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NHL Power Rankings

Oct 17, 2008 – 12:00 PM
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Ted Starkey

Ted Starkey %BloggerTitle%

With just under two weeks of this year NHL's schedule in the books, what's probably been the most surprising is not what teams are doing well, but what teams are playing below par. The usually frugal Stars have allowed a league-worst 18 goals already and have just three points so far this season, while the Ducks, just one year removed from a Stanley Cup title, are the only team in the league not to have a single standings point.


Anaheim has some company in its misery, however, as the Flyers, who only have an overtime loss point to show for the season so far, and the revamped Lightning, who apparently already miss seeing coach Barry Melrose on television because they seem eager to send him back to ESPN with their poor 0-2-2 start.

On the flip side, the Sharks are off to their best start in franchise history and have allowed just one goal per game in their first four contests. The Rangers got off to a 5-0 start before an unbeaten Buffalo squad handed them their first loss of the year, while the Habs seem ready to make their centennial a season to remember with a solid start.

Check out how the NHL shakes out a week into the season with the second power rankings of the year after the jump.
  • 1. Sharks (Last Week: 2)
    The Sharks make a splash in their first week of the season, outscoring their opponents 13-4 and being perfect after four games. Three wins of those coming against their California rivals for the best start ever in the franchise's history.
  • 2. Canadiens (Last Week: 3)
    Montreal had a grand celebration planned for their 100th season, and the team has given fans something to get excited about with seven points in eight games. Five of those points were also earned away from the Bell Centre before a shootout win at their home opener over the Bruins.
  • 3. Red Wings (Last Week: 1)
    Perhaps it's the curse of Joe Elliot, but Detroit gets out of the gate slowly with a loss to Toronto in its opener and not delivering dominating performances... so far. In another weird twist, the Red Wings are 2-0 away from the Joe, but 0-1-1 at home so far this season.
  • 4. Capitals (Last Week: 6)
    OK, let me get this straight - despite three scoreless games by last year's MVP in four games, the Capitals still have netted 17 goals, including a stunning rally to beat Penguins in Pittsburgh? As long as the goaltending situation settles down, Washington looks to be a dangerous threat.
  • 5. Devils (Last Week: 9)
    While the Devils' Martin Brodeur has allowed just six goals in his first four games, New Jersey needs to pop in more than six goals to support him. The Devs get some good tests this week when the travel to Washington and Dallas, then a home-and-home with the Flyers.
  • 6. Sabres (Last Week: 11)
    The Sabres are off to a great start, handing losses to the otherwise-unbeaten Canadiens and Rangers and absolutely crushing the Islanders in Uniondale. The up-tempo game is back in Buffalo, and the team looks like they're back to being a playoff threat.
  • 7. Wild (Last Week: 14)
    After opening the season with a win at home over the Bruins, Minnesota plays strong in a trip to the southeast. However, any long-term success for the Wild will depend on if Marian Gaborik can shake his chronic injury bug.
  • 8. Rangers (Last Week: 15)
    The Rangers return from a two-game sweep of the 'Ning in Europe to notch three more wins, but New York suffers a setback when the Sabres roll into MSG. Now, the trick is if the Blueshirts can avoid the hot-and-cold stretches that dogged them all of last year.
  • 9. Penguins (Last Week: 8)
    While the Penguins' special teams shine in their showdown with Washington, you can't allow 21 shots in the final period against a dangerous Capitals lineup. With a banged-up blueline, the Pens need to stay true to their trap or else losses like that will follow.
  • 10. Stars (Last Week: 3)
    The Stars stumble badly out of the gate with just a 1-2-1 mark after four contests and getting outscored by their opponents 18-12. Now a trip to battle all three New York-area teams looms after a date with the Avalanche on Saturday.
  • 11. Ducks (Last Week: 5)
    If the Ducks want to get back to the Stanley Cup, they have to avoid the ugly start the team has had, scoring just 8 goals in allowing 17 against. To boot, three of their losses came to teams that missed the playoffs last year, valuable points in the Western race you can't afford to lose.
  • 12. Flyers (Last Week: 7)
    The good news for the Flyers? Most of the people in Philadelphia are focused on that baseball team that plays just down the street from the Wachovia Center, so they aren't too worried about that 0-3-1 start to the season... yet.
  • 13. Flames (Last Week: 10)
