The Happy New Year edition of Carter’s NHL Power Rankings are here. agree? disagree? well drop a comment if so. ENJOY!
So here's my version of the top 30 NHL teams...
1. San Jose Sharks (27-4-4, 58 points)
With all the Sharks have accomplished the first three months of the regular season, the one thing they realize is they haven’t really accomplished anything at all.
Under McLellan, the Sharks have had success with a new system that stresses throwing pucks at the net. Not to be overlooked, however, is the change of personnel on the blue line. The addition of veterans Dan Boyle, Rob Blake and Brad Lukowich have not only been welcome additions to McLellan’s uptempo system, it has added needed experience and leadership on the backline.
2. Boston Bruins (26-5-4, 56 points)
Is anybody else aware that this team has lost only once this month? The Bruins are now my new favorite to win the East. Just like the Sharks, no matter who they have in goal, they will have a great shot at winning. Wins over the Blues, Devils, and Hurricanes boosting up my confidence in this team. Major props to Claude Julien.
3. Detroit Red Wings (23-7-5, 51 points)
Not the best week in the world for the Wings, only one win over the Blues, then suffering losses to the Predators and Avalanche. I still do believe that the Red Wings have enough talent that is scary enough go a long way, just like last year. They did spank the Sharks last week, but nobody knows what could happen in a seven-game series.
4. Washington Capitals (22-11-3, 47 points)
I absolutely guarantee that this team is going to win the Southeast Division. Wins over the Rangers and Sabres give them a bit of a push. Alexander Ovechkin is officially back and is still awesome. He has enough talent around him to carry with him into the playoffs. Consider this team a dark horse in the playoffs if they don’t collapse from here on.
5. New York Rangers (22-13-3, 47 points)
The Rangers sorta dropped off a bit in the rankings. They were No. 1 at the beginning of the year and now they’ve lost three straight. I’m not so sure if this team has the right players to have the best chemistry to win games. I think that the Rangers have too many random players and could be shopping a little bit around trade-deadline time. This team has a great deal of centers in Gomez, Drury, and Dubinsky but don’t be surprised if they do a lot of shopping around from here into the trade deadline.
6. Philadelphia Flyers (19-10-7, 45 points)
Jeff Carter is sweeter than cinnamon toast crunch. He is the man. Simon Gagne is pretty good too. Another dark horse in the East, no doubt. However, they have dropped off a bit. Losses to the Devils, Blackhawks, and the Blue Jackets hurt them a lot but this team has great players to make the playoffs and are another dark horse in the East, much like the Capitals.
7. Chicago Blackhawks (19-6-7, 45 points)
I’m pretty sure that this team forgot how to lose hockey games. The Blackhawks are young and are filled with fantastic talent and only have one loss this month (a one goal loss to the Red Wings). Patrick and Patrick are leading the way and I am so high on the Hawks, it’s not even funny.
Ever since Joel Quenneville stepped in, this team went from “young and not much to play for this year” to “young fantastic talent, and forgot how to lose hockey games”. If this keeps it up, the Blackhawks are going to be a team that nobody wants to play come March and April (possibly May if they’re lucky).
8. Calgary Flames (20-11-4, 44 points)
Not surprising that Jarome Iginla is the top player. Mike Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi are both playing great as well. They are a top ten for a reason. That reason is simply Miikka Kiprusoff as he currently leads the NHL in wins and tied for second in shutouts.
This team is a team nobody wants to play anytime soon. Wins over the Ducks and Senators are not too surprising. I’m giving this team props for being a top ten team for the past five years and to Mr. Iginla on being a great winner).
9. Montreal Canadiens (19-9-6, 44 points)
I mentioned a few weeks ago that the Andrei Markov is one of the top runners for the Norris Trophy. The Canadiens pretty much don’t have very good defensemen other than Markov, hands down. Carey Price is still awesome. Quiet week for the Habs with barely losing to the Hurricanes and a six day absence, followed by a win over the Penguins.
