It’s safe to say the Bruins have gotten over their Cup hangover. They might not be the top team in the league yet record-wise but with eight straight wins, they’re well on their way.
1 Boston Bruins (11-7-0) – Basically, the feeling around the interwebz is that the Bruins are pushing around the rest of the league, and the rest of the league isn’t doing anything. This is not only true, but it has been dubbed “The Punk Test.”
2 Minnesota Wild (12-5-3) – Raise your hand if you thought the Wild would be the top team in the league at this point in the season … small crowd there, I'm sure.
3 San Jose Sharks (12-5-1) – Benn Ferriero hasn’t yet become a regular on the Sharks, but that’s not deterring him. You’ve got to love that type of talk coming from a kid after a disappointing demotion.
4 Phoenix Coyotes (10-5-3) – Mike Smith is blossoming into the goaltender that everyone thought he could be in Phoenix. Of course, playing behind a Dave Tippett defense isn’t hurting things.
5 Nashville Predators (10-5-4) – It’s a good thing that the Preds are this high up the list. Otherwise, this would hurt a lot more:
6 New York Rangers (10-4-3) – Sean Avery is frustrated with officials. So, basically that and the Wild being on top of the league means that we’ve officially entered into bizzaro NHL territory. If Brian Burke trades Colton Orr for not being truculent enough, we’ve got a problem.
7 Philadelphia Flyers (11-5-3) – People in Winnipeg found out that Ilya Bryzgalov is actually a pretty nice guy, which is small consolation for not having many parks.
8 Buffalo Sabres (12-8-0) – The Sabres were the latest NHL team to fail Boston’s “Punk Test,” and many are expecting retribution in a big way when these two teams meet again. As long as they have the obligatory marshmallow fight during that time, that’s OK with me.
9 Toronto Maple Leafs (11-8-2) – Brian Burke has made every hockey fan’s life and joined Twitter. Let the fun begin.
10 Pittsburgh Penguins (11-6-3) – Holy $#!%, Sidney Crosby is back. That might make it less awkward when he’s voted a starter in this year’s All Star Game.
12 Chicago Blackhawks (12-6-3) – It’s odd to hear the phrases “Chicago Blackhawks” and “ample cap space” in the same sentence.
12 Florida Panthers (10-6-3) – Stop the presses. The Panthers sent their fans home happy for a change.
13 Edmonton Oilers (10-7-2) – Tom Renney said that the Oilers’ focus for their game against the Blackhawks was to get back to a defensive game. Scoring nine goals sounds pretty defensive to me.
14 Ottawa Senators (10-9-2) – Nikita Filatov is considering heading back to Russia, but some think that he might benefit from just a touch of patience. It’s easy to see why he thinks his time is running out, though. I mean, he is 21 years old – ancient these days in the NHL.
15 Los Angeles Kings (10-7-3) – In case you missed it, Anze Kopitar doesn’t like people who text and drive.
16 St. Louis Blues (10-7-2) – Ken Hitchcock’s offensive strategies have evolved as the game has. I’ll let you make your own joke for that one.
17 Washington Capitals (10-7-1) – Would a lack of Bruce Boudreau make the Caps a better team? It’s hard to say, but something’s got to give soon if Washington keeps losing.
17 New Jersey Devils (10-7-1) – Pete DeBoer is, apparently, a match-up type of coach. Whatever he's doing is starting to work for the Devils.
19 Detroit Red Wings (11-7-1) – Wow. Vladimir Konstantinov is now having his art shown at Gallery U in Royal Oak. Great, great story.
20 Montreal Canadiens (9-8-3) – Erik Cole is finally heating up for the Habs, while Eric Staal is looking lost without Cole on his wing. Coincidence? Maybe, but it’s hard to deny the optics.
21 Winnipeg Jets (8-9-3) – The Jets and Flyers have combined for 27 goals in two games this season. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m making a point to watch their last two games.
22 Dallas Stars (11-8-0) – “We’re going to shut our mouths and we’re going to play.” That’s what Glen Gulutzan had to say about Dallas’s recent losing streak. It’s a good thing Sean Avery isn’t still on their squad.
23 Tampa Bay Lightning (9-8-2) – Guy Boucher is breaking out a little tough love for Brett Connolly. As long as it doesn’t turn into a Homer Simpson/Bart Simpson relationship, I don’t see a problem with it.
24 Calgary Flames (8-9-1) – The Flames have given their rookies the go-ahead to go apartment hunting. Always a good sign for those youngsters.
25 Vancouver Canucks (10-9-1) – Mark Recchi called the Canucks both the most arrogant and most hated team he’s ever played against. Maybe it’s time for the Canucks to play the full-out heel of the NHL?
26 Colorado Avalanche (9-11-1) – J.S. Giguere seems to have won the starting job over Semyon Varlamov for the time being. Anyone who’s calling this a temporary demotion obviously hasn’t seen Varlamov play much over the past few seasons.
27 New York Islanders (5-9-3) – This is interesting. Rick DiPietro is replacing a goalie who’s injured. That’s got to be weird for him to hear.
28 Columbus Blue Jackets (4-13-2) – Apparently, the Jackets’ big summer trade isn't working so well for them. Because the fact that Jeff Carter has been injured hasn’t played into that at all.
29 Anaheim Ducks (6-10-4) – This is beautiful. Bobby Ryan, reviewing Twilight.
30 Carolina Hurricanes (7-11-3) – You know it’s bad when you replace the perennial No. 30 Columbus Blue Jackets, so I won’t rub salt in the wound.
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