It has certainly been an interesting week since the last power rankings came out. It seems that the NHL is scoffing at my attempts to rank their clubs because parity is starting to rule across the board.
There will most certainly be some changes at the top with some top teams slumping. In addition, there will also be a different taste at the bottom of the charts as Buffalo found some, okay, A, win in an unlikely place.
30. Florida Panthers-With seven straight losses and only 12 goals scored in those games the Panthers take over the bottom of the rankings. Coach Kevin Dineen was fired Friday and the Panthers are looking at a season that could be spiraling down the crapper.
29. Philadelphia Flyers-Plain and simple the Flyers cannot score. Claude Giroux still hasn’t scored. There is talent on this team but their struggles so far have been enormous. They have scored four goals in their last five games and have been shutout twice.
28. Edmonton Oilers-With a win over Florida, Edmonton ended a six game slide. The most curious thing out of the Oilers’ camp is that they are squashing trade rumors. Not sure why the NHL’s worst defense isn’t looking for a trade partner. Just in-The Oilers signed Ilya Bryzgalov. Can't decide if that is good news or not.
27. Buffalo Sabres-An overtime win over the top-tier San Jose Sharks in HP Pavilion is a statement as to the parity in the NHL. While I think that the Sharks would win six out of seven in a series, Buffalo still has some pride, which is all that they are playing for at this point.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets-A five game losing streak puts the Jackets in familiar territory. There was a great deal of promise from the end of last season that must seem like a long time ago given the poor performance this year.
25. Calgary Flames-As the slow but predictable descent to the bottom is happening Calgary’s needs are more easy to identify. They have some very promising youth but defense and goaltending are atrocious.
24. New Jersey Devils-If New Jersey and Philadelphia played a game where the winner had to score four goals, each roster would collapse from exhaustion. The Devils look like they are going nowhere, but Martin Brodeur raised some eyebrows when he said he would agree to be traded.
23. Winnipeg Jets-With two wins in their last nine games, the Jets are a model of inconsistency. I’m not sure where management thinks this team is at, but they need to start considering whether they will be buying or selling assets.
22. Montreal Canadiens-The Habs have lost four straight games and now have some locker room/press fodder after coach Michel Therrien benched his best player P.K Subban.
21. New York Islanders-Exactly how long does it take to get a “culture” of losing out of your system? The Isles were the fashionable choice to push Pittsburgh for the Metro Division crown, but seem content to wallow in mediocrity.
20. Ottawa Senators-Two wins over below average teams are nice, but Ottawa has to prove that they can beat better teams. Coming into Tuesday against Columbus the Sens had lost six of seven.
19. Carolina Hurricanes- Two wins after five losses would be more impressive if they hadn’t come against the Islanders and Flyers. Still waiting to see if the Canes can win with Justin Peters in goal until Cam Ward is healthy.
18. Nashville Predators-The plucky Preds seem to be doing just fine while Pekka Rinne recovers from a hip injury and now E-coli?!?! Though they are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, Nashville is still at a -7 for the year.
17. New York Rangers-Maybe I was premature in my dismantling of the Rangers, but they have put together a nice little run towards respectability. Hopefully they can keep scoring goals because the NHL is more interesting with New York relevant.
16. Detroit Red Wings-An impressive west coast road trip ended with a stinker in Winnipeg. A tough overtime loss to streaking Dallas showed the best and worst of the Red Wings this year. Remember when it was hard to win in Detroit? The Wings have three wins and five losses on Hockeytown ice (3-2-3).
15. Dallas Stars-The offseason moves look like they are starting to pay dividends with the Stars climbing the Central Division with three straight wins. A gritty overtime win in Detroit showed that the Stars can skate with anyone.
14. Los Angeles Kings-The Kings seem like they could be so much better but are content to tread in the area just above average. With such a talented roster everyone, including Darryl Sutter would like to see more from them. They can beat any team in the league, but have also shown that they can lose to any team in the league.
13. Washington Capitals-The streaking Capitals welcomed back their captain Alexander Ovechkin in the middle of a four-game win streak. The Caps are 7-2 after a brutal 2-5 start.
12. Boston Bruins-The Bruins remind me of the Kings with their inconsistent play. They can blow anyone out on any particular night but often lack focus against teams that they should dominate. Also troubling is their home record (5-3-1), which should be much better.
11. Minnesota Wild-It’s hard to argue with a 9-4-4 record but the Wild just don’t seem to get the love they deserve. Their goaltending duo of Josh Harding and Nicklas Backstrom has been off the charts. Just a little bit more scoring could see the Wild in the top 10.
10. Phoenix Coyotes-Everyone wants to love the Coyotes and certainly wants them to do well. The NHL’s version of a redheaded orphan has obliged by beating almost everyone that has been put in front of them. They are definitely a force to be reckoned with in the west.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs-The Leafs seem like they want to be great but seem to lose a weird game here and there. They can score with anyone and are better defensively, but if they want to make a push to be the best in the east they cannot take any night off.
8. Vancouver Canucks-My apologies to John Tortorella and the Canuck fan base. Everything has gone according to plan in Vancouver and the team seems to be firing on all cylinders. With contracts out of the way Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin have been playing like they are 10 years younger.
7. San Jose Sharks-Hopefully the current four-game slide is just a momentary lapse of focus for the Sharks. They were bound to endure a bit of a drop considering their impressive run to start the season. No reason to panic San Jose, the Sharks should assume their rightful place among the elite sooner than later.
6. Pittsburgh Penguins-With the Penguins getting healthier they again seem to be playing with a lack of focus. James Neal will return to the lineup Saturday night and hopefully he can add some fire to a club that looked disinterested Wednesday night against the Rangers.
5. Chicago Blackhawks-Very quietly the Stanley Cup champs are having themselves a nice little start to the season. Obviously not the same as last year’s record pace but the Hawks have to be pretty excited that they are winning consistently and stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are playing well. No cup hangover in sight.
4. St. Louis Blues-The Blues are matching Chicago win for win and though they have played less games than everyone in the NHL they are still winning at an impressive clip. St. Louis is doing it in a style that should worry everyone else in the league. A smothering defense and a multi-headed offensive attack almost overshadows their elite goaltending.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning-I keep expecting the Lightning to prove to me that they are a paper tiger as they embark on a season-altering losing streak. However, Steven Stamkos has apparently been fitted with a team-sized backpack as he continues to light the lamp. The biggest key has been goaltending for Tampa. If they can sustain this current pace for the season, Steve Yzerman will have outsmarted us all.
2. Colorado Avalanche-Like Tampa, I keep expecting the trap door to open for the Avalanche. Colorado wasn’t expected to do much of anything this year but keep defying logic and the odds. As with Tampa the key has been lights out goaltending from Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere. With the potential legal issues with Varlamov, the shone could quickly come off of the Avs.
1. Anaheim Ducks-Topping the charts this week after a grueling eight-game road trip are the feisty Ducks. Unblemished at home (6-0-0) the Ducks have also taken their whoopings to the road (7-3-1). Enjoy the view at the top Anaheim; the previous number ones have not had successful weeks to follow.