NHL Western Conference Power Rankings

The 2009-10 NHL season has broken itself wide open with a wide range of results and news in the Western Conference, so it's time for a first look at conference power rankings.

A few items of note before we get into the rankings:

Detroit will be without Johan Franzen for 4-6 months with a torn ACL.

Chicago will continue to miss Marian Hossa until the middle of November.

Vancouver loses Daniel Sedin and Sami Salo both for four-to-six weeks with a broken foot and sprained knee, respectively.

Calgary blew a five-goal first-period lead on the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, tying the record for biggest comeback in league history.

With those nuggets out of the way, let's rank the Western Conference teams.

No. 15—Minnesota Wild

Record: 1-3-0
PTS: 2
GF: 10 GA: 15

They brought in Martin Havlat, formerly of Chicago, to spark their offense. So far, it hasn't worked; the Wild have been far from their team name, scoring 10 goals through four games.

No. 14—Anaheim Ducks

Record: 2-2-1
PTS: 5
GF: 13 GA: 14

They liked what they saw from Jonas Hiller last year, but the offense just hasn't been there. The Ducks are averaging under three goals per contest.

No. 13—Nashville Predators

Record: 2-2-0
PTS: 4
GF: 7 GA: 11

Dan Ellis is trying, he really is. But when your offense is supporting you with less than two goals per night, it's really hard for a goalie to get wins. The fact that they're .500 is a miracle, considering their offense so far.

No. 12—Dallas Stars

Record: 1-0-3
PTS: 5
GF: 14 GA: 14

They've lost three in a row in overtime, which is a rough way to put a season together out of the gates. And, from the looks of this photo, they haven't won fights on the ice, either.

No. 11—Vancouver Canucks

Record: 2-3-0
PTS: 4
GF: 17 GA: 17

They're going to be without both Daniel Sedin and Sami Salo for between four and six weeks, and their defense is already being abused to the tune of more than four goals per game. It's going to be a rough month without two good veterans.

No. 10—Detroit Red Wings

Record: 2-3-0
PTS: 4
GF: 14 GA: 19

The loss of Johan Franzen, when placed into the context of the reigning Western Conference champions already trying to mitigate the departures of Tomas Kopecky, Jiri Hudler, and Marian Hossa, is a tough pill to swallow.

With the exception of the game against Chicago, Chris Osgood has been human this year, allowing more than four goals per game.

No. 9— St. Louis Blues

Record: 2-2-0
PTS: 4
GF: 12 GA: 12

Again, another Western Conference team that had fair expectations coming into the season that has struggled to find their offense. Their defense has held up their end of the bargain, and the Blues are an across-the-board .500 team.

No. 8—Phoenix Coyotes

Record: 3-2-0
PTS: 6
GF: 11 GA: 7

They're barely scoring two goals per game, but they've only allowed seven in five games. Amazingly ironic that the best offensive player in the history of the game leaves the bench just weeks before the season starts and the Coyotes become a defensive monster.

No. 7—San Jose Sharks

Record: 3-2-1
PTS: 7
GF: 20 GA: 18

The addition of Dany Heatley—no matter what his former fans think—has helped the Sharks offense. They're scratching by at three goals allowed per game and just 3.6 goals scored per game, but at the end of the day it's all about accumulating points, which they're doing well.

No. 6—Calgary Flames

Record: 4-2-1
PTS: 9
GF: 25 GA: 25

They were climbing the power rankings quickly until a devastating last 48 hours, when they suffered a biblical loss to Chicago and then to Columbus. They've played the most games in the Western Conference, and will need to get over the emotional scars from the Blackhawks game quickly after dropping consecutive games.

No. 5—Edmonton Oilers

Record: 3-1-1
PTS: 7
GF: 20 G: 15

The Oilers are scoring one full goal per game more than they're allowing, a trend that certainly looks strong moving forward.

No. 4—Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 4-1-0
PTS: 8
GF: 14 GA: 11

They're off to a strong start behind captain Rick Nash, but they aren't scoring three goals per game. Their offense will need to pick up to maintain their perch near the top of the conference.

No. 3—Los Angeles Kings

Record: 4-1-0
PTS: 8
GF: 19 GA: 15

Their offense is getting them almost four goals per game, and they're holding opponents to just three. They rank third, though, because their PK is at only 63 percent. That will need to improve to stay near the top in the Western Conference.

No. 2—Colorado Avalanche

Record: 4-1-1
PTS: 9
GF: 21 GA: 13

Craig Anderson has been solid in the net, allowing just over two goals per game while the offense is giving him more than 3.5 goals per game of support. Continuing their hot start could get them home-ice advantage to start the playoffs.

No. 1—Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 3-1-1
PTS: 7
GF: 19 GA: 15

They've handled Colorado and Calgary in back-to-back thrillers to open their home schedule after a tough loss in Detroit's home opener. Their five-goal comeback against Calgary showed moxie beyond the years of young leaders Patrick Kane (20) and Jonathan Toews (21).

If they can get even average goaltending—and add Marian Hossa to the offense in November—they could be a force into May.