Carter's NHL Power Rankings: November 10

The San Jose Sharks are by far the best regular season team we’ve seen over the past few years. The story is the same this year. They lead the league with 28 points, 13 wins, they have the 2nd best offense and are also a top-ten defensive team. Oh! And they have three guys in the top ten in scoring (Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Dan Heatley.) Dan Boyle is also playing like the best defenseman in the Western Conference at this point. With that said, here’s my NHL Power Rankings through November 10.

1. San Jose Sharks (13-4-2, 28 points)
As I mentioned above, the Sharks are currently the only team to have three players in the top ten in scoring. They have scored 20 more goals than their opponents this season (best in the NHL.)

2. Philadelphia Flyers (9-4-1, 19 points)
Despite them only having 19 points, They have been getting great goaltending from Ray Emery. The Flyers have given up only 37 goals this season so far (third lowest total in the NHL)

3. Washington Capitals (11-3-4, 26 points)
Even though Alexander Ovechkin hasn’t been playing recently, the Capitals have still managed to have the top offense in the NHL. They have scored a league-best 70 goals to this point.

4. Colorado Avalanche (12-4-3, 27 points)
Avs goalie Craig Anderson has a league-leading 558 saves to this point, which tops all goalies in the NHL. No other goalie has even reached 500 yet. 

5. Calgary Flames (11-4-1, 23 points)
I had this team as my dark horse to win the West this year, and so far they are making me look like a genius with that pick. Jarome Iginla continues to rock!

6. Chicago Blackhawks (10-5-2, 22 points)
The Blackhawks continue to protect their home ice very well. They hold the NHL’s best home record (8-2-1).

7. Buffalo Sabres (10-4-1, 21 points)
If Ryan Miller wasn’t so awesome, the Sabres would not be in the top ten. Miller currently has a 1.82 goals against average (best among NHL goalies.) the Sabres have only given up 34 goals; the lowest in the league.

8. New Jersey Devils (12-4-0, 24 points)
New Jersey continues to play like the great defensive-minded team that they are. They’ve only given up 34 goals this season, which is tied for the league’s best with the Buffalo Sabres. They also haven’t lost on the road yet this season!

9. New York Rangers (10-7-1, 21 points)
Henrik Lundqvist currently leads all Eastern Conference goalies with 405 saves.

10. Pittsburgh Penguins (12-6-0, 24 points)
Alex Goligoski is a defenseman and all, but he currently leads all defenseman in goals with six.

11. Los Angeles Kings (11-6-2, 24 points)
Anze Kopitar continues to lead the league with 30 total points, and tied with the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin with 14 goals. The Kings offense as a whole isn’t doing so bad either. They’ve racked up 63 goals to this point. Only the Sharks and Capitals have more.

12. Phoenix Coyotes (10-7-0, 20 points)
Ilya Bryzgalov is currently the only goalie with three shutouts this season.

13. Detroit Red Wings (8-5-3, 19 points)
These guys should get slapped in the face for losing to the Maple Leafs, but the win over the Sharks makes up for it.

14. Atlanta Thrashers (7-6-1, 15 points)

15. Dallas Stars (7-4-6, 20 points)
The Stars currently have six overtime losses this season (tied for most in the NHL).

16. Vancouver Canucks (10-9-0, 20 points)
Kevin Bieska leads the league in penalty minutes with 61.

17. Ottawa Senators (8-5-2, 18 points)

18. Boston Bruins (8-7-2, 18 points)

19. St. Louis Blues (6-6-4, 16 points)

20. Edmonton Oilers (8-9-2, 18 points)

21. Anaheim Ducks (6-8-2, 14 points)

22. New York Islanders (6-6-6, 18 points)
The Islanders aren’t nearly as bad as they were last season, but they still can’t get it done on the road. They currently hold a 1-4-4 record away from Long Island.

23. Tampa Bay Lightning (6-4-5, 17 points)
Antero Niittymaki currently top the lead in save percentage (.940)

24. Montreal Canadiens (8-10-0, 16 points)

25. Minnesota Wild (7-10-0, 14 points)

26. Columbus Blue Jackets (9-6-2, 20 points)

27. Nashville Predators (7-8-1, 15 points)
The Preds have only scored on 11.9% of their power play chances, which is the worst in the entire NHL.

28. Florida Panthers (5-9-1, 11 points)

29. Toronto Maple Leafs (3-8-5, 11 points)
If the Maple Leafs play the entire season with the opponents playing a man short, they might actually play well. Despite their bad record, they have scored on 24.6% of their power play chances, which is third-best in the league.

30. Carolina Hurricanes (2-12-3, 7 points)
The hurricanes have been outscored by a combined 30 goals this season (worst in the NHL). They are also 0-7-2 on the road so far.