Saturday night in Los Angeles there will be an outdoor hockey game between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. While the laws of physics seem to scream in disapproval of such a concept, the early reports are that there is a quality ice surface in the outfield of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
I have softened my stance on the novelty of outdoor hockey, unless they try to do it in Florida, Mexico or Texas, simply because the primary purpose is to grow the sport. Though the NHL may be a “secondary sport” to pre-Civil War baseball pundits, the brand is growing at a very considerable pace.
Given the success of the Winter Classic and the spectacle that will take place in southern California, I say give every team north of the Mason-Dixon line an opportunity at an outdoor hockey cash cow. Putting hockey games in football and baseball stadiums draw larger crowds and could potentially trick fans who think that they are there to see a different sport. Hey, whatever works!
There seems to be a common theme every week in the power rankings. The bottom five typically stays the same with minimal space swapping. The top eight usually do the same thing. That leaves 17 teams that play musical numbers every single week, trying to decide if they prefer golf or playoff hockey in May. Here are your eDraft Power Rankings 15.0.
30. Buffalo Sabres-Hopefully there will be an informal agreement that if the Sabres win fewer than 20 games, they will retire the banana-yellow jerseys.
29. Edmonton Oilers-Sadly the biggest news out of Edmonton lately is coach Dallas Eakins wondering about job security. He’s still the right guy for the job but the front office is starting to look like a circus the longer this dumpster fire rages on.
28. Calgary Flames-Hang in there Flames’ fans. Sean Monahan is the real deal and is someone to hitch your wagon of hope to for the future. Additionally, Karri Ramo isn’t a Vezina candidate, but he has kept Calgary in some games with some strong play in goal.
27. Winnipeg Jets-The Jets’ front office should possibly take into consideration that Winnipeg requires more than a coaching change to be competitive. They are average when Ondrej Pavelec is on, terrible when he is off. Is Al Montoya a better option? The numbers say yes.
26. Nashville Predators-We can assume at this point that Pekka Rinne is not coming back at any point this season. The Predators have replaced one Band-Aid with another in goal Devan Dubnyk) and need to start looking ahead to next season. They are still mathematically in the playoff picture, but not for long.
25. Florida Panthers-The Panthers continue to take steps in a positive direction. They might have buried themselves early in the season but they are really only nine points from a playoff spot. With everyone else sensing the urgency with each game it will be interesting to see if Florida can continue to take points.
24. Washington Capitals-A seven game losing streak has the Caps on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. A solution in goal needs to be found for the Capitals to reach the postseason. It might also be time to trade Martin Erat for anyone or anything that can help Alexander Ovechkin’s one-man show in Washington.
23. Dallas Stars-A raucous romp over the red-hot Maple Leafs gave Dallas consecutive wins for the first time in a month. The Stars were in a 1-8-1 free fall out of the playoff picture before stopping Minnesota and Toronto. They’ll need more of the same as they head towards the Olympic break.
22. New Jersey Devils-Don’t be fooled by the 7-1 thrashing of St. Louis on Tuesday night. Goals are a commodity in New Jersey and hopefully they didn’t waste their quota for the month. The Devils are alive and well in the playoff picture thanks to elite goaltending. If they can get goals they are in.
21. Detroit Red Wings-A feisty shootout win over Chicago announced that the Red Wings aren’t quite the Dead Things yet. With a lot of talent yet to return from injury, Detroit needs to keep their head above water to stay in the playoff picture.
20. New York Islanders-Never mind the loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday. The Isles finally look like they are hitting their stride with seven wins in ten games. They are seven points from a wildcard spot if they want to keep the dream alive.
19. Carolina Hurricanes-The Carolina pendulum looks as though it is swinging back toward the playoff picture with the Canes looking like contenders yet again. Three points from the final playoff spot has Carolina within striking distance if they can avoid another losing streak.
18. Phoenix Coyotes-The Coyotes look like they may be fading into the Arizona sunset with their recent play. Losses to teams like Calgary have to be demoralizing for coach Dave Tippett who expects so much more from this group. Mike Smith has found his form, but unfortunately Phoenix has stopped scoring.
17. Ottawa Senators-The Senators have taken points in 10 of their last 11 games. They too are digging themselves out of an early season hole as the clock is now ticking for their playoff hopes. They are loaded with talent and you have to believe they have enough to get back into the playoff picture.
16. Philadelphia Flyers-The Flyers have used a superhuman effort to get back into the playoff hunt. Their mission now is to see how high they can climb in the standings to put some pressure on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Steve Mason's new zombie mask might be enough to get them there.
