NHL Power Rankings: Ranking Every Team Heading into the New Year

It's just about the halfway point of the regular season in the NHL.

This season has brought many surprises, from surprise teams like the Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues, as well as surprise players like Kris Versteeg and the ageless wonder Ray Whitney.

Right now, however, we're seeing which teams are the elite of the NHL, as the top teams in each conference begin to put some distance between themselves and eighth place.

Here are my NHL power rankings heading into 2012.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets

This season has certainly not gone as planned for the Blue Jackets.

After making a big play to acquire Flyers star Jeff Carter and signing the top offensive defenseman on the market, James Wisniewski, the Blue Jackets expected to be a major contender in the Western Conference. But after a suspension to James Wisniewski, an injury to Jeff Carter and shaky goaltending to start the season, Columbus found themselves at the basement of the conference.

Things still haven't gotten much better, and the lack of defensive depth in Columbus has been exposed on a regular basis. Right now Columbus is a leading contender in the Nail Yakupov sweepstakes and will likely have a top pick in the 2012 entry draft.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Right up there with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Anaheim Ducks have been one of the NHL's most disappointing teams this season.

With players like Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne, the Ducks were undoubtedly expecting another post-season appearance in 2011-2012. Those hopes have been all but dashed. With a lackluster 10-20-6 start, the Anaheim Ducks may be looking to move one of their young all stars.

Whether it's Bobby Ryan only managing to put up 19 points so far this season, or Ryan Getzlaf's disappointing 6 goals, it's easy to see why the Ducks have faltered.

Goaltender Jonas Hiller has also had a rough start to the season after being such an important part of last year's success.

The Ducks have been disappointing in all facets of their game this season, and that's reflected in their record and their rank in this article.

28. New York Islanders

It is clear that the Islanders are still in their re-building phase. What seems like an eternal re-build, will last at least another season.

The Islanders are once again among the bottom feeders in the NHL, though this time they have some young talent that looks to be real promising. Goal scoring Matt Moulson seems to be the perfect complementary to playmaking P.A. Parenteau, while the tandem of John Tavares and Kyle Okposo also pose a threat on any given night.

The lack of consistency in net, and lack of depth on the blue line, however, pose a significant problem for the Islanders. Even though they may be a fairly exciting team to watch, they are still a work in progress and closer to the bottom of the league than they are to the top.

27. Carolina Hurricanes

At this point, the Carolina Hurricanes are on the verge of passing a few more teams. Over the last few weeks, the Hurricanes have finally started clicking.

Eric Staal has been much better of late, as was seen in his 2 goal, 1 assist performance in a 4-3 overtime comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Without Jeff Skinner, Tuomo Ruutu has stepped up to provide that much needed secondary scoring. With 5 wins in their past 11, the Carolina Hurricanes have finally found themselves playing .500 hockey again.

However, being 29th in power play efficiency, 25th in penalty killing percentage and 29th in goals against per game will take its toll, and is a big part of the explanation as to why the Hurricanes spent so much time as the last place team in the Eastern Conference and why they are ranked 27th in these power rankings.

26. Montreal Canadiens

Other than the play of Carey Price, the Montreal Canadiens have not been playing good hockey.

The struggles of Michael Cammalleri have really hurt the Canadiens. Cammalleri and Scott Gomez were supposed to be the main scoring threats for this team. Instead, it has been Max Pacioretty, Erik Cole and Tomas Plekanec carrying the load.

Those players may be having a nice season, but should not be the top scorers on any contending team.

With the recent firing of head coach Jacques Martin, Montreal is now mired in a coaching scandal, since interim head coach Randy Cunneyworth does not speak French.

This season is starting to look more and more like a lost cause for the Canadiens.

25. Edmonton Oilers

This young Edmonton Oilers team is certainly exciting to watch.

Their start to the season also led their fans to think that this year may be the year they return to the post-season.

With explosive young talent in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, as well as veteran forward Ryan Smyth, the Oilers certainly represent a great offensive threat to every team they play.

The key to their losing record seems to be their lack of experience and defensive play.

In most statistical categories, the Oilers bode fairly well, but of late, they've been losing a lot of games.

24. Tampa Bay Lightning

Even with the electrifying play of Steven Stamkos, who leads the league with 23 goals scored, the Tampa Bay Lightning have managed to struggle.

The lack of production from Vincent Lecavalier (just 13 goals and 12 assists through 36 games played), coupled with an injury to Martin St. Louis (who has since returned) and very poor goaltending have Tampa Bay playing below .500 hockey.

Until they find consistency from their goaltenders and increased production from their number 1 center, the Tampa Bay Lightning will continue to find themselves at the bottom of the conferece looking up.

23. Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames have finally been getting the play they need from Jarome Iginla and Olli Jokinen. This has resulted in the Flames climbing back into playoff contention and pushing their record over that .500 plateau.

The lack of production from their big name forwards was the cause of the early season slump. Now that production has increased, the Flames see themselves winning more games.

But with their star players aging and questions still revolving around their offensive depth, the Flames are likely not a playoff team.

22. Phoenix Coyotes

Phoenix is one of those teams that has definitely exceeded expectations. Led by 39 year old left winger Ray Whitney, the Coyotes are scoring enough to play .500 hockey.

Surprise goaltender Mike Smith also provided a spark early on in the crease for the Coyotes, but saw his play start to decline, just before injuring his groin.

It isn't very likely Phoenix can sustain their play or make the post-season (and that's on top of the fact that they're unlikely to keep their team in Phoenix as well, ouch).

21. Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators have had a surprisingly good start to the season.

Led by the play of Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek offensively, the Senators have been one of the top teams in the league when it comes to scoring goals. Offensive depth has been another nice surprise for first year head coach Paul MacLean, with players like Nick Foligno and defenseman Erik Karlsson pitching in as well.

The problem for the Ottawa Senators has been on the defensive end. Turnovers in their defensive end have hurt them, and they haven't really gotten above average play from veteran netminder Craig Anderson.

If the Senators want to be legitimate post-season candidates, they will need to learn to adhere to the old saying, "defense wins championships".

20. Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg has definitely been one of the feel-good stories up until this point in the season.

In their first season back in central Canada, Winnipeg has found their stride in December, going 9-3-1 so far this month.

Using the offensive firepower of Evander Kane, Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien (who is currently out for about a week with a lower body injury) and the red hot goaltending of Ondrej Pavelec, the Winnipeg Jets find themselves currently sitting in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The question will be whether the Jets can sustain the success they've been having, as it seems that Pavelec among others on their roster may just be on a hot streak, which will eventually fade.

19. Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are another young team that is still building towards a successful future.

They have had some success this year though, especially lately since they've been getting some great goaltending from Jean-Sebastian Giguere.

Offensively though they're still a work in progress, with their leading scorer only having 26 points through 39 games. With the likes of Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Johnson, among others, this organization has a very bright future and a reason to smile heading into 2012.

18. Dallas Stars

Many people were quick to write off the Dallas Stars this season after they lost their star center Brad Richards.

Using a fairly balanced scoring attack and some solid goaltending from Kari Lehtonen (and backup Richard Bachman) the Stars have managed to put together a competitive season.

Players like Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson give the Stars much to look forward too. But in a very tough Western Conference, this team isn't quite good enough to cut it.

17. Buffalo Sabres

This season was supposed to be a promising one for the Buffalo Sabres. With new ownership dipping into the pocketbook to bring in highly sought free agent defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as well as free agent forward Ville Leino.

But injuries to key players like Tyler Myers, Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis, Jochen Hecht, among others, have really hurt Buffalo's chances. Couple that with Ryan Miller's surprisingly average play, and the Buffalo Sabres are in trouble.

The reason they place at number 17 on this list, however, is because once they do get some players back into the lineup, and Ryan Miller finds his game, it is going to be very tough to stop them from making a run to the playoffs.

16. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs seem to finally have found a squad that can get them to the post-season. Only Toronto and Florida have not made the playoffs since the lockout.

This season, however, the Maple Leafs find themselves quickly dropping in the standings. Though the secondary scoring has picked up of late, the inconsistency they've had in net (Reimer is 3-3-3 with a 3.24 goals against average since returning from his concussion) and the worst penalty kill in the NHL (coming in at an abysmal 72.5%, a full 2.7% behind 29th ranked Columbus).

Without improving these aspects of their game, the Maple Leafs will be their own worst enemy when it comes to making the post-season in 2012.

15. Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles was supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender this season. In most powr rankings it was rare to see them outside of the top 5 or top 10. Now, they're barely hanging in the top 15.

Outside of Anze Kopitar, this team doesn't have a single player that has hit the 25 point plateau (though Richards has 22 points and missed a stretch of games due to injury). Their goaltending has been spectacular, and that has helped them stay above .500. If this team wants to make it into the post-season and compete, they will likely need to jump to 5th or 6th position, and that will require the type of play that was expected of them.

Defenseman Drew Doughty has picked up his game of late after a rough start, and the Kings will look to Justin Williams, Dustin Penner, Dustin Brown and Simon Gagne to do the same.

14. Washington Capitals

Many may believe this is too high of a ranking for the Washington Capitals, however even without the truly dominating play of Alexander Ovechkin or Alexander Semin, they have still managed to put up a 19-15-2 record.

