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16) Toronto Maple Leafs – (LW: 15) – Eric Lindros' injury woes continue; the power forward recently suffered a torn wrist ligament. If he cannot play through the pain while wearing a brace, the injury will likely require season-ending surgery.
17) Phoenix Coyotes – (LW: 17) – One of the NHL's streakiest players, center Mike Comrie has as many multi-point games (seven) as games in which he's scored only one point. The bad news is that he's been held off the scoresheet in 16 games already this season.
18) New York Islanders – (LW: 19) – A head injury to hard-working forward Jason Blake does not appear to be serious, but look for the average Isles to struggle with both Blake and Shawn Bates out of the lineup. Their penalty-killing success depends largely on the presence of both players.
19) New Jersey Devils – (LW: 18) – Right now on the outside of the NHL's playoff picture looking in, the Devils will likely be without top forward Patrik Elias for at least another month. More and more, it seems that trading Brodeur would be their best move.
20) San Jose Sharks – (LW: 20) – The arrival of Joe Thornton has had a very positive impact on the Sharks, who have won five straight games since "Jumbo Joe" arrived. He clearly knows the way to help San Jose back towards the top of the Pacific Division standings.
Dec. 19 Hockey Rankings
by by Inside Hockey
The Dallas Stars have gone 10-2 in their past twelve games to jump up to second overall in our NHL Power Rankings, while the Tampa Bay Lightning (also 9-1 in their past ten games) are finally starting to play like bona fide Stanley Cup championships.
Meanwhile, injuries to key players have knocked both the Nashville Predators (Tomas Vokoun and David Legwand) and the Montreal Canadiens (Alexei Kovalev and Saku Koivu) down a few notches.
Here’s how all 30 teams stack up this week...
1) Ottawa Senators – (LW: 1) – The NHL's best team has the NHL's second-best power play and best penalty-killing, and their team plus/minus rating of +70 is nearly twice as good as that of their next-closest competitor (Philadelphia: +39).
2) Dallas Stars – (LW: 3) – Goaltender Marty Turco has returned to All-Star form, and is making a strong case for why he deserves a spot on Team Canada's Olympic team; he's given up more than three goals in only one of his past ten starts.
2) Dallas Stars – (LW: 3) – Goaltender Marty Turco has returned to All-Star form, and is making a strong case for why he deserves a spot on Team Canada's Olympic team; he's given up more than three goals in only one of his past ten starts.
3) Detroit Red Wings – (LW: 4) – Perhaps power forward Brendan Shanahan had an ulterior motive when he helped the NHL rewrite their rulebook. He's having his best statistical season since 1996-97, back when the Hartford Whalers (remember them?) traded him to the Red Wings. Catch the Red Wings on HDNet this Saturday night, as they do battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 PM EST.
4) Philadelphia Flyers – (LW: 5) – An injury to goaltender Robert Esche was a blessing in disguise, as Antero Niittymaki has stepped in quite capably. However, the Flyers' defense is in shambles with both Joni Pitkanen and Eric Desjardins on the shelf.
5) New York Rangers – (LW: 6) – The Rangers demonstrated on Tuesday night that they have what it takes to compete with the NHL's best teams. Though they fell 3-2 to the Vancouver Canucks, they delivered a very impressive 60-minute performance.
6) Nashville Predators – (LW: 2) – The Predators are hoping that Tomas Vokoun's knee injury doesn't turn out to be serious. A 7-3 spanking at the hands of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday demonstrated just how crucial Vokoun is to the Predators' success.
7) Vancouver Canucks – (LW: 8) – Starting goalie Dan Cloutier is out for the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury. Alex Auld has played quite well in his absence, but perhaps the Canucks will look to make a big splash and acquire Roberto Luongo… or Martin Brodeur?
8) Carolina Hurricanes – (LW: 7) – The speedy, hard-working Hurricanes have crashed back to Earth a bit, but remain atop the Southeast division. Captain Rod Brind'Amour is playing better than he has since the 'Canes crashed the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002.
9) Buffalo Sabres – (LW: 11) – Winner of ten consecutive decisions, Marty Biron is making a strong case for why the hard-working Sabres should trade top goaltending prospect Ryan Miller for some much-needed help on the blue line.
10) Calgary Flames – (LW: 10) – Miikka Kiprusoff is 11-2 dating back to the beginning of November, and has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that his stellar 2003-04 campaign was no fluke.
