NHL Power Rankings Dec. 23
by InsideHockey
There was a lot of movement in the power rankings this week. The return of goaltender Tomas Vokoun appears to be all the Predators needed to surge back to second overall, while the Carolina Hurricanes (+4) and Buffalo Sabres (+3) are making it clear that they don't intend for their success to be fleeting.
At the other end of the spectrum, a spectacular surge by Keith Tkachuk had the St. Louis Blues looking their best. He scored 12 points in four games, but a freak hand injury (broken knuckles) will keep the Blues' best – and really, only – bona fide goal scorer out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks. Look about below!
So here’s how the teams line up (each team’s ranking from last week appears in parentheses).
1) Ottawa Senators – (LW: 1) – The NHL's highest-scoring team is also its stingiest. In 32 games, they have given up just 30 even-strength goals. Not even injuries to Wade Redden and Martin Havlat have been able to derail to dominant Sens.
2) Nashville Predators – (LW: 6) – Vokoun's back, and that's good news for the Predators, who leap back up to #2 following a three-game winning streak. Steve Sullivan leads the team in virtually every offensive category; he and Paul Kariya are scoring threats in all game situations.
3) Detroit Red Wings – (LW: 3) – The return of Robert Lang to the lineup brought immediate dividends. He scored a goal in the Wings' victory over Columbus on Tuesday night, and his presence makes the already-dangerous Wings' offense even more potent.
4) Carolina Hurricanes – (LW: 8) – The Canes just keep getting better, and their 6-4 victory over the Lightning on Tuesday served notice that they don't intend to relinquish their Southeast Division lead without a fight.
5) Dallas Stars – (LW: 2) – With 19 goals, former Selke Trophy-winning right wing Jere Lehtinen has emerged as the Stars' most consistent goal scorer, and that's good news considering Bill Guerin ($6.7 million, six goals) has been a huge disappointment.
6) Buffalo Sabres – (LW: 9) – Expected to suffer in the tough-as-nails Northeast Division, the Sabres are thriving behind the stellar goaltending of Martin Biron (11 straight wins) and top-notch rookie Ryan Miller.
7) Philadelphia Flyers – (LW: 4) – The Flyers defeated the Senators last night, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and then holding on for a hard-fought 4-3 victory. Have the Flyers narrowed the gap between themselves and the NHL's best team?
8) Vancouver Canucks – (LW: 7) – Getting booed everywhere he goes clearly doesn't sit with Todd Bertuzzi, and with only 11 goals in 33 games, he has not really benefited as much as expected from the obstruction crackdown.
9) Calgary Flames – (LW: 10) – Rookie Dion Phaneuf's combination of lethal slap-shots, hard hits, and mature-beyond-his-years decision-making has enabled him to emerge as a bona fide Calder Trophy candidate. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have Miikka Kiprusoff as a safety net in goal.
10) New York Rangers – (LW: 5) – A three-game losing streak had the potential to get ugly, but the Blueshirts rebounded with a strong victory over the Lightning last night. Next up for the Rangers are the dominant Sens (Saturday night in Ottawa).
11) Montreal Canadiens – (LW: 12) – The Habs have fallen precipitously over the past few weeks; will the return of Alexei Kovalev be enough to get them back on the winning side of the ledger?
12) Edmonton Oilers – (LW: 14) – Gritty grinder Fernando Pisani was the hero on Monday night, as he drove to the net and buried the puck past Miikka Kiprusoff to help the Oilers win the latest installment of the "Battle of Alberta."
13) Los Angeles Kings – (LW: 13) – The news for Jeremy Roenick went from bad to worse on Monday. First he found out that he wouldn't be included on Team USA's Olympic roster, then he suffered a broken finger that will keep him out for 4-6 weeks.
14) Tampa Bay Lightning – (LW: 11) – With three losses in their past four games, the Lightning have fallen into a bit of a slide. Though he was nominated for a spot on Team USA, starting goaltender John Grahame (.890 SV%) is the team's biggest weakness.
15) Toronto Maple Leafs – (LW: 16) – The Leafs won a wild 9-6 shootout over the Islanders on Monday night, demonstrating just how diverse their offense is: eight different players scored goals, and 13 of their 18 skaters appeared on the scoresheet.
16) Colorado Avalanche – (LW: 15) – It was a bad sign when David Aebischer couldn't win the starting job outright for his Swiss team during the lockout, and his struggles have continued in Denver this year. Now he's part of a three-goalie platoon with Peter Budaj and Vitaly Kolesnik.
18) New York Islanders – (LW: 18) – The Isles played the role of matador on Monday night, continuously stepping aside to allow the Maple Leafs to have their way with goaltenders Rick DiPietro and Garth Snow.
19) New Jersey Devils – (LW: 19) – Larry Robinson's abrupt departure on Monday forced GM Lou Lamoriello to take over behind the bench. Perhaps as coach, Lamoriello will more easily see what he must do to right his once-mighty team.
20) Anaheim Mighty Ducks – (LW: 21) – The Ducks remain a .500 team – no better, no worse. Will GM Brian Burke make the necessary moves to improve his team's struggling offense, or will he cut loose winger Petr Sykora?
21) Phoenix Coyotes – (LW: 17) – Wayne Gretzky relinquished his reins as head coach earlier this week, and so assistant Barry Smith took over behind the bench for the Coyotes, who have lost four straight games to fall into the Pacific Division cellar.
22) Minnesota Wild – (LW: 22) – Only the Senators are stingier than the Wild, but GM Doug Risebrough needs to provide Brian Rolston and Marian Gaborik with additional support up front if they're to rise from the Northwest Division cellar.
23) Atlanta Thrashers – (LW: 24) – Kari Lehtonen is nearly ready to return; the Thrashers have been without their rookie starting goalie for all but the first period of their first game. Can he provide them with some much-needed stability between the pipes?
24) Chicago Blackhawks – (LW: 23) – Nikolai Khabibulin has been incredibly inconsistent this season, which is a major reason why the Hawks have struggled so mightily. Until the "Bulin Wall" establishes a strong foundation, Chicago will remain on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture.
25) Boston Bruins – (LW: 25) – The Joe Thornton trade has turned out to be a disaster; if the Bruins are swept in a home-and-home series with the Leafs that begins tonight, it will all but crush their hopes of reaching the playoffs.
26) Florida Panthers – (LW: 26) – The Washington Capitals fired a franchise-record 55 shots at Roberto Luongo on Sunday night, but the Panthers' star goalie turned away 53 of them in a 3-2 victory. If Luongo can be convinced to stay in Florida for the long-term, this talented young team could be one of the NHL's best within 2-3 years.
28) Pittsburgh Penguins – (LW: 28) – Will the arrival of Michel Therrien behind the bench be enough to turn the Pens' season around? It's unlikely. Sidney Crosby has lived up to his tremendous advanced billing, but the team's veteran stars have been a huge disappointment.
30) Columbus Blue Jackets – (LW: 30) – It's difficult to identify an individual to blame for the Blue Jackets' struggles, but defenseman Bryan Berard's plus/minus rating (-21) and the uninspired play of Sergei Fedorov (one goal in 15 games) are two important reasons why they are the NHL's worst team.
Kevin Greenstein of InsideHockey.com can be heard every Wednesday on BetUS.com Radio at 2:30pm.
