NHL Power Rankings: Buffalo Sabres and LA Kings Continue to Disappoint

There have been two teams that have disappointed me this season.

Getting new ownership appeared to be a watershed moment for the Sabres. They had been developing players for years, but they weren’t willing to spend to get the pieces they needed.

Their big investment in the offseason was Christian Ehrhoff, who only has 15 points in 32 games, and the team is lost in the mix in the Northeast Division.

They’ve had injuries, but the difference between this team and Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Minnesota is that they haven’t got the help they need from their AHL club to remedy their afflictions.

This was salient in their 8-3 loss to a Crosby-less Penguins.

Los Angeles gave their Northern Californian rivals a scare in the first round last year, and for the last two years, they’ve been expected to challenge the Sharks’ dominance in the Pacific Division.

They have not lived up to expectations this season.

The Kings have a lot of offensive firepower with Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Drew Doughty and Co., but remain dead last in the scoring department.

After holding out during training camp, Doughty has only nine points in 27 games, and Dustin Penner, the former Oiler, has made an enemy of himself in LA by only tallying seven points in 21 contests.

The team’s anemic offense led to the firing of Terry Murray, who was considered too defensive-minded for the roster they had.

His replacement is former Flames Darryl Sutter—a defensive guru.

Like the two aforementioned teams, that hiring is bewildering.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets

Last week: 27

A shootout win over Vancouver is a positive for Columbus.

Four losses in their last five games, however, hardly indicates that they’re moving in the right direction.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Last week: 29

Anaheim has two wins this month.

Fortunately, they came against division foes—Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Still, it’s hard to say Bruce Boudreau has turned this team around.

28. Carolina Hurricanes

Last week: 30

A win over Vancouver in regulation is a bright spot in Carolina’s dark season.

27. Los Angeles Kings

Last week: 23

This month has been brutal for the Kings.

They have two wins in December and have lost six of their last seven games, including a shutout in Boston and an 8-2 loss in Detroit.

26. Edmonton Oilers

Last week: 28

Things are getting worse in Edmonton.

The Oil have lost their last three games—all on the road.

Their opponents were mediocre: Calgary, Phoenix and San Jose haven’t been great this season.

It doesn’t get easier for Edmonton. They have home games against Detroit and Minnesota coming up next week.

25. Montreal Canadiens

Last week: 21

The abysmal season has cost Jacques Martin his job.

Perhaps a new coach and spending the rest of the month away from hockey-crazy Montreal will get the Habs on the right track.

24. Colorado Avalanche

Last week: 24

The power play is clicking for the Avalanche.

The other dimensions of their game? Not so much.

Still, Colorado has picked up two wins in their last three games against San Jose and Washington.

23. New York Islanders

Last week: 18

A brief winning streak looks like a flash in the pan, but the Islanders were able to cap a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 shootout win in Minnesota.

22. Calgary Flames

Last week: 11

After a hot streak, the Flames have fallen back to earth.

Three straight losses on the road may have taken the wind out of Calgary’s sails.

21. Toronto Maple Leafs

Last week: 19

The Leafs haven’t really bothered to play defense all season, and it’s beginning to cost them.

Despite having a lot of offensive firepower, they only have two wins in December.

20. Tampa Bay Lightning

Last week: 26

Tampa got a scheduling break with Calgary and Columbus back-to-back and picked up two wins.

They need to ride any momentum they got from those wins if they want to get back in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

19. Washington Capitals

Last week: 13

The Caps have yet to turn a corner with their new coaching staff.

They were blown out by Philadelphia, barely beat Winnipeg and lost to Colorado in their last three games.

18. Ottawa Senators

Last week: 25

The Senators only have three wins the month but remain in the mediocre Northeast Division race despite losing their leading scorer, Milan Michalek.

Picking up Kyle Turris is a good move for the semi-rebuilding Senators. They would love for him to play to his potential and be a catalyst for this club.

17. Phoenix Coyotes

Last week: 17

The Yotes have lost four of their last five, but remain in the pack in the middling Pacific Division.