If the Capitals can get back Mike Green fairly soon (he will travel with the team to Columbus) and can get Alexander Ovechkin back to his formidable self, and continue to get the type of play they have lately from Alex Semin, these Capitals will easily find themselves back in post-season come April.

13. Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators have been a consistently good team this year. Not a standout team, but they've been good.

Nashville's problem is that they have very little offensive firepower. Injured defenseman Shea Weber is their leading scorer with 29 points up to this point. Rookie center Craig Smith has been their highest scoring forward with 25 points. Ryan Suter ranks fourth on the team with 24 points, meaning 2 of the Predators top 4 scorers are defensemen, and that doesn't bode very well.

Even on the backend the only regular starters that register a + rating are the injured Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.

If the Predators at any time lose any more offense, or lose Shea Weber for a prolonged period, I'd expect them to drop drastically from the 13th spot in power rankings.

12. New Jersey Devils

New Jersey seems to have hit their stride. Ilya Kovalchuk is back to producing like the $100 million dollar player he was paid to be, while Zach Parise has also been a contributor on offense.

The pleasant surprise for the Devils though has been young rookie center Adam Henrique. He has provided great scoring depth, and has been in key in ensuring the devils possess two lines that will threaten to score every shift along with Patrik Elias, Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise.

If the Devils can find a way to get Martin Brodeur back to playing like his old self (although this platoon situation with Johan Hedberg seems to be boding well for New Jersey), they will surely be a tough opponent in the post-season.

11. Minnesota Wild

For the majority of the season up until now, the Minnesota Wild were ranked as a top 5 team by almost every NHL writer out there. Their slide of late however, has pushed them out of the top 10. Though the Wild are still a top 5 team in the West, they have been playing rather poorly of late, going just 1-5-3 in their last 9.

During those 9 games, they were only able to score more than 2 goals twice. It has been tough for the Wild to find any consistent offense from players other than Dany Heatley and Mikko Koivu.

They have relied heavily on goaltenders Nicklas Backstrom and Josh Harding, but that will only carry you so far.

The Wild must find a way to get going offensively, especially in the Western Conference, or they could find themselves outside of the playoff picture looking in before they know it.

10. Florida Panthers

Anyone who predicted that the Florida Panthers would be a top 10 team at the turn of calender when the season began, was probably trying to pull your leg.

Even though they had to add payroll in the offseason, most people didn't think an underachieving Brian Campbell, journeyman Kris Versteeg, or perennial second liner Tomas Fleischmann would actually resurrect this South Florida team. Along with a renaissance season from netminder Jose Theodore, they have done just that.

For the time being, the Florida Panthers lead the Southeast division, and as a result, sit in third place in the Eastern Conferece. Even with the Capitals 5 points back with 2 games in hand, Florida should find themselves competing for the division title in March and April.

9. St. Louis Blues

Though St. Louis Blues fans expected an improved team, I don't think anyone expected them to be this good.

Led by the shocking turn around by goaltender Brain Elliott, as well as the defensive philosophy of new coach Ken Hitchcock, the Blues have put together a solid start to the 2011-2012 campaign.

Without any players sitting over 25 points, one may wonder how St. Louis has been so successful. Taking a look at the +/- ratings of the Blues roster will show that only 2 players who have played in over 30 games this season have a - rating, meaning St. Louis plays excellent 5 on 5 hockey (in fact, they're 4th in the NHL with 1.38 goals for to every goal against in 5 on 5 play).

If this solid defensive play continues (and there's no indication it won't under Ken Hitchcock), and goaltender Brian Elliott continues to play so well, there is no reason St. Louis could not be a surprise cup contender in April.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins

Even without their captain and the NHL's best player in Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins have managed to maintain their elite status.

Led now by Evgeni Malkin, who has stepped up in Sidney Crosby's absence, the Penguins find themselves, once again, in a fairly comfortable position to make the post-season.

The Penguins balanced offensive attack, along with solid defensive play and goaltending, have them looking at another very promising season. And if Sidney Crosby is able to return at some point in the New Year, Pittsburgh will be a favorite to make another Stanley Cup run.

7. Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are an interesting team. With most other top 10 NHL teams there are 3 or 4 players that come to mind instantly as stars. Off the top of your head, without thinking, give me three Flyers stars. I'm sure Claude Giroux comes to mind, but other than that it's tough to think of any. Sure, Jagr is back, but did anyone really think he was still the star he used to be? Or Daniel Briere, who has certainly dropped in offensive rankings year to year.

The depth of this team is incredible. Even with all their injuries, they have managed to continue to win games. The NHL's top scorer has returned from an injury and seemingly, hasn't lost a step. With young talent like Wayne Simmonds being on the third line, Philadelphia is in great shape for the future as well.

If they can get their big name, quirky, free agent goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to turn things around, the Flyers should feel fairly comfortable with their position in the Eastern Conference.

