NHL Power Rankings (Jan. 18): Western Conference Looking Superior So Far

In the seasonal battle between the Eastern and Western Conferences of the National Hockey League, it's always a tight fight for which half reigns supreme.

But this year, the winner is unanimous, even at the midway point. The Western cowboys, well...they just seem to be too good for the annual dynasties of the East Coast this season.

The dominance is clear in all levels of the standings. The first glimpse of the West's domination is at the top spot, where the Chicago Blackhawks roll over the East's Washington Capitals by six points.

At the playoff cutoff line, the Eastern Conference's tie at eighth place between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders (each with 50 points) cannot compete with the West's current cutoff line of 57 points, held by the Los Angeles Kings.

Even in the cellar of the standings, the Western Conference's bottom three combine for 131 points, edging the East's bottom three total of 122.

So, it's definitely clear which conference is looking like the better this season. But, you say, "What about the teams?"

Well then, welcome to the January 18th edition of NHL Power Rankings.

(Points Per Game: Points in Standings divided by Games Played)

1. Chicago Blackhawks (72 Pts)

PPG: 1.47

After a huge meltdown early last week against Minnesota, the Hawks rebounded just like a top team would. Chicago has won three in a row and eight of their last 10.

2. San Jose Sharks (70 pts)

PPG: 1.43

The Sharks still aren't at the top of their conference, but the Heatley and Marleau duo have kept San Jose in the top five for nearly the entire year. They have also earned San Jose 15 points in 10 games.

3. Washington Capitals (66 pts)

PPG: 1.38

The Capitals' goaltending is as inconsistent as the stock market, and that's before you  take into account that the player who is actually starting is also just as unpredictable. But even with the questions in goal, that offense sure can earn them plenty of wins.

4. Buffalo Sabres (64 pts)

PPG: 1.39

Ryan Miller has been playing at a high level since the first game of the season, and he hasn't slowed at all since. The Sabres haven't lost a regulation game since December 23rd.

5. New Jersey Devils (65 pts)

PPG: 1.41

They've cooled down a little recently, but the Devils are still a very dangerous team that will compete for the Eastern Conference title.

6. Nashville Predators (61 pts)

PPG: 1.27

The Predators still haven't really gotten an "under the radar" title, much less any appearance on the dynasty radar. But that's just the way a balanced southern team likes it...just look at the Hurricanes of last year!

7. Vancouver Canucks (58 pts)

PPG: 1.21

Despite a quiet season, the Canucks have recovered from a slow first quarter to burst back onto the scene this winter. The Sedin brothers (106 points combined) have led Vancouver to an impressive 6-2-2 record in their last 10 games.

8. Phoenix Coyotes (61 pts)

PPG: 1.24

The Coyotes have been at the top of the West for practically the whole year, but a recent lull has resurfaced the doubters that perhaps Phoenix won’t have the playoff experience to compete under pressure in a tough, tough conference.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (61 pts)

PPG: 1.22

The Penguins have fallen slightly off their New Year’s Day plateau, having gone just 4-6 in their last 10 matches, but they won the Stanley Cup last season with a far worse regular season than they have had so far in 2009-2010.

10. Colorado Avalanche (60 pts)

PPG: 1.25

The Avalanche are as hot as they’ve been all year with their current three-game win streak, but I still have some wonders about how consistent and productive Colorado can be down the stretch with such a young, rookie-filled squad.

11. Detroit Red Wings (56 pts)

PPG: 1.17

Detroit isn’t coming close to the standard they set last season, which is readily apparent in their conversion of opportunities. After a brief hot run to pull them within one point of eighth place, the Wings have failed to convert their last two games into points to knock themselves into the upper eight.

12. Los Angeles Kings (57 pts)

PPG: 1.19

Los Angeles is getting dangerously close to the playoff cutoff line, which usually is a bad sign for an overachieving, underage team. I have confidence that the energetic set of youngsters the Kings management has put together is talented enough not to fall apart under pressure.

13. Calgary Flames (58 pts)

PPG: 1.18

The Flames might sound fiery and hot, but their play over the last six weeks would be more fitting more a team called the “Blizzards.” The run has been cold and ugly, and it’s gotten the Flames in some trouble with their consistency feeling confident of holding a playoff position.

14. Boston Bruins (54 pts)

PPG: 1.15

The Bruins are below .500 in their last 10 games and not looking nearly like the team they fielded last year. Boston should get credit for continuing to stick around despite  suffering from so many prevalent and serious injuries.

15. New York Rangers (53 pts)

PPG: 1.08

The Rangers have dropped just two regulation games in their last three or so weeks, but they need to find someone besides Marian Gaborik to get the puck in the net.

