NHL: Power Rankings (2 weeks in)

by Eric Berkenpas

Two weeks into the season and there have already been some surprises! While several teams seem to be way ahead of the pack right now, a case could be made for at least 10 teams for a Stanley Cup victory this year. So far this is one of the most exciting seasons in the last several years. Anyway, this is how the rankings look two weeks into the season:

1. New York Rangers (even)- Not the start the Rangers were looking for, but don't expect this slump to keep up for long. They have played the Penguins twice who always play them really tough. If you watched the first goal that Gaborik scored against the Bruins on 1/23, you can see what the Rangers are capable of.
2. St. Louis Blues (up 1) - It has been a season of dominance thus far as expected. Their only loss was to the Blackhawks who have been one of the best teams in the league thus far. The 6-0 shellacking of the Red Wings to open their season was most impressive.
3. Boston Bruins (up 2) - Tied with the Senators for 1st in the East, the Boston Bruins have been dominant so far. Their only flaw is the amount of goals they have been letting in. The defense and goaltending is going to need to improve if they want to keep up their pace.
4. San Jose Sharks (up 7) - Marleau and Thornton are challenging Crosby and Malkin for the title of Two Headed Monster and have led the Sharks to a 7-0 start with a +17 goal differential. This is one team that no one wants to play right now. They are dominating every angle of the game.
5. Chicago Blackhawks (up 4) - They were in a competition of the Sharks for the last undefeated team left before losing to the Wild in a Shootout. So far, Corey Crawford has been great and has been the reason for the early success on top of very good special teams at both ends of the ice. If Crawford can maintain this kind of consistency, the Blackhawks are a serious threat in the West.
6. New Jersey Devils (up 4) - The Devils had a great 3-0 start but have lost 3 in a row in OT since. With a tough 6 games ahead of them against the Penguins three times, Islanders, Rangers and Lightning, we will really see what these Parise-less Devils are made of.
7. Los Angeles Kings (down 5) - Kings started off the season getting blown out by the Hawks at home and haven't really regained themselves. The skills is still there and signs of it have come and gone, but they have certainly not picked up where they left off.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins (down 4) - Another hyped team with a slow start. A glimmer of hope emerged out of the most recent win in Madison Square Gardens but so far it's been a season of ups and downs where the Penguins have been playing at the level of their competition. With a lot of new personnel though, a slow start could have been expected.
9. Vancouver Canucks (down 2) - Luongo is still creating drama in Vancouver but the Canucks seem to be unaffected by it.  Schneider has been pretty good so far, good enough the keep the Canucks as one of the top teams in the West.
10. Tampa Bay Lightning (up 6) - Steve Stamkos and St. Louis have been great and Lindback has been the answer to prayer in Tampa Bay. The Lightning have conceded only 2.5 goals per game in their first six. This is a great start for a Lightning team that wants to prove they can play for a Stanley Cup.
11. Minnesota Wild (up 2) - A good start again for the Wild. The big question is, can they keep it up this year? Zach Parise has been impressive in the early going as well. 
12. Detroit Red Wings (down 4) - Defense is the issue in Detroit. The Red Wings look like they are missing the presence of Lidstrom and Holmstrom. In a short season, there isn't time to figure out a fix. Things are going to need to change fast or the Wings are going to fall behind the pack in the Central.
13. Nashville Predators (down 7) - The Predators have also struggled out the gate and it's been the ineptitude of their offense that is to blame as well as a less than stellar defensive effort.
14. Edmonton Oilers (up 7) - Is this the year that the Oilers do it? So far they have been very good and Dubnyk has been solid. They are going to need to prove to the league and themselves that they can compete with the top teams in the West.
15. Philadelphia Flyers (down 3) - Is it panic time in Philadelphia yet? It's a little early to say, but there hasn't been too much good happening for the Flyers yet. It looked like they were getting back on track with a win against the Rangers and 7-1 steamrolling of the Panthers, but they have now lost two straight and look to be back to their struggles.
16. Ottawa Senators (up 4) - They would have been much higher in this list if not for the loss of Spezza for two months. Anderson is going to need to keep up his stellar play if the Senators are going to keep winning.
17. Buffalo Sabres (down 3) - Thomas Vanek is in beast mode right now and just notched a hat trick and two helpers to put away the Bruins 7-4. If they could keep the puck out of their net, they would be near the top in the East.
18. Phoenix Coyotes (down 3) - Trouble is brewing in Phoenix. While the fight the keep the Coyotes in Phoenix continues, the team is performing at a low level and not making much of a case for why they should stay. Don't expect things to change much for the better.
19. Anaheim Ducks (up 3) - Well the Ducks keep finding ways to win. Selanne is off to a slow start and may be showing signs that his time in the NHL is drawing to a close. Once the Ducks start playing stronger opponents, things may go downhill fast.
20. New York Islanders (up 6) - Just like the Oilers, the Islanders seem to be breaking out this year. They have already beaten the likes of Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Pittsburgh this year. Those were all games that they can build off of. This does not bode well for the rest of the Atlantic who already have issues with beating up on each other. Oh, and the Islanders are leading the league in Power Play percentage.
21. Toronto Maple Leafs (up 4) - Nazem Kadri has been leading the Maple Leafs so far this season and has been doing all he can to keep up with the amount of pucks getting past their goaltenders. They are sitting in the 7 spot in the East right now but that won't last long if the goaltending continues to struggle. And where in the world is Phil Kessel?
22. Colorado Avalanche (up 1) - Matt Duchene and PA Parenteau are off to good starts in Colorado. If they keep up their play and Paul Stastny picks up his play, they will only have defense to worry about. Varlamov has been good so far and Giguere so far has been a good backup. Things may not be so bad in Colorado after all.
23. Carolina Hurricanes (down 6) - The Hurricanes are gonna have to start scoring goals sooner or later. Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin are having trouble getting started in their new home.
24. Montreal Canadiens (up 5) - Andrei Markov is a wizard on the Power Play. Special teams is what has given Montreal success so far this season. They currently rank 6th in Power Play percentage. Carey Price and the defense in front of him have been very solid too. Definitely an unexpected good start for this Canadiens team.
25. Washington Capitals (down 7) - Alexander Ovechkin currently has 2 goals and an assist and is 5th on his team in points. Need I say more? They look like the worst team in the league right now.
26. Florida Panthers (down 2) - This is just a bad team right now. They have conceded the most goals in the league and are having some trouble finding the back of the net. Don't expect a flukey playoff appearance again.
27. Winnipeg Jets (up 1) - The Jets have actually looked pretty good this season. The win over the Penguins was very impressive especially after having fallen down 2-0 early. Evander Kane and Tobias Enstrom are having themselves good starts to the season.
28. Dallas Stars (down 9) - They simply can't score. They average less than a goal a game. Lehtonen had a pretty amazing save on Jack Johnson though! Sorry, I had to say something good.
29. Calgary Flames (down 2) - They lack skill, excitement, defense, goaltending and coaching. It's time for a rebuilding in Calgary.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (even) - Calgary can thank the hockey gods for the Blue Jackets or they would find themselves at the bottom of this list. About the only thing good going for the Blue Jackets is that they have somehow scrounged two wins on the season. A minus 12 goal differential is the worst in the league though and it's not getting any better.