NHL Power Rankings: Mighty Atlantic, Putrid Southeast and the Wild, Wild West

If you have a chance, check out the Atlantic Division.

I have no bona fide allegiances in that division, but there are three well supported teams out there that play up-tempo, offensive hockey and it’s going to be a dogfight until the end.

The Pittsburgh Penguins look like Stanley Cup contenders and haven’t skipped a beat with the return of Sid the Kid. They can score, they can hit and they’ve got the city of Pittsburgh excited about their hockey club.

Across the state, the Philadelphia Flyers own the league’s best offense and don’t look like they’re missing Jeff Carter (I’m sorry man, it sucks being banished to Columbus) and Mike Richards (who’s playing for the Kings).

This team is young and going to be good for a long time.

Finally, the Rangers have made Madison Square Garden a place where nobody wants to play. They compete on a big stage and, as an Original Six team, have a large fan base of people who’ve supported the team for generations.

Anytime these teams play, they’re are going to be fun games. There’s no love lost between the teams—they’re going to beat each other up, and they’ll light the lamp frequently with their high-powered offenses.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, anyone who’s a hockey fan should be tuning in when these guys are on television.

30. New Jersey Devils

Last week: 25

Owners of the league’s best penalty kill, the Devils have struggled in other dimensions of the game and it’s shown up in the loss column.

They’ve dropped their last four games.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Last week: 30

Following their slow start, the Ducks fired 2007 Stanley Cup-winning coach Randy Carlyle and went out and got another pudgy white dude, ex-Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau.

Carlyle snapped the losing streak with a 4-1 win over Montreal, but was fired the next day.

Boudreau lost his first game with the Ducks, a 4-3 overtime decision against Philly.

28. Carolina Hurricanes

Last week: 28

After a season when excitement was ramping up in Raleigh, the Canes have come out of the gates flat.

The first casualty is Paul Maurice, whose second stint with the Hurricanes was terminated in favor of Kirk Mueller.

Things haven’t gotten better in Carolina, the team is riding a six-game losing streak and have their next four games on the road.

27. Columbus Blue Jackets

Last week: 21

Columbus has lost three of their last four and remains in the Central cellar.

After a game in Montreal, they’ve got five straight home games to get something going in December.

26. Montreal Canadiens

Last week: 26

The Habs snapped their four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win in LA.

Maybe that’s what they need to get moving in the right direction.

25. Ottawa Senators

Last week: 20

After a hot start, Ottawa’s defense has imploded (league-worst 3.4 goals per game) and losses have ensued.

The Sens need to shore up the play in their own end if they’re going to get back in the Eastern Conference race.

24. Tampa Bay Lightning

Last week: 15

After beating the Southeast-leading Panthers twice, the Lightning have dropped three in regulation by a combined score of 11-5.

Tampa is missing out on an opportunity to take the Southwest with Washington’s recent woes.

23. Winnipeg Jets

Nobody in Manitoba is going to complain about starting off December with two wins.

22. Washington Capitals

Last week: 19

The Caps snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 OT win against Ottawa under direction of new coach Dale Hunter.

They remain at second in their division. That’s how bad the Southeast is.

21. Edmonton Oilers

Last week: 11

Things are slipping in Edmonton.

The Oil remain in second in the Northwest, but have dropped four of their last five.

Edmonton needs to turn things around immediately if they’re going to compete with Vancouver and Minnesota in their division.

20. Buffalo Sabres

Last week: 22

Things aren’t getting better for the beat up Sabres.

They managed to get a 3-2 win in Nashville, but were crushed by Detroit and the lowly Islanders.

Fortunately for the fans up in Western New York, the Sabres will play their next five games at home.

19. Phoenix Coyotes

Last week: 12

After a hot November, the Coyotes have had a rough start to December.

They’ve already lost twice, but remain in the Pacific Division race.

18. Nashville Predators

Last week: 23

The Preds have been hot and cold recently with wins over Edmonton and Vancouver, but losses to Calgary and Buffalo.

Nashville needs consistency if they’re going to get back in the Central race.

