NHL Power Rankings: October 29th

NHL Power Rankings

October 19th Edition

1. Detroit Red Wings (15 pts, 7-1-1)
2. San Jose Sharks (16 pts, 8-2-0)
3. Montreal Canadiens (13 pts, 6-1-1)
4. Minnesota Wild (13 pts, 6-0-1)
5. Pittsburgh Penguins (13 pts, 5-3-2)
6. New York Rangers (19 pts, 9-2-1)
7. Buffalo Sabres (14 pts, 6-1-2)
8. Calgary Flames (11 pts, 5-3-1)
9. Washington Capitals (11 pts, 5-3-1)
10. Boston Bruins (13 pts, 5-2-3)
11. New Jersey Devils (11 pts, 5-2-1)
12. Carolina Hurricanes (10 pts, 4-2-2)
13. Anaheim Ducks (10 pts, 5-5-0)
14. Colorado Avalanche (10 pts, 5-4-0)
15. Dallas Stars (8 pts, 3-4-2)
16. Philadelphia Flyers (9 pts, 3-3-3)
17. Chicago Blackhawks (9 pts, 3-3-3)
18. Toronto Maple Leafs (9 pts, 3-3-3)
19. St. Louis Blues(10 pts, 5-3-0)
20. Florida Panthers (8 pts, 4-4-0)
21. Nashville Predators (9 pts, 4-4-1)
22. Ottawa Senators (7 pts, 3-5-1)
23. Edmonton Oilers (9 pts, 4-3-1)
24. Vancouver Canucks (8 pts, 4-5-0)
25. Phoenix Coyotes (6 pts, 3-4-0)
26. Tampa Bay Lightning (7 pts, 2-3-3)
27. New York Islanders (4 pts, 2-6-0)
28. Columbus Blue Jackets (6 pts, 3-6-0)
29. Los Angeles Kings (7 pts, 3-4-1)
30. Atlanta Thrashers (6 pts, 2-5-2)

This week has been settling for the National Hockey League (NHL) and many of its teams.

The Flyers, after a horrific start, have gotten back to the efficient style of play that got them to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Blues, Canucks, and Oilers all settled back down to their mediocre selves after impressive starts. The Flames, Bruins, Ducks, and Avalanche have all started winning games after slow starts. The Thrashers, after a decent start, looked like they were back at their usual level of play: awful.

There are also some others who haven't settled and look like they might be our surprise teams of the year. The Sabres, Blues, and Wild are looking great, while the Islanders and Senators aren't having the best opening four weeks.

All of the first seven teams in the above power rankings are having excellent starts, some of which were expected, and a few others not. The Sharks, Red Wings, Canadiens, and Penguins are continuing to live up to preseason expectations and look like the elite teams in their conference.

Spots eight to twelve are all teams that look like they have potential, and have had fairly good starts, but haven't shown us any supremacy yet this year.

The middle eleven, from ranks 13 to 23, have done fine so far, but we are still looking for them to show the NHL that they are playoff-caliber teams.

Lastly, the bottom bunch, spots No. 24 to the bottom, are not doing very well this year. A combined record of 19-33-6 certainly isn't going to make you look like hockey powerhouses. It must be noted that the Thrashers started a fair 2-2-2, but since then they have gone back to looking like the ol' Trashers we've known.

If you question your team's placement, want to show me your own rankings, would like to receive more insight on something in these power rankings, or would just like to post your opinion on these rankings, feel free to comment openly on this article.

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