Still a top ten team for many reasons, but the Devils, Penguins, and Canucks could have something to say about that.
10. New Jersey Devils (20-11-3, 43 points)
So Ive officially decided that Scott Clemmensen isn’t as bad as I first thought. He’s gone 12-5-1 in his 18 starts. Personally, I’d take that record any day. For a Christmas week, they had a very busy week.
Wins over their rival Rangers and Flyers, and losses to the mighty Bruins and the Eastern Conference Champion Penguins. I do believe that the Devils, led by either Clemmensen of Brodeur, will indeed make the playoffs as a five, six, seven, or eight seed.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins (19-13-4, 42 points)
So the Penguins get two wins and two losses last week. I’ve mentioned a few other times that the Pens are one of the more talented teams in the NHL and one of the few teams that actually excite me, mainly because of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And Marc-Andre Fleury who has been emerging for the past few years.
They barely squeeze by the Sabres and Devils and lose to the sorry Lightning and Canadiens. Not too much to be alarmed about with the two losses last week. They still have great leaders in Crosby and Malkin and I’m still waiting for Ruslan Fedotenko to get a bit more of a push.
12. Vancouver Canucks (19-14-3, 41 points)
so the Canucks have been falling off a bit over the past few weeks. They were in the top five in the rankings not too long ago. The Sedin twins are the top two on the team in points (as of Monday afternoon, Daniel’s 37 points, and Henrik with his 32). Its been the same thing for the past three seasons or so.
If the Canucks can score enough goals to get the pressure off Luongo, this team can be a dark horse (there’s those words again) for the West. Pavol Demitra isn’t playing too bad since he arrived in Vancouver.
13. Anaheim Ducks (18-14-4, 40 points)
The Ducks are a little lower in my rankings than what I thought they would be at this point into the season. They slipped over a huge banana peel this past week wit losses to the Canucks, Flames, and Stars.
I’m still a little confused about whether this team can get it together a little more or if they are just going to go 18-14-4 over the next 36 games (again, not as good as I first thought)
14. Buffalo Sabres (17-14-5, 39 points)
The Sabres have gone 6-5-2 in December. They beat the pathetic Islanders two nights ago and also lost to the Penguins and Capitals. Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville aren’t necessarily stars but they have been doing a fairly decent job at being the leading forwards for this team.
But lets be honest with one another: Ever sicne the Sabres captured the Presidents Trophy a few years ago, they haven’t been able to get back to “Elite” level and are having trouble getting the real job done.
I’m sure Sabres fans are really itching for something big to happen. Conference finalists could be pretty cool, but still, many would consider anything other than the Cup in Buffalo a failure. I feel for Sabres’ fans, I really do. They just can’t get over the hump.
However, I do believe they could be a piece or two away from a major push towards that elite group of Stanley Cup contenders.
15. Carolina Hurricanes (17-15-5, 39 points)
The team in the middle of the pack is the Hurricanes. An interesting week for the Canes with wins last week over the Canadiens and Thrashers and losses to the Wild and the amazing Bruins.
The Hurricanes look as if they’re ready to ride it out with Cam Ward as their goaltender. He’s capable of being exceptional, though often he has been ordinary the last couple of seasons.
Paul Maurice loves to have a goalie and loves to stick with that one goalie. Cam Ward is the man in Raleigh. Let’s get that straight. Maurice made former goalie Arturs Irbe a fixture in the lineup during part of his first coaching go-around with the Hurricanes.
Maurice has given every indication that he intends to give Ward a chance to experience the same treatment.
16. Phoenix Coyotes (17-15-5, 39 points)
Snap out of it.
That’s the Coyotes’ mission New Year’s Eve against the Colorado Avalanche. The few days off should help after they played four games in six nights. The Coyotes, near the bottom of the NHL in power-play conversions, are looking for redemption after going 0-for-9 in their shutout loss to the Kings.