17. New York Islanders

Last week: 29

The Islanders have won three of their last four games—all away from home.

Not too shabby for this moribund franchise.

16. Calgary Flames

Last week: 27

Things are looking better for the struggling Flames.

They got wins over division opponents Minnesota and Edmonton away from home and shut out Nashville.

Unfortunately, sprinkled in there was a shootout loss to Columbus in the Saddledome.

15. Colorado Avalanche

Last week: 24

The Avalanche have won three of their last four, including beat downs of Edmonton and New Jersey.

Colorado has a big hole they must dig themselves out of, however.

14. San Jose Sharks

Last week: 6

The Sharks have lost three of four, with their lone win coming against the lowly Habs.

San Jose cannot slip now. They are right in the thick of the Pacific Division race.

13. St. Louis Blues

Last week: 10

Giving up 2.1 goals per game—that’s good.

A 9.2 percent power play—that’s not.

St. Louis needs to work on the other dimensions of their game if they’re going to compete in the Central.

After winning four-straight, the Blues have lost two-in-a-row, including a 5-2 romping by Chicago.

12. Dallas Stars

Last week: 17

Dallas remains atop the Pacific Division, but a loss to the Islanders indicates they are not ready to create separation yet.

They’ve got a tough five-game road trip that pits them against two division opponents, LA and San Jose, next week.

11. Los Angeles Kings

Last week: 14

Stingy D has been the focus for the Kings, who are in the thick of the Pacific Division race.

Wins over San Jose and Florida indicate things are going the right way for LA, but this team has to generate some offense against teams like Montreal if they’re going to win consistently.

10. Toronto Maple Leafs

Last week: 8

Despite having a god-awful defense, the Leafs have played well enough offensively to stay in the hunt.

Two losses to Boston, by a combined score of 10-4, makes it obvious who’s the team to beat in the Northeast, however.

9. Florida Panthers

Last week: 16

Hard to tell, but a 5-3 beat down of the Sharks in San Jose after losing 2-1 in LA, may indicate that things aren’t going to change for the upstart Panthers in December.

The Cats are no longer a doormat team in the Southeast Division.

8. Vancouver Canucks

Last week: 4

The loss to Nashville snapped a five-game win streak, but the Canucks are playing good hockey.

They remain six points away from Minnesota in the Northwest, but are steadily closing the gap.

7. Minnesota Wild

Last week: 7

After two tough losses to division opponents, Minnesota is heading in the right direction with three wins over Tampa, Edmonton and New Jersey.

They cannot lose ground on their five-game road trip, however. Vancouver and Edmonton are breathing down their necks.

6. Philadelphia Flyers

Last week: 9

With 3.5 goals per game, the Flyers own the league’s best offense and have won four of their last five.

It’s a tough division with the red-hot Rangers and the Penguins.

The Atlantic Division should be thrilling to watch for fans around the league all year long.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins

Last week: 5

The mighty Penguins remain on top of the Atlantic Division, winning four of their last five.

Three of those four wins came on the road.

Pittsburgh’s lone loss came to the Rangers, a team that should vie with them for the division all season long.

4. Chicago Blackhawks

Last week: 13

Despite having the second-worst penalty kill in the league, the Blackhawks remain on top of the Central Division and have won four of their last five.

Phoenix, the team that gave them their lone loss in the last five, comes to Chicago for a showdown on Versus on Monday.

3. New York Rangers

Last week: 3

The power play has been suspect, otherwise the Blueshirts have been playing solid hockey.

After a two-loss blip in November, the Rangers have won five-in-a-row.

2. Detroit Red Wings

Last week: 1

The Wings remain behind the Blackhawks in the Central, but are playing great offense, defense and have a hot power play.

If they can shore up their penalty kill, this team should be around in the long run.

They’re currently on a seven-game win streak.

1. Boston Bruins

Last week: 2

The B’s finished November with a 12-0-1 record and have established themselves as the best team in the league.

Boston started December out right, winning the second half of a home-and-home with Toronto 4-1.

The combined score of the two nights? 10-4. And Toronto is playing well this year.