NHL Power Rankings: Toronto and Tampa Bay Lead the East
John Tavares and Daniel Alfredsson recorded hat tricks, but the East continues to be relatively defensively-focused compared to last season.
Tampa Bay and Toronto continue to show the NHL they expect to turn their franchise's fortunes around.
Washington and Pittsburgh have returned to form and appear ready to take over in the East should the Bolts or Leafs get complacent.
Martin Brodeur, Ryan Miller and Tomas Vokoun continue to carry their teams.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs
1 of 15
Last Week: 2
Record: 4-2-1 (9 pts)
Clarke MacArthur has been a pleasant surprise for the Leafs, who have started out the season looking like a legitimate force in the East.
Time will tell if Toronto can continue to play at this pace. Hopefully for Leafs Nation the team's poor performance in Philly is an anomaly rather than an indication of what's to come.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
2 of 15
Last Week: 3
Record: 5-2-1 (11 pts)
Steven Stamkos, who leads the league with 14 points, is out to prove that last year was not a fluke.
His team will have to continue to win in order to assure that their 6-0 stinker against their in-state rivals was.
3. Pittsburgh Penguins
3 of 15
Last Week: 12
Record: 5-3-1 (11 pts)
Sid the Kid and the Penguins have made up for their rough start. The team torched in-state rival Philadelphia (5-1) on Saturday and then crushed Ottawa (5-2) at home.
The Penguins were able to beat Nashville, who has started off the season well, and left St. Louis with a point in a defensive battle. Suddenly they have become a team to beat in the East.
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4. Boston Bruins
4 of 15
Last Week: 7
Record: 4-2-0 (8 pts)
Tim Thomas, the league leader in save percentage and goals against average, has not given up more than one goal in his last four starts. Tukka Rask, on the other hand, is 0-2 in his first two starts.
As long as the B's keep Thomas in net, they'll continue to rank among the best teams in the East.
5. Washington Capitals
5 of 15
Last Week: 5
Record: 5-3-0 (10 pts)
Michal Neuvirth has emerged as a reliable starter for the Caps. Now it is time for Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom to provide him with offensive support.
A win over Nashville in OT indicated Washington is able to hang with the best in the league; however, two straight losses to Boston—in which the Caps only mustered two goals—still shows they have a way to go.
6. New York Rangers
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Last Week: 6
Record: 4-2-1 (9 pts)
Wins over two O6 rivals, Toronto and Boston, away from the Big Apple, indicate that the Rangers are ready to bounce back after being left out of the postseason last year.
Henrik Lundqvist has been solid in net, but he won't be able to keep them in every game unless New York's power-play, which is 2-15 in the last three games, can produce scoring.
7. New York Islanders
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Last Week: 11
Record: 4-2-2 (10 pts)
Even when the Islanders lose, they are able to make headlines. John Tavares' hat trick in South Beach allowed the Isles' faithful to forgive their team for losing against the lowly Cats.
P.A. Parenteau is proving to be a savvy pickup, and the team is rolling with wins over Colorado, Toronto and Tampa Bay last week.
8. Carolina Hurricanes
8 of 15
Last Week: 1
Record: 4-3-0 (8 pts)
Cam Ward continues to be solid in net for the young 'Canes. His performance against the Canucks aside, Ward looks like he will be good enough to keep his team in every game.
Carolina lit up the Sharks, who are not performing up to par and were able to come out of a week away from home with four points.
9. Philadelphia Flyers
9 of 15
Last Week: 4
Record: 3-3-1 (7 pts)
Losses to the rival Penguins, a 5-1 blowout, and lowly Anaheim at home, have put Sergei Bobrovsky on the hot seat.
The Orange and Black have two easier games—Columbus and Buffalo—to get things together before facing Pittsburgh again.
10. Montreal Canadiens
10 of 15
Last Week: 8
Record: 4-2-1 (9 pts)
With 92.6 percent efficiency a man down, the Canadiens have the best penalty kill in the league. However, their power-play is dead last at 4.2 percent, and the team is not producing at even strength.
Next week the Canadiens' offense will be put to the test against the Coyotes, Islanders and Panthers.
11. Buffalo Sabres
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Last Week: 14
Record: 3-5-1 (7 pts)
Big wins in Atlanta and New Jersey for the Sabres, but Buffalo is still unable to beat top-tier teams like Chicago and lost 4-2 to the Senators at home.
Until someone emerges as a go-to scorer in Western New York, the Sabres are not going to defend their title as Northeast Division champs.
12. Ottawa Senators
12 of 15
Last Week: 9
Record: 2-5-1 (5 pts)
Daniel Alfredsson had a hat trick against Buffalo on Friday, but his team continues to struggle against upper echelon squads.
The Sens have three home games to get their offense back on track after being blanked by the Canadiens in Ottawa.
13. Atlanta Thrashers
13 of 15
Last Week: 10
Record: 3-4-1 (7 pts)
Evander Kane, Andrew Ladd and Anthony Stewart are emerging as young stars in Blueland, but the team remains inconsistent and has dropped three straight.
Tampa, Washington and Carolina are looking solid. If Atlanta wants to advance to the postseason, they'll have to win more games against Southeastern opponents.
14. Florida Panthers
14 of 15
Last Week: 13
Record: 3-3-0 (6 pts)
The Cats made noise last week by torching in-state rival Tampa Bay in South Florida. However, they followed that win by losing to Dallas in a 4-1 blowout.
This may be the story of the season for the young Panthers.
15. New Jersey Devils
15 of 15
Last Week: 15
Record: 2-5-1 (5 pts)
Martin Brodeur recorded a shutout in Montreal, but the Devils, who came into the season with big expectations, lost their last two games by a score of 9-2.
Unless Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk and Jamie Langenbrunner start to find the back of the net, it's going to be a long season for New Jersey.
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