucks in 1997. Also, Canuck fans are going after the squad, citing deferred championships from both 1994 and 2011.
9 Detroit Red Wings (20-10-1) – The Red Wings have now won ten straight games in Joe Louis Arena and are 13-2-1 at home. Which is great, but means that they’re just 7-8-0 on the road
10 New York Rangers (18-8-4) – As exciting as 24/7 Rangers/Flyers is, I must say I was disappointed that Sean Avery’s lone on-ice interaction was limited to the brilliantly witty, “You [expletive] loser.”
11 Pittsburgh Penguins (18-11-4) – Amidst all of the Crosby concussion talk, one thing has slipped through the cracks. Sidney Crosby’s contract will be up in two years. Imagine that bidding war…
12 New Jersey Devils (18-13-1) – Travis Zajac is back in the saddle for the Devils, who have been on a tear lately thanks to some tremendous goaltending from someone not named Marty.
13 San Jose Sharks (17-10-3) – I can’t imagine any world where Todd McLellan’s job could be in jeopardy but people are posing the question. Talk about “What have you done for me lately.”
14 Winnipeg Jets (15-13-4) – Teemu Selanne returned to Winnipeg and wasn’t booed by Jets fans. Of course, that’s understandable, as he didn’t move the Jets to Phoenix like Shane Doan did.
15 Dallas Stars (18-12-1) – Richard Bachman has turned on his overdrive. Now that I’m done with the cheesy puns, he’s getting his fifth straight start on Monday. Anyone asking Kari Lehtonen about Wally Pipp yet?
16 Ottawa Senators (15-14-4) – The Sens have traded for Kyle Turris, which makes me all sort of excited for a potential line with Kyle Turris and Nikita Filatov. So much underachievement may have never been seen on one line before.
17 Buffalo Sabres (16-13-3) – The Sabres are asking their fans to be patient, while some are calling for a reevaluation of the team’s management. So, wait. Ville Leino wasn’t the answer?
18 Toronto Maple Leafs (16-13-3) – While the Leafs have been struggling lately, Tyler Bozak has been thriving. So, they’ve got that going for them, which is good.
19 Phoenix Coyotes (16-13-3) – Look at that. Some of the uncertainty surrounding the Coyotes ownership and bankruptcy might, sort of, partly, kind of be over.
20 Calgary Flames (14-15-4) – Jarome Iginla nearly settled for being a checking line player? Something tells me we’re going to hear that story a lot in the years following his retirement.
21 Washington Capitals (16-14-1) – Swapping around their top line hasn’t fixed the Caps’ offensive woes. Is else anyone convinced the solution might be opening things up again?
22 Tampa Bay Lightning (14-16-2) – Maybe I’m alone in this, but I was surprised to hear that Martin St. Louis is considering wearing a visor after taking a puck to the face. The surprise wasn’t that he was considering wearing one, but instead that he wasn’t already.
23 Montreal Canadiens (13-13-7) – Apparently, some might think that Pierre Gauthier fired the wrong guy in Jacques Martin. To say that he was going to fire himself, though, might be a touch of a stretch. There’s that whole self-preservation thing to take into account too.
24 Colorado Avalanche (15-17-1) – Apparently, Avalanche management has taken issue to the idea that they “don’t care about the team.” Apparently, taking into account the retirement of future Hall of Famers doesn’t enter into the equation.
25 New York Islanders (10-14-6) – Good news for the Isles: Kyle Okposo is playing strong again.
26 Los Angeles Kings (14-14-4) – A lot of people have been making light of the Kings hiring Darryl Sutter as their head coach, but those people are also forgetting one thin. Sutter is actually a pretty darn good coach.
27 Carolina Hurricanes (10-18-6) – Both Jeff Skinner and Joni Pitkanen are out with concussions for Carolina. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound.
28 Anaheim Ducks (9-18-5) – The Syracuse Crunch offered 6-foot-9 forward Kris Humphries a roster spot. Who knows. If everything works out, he might be able to give George Parros a run for his money.
29 Edmonton Oilers (14-15-3) – Magnus Paajarvi had his ticket punched to Oklahoma City but, unlike Linus Omark, he didn’t complain. Possibly due to the drastic difference in climate between Oklahoma City and Edmonton in December?
30 Columbus Blue Jackets (9-20-4) – I know I mentioned it before, but if losing to the coach that could be coaching your team, given some better luck, makes the already bad season of the Blue Jackets that much worse.
Photos by Getty Images
 |
.png)