6. San Jose Sharks

San Jose may only have 42 points right now, but they have only played 34 games to date. Along with Boston, they have played the fewest games in the NHL.

Though they've lost their last 2, they had won 4 straight before that, and are tied for their division lead, with 4 games in hand over the Los Angeles Kings.

With two solid lines of scoring, very good goaltending, the third best 5 on 5 goals for to goals against, the San Jose Sharks seem poised to win their division again this year.

The one weakness Sharks fans may want to keep an eye on? Their 28th ranked penalty kill. Yikes.

5. Detroit Red Wings

Once again, the Detroit Red Wings are poised to finish in the top 4 of the Western Conference, using solid defensive play, scoring depth and solid goaltending to propel them to the top of the standings.

The emergence of Valteri Filppula and a re-energized Jiri Hudler have been key for a Detroit team that already had a potent offense headlined by Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Johan Franzen.

Danny Cleary has also been successful of late, and Tomas Holmstrom always provides a big presence in front of the net.

On defense, Niklas Lidstrom continues to defy the odds at his age, and is once again in the discussion when it comes to the Norris Trophy. Along with Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart, Lidstrom leads on of the better defensive units out there. Ian White has also been key in providing some offense at the blue line.

The Red Wings also possess what is undoubtedly the NHL's most underrated goaltender in Jimmy Howard. This season, Howard has quietly amassed 22 wins, a 1.99 goals agaisnt average and .926 save percentage.

The only thing keeping Detroit from a top 3 position in the power ranks is their tendency to go on streaks, as we've seen them hit a few rough patches this season.

4. New York Rangers

Brad Richards was the biggest free agent this past summer, and decided to sign in with the New York Rangers, as opposed to several other teams who were interested in his services. That signing has worked out well for the Rangers in 2011.

Right now, the Rangers sit second in the league in points, with 2 games in hand on Chicago who are 2 points ahead of them.

They sit in the top 10 in both goals for and goals against, and have the 6th best penalty kill in the NHL. Their power play could use some work, sitting at 21st, but with their team clicking on all cylinders right now, and having Henrik Lundqvist (as well as Martin Biron) having a great season in net, the Rangers are a top 5 team in the league right now.

3. Vancouver Canucks

Last year's runners up have been on a tear lately. Similar to the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks had a somewhat tumultuous start to the regular season. Once again, Roberto Luongo struggled out of the gate, and the Canucks stumbled to a 9-9-1 start.

Since that point, the Canucks have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL, going 15-3-1, picking up 31 points out of a possible 38.

This turnaround can be attributed to a few factors. First and foremost, the Canucks sent a message to perennial starter Roberto Luongo, by giving backup Cory Schneider a string of consecutive starts, in which he excelled. This prompted Luongo to return to form when Vancouver handed him the reigns once again.

Offensive production has also ramped up for Vancouver, with players like Alexandre Burrows starting to contribute as expected. With 5 players sitting at 25 points or higher, and another 4 players sitting between 20 and 24 points, the Canucks have used a balanced attack to squash opponents.

With their recent streak coupled with the play of the Boston Bruins, it is starting to look like we may see a re-match in the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.

2. Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have been clicking on all cylinders up until this point. On offense, Jonathan Toews is among the league's goal scoring leaders, while Marian Hossa is among the top point getters and Patrick Kane is right up there in the assists category.

Their defensemen are playing extremely good hockey, and the secondary scoring has been there all season, coming from surprise players like Viktor Stalberg up front and Nick Leddy on the backend.

The mini-goalie controversy that began about a month ago also seems to have benefited the Blackhawks, as Ray Emery managed to win almost all of his starts in December, while Corey Crawford has come back the last four starts and picked up 3 wins, giving up just 6 goals over that span.

There is no reason for anyone to believe that this Chicago Blackhawks squad is not a cup contender from the Western Conference.

1. Boston Bruins

It should come as no surprise to anyone to see the Boston Bruins at the top of this list. They have easily been the best team in the NHL during the latter part of 2011, despite their 3-7-0 start to the campaign.

The Bruins have been scary good lately. Their record in their last 24 games is 21-2-1.

The Bruins also have the top 2 goalies in the league when it comes to save percentage and 2 of the top three goalies in the goals agaisnt average category as well.

This has helped them reach the top spot in goals against per game, as well as possessing the 3rd best penalty kill in the league.

Boston also scores more goals per game than any other team in the league, while they also hold the top spot in the goals for to goals against ratio during 5 on 5 play.

One of their worst key categories, is their power play, which sits at 7th overall, which is more than sufficient.

If anyone didn't think the Bruins were repeat contenders during their first 10 games, they will surely re-consider after the Bruins past 24 games.