Here are my power rankings, updated for Week 1 of the Regular Season. Feel free to comment in the section below, I welcome the harshest of criticisms.
|
|
||||||
| Rank | Last Week | Team Name | ||||
| NHL | CONF | DIV | NHL | CONF | DIV | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| The Penguins start to the season has been underwhelming, but that doesn’t change their position as the team to be beat in the NHL. Power Rankings are often far too heavily weighted on the first week of the season, but I won’t fall into that trap, at least not with the mighty Pens. | ||||||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | St. Louis Blues |
| The Blues moved from 8 to 4 in my rankings between pre-lockout and post-lockout, and now they move up to number 2 overall while holding on to top spot in the West. The amount of shots this team is giving up (or not giving up) is just ridiculous, and the scary part is, it’s not an anomaly, they can keep this up all season. | ||||||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Boston Bruins |
| The Bruins are in the same spot over all, but are number 2 in the East after passing the Rangers. They’ve only given up 8 goals, and Tuukka Time has officially started in Bean town. | ||||||
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 2 | San Jose Sharks |
| I may be overreacting to the Sharks first week here, but they look incredible, and boast a perfect record to along with the league’s best goal differential. 9 goals for Marleau and 13 points for Jumbo Joe in 5 games says that the Sharks are back to their old regular-season-dominating selves. | ||||||
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 2 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| The Hawks are also boasting a perfect record, and for them it’s through 6 games. If Corey Crawford can hold up in net, they are a legitimate contender. Unfortunately, that’s unlikely, but their early success is too good to ignore. | ||||||
| 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | New York Rangers |
| The Rangers drop is more a function of the Sharks and Hawks rise, along with the fact I’ve tried to even up the East-West representation at the top, than it is about their own performance, which was not that great until they trampled over the Leafs. If that big line can get going like that against tougher competition, look out. | ||||||
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | Los Angeles Kings |
| This is as low as I’m willing to drop the defending champs. Even if they only have one win, they are still a contender, and it’s only a matter of time before Quick, and the rest of the team, turn it around. | ||||||
| 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | Vancouver Canucks |
| I’d like to another Eastern team here, but none of the true contenders have performed to expectations, outside of Boston, and none of the top performers have sold me yet. We haven’t seen a full Canucks lineup yet, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. | ||||||
| 9 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 1 | Washington Capitals |
| It’s hard to leave a team in the same spot when they’re playing the way Washington is, but they are being proactive and trying to wake up their stars, and I fully expect it to work. They should be lower the way they are playing, but it’s only been 5 games. | ||||||
| 10 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| The Flyers do take a small drop for their lackluster start, but I don’t Bryzgalov has been to blame for their record, and that’s a big silver lining in a goalie graveyard. The rest of the team is talented enough that we don’t have to worry about a prolonged slump. | ||||||
| 11 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 4 | New Jersey Devils |
| The Devils have picked up where they left off despite losing Zach Parise, who I think is a bigger loss than Rick Nash or Ryan Suter from this past offseason. But Kovalchuk is proving once again that he can do it on his own, and Marty is holding up just fine at the young age of 40. | ||||||
| 12 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 2 | Minnesota Wild |
| Speaking of Zach Parise, the new additions have been huge for Minnesota. Despite being just a .500 team, they look like the remodeled Minnesota Wild we thought they would be. Just wait for Granlund to get going. | ||||||
| 13 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 9 | 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| The Bolts currently lead the East, and Cory Conacher looks to be the real deal playing along side his comparable, and that Stamkos guy. Lindback has been solid as well, and I hope for the future of hockey in Florida that this can hold up, because the Panthers look awful. | ||||||
| 14 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 10 | 3 | Ottawa Senators |
| The Ottawa Senators have proven me wrong again, so far. They’re off to another hot start, and Erik Karlsson is already looking like a repeat Norris favourite. Anderson has also solidified his job as the #1 goalie. Not to mention the solid contributions from three defensemen who people thought had no business being in the NHL this season. | ||||||
| 15 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 3 | Detroit Red Wings |
| This is not the same Red Wings team as the Lidstrom years. They look completely different, but they are still a playoff team. With Zetterberg leading by example, they will find their way into the playoffs, and will make some noise when they get there. | ||||||