11) Tampa Bay Lightning – (LW: 13) – The red-hot Lightning have surged back towards the top of the standings, despite receiving relatively pedestrian goaltending from John Grahame. An upgrade between the pipes would make the Lightning bona fide Cup contenders once again. Catch the Lightning on HDNet this Saturday night, as they do battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 PM EST.
12) Montreal Canadiens – (LW: 9) – Without Kovalev and Koivu, the Habs are average at best. Their 3-5-2 record in their past ten games is cause for serious concern, as they play in one of the NHL's most hotly-contested divisions.
13) Los Angeles Kings – (LW: 12) – After a very shaky start, Mathieu Garon has, as expected, taken possession of the starting goaltending job. However, the team's once-vaunted offense has fallen into a deep slumber in recent weeks.
14) Edmonton Oilers – (LW: 16) – Chris Pronger's offensive production (only two goals in 30 games) leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering the fact that he leads the team in power play ice time by a wide margin.
15) Colorado Avalanche – (LW: 14) – The Senators solved rookie goalie Vitaly Kolesnik on Monday night, scoring five unanswered goals to beat the Avs 6-2. Will Avs GM Pierre Lacroix attempt to bring Roberto Luongo to Denver?
5) New York Rangers – (LW: 6) – The Rangers demonstrated on Tuesday night that they have what it takes to compete with the NHL's best teams. Though they fell 3-2 to the Vancouver Canucks, they delivered a very impressive 60-minute performance.
6) Nashville Predators – (LW: 2) – The Predators are hoping that Tomas Vokoun's knee injury doesn't turn out to be serious. A 7-3 spanking at the hands of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday demonstrated just how crucial Vokoun is to the Predators' success.
7) Vancouver Canucks – (LW: 8) – Starting goalie Dan Cloutier is out for the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury. Alex Auld has played quite well in his absence, but perhaps the Canucks will look to make a big splash and acquire Roberto Luongo… or Martin Brodeur?
8) Carolina Hurricanes – (LW: 7) – The speedy, hard-working Hurricanes have crashed back to Earth a bit, but remain atop the Southeast division. Captain Rod Brind'Amour is playing better than he has since the 'Canes crashed the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002.
9) Buffalo Sabres – (LW: 11) – Winner of ten consecutive decisions, Marty Biron is making a strong case for why the hard-working Sabres should trade top goaltending prospect Ryan Miller for some much-needed help on the blue line.
10) Calgary Flames – (LW: 10) – Miikka Kiprusoff is 11-2 dating back to the beginning of November, and has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that his stellar 2003-04 campaign was no fluke.
11) Tampa Bay Lightning – (LW: 13) – The red-hot Lightning have surged back towards the top of the standings, despite receiving relatively pedestrian goaltending from John Grahame. An upgrade between the pipes would make the Lightning bona fide Cup contenders once again. Catch the Lightning on HDNet this Saturday night, as they do battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 PM EST.
12) Montreal Canadiens – (LW: 9) – Without Kovalev and Koivu, the Habs are average at best. Their 3-5-2 record in their past ten games is cause for serious concern, as they play in one of the NHL's most hotly-contested divisions.
13) Los Angeles Kings – (LW: 12) – After a very shaky start, Mathieu Garon has, as expected, taken possession of the starting goaltending job. However, the team's once-vaunted offense has fallen into a deep slumber in recent weeks.
14) Edmonton Oilers – (LW: 16) – Chris Pronger's offensive production (only two goals in 30 games) leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering the fact that he leads the team in power play ice time by a wide margin.
15) Colorado Avalanche – (LW: 14) – The Senators solved rookie goalie Vitaly Kolesnik on Monday night, scoring five unanswered goals to beat the Avs 6-2. Will Avs GM Pierre Lacroix attempt to bring Roberto Luongo to Denver?
16) Toronto Maple Leafs – (LW: 15) – Eric Lindros' injury woes continue; the power forward recently suffered a torn wrist ligament. If he cannot play through the pain while wearing a brace, the injury will likely require season-ending surgery.
17) Phoenix Coyotes – (LW: 17) – One of the NHL's streakiest players, center Mike Comrie has as many multi-point games (seven) as games in which he's scored only one point. The bad news is that he's been held off the scoresheet in 16 games already this season.
18) New York Islanders – (LW: 19) – A head injury to hard-working forward Jason Blake does not appear to be serious, but look for the average Isles to struggle with both Blake and Shawn Bates out of the lineup. Their penalty-killing success depends largely on the presence of both players.