15. Toronto Maple Leafs-The modest six game streak from Toronto came to a crashing halt against Dallas on Thursday. It was a long overdue run of wins that placed Toronto firmly in the playoff hunt and only six points behind division leading Boston.
14. Montreal Canadiens-When it seemed that the Canadiens were making a push to challenge Boston at the top of the division, they started losing again. The Habs had a tough week, wrapping up a four-game road trip with three straight losses. With Toronto and Ottawa charging up the standings, the Habs will need to get back in the win column soon.
13. New York Rangers-It is starting to look like Henrik Lundqvist has found his mojo. That is good news for the Rangers and for Team Sweden for next month’s Olympic games. The blue shirts are attempting to ward off the Flyers and Blue Jackets for the second place spot in the Metropolitan Division.
12. Vancouver Canucks-The Canucks found themselves at the center of the NHL universe with their shenanigans with Calgary last weekend. Coach John Tortorella will serve a 15-day (six game) suspension as a result. With the Canucks scratching for every point they can get in the brutal Pacific, playing without their coach could be a killer.
11. Los Angeles Kings-The Kings went head-to-head with their Orange County rivals from Anaheim and fell just short against the NHL’s top team. The return of the home and home series will be played in the confines of Dodger Stadium Saturday night. The Kings have been terrible lately (4-9-2 in their last 15 games) and a win in their Stadium Series game could be huge.
10. Minnesota Wild-When it seemed that the Wild were dead in the water, they started winning again and welcomed their top offensive player Zach Parise back. Seven wins in ten games were timed perfectly as Dallas fell out of a potential wild card duel.
9. Columbus Blue Jackets-Six of the eight consecutive Columbus wins has come against teams with winning records. While four of the eight would be playoff teams, the Jackets are playing great hockey right now, beating teams that are even or below them in the standings. Balanced scoring and tough defense are the formula that keeps the Columbus streak alive.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning-Every day Tampa gets a little closer to welcoming Steven Stamkos back to the lineup. They have played inspired hockey all season and are currently tied for the Atlantic Division lead. Ageless Martin St. Louis keeps scoring at a ridiculous pace and rookie Tyler Johnson has submitted his name to the Calder Trophy race as the top rookie in the league.
7. Boston Bruins-Now that they have been caught in the standings by Tampa and have Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa closing fast, let’s see if the Bruins start working harder as the reigning Eastern Conference champs. As I’ve mentioned before, Boston seems like they are doing just enough to stay in front, but have failed to put any distance between themselves and the rest of the division.
6. Colorado Avalanche-The Avalanche look like they have gotten back to the way they have started the season. They aren’t scoring at the same pace, and the goaltending isn’t as hot, but it seems like they learned how to win. They have taken points in eight of their last ten games and are sniffing the tail pipes of St. Louis and Chicago for the Central Division title.
5. Chicago Blackhawks-What a difference a week can make. After impressive victories over Anaheim and Boston, the defending champs slumped to losses against Detroit and Minnesota. There hasn’t been much to hang their heads about this season, but Chicago can ill-afford a sustained losing streak with Colorado and St. Louis right behind them.
4. St. Louis Blues-The 7-1 loss at New Jersey was no different than a 1-0 loss at New Jersey. Sure it looks bad on the score sheet, but it’s one loss on the road, in a blizzard. The Blues bounced back with a typically gritty 2-1 win at Madison Square Garden. They are 10-4 over their last 14 games and still have three games in hand while they sit three points behind Chicago.
3. San Jose Sharks-Next to Columbus the Sharks have been the hottest team in the NHL over the past two weeks. Only one of the five wins was against a projected playoff team, but every point matters and the streak has the Sharks closing in fast on the Ducks out west. News out of San Jose is that GM Doug Wilson just inked Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to matching three-year contract extensions.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins-The Pens struggled to put away the Islanders, but they always seem to. Marc-Andre Fleury tried to tussle with Peter Budaj during their rout of Montreal and Sidney Crosby just shifted gears and will now boat race the rest of the NHL for the Art Ross Trophy. Oh, and the Penguins are really, really good.
1. Anaheim Ducks-It is basically a coin flip between Anaheim and the Penguins for the top spot in the NHL right now. A weird home loss to Winnipeg at home on Tuesday was the first regulation home loss for the Ducks. It seems harsh to penalize them for that. A rough, grinding win against the rival Kings Thursday night was a juicy preview for Saturday night’s Stadium Series matchup. It’s about time the Ducks got some national television love.