| 16 | 8 | 3 | 25 | 13 | 5 | Anaheim Ducks |
| I am not sold on the Ducks, as you may have guessed by their numbers in the “Last Week” column, but performance talks, and they have looked good aside from one game against Vancouver. Getzlaf looks to be rejuvenated, but Teemu Selanne is the real story here. The oldest player in the league is still one of the best, and will always be a favourite of every rational NHL fan. | ||||||
| 17 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 3 | Edmonton Oilers |
| Before the lockout I thought the Oilers were gonna have one more lottery-pick rebuild season before they emerged. Last week, I thought they were ready to make the playoffs. After seeing 4 games, I have no idea what to expect this season, but I do know this: They will win a Stanley Cup in the next 8-10 years. | ||||||
| 18 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 2 | Buffalo Sabres |
| These Sabres look like Sabres of last year, when they took almost a full season to find their stride. They don’t have that kind of time this year, so it’s time to send Grigorenko back to junior and get serious. This market needs another playoff series. | ||||||
| 19 | 10 | 4 | 17 | 9 | 3 | Dallas Stars |
| Jamie Benn is back. Enough said. Ok, I’ll also say that Jagr and Whitney look like they’re 20 again. I really like this team, but they need to prove themselves before I put them back in a playoff spot. | ||||||
| 20 | 10 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 2 | Carolina Hurricanes |
| The new-look Canes look like the old-look Canes. But the old-look Canes surprised me more than once, so don’t count them out just yet. | ||||||
| 21 | 11 | 4 | 18 | 10 | 4 | Colorado Avalanche |
| I’ve liked the Avs as a breakout team for a while now, but they just can’t seem to get it together. And where is Ryan O’Reilly? He is incredulously underrated, and this team needs him. Pay the man and get him back in the purple and blue. | ||||||
| 22 | 12 | 4 | 21 | 11 | 4 | Nashville Predators |
| Is it only a matter of time before the Preds emerge once again as a playoff team, or is this the year the finally collapse? It all rides on Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber, who have been unspectacular thus far, but I think they can turn it around, at least I know Weber can. I hope Rinne can. | ||||||
| 23 | 11 | 4 | 27 | 13 | 5 | Montreal Canadiens |
| I hate to do this as a Leafs fan, but I have to move the Habs up, and move them ahead of the Leafs. They’ve won 3 in a row, and Andrei Markov is a great story, even for a Leaf fan. If Subban decides to grow up and join the team, they might even finish out of the bottom five. | ||||||
| 24 | 12 | 4 | 28 | 14 | 5 | Winnipeg Jets |
| The Jets are off to a great start, with 3 straight wins, but they don’t have the guys to keep it up, as much as I wish I could say they do. Another below-average season and mid-high draft pick for Winnipeg. | ||||||
| 25 | 13 | 5 | 30 | 15 | 5 | New York Islanders |
| Congratulations Islanders, you’ve gone from last to 25th. But in the hockey world, 25th is far worse than last, especially when a top pick would put your team over the top in terms of young talent. | ||||||
| 26 | 14 | 5 | 22 | 11 | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Unlike most Leafs, I can honestly say I don’t want to see this team get a lottery pick. Don’t get me wrong, it’s what this team needs, but I just want to see some playoff hockey in Toronto, it has been far too long. They need Luongo, as long as the price isn’t ludicrous. | ||||||
| 27 | 13 | 5 | 26 | 14 | 5 | Calgary Flames |
| Can the Flames please, please start a rebuild? I want to see the battle of Alberta after the flames finish in the bottom five three years in a row. But as long as Iginla is in Cowtown, that won’t happen, he’s that good. We will see what happens at the deadline. | ||||||
| 28 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 12 | 4 | Phoenix Coyotes |
| The Coyotes don’t deserve to be in this spot. They work hard, play the game the right way, and are a constant underdog hero. I just hope that a dismal season will finally be that last straw for them to move to a better hockey market. In a real market, that management team could do wonders. | ||||||
| 29 | 15 | 5 | 24 | 12 | 4 | Florida Panthers |
| This team will take a huge step back, and also a huge step forward, in a shortened season. They were lucky to make the playoffs, let alone win their division, last year, but if they can add Jones or MacKinnon they’re prospect pool will start to look very dangerous. | ||||||
| 30 | 15 | 5 | 29 | 15 | 5 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Columbus should have had 1st overall last year, and has to settle for 2nd, although Ryan Murray could be better than Yakupov down the road. They finally get what they deserve with the top pick, and I would love to see them take Jonathan Drouin. | ||||||
| Did I overreact to week 1? Underreact? You be the judge. | ||||||
8:40:59 pm
Brad, I like that you haven’t overreacted to a single week of NHL action. However, I strongly disagree with your assessment of the Capitals. They look awful, are playing awful, and unlike in years past, it seems that there isn’t any real secondary scoring. Ovechkin, Backstrom and Ribeiro will get their points, but after that, who is going to score? Joel Ward?