17. Colorado Avalanche (18-16-1, 37 points)
Barring a trade for a top center, the Avalanche will be counting on two struggling players to anchor the top forward lines until Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny recover from long-term injuries.
Tyler Arnason, who has gone 24 games without a goal, has been elevated to the No. 1 unit with left wing Ryan Smyth and right wing Milan Hejduk. T.J. Hensick, who has one goal in 22 games since his Nov. 6 recall from the minors, is skating on the second line between left wing Wojtek Wolski and right wing David Jones, though Marek Svatos also is getting time on the right side.
Those were the combinations Saturday in the Avalanche’s 4-3 shootout win over Detroit, and they’ll remain that way Monday against the Nashville Predators at the Pepsi Center.
Sakic is sidelined until mid-March with back and left hand injuries, and Stastny is out indefinitely with a fractured right forearm.
18. Florida Panthers (16-14-5, 37 points)
The Panthers ran into a team that played hard and hit hard and got just one of four points in a weekend home-and-home against Tampa Bay. The Lightning had been in last place in the Southeast Division, but those four points enabled Tampa to pass Atlanta and move into fourth.
Florida, which had won its first two meetings with the Lightning this season, has lost just three games in regulation since starting its hot streak with a win over Carolina on Nov. 24. The Panthers’ loss Saturday was their first in regulation since they lost at Vancouver on Dec. 14.
The Panthers go back home for a one-night-only affair with Montreal, then hit the road again with games at the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh, Montreal and Toronto. After that trip, however, Florida has only one more road game (at Tampa Bay) in the entire month of January before playing at the Islanders on Jan. 31.
19. Nashville Predators (17-14-3, 37 points)
Scoring has been at a premium no matter what line combinations coach Barry Trotz throws on the ice. Right wing Martin Erat appears to have found his offensive abilities again. J.P. Dumont is an assist machine, but he needs to find the back of the net with some shots of his own. He has not scored since Dec. 8 and center and team captain Jason Arnott has not scored since Dec. 1.
20. Los Angeles Kings (15-15-6, 36 points)
It’s one thing to be inconsistent, but the Kings often can’t even be consistently inconsistent.
One night the Kings have a bad first period; the next night, it’s the third period, maybe the second. Perhaps both. Such up-and-down play isn’t abnormal for a young team, but coach Terry Murray is focused on improving the situation.
After Friday night’s loss to Phoenix in which the Kings slumbered through the first two periods, then played a brilliant third period only to fall 2-1, Murray, typically calm and patient, displayed some frustration with his players.
21. Minnesota Wild (17-14-2, 36 points)
Stuck in a funk, Minnesota has little time to figure it all out.
Its loss Sunday to Chicago means the Wild has fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference. And with a game in Calgary on Monday followed by games Wednesday against San Jose and Saturday against Detroit, there is a scary picture coming into focus.
For Minnesota to rebound, the team will have to rely on its steady forward Mikko Koivu—who can play a bit of defense as well.
22. Dallas Stars (15-14-5, 35 points)
When the Stars gave up a late go-ahead goal early in the season, it usually meant they were finished. There wasn’t much going right for the Stars at that point, and every bad thing that happened seemed to affect them in the worst possible way.
But something is different. The Stars aren’t letting those get to them as much. They’re keeping their heads, keeping their focus. And that has helped them get a lot more points in recent games.
It certainly didn’t hurt them on Saturday night against the Anaheim Ducks. With Anaheim up 3-2 after Brenden Morrison’s goal with about 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation, the Stars went on the offensive. They dug, clawed and did everything necessary to keep the puck in their possession. They got the Ducks chasing. And then they hit paydirt to force overtime.
A month ago, that just didn’t happen. Maybe the Stars are finding their confidence. Or maybe it’s something else.
23. Edmonton Oilers (16-14-3, 35 points)
Finally, some light at the end of the Edmonton Oilers’ tunnel.