    After getting lit up by the Canucks in a home-and-home to open the season, Calgary finally gets back on track with a dramatic win over the Avalanche. Now, a home-and-home with the hated rivals from Edmonton is next on the schedule.
  • 14. Senators (Last Week: 13)
    Apparently someone in the NHL office was very concerned the Sens would suffer jet lag coming back from Sweden, as Ottawa has played just one game in the past 12 days, a tough loss to the Red Wings. However, six games in 10 days are on tap to get them back into game shape.
  • 15. Hurricanes (Last Week: 17)
    The 'Canes start off with wins over the Panthers and Lightning before being dealt a tough loss by the defending champs. Now, a tough test looms as Carolina plays a six-game road trip with the team not returning to RBC Center until November.
  • 16. Oilers (Last Week: 19)
    The Oilers haven't been particularly busy this week with just two games, but they made the most of them by notching a pair of 3-2 wins. Now, Edmonton jumps into a pair of games with their heated Alberta rivals to rekindle one of the NHL's best feuds.
  • 17. Bruins (Last Week: 16)
    The Bruins get a gift point in Montreal thanks to a very fortunate bounce, but played decently in road games in Denver and Minnesota. Now a tough week looms ahead for Boston with games against the Senators, Penguins and Sabres.
  • 18. Blackhawks (Last Week: 16)
    We thought of dropping the Blackhawks to last place in the power rankings after their slow start to the new season, but we decided that making drastic of a change after just four games might be a bit of a rash decision.
  • 19. Blues (Last Week: 23)
    Even with their preseason injury woes, the Blues get off to a good start to the season. St. Louis' blueliners are even getting in the act, scoring four goals in four games after the entire corps contributed just 15 goals all of last season.
  • 20. Coyotes (Last Week: 20)
    The Coyotes start off the season on the right foot with two straight wins, but fall in Chicago and now will play three of the contenders in the Eastern Conference with a trip to Ottawa and Montreal before welcoming the Capitals to Glendale.
  • 21. Canucks (Last Week: 26)
    Despite their power outage in Washington, the Canucks have shown an ability so far this season to light the lamp, even grabbing a win over the Red Wings in Detroit in addition to four points picked up against the Flames.
  • 22. Predators (Last Week: 22)
    Nashville splits its first four games, and heads into this weekend with a home-and-home with Columbus. However, if Jason Arnott's broken finger proves to be more serious than just a week off the ice, it won't help the Preds try and claw into the playoff chase down the road.
  • 23. Islanders (Last Week: 29)
    Even though Rick DiPietro's injury has to be a worry for fans on Long Island, the Isles at least are treading water with Joe MacDonald between the pipes. Despite a blowout loss to Buffalo, the Isles have been more than competitive the other contests.
  • 24. Avalanche (Last Week: 18)
    After three straight losses and fairly ugly performances by Peter Budaj, Andrew Raycroft stops the Avs' losing skid with a 5-2 win over the Flyers. However, Colorado appears it's going to be undone by its shaky netminding this season.
  • 25. Thrashers (Last Week: 29)
    The Thrashers start their season off with a bang and a 7-4 win over Washington, but have only scored four goals in their three other games. Atlanta will need to clamp down defensively to have any chance at climbing up the Southeast ladder.
  • 26. Blue Jackets (Last Week: 25)
    The Jackets start off with a win to open the season, but drop two straight heading into the team's home opener. Columbus also needs to get a lot more production from their superstar Rick Nash in order to have a chance to compete night after night.
  • 27. Lightning (Last Week: 21)
    With the offseason spending spree and addition of Barry Melrose behind the bench, you have to wonder how patient Tampa Bay's new ownership is really going to be if the 'Ning continue to play this poorly.
  • 28. Maple Leafs (Last Week: 30)
    When the highlight of your season likely is going to be an opening night win over the defending Stanley Cup champions in Detroit, it's a sign that it could be a very long year for the long-suffering fans in Toronto.
  • 29. Kings (Last Week: 27)
    The Kings get roughed up by the Sharks in a home-and-home to open the season, but at least get some of the badly-needed local bragging rights by keeping the Ducks in their early-season skid.
  • 30. Panthers (Last Week: 24)
    The Panthers start out of the box slowly, allowing 14 goals in their first three games and going just 1-2 to begin the year. That's not a comforting with a tough schedule immediately ahead for Florida.
Check out last week's rankings here.
Filed under: Sports

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