NEWS BY DIVISION
- 2010-11 preview: Minnesota Wild Northwest
- 2010-11 preview: Los Angeles Kings Pacific
- Chelios retires, joins Wings' front office Central
- 2010-11 preview: Florida Panthers Southeast
- 2010-11 preview: Buffalo Sabres Northeast
- 'Boogey Man' no laughing matter Atlantic
COLUMNS
- For most rookies, stargazing is a popular pastime Justin Bourne
- Will Twitter create an even duller hockey player? Justin Bourne
- Can a defenseman play forward? Should he? Justin Bourne
| Power Rankings: Sharks bite down on first |
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| Features |
| Written by Blake Benzel |
| Monday, January 04, 2010 16:18 |
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HPT Power rankings (Week 14): The title of League's Hottest Team, and League's Coldest Team, simultaneously went up for auction on eBay this week. Surprisingly, there were just as many bids on each. Washington seemed interested in No. 1 before going on a three-game losing streak, and Chicago and San Jose sort of made it into a two-horse race. Meanwhile Atlanta, Columbus and Edmonton have been equally awful of late — each has just one victory in its last 10 games. As always, highest bidder wins… 1. San Jose Sharks (27-8-7): The Sharks remained the league's hottest team, pushing their winning streak to eight. They not only did that, but outscored their opponents 15-7 last week. I'd say it's just not fair, but they still have the playoffs to conquer. 2. Chicago Blackhawks (29-10-3): The ‘Hawks lead the NHL in fewest shots allowed and have taken the second-most of any team, Add in the fact that they put up 20 goals in four games? That's one lethal team. 3. Calgary Flames (24-12-5): While the previous two teams have been getting it done with offense, the Flames are turning into one of the more stifling teams in the league. You want proof? How's four goals against in four games sound? 4. Buffalo Sabres (26-11-4): By the grace of Ryan Miller go they. Ryan Miller and timely scoring: The Sabres have continued to roll despite not having a single player with more than 32 points. 5. New Jersey Devils (29-10-1): The Devils tripped up the slumping Wild in Jacques Lemaire's return to the State of Hockey. The Devils have won eight of their last 10, including two shutouts of the defending Stanley Cup champs. And, by the way, they've only given up 89 goals this season. 6. Nashville Predators (25-14-3): The Preds continue to roll, winning three straight and they're getting it done by committee. At least, by Shea Weber and committee. 7. Washington Capitals (24-11-6): The bad news? Washington has dropped three straight. The good news? They play in the Southeast Division, so dropping three straight still maintained their double-digit lead in the division standings. 8. Phoenix Coyotes (25-14-4): They've won once in their last four, but are involved in every game because of a fantastic defense. Ilya Bryzgalov was also named to Team Russia's Olympic squad, and we can't think of a better candidate. A .927 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average has him as a frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy this season. 9. Colorado Avalanche (24-13-6): It defies logic that the Avs are this high up, but don't tell them that. They've won seven of 10 and Matt Duchene is just one point behind John Tavares for the rookie scoring lead. 10. Boston Bruins (21-12-7): Despite Tim Thomas's fiery temper, the Bruins won a thrilling Winter Classic game at Fenway Park on Jan. 1. Add to that the fact that they've won five of six, and Beantown's got to be happy with the way their boys are playing right now. 11. Pittsburgh Penguins (26-16-1): The defending Stanley Cup Champions drop out of our top 10 after losing five straight, including a 6-2 drubbing by the Florida Panthers. It's no coincidence that Evgeni Malkin has been held scoreless in his last five, either. They have ample opportunities this week to right the ship, though, with games against Atlanta, Minnesota and Toronto. 12. Vancouver Canucks (25-16-1): Vancouver has won nine of its last 12 games and continues its charge up the standings in the Northwest Division. A big reason for this is Henrik Sedin, who has eight points in his last five games. 13. Los Angeles Kings (24-15-3): The young Kings continue to catch teams by surprise. They responded to a four-game losing streak by knocking off the Wild and the Capitals. They have cause for concern, though, as Anze Kopitar has just one goal and four points in his last 10 games. 