It has been a long and often frustrating start to the season for a club that began the year with such high expectations. A brutal schedule (18 of their first 26 were on the road), an overpopulation problem in net (three goalies on the roster since September) and scoring slumps all over the place made for some very troubled waters.
But three solid wins in a row have lifted Edmonton into a share of eighth place and restored their confidence in themselves and there season.
24. Toronto Maple Leafs (14-15-6, 34 points)
It’s time for the Leafs to make some hay at home.
With four upcoming games at the Air Canada Centre and reeling from two straight road losses by a combined 8-2 score, the Leafs need to prevent the gap between eighth place and their sub-.500 record from getting any larger.
They start with the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday, then the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, all teams in their general vicinity in the Eastern Conference standings. The Leafs are 6-6-4 at the ACC.
The problem for Toronto is that every night of late, a different area of the team has struggled, from goalie Vesa Toskala, to lack of finish by the offense to Sunday night’s breakdowns on defense that helped the Washington Capitals to a 4-1 win.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets (15-16-4, 34 points)
The moment of reckoning is upon the Blue Jackets.
Beginning Monday in Los Angeles, the Blue Jackets will play six straight road games, a season-long road trip that starts on the West Coast and ends on the East Coast, Jan. 9 at Washington.
By the time they return to Columbus, the season will be half over, and the possibility of the Blue Jackets staying in the playoff chase will be more in focus.
First off, they have to start winning on the road.
The Jackets are 0-6-1 in their last seven road games.
26. St. Louis Blues (14-18-3, 31 points)
The Blues had a chance to win back-to-back games Sunday for the first time since late November, but they gave up a third-period lead against Anaheim and proved that they struggle to finish games. That’s basically the bottom line. Not much more to say on this team because the Blues aren’t exciting to watch anymore.
27. Tampa Bay Lightning (10-16-9, 29 points)
Goals have been at a premium for the Lightning this season—their goals-per-game average has been the lowest in the league. But it wasn’t a problem Saturday as Tampa Bay poured six goals on its in-state rival Florida to complete a home-and-home sweep of the Panthers.
Tampa Bay has won three consecutive games and will look to extend that to a season-best four straight on Tuesday against Montreal.
In recent games, Tampa Bay has been getting secondary scoring production from the likes of Evgeny Artyukhin, Matt Pettinger and Paul Szechura while the top line had been mostly absent. But the line of Marty St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier and Ryan Malone packed the offensive punch on Saturday as the Lightning set a season high in goals scored.
28. Ottawa Senators (12-16-5, 29 points)
Just before Christmas, the Senators called an end to the mustache growing they had been doing in the name of team unity.
At the rate their going now, they might want to consider fake beards and dark glasses. Disguises could be in order when they return to Ottawa.
The Senators never really challenged the Vancouver Canucks in what would be their 12th consecutive road loss. They mustered just 18 shots at goalie Curtis Sanford and had no more than two or three decent scoring chances all night.
It was their second three-goal defeat in 24 hours and, with Tuesday’s game in Edmonton next up as the fourth on a string of eight consecutive road games, they are showing no signs of turning the corner.
The effort level that coach Craig Hartsburg has complained about on and off this season appears to be at an all-time low. The Senators have won just two of their last nine games and, with Sunday’s loss in Vancouver, were a full 10 points away from the final playoff spot.
Whether it’s a trade or firing, something needs to be done.
29. Atlanta Thrashers (12-19-4, 28 points)
For most of the first half of the season, rookie defenseman Nathan Oystrick has been a pleasant surprise for Atlanta. However, in the past two games, Oystrick has made mistakes that define him exactly for what he is: a rookie.
Two nights after Oystrick barely got a piece of Eric Staal as the powerful Hurricanes forward flew past him en route to his third goal of the game, Oystrick drifted out of position for a brief second as Michael Ryder slipped behind him and scored Sunday’s game-winning goal for the Bruins.