19) New Jersey Devils – (LW: 18) – Right now on the outside of the NHL's playoff picture looking in, the Devils will likely be without top forward Patrik Elias for at least another month. More and more, it seems that trading Brodeur would be their best move.
20) San Jose Sharks – (LW: 20) – The arrival of Joe Thornton has had a very positive impact on the Sharks, who have won five straight games since "Jumbo Joe" arrived. He clearly knows the way to help San Jose back towards the top of the Pacific Division standings.
21) Anaheim Mighty Ducks – (LW: 21) – Rumors abound that winger Petr Sykora is on the verge of being dealt, with the Bruins, Canadiens and Rangers considered the most likely destinations. In addition to being a very skilled forward, Sykora can also capably man the point on the power play.
22) Minnesota Wild – (LW: 22) – With 18 points in 13 games, Marion Gaborik is one of the NHL's deadliest scorers. He's enjoying good chemistry playing alongside Brian Rolston, who's on pace to enjoy a career-best 65-point season.
23) Chicago Blackhawks – (LW: 24) – After an absolutely abominable first month, goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin has righted himself between the pipes, which is a good sign for the goal-starved Blackhawks.
23) Chicago Blackhawks – (LW: 24) – After an absolutely abominable first month, goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin has righted himself between the pipes, which is a good sign for the goal-starved Blackhawks.
24) Atlanta Thrashers – (LW: 25) – It's unlikely that the Thrashers can hold on much longer if they don't get either Kari Lehtonen or Mike Dunham back in goal. They squandered a 6-2 lead over the Wings on Tuesday, but still managed to pull out a 7-6 victory.
25) Boston Bruins – (LW: 23) – The Thornton trade has not exactly energized the struggling Bruins. Look for GM Mike O'Connell to re-start the rebuilding process very soon, with Brian Leetch, Glen Murray, and Sergei Samsonov the first to go.
26) Florida Panthers – (LW: 26) – With 14 goals in 22 games, Nathan Horton has emerged as one of the NHL's best young power forwards. The talented Panthers just need to decide what they'll do about Luongo and eliminate that needless distraction.
27) Washington Capitals – (LW: 27) – In the final season of a contract paying him $4.9 million, goaltender Olaf Kolzig could emerge as a very valuable chip as the trade deadline approaches.
28) Pittsburgh Penguins – (LW: 28) – Mario Lemieux has finally announced that he will not be playing for Team Canada in the Olympics. Given his injury history, it's the right move for him to devote his attentions instead to the struggling Penguins.
29) St. Louis Blues – (LW: 29) – The return of power forward Keith Tkachuk has had a very positive impact on playmaking center Doug Weight, who has tallied 12 points in his last nine games.
25) Boston Bruins – (LW: 23) – The Thornton trade has not exactly energized the struggling Bruins. Look for GM Mike O'Connell to re-start the rebuilding process very soon, with Brian Leetch, Glen Murray, and Sergei Samsonov the first to go.
26) Florida Panthers – (LW: 26) – With 14 goals in 22 games, Nathan Horton has emerged as one of the NHL's best young power forwards. The talented Panthers just need to decide what they'll do about Luongo and eliminate that needless distraction.
27) Washington Capitals – (LW: 27) – In the final season of a contract paying him $4.9 million, goaltender Olaf Kolzig could emerge as a very valuable chip as the trade deadline approaches.
28) Pittsburgh Penguins – (LW: 28) – Mario Lemieux has finally announced that he will not be playing for Team Canada in the Olympics. Given his injury history, it's the right move for him to devote his attentions instead to the struggling Penguins.
29) St. Louis Blues – (LW: 29) – The return of power forward Keith Tkachuk has had a very positive impact on playmaking center Doug Weight, who has tallied 12 points in his last nine games.
30) Columbus Blue Jackets – (LW: 30) - The only question really remaining for the Blue Jackets is whether offense-only defenseman Bryan Berard (-19) can top Norm MacIver's -46 rating compiled with the hapless 1992-93 Ottawa Senators.
This article originally appeared on InsideHockey.com. Editor Kevin Greenstein can be heard every Wednesday at 2:30pm on BetUS.com Radio.
This article originally appeared on InsideHockey.com. Editor Kevin Greenstein can be heard every Wednesday at 2:30pm on BetUS.com Radio.