14. Ottawa Senators (22-16-4): Alexei Kovalev scored four goals and five points in the team's 7-4 shootout with the Flyers. Those four goals were his first since Dec. 12, when he notched a hat trick against the ‘Canes. 15. Detroit Red Wings (21-14-6): The Red Wings continue to battle through injuries, collecting points in their last four games. The good news is that their young players are starting to pick up the slack. The better news is that soon, they might not have to anymore. 16. Montreal Canadiens (21-20-3): The Habs have won six of their last eight and local product Benoit Pouliot has two goals in six games since coming home in a trade. They're getting fantastic goaltending from both Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak, but have a good test in front of them this week, facing Washington and New Jersey. 17. Tampa Bay Lightning (16-15-10): After a horrific slump, the Lightning have gotten seven out of eight points in their last four games. Antero Niittymaki and Mike Smith have proven to be a solid goaltending tandem and Vinny Lecavalier is beginning to find his legs. 18. Dallas Stars (18-12-11): Don't look now, but the Stars have won four of seven, Brad Richards is looking dominant and Marty Turco is looking like himself again. Now if only they could figure out a way to win in overtime. 19. New York Rangers (19-17-5): Frightening statistic of the season so far: Marian Gaborik accounts for 25 percent of all Rangers goals this season. He has 27 and no one else is in double digits. John Tortorella must be praying to the groin gods that Gaby stays healthy the rest of the season. 20. Minnesota Wild (20-19-3): After the best December in team history, the Wild laid an egg in three straight and are once again headed in the wrong direction. The good news for the team, however, is that Petr Sykora has returned from his concussion and Brent Burns is well on his way to returning as well. 21. New York Islanders (17-18-8): The league's top rookie scorer, John Tavares, has cooled off with just one goal and one point in his last 10 games. Consequently, breakout surprise Matt Moulson and his flowing locks have cooled off, with a goal and three points in his last 10. 22. Florida Panthers (17-18-7): Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton are finally emerging into the superstars the Panthers thought they would be , while Tomas Vokun is playing spectacular hockey in net. The problem? Vokun has faced the third-most shots of any goaltender in the NHL this season. Not a recipe for success. 23. Philadelphia Flyers (19-19-3): After their heartbreaking overtime loss at the Winter Classic, the Flyers gave up a seven-spot against the Senators. Fortunately Ray Emery is close to returning and the Flyers are starting to understand Peter Laviolette's system. 24. St. Louis Blues (17-18-6): A four-game losing streak culminated in the firing of head coach Andy Murray on Saturday. His replacement, Peoria Riverman head coach Davis Payne, was promptly thrown to the Blackhawks in his first NHL game that night. Predictably, it didn't go as he would have liked. 25. Atlanta Thrashers (18-17-6): Despite being second in the Southeast Division, Atlanta has lost nine of 10. Not to kick the team while they're down or anything, but things are looking bleaker for re-signing Ilya Kovalchuk as well. 26. Anaheim Ducks (16-19-7): I look at this team and can't help but wonder why they are playing this poorly. For the life of me, I just can't figure it out. They broke a two-game losing streak on Tuesday against Minnesota ... only to start a three-game losing streak all over again. 27. Toronto Maple Leafs (14-19-9): Injuries to Wayne Primeau and Mikhail Grabovski hurt the Leafs this week. They've gotten just four points in their last six games and look to be making a push to give Taylor Hall to the Boston Bruins. 28. Columbus Blue Jackets (15-19-9): With the recent firings of John Stevens and Andy Murray, speculation has begun as to how long Ken Hitchcock will keep his job. With just two wins in their last 15 games, you can't help but wonder if a change is long overdue. 29. Carolina Hurricanes (11-23-7): The ‘Canes moved out of the bottom spot almost by default, but the team has gotten five points in its last five games. Also, keep an eye on Eric Staal, who has eight points in his last five games. 30. Edmonton Oilers (16-22-4): You simply can't win just one of 10 games and not expect to slide to the bottom. Add on the fact that they've given up almost four goals per game over that span, and you've got a recipe for disaster. |