With Boston’s David Krejci carrying the puck down the left side into the Atlanta zone, Veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider had the play covered. Then, Oystrick slid over the Schneider’s side of the ice to offer some help he didn’t need. Krejci quickly realized the opening Oystrick had created, pulled up and slid a perfect pass to Ryder, who broke hard to the far side of the net and tapped the puck past Kari Lehtonen.
On the bright side, Oystrick’s slight gaffe was one of the few mistakes Atlanta made all night. Facing a team that has won eight straight, Atlanta actually out-shot the Bruins and suffered from yet another series of bad bounces. If there is such a thing as a good loss, this one would qualify.
30. New York Islanders (11-21-4, 26 points)
One win was enough. For now, that is.
Emerging with a slightly sore groin after stopping a 10-game losing streak in his first appearance in two months, All-Star goalie Rick DiPietro was spared Saturday’s trip to Buffalo. The plan is to get him back between the pipes when the Islanders visit the rival Rangers in New York on Monday.
DiPietro stopped Toronto, 4-1, on Friday in his first game since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Oct. 31. And the Isles left him home rather than subject him to traveling, looking to approach their franchise player’s return cautiously with games on consecutive nights.
Carter’s Top 25 Players
1. Evgeni Malkin (Penguins)
2. Alexander Ovechkin (Capitals)
3. Sidney Crosby (Penguins)
4. Marc Savard (Bruins)
5. Zach Parise (Devils)
6. Ryan Getzlaf (Ducks)
7. Jeff Carter (Flyers)
8. Patrick Kane (Blackhawks)
9. Joe Thornton (Sharks)
10. Patrick Marleau (Sharks)
11. Simon Gagne (Flyers)
12. Jarome Iginla (Flames)
13. Nicklas Backstrom (Capitals)
14. Patrik Elias (Devils)
15. Mike Richards (Flyers)
16. Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings)
17. David Krejci (Bruins)
18. Phil Kessel (Bruins)
19. Devin Setoguchi (Sharks)
20. Shane Doan (Coyotes)
21. Ilya Kovalchuk (Thrashers)
22. Mikko Koivu (Wild)
23. Ales Hemsky (Oilers)
24. Marian Hossa (Red Wings)
25. Slava Kozlov (Thrashers)
Carter’s Top 15 Defensemen
1. Dan Boyle (Sharks)
2. Shea Weber (Predators)
3. Mark Streit (Islanders)
4. Sheldon Souray (Oilers)
5. Brian Campbell (Blackhawks)
6. Andrei Markov (Canadiens)
7. Brian Rafalski (Red Wings)
8. Rob Blake (Sharks)
9. Nicklas Lidstrom (Red Wings)
10. Kimmo Timonen (Flyers)
11. Tomas Kaberle (Maple Leafs)
12. Dion Phaneuf (Flames)
13. Mike Green (Capitals)
14. Dennis Wideman (Bruins)
15. Chris Pronger (Ducks)
Carter’s Top 10 Goalies
1. Tim Thomas (Bruins)
2. Niklas Backstrom (Wild)
3. Steve Mason (Blue Jackets)
4. Manny Fernandez (Bruins)
5. Craig Anderson (Panthers)
6. Scott Clemmensen (Devils)
7. Roberto Luongo (Canucks)
8. Carey Price (Canadiens)
9. Evgeni Nabokov (Sharks)
10. Brian Boucher (Sharks)
2 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
Mark Jones 6 months ago
Wow. Interesting. I hadn't noticed Minnesota's fall, probably because when they beat the Canes thought they must still be playing like they did earlier in the year. I agree that the Caps are turning out to be a Cup contender, and that the NY Rangers will continue to fall from their early-year mark until they rebuild their roster a little.
Chicago is red hot and could definitely beat Detroit in the Winter Classic.
Good rankings, Carter. I really look forward to reading them! I'll have to watch for them next week!
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david milazzo 5 months ago
the rankings go in point order? i have detroit over bruins but i like the fact striet is # 3 in defenseman and phllys # 6
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