16. Ottawa Senators (52 pts)

PPG: 1.06

After a 2-6 slump, the Sens have won back-to-back games but are still not nearly on the upper side of the playoff bubble.

17. New York Islanders (50 pts)

PPG: 1.04

The Islanders currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference They have won three straight and seven of 10. Despite all the good signs, they must continue to fight steadily until the second week of April if they want to sneak into the playoffs.

18. Anaheim Ducks (51 pts)

PPG: 1.04

The Ducks might be 6-4 in their last 10 games, but Anaheim still has a lot of work to do to get back into the playoff picture in a ridiculously tight playoff race. They also need to improve their success away from home, where they have just seven wins in 24 games.

19. St. Louis Blues (49 pts)

PPG: 1.04

The Blues have been dormant so far, but a four-game winning streak has given fans and experts a small glimpse of what might be comeing in spring.

20. Dallas Stars (51 pts)

PPG: 1.06

Simply put, it’s been a disappointing year for most of those affiliated with the Stars team. With a dreary 4-6 record in their last 10 and hopes of a weeklong winning streak seeming far-fetched, the 100 Texans that actually follow hockey have already classified this year as just another un-exciting, playoff-less season. There’s obviously still hope left, but it just doesn’t seem that the Stars have much energy left in the tank.

21. Philadelphia Flyers (49 pts)

PPG: 1.04

After a remarkable 6-1-1 streak, the Flyers have dropped their last two. It has brought a confused Philadelphia team within a point of a tie for eighth place in the conference.

22. Minnesota Wild (51 pts)

PPG: 1.04

So, the Wild had a hot run at home, but then slumped once they got away from Minnesota. How expectable, considering they have a 16-6-1 record in Minneapolis yet an 8-16-2 record away from there. Like Anaheim, Minnesota is certainly not dead yet, but they have a lot of work to do.

23. Montreal Canadiens (50 pts)

PPG: 1.00

With just a 1.00 points-per-game average, the Canadiens are lucky to be in a tie for a playoff spot…but I do have a feeling that Montreal could become a very hot team between now and the Olympic break in the latter half of February.

24. Atlanta Thrashers (49 pts)

PPG: 1.04

The Thrashers looked iffy last Saturday in Carolina, but their hard-fought win, put together despite some tough stretches, could give the Thrashers a little jump in the bleakest part of winter.

25. Florida Panthers (48 pts)

PPG: 1.00

The Panthers have won their last two games, but we’re going to need to hear a lot more from Florida in the next couple months and around the trade deadline if they want to make a second-half push for the postseason.

26. Tampa Bay Lightning (46 pts)

PPG: 0.98

Tampa Bay is still above .500 in their last 10 games, but a two-game drought makes a their important divisional game against the Hurricanes, who the Lightning have lost eight of their last nine against, a crucial one for the dwindling hope of a post-April year.

27. Columbus Blue Jackets (45 pts)

PPG: 0.90

The Jackets have just 45 points in 50 games and three wins in their last 10. They are currently on a three-game losing streak. If Columbus doesn’t change something quickly,  shaky sophomore goalie Steve Mason will become trade bait, and the franchise’s future in Ohio will be in doubt.

28. Toronto Maple Leafs (41 pts)

PPG: 0.84

It’s hard to imagine a three-season stretch like this for the Maple Leafs, but Toronto has barely shown any life at all over the past 30 months. A 3-7 record in their last 10 isn’t helping, either.

29. Carolina Hurricanes (35 pts)

PPG: 0.74

Well, at least they’re not last in the power rankings. But, they are last in the NHL standings, and you can only blame a third of that on injuries. The Hurricanes have shown plenty of life over the past six or seven weeks, but they haven’t been able to put enough wins together to draw any more attention.

However, the rebuilding year that is becoming more and more inevitable for the ‘Canes is unlikely to hurt the franchise for the future. In fact, it may help them. It has given management a taste of what needs to change and allowed the team to shave off their over-their-prime stars (Rod Brind’Amour, Eric Cole, Aaron Ward, Scott Walker) in exchange for younger, higher potential talent—defensemen Brett Carson (1 goal, 3 assists) and Bryan Rodney (5 assists), forward Patrick Dwyer (3 goals, 2 assists) and standout youngster Brandon Sutter (11 goals, 8 assists).

30. Edmonton Oilers (37 pts)

PPG: 0.79

It’s been such terrible season for the Oilers, that it’s hard to realize they’ve actually been worse recently. Their latest run of one win in 10 games has knocked the confidence in Alberta, which has been declining steadily since their Stanley Cup run of 2006, to perhaps an all-time low.

Mark Jones is currently Bleacher Report's featured columnist for the Carolina Hurricanes. In his 16 months so far with the site, he has written over 150 articles and received almost 100,000 total reads.

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