16. Buffalo Sabres

Last week: 14

The Sabres have lost three of their last four, but did pick up a win over Toronto in that span.

Two of the losses were bad: They fell 4-1 to the Rangers and were blown out, 8-3, in Pittsburgh.

Fortunately for the reeling Sabres, they only have one tough opponent, Toronto, left in December.

15. San Jose Sharks

Last week: 15

San Jose picked up wins in their last two games and are tied for the Pacific Division lead.

Fortunately for them, they finish the month in the Bay Area.

This is an opportunity to separate from the pack.

14. New York Rangers

Last week: 9

The Blueshirts are losing ground in the Atlantic.

They suffered two bad losses, a shutout against Dallas and a 4-1 blowout in St. Louis, before picking up a last-second 3-2 win in Arizona.

13. Vancouver Canucks

Last week: 3

The Canucks own a top 10 spot in every statistic.

They’ve hit a rough patch lately, however.

Vancouver dropped two games to lowly Columbus and Carolina on the road, but redeemed themselves with a 5-3 win in Toronto.

12. Florida Panthers

Last week: 4

Despite a three-game losing streak, which was clotted with a 3-2 shootout win over Calgary, the Panthers remain on top of the Southeast Division.

11. Dallas Stars

Last week: 20

A strong road trip has done wonders for the Stars.

They remain atop the Pacific by picking up three wins in five games on the road.

The 6-3 loss to New Jersey was not a good finish, however.

Dallas will get a lot of exposure next week. They are on Versus on Monday and Wednesday.

10. Winnipeg Jets

Last week: 12

The Jets had a nice little four-game winning streak going there and, save for a 7-1 blowout in Detroit, have played well in December.

Scheduling favors them as well.

They only have one away game, in Denver, before the new year.

9. Philadelphia Flyers

Last week: 2

Despite the news that they’ve lost Chris Pronger for the season and Claude Giroux to a concussion, the Flyers continue to click on offense (first in NHL) and the power play (tenth).

Philadelphia had won nine of their last 10 games before being blown out, 6-0, at home by Boston.

Fans in the City of Brotherly Love are hoping this is not a harbinger of things to come.

8. New Jersey Devils

Last week: 22

The Diablos are en fuego.

New Jersey has picked up wins in six of their last seven games.

Their single loss, a 2-1 decision against Montreal, looks bad, but this team has been playing well and gaining ground in the powerful Atlantic Division.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins

Last week: 8

A 4-1 loss to Detroit and 6-4 doozy in Ottawa are tough to swallow, but Pittsburgh got back on their feet with an 8-3 blowout against Buffalo.

6. Nashville Predators

Last week: 16

Five in a row has got the Predators moving in the right direction in an up-and-down season.

They still have a steep hill to climb.

Nashville is fourth in their division, six points below Chicago in the Central Division.

5. St. Louis Blues

Last week: 10

Savvy defense (second in league) has kept the Blues in the Western Conference race.

They had won four in a row, all in Missouri, before their 2-1 shootout loss in Tennessee.

Their 4-1 win over New York indicates St. Louis can play with the best in the league.

4. Minnesota Wild

Last week: 1

The injury-riddled Wild have dropped three in a row, but picked up points against the Blackhawks and Islanders and remain atop the West.

They must go on the road to face division rivals in their next three games.

3. Chicago Blackhawks

Last week: 7

The Hawks are on a roll.

They’ve won four straight and have only one loss in December, a 4-3 shootout decision to Phoenix.

2. Boston Bruins

Last week: 5

Owners of the league’s best defense and second-best offense, the Bruins are rolling.

Save for two losses early in the month, Boston has been unstoppable this month.

They have two shutouts, against LA and Philly, in their last three games.

1. Detroit Red Wings

Last week: 6

A top five team in offense, defense and power play, Detroit’s penalty kill continues to struggle.

No matter.

Detroit has picked up three wins in their last four games, including blowouts of the Jets, Penguins and Kings.