NHL Power Rankings

By E. Spencer Kyte
Love of Sports Correspondent

Through the first five weeks of the NHL season, we’ve learned that the San Jose Sharks are once again going to compete for the President’s Trophy and that the New York Islanders most certainly will not.

We’ve also learned that parody’s arrived en masse in the NHL.

Ten points separates the team currently residing in seventh in the league standings (Alexander Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals) and coach Peter DeBoer’s Florida Panthers, who currently live in the basement.

What’s even more amazing is that some of the teams currently hanging out at the bottom with the Panthers are perennial playoff guests like Dallas and Colorado and Ottawa. While their play’s been pretty hard to swallow on many occasions this season, you know each of these three have the ability to turn things around. That means the coming months are only going to be more exciting and more compelling.

Except if you’re an Islander fan, of course.

Power Rankings

1. San Jose Sharks (16-3-1, 33 points)

They’re perfect at the Shark Tank and have managed just fine, thankyouverymuch, with Brian Boucher between the pipes over the last two weeks. Now Evgeni Nabakov returns. We’re a long way from the playoffs where the Sharks normally stop swimming, but something tells me Todd McLellan’s winning pedigree might have brought about a few changes in the Sharks.

2. Boston Bruins (13-3-4, 30 points)

Where the hell did this come from? I knew Marc Savard was a top line center and Zdeno Chara was a standout defenseman, but tops in the East?! The Bruins have been on an absolute tear as of late, and it’s been the play of youngsters like Milan Lucic and Blake Wheeler, not to mention solid goaltending from the apparently ageless Tim Thomas, that has fans in Boston optimistic for this season and the future.

3. Detroit Red Wings (13-2-3, 29 points)

Already well on their way to another 100-point campaign – their ninth straight – the scariest thing about this season’s version of the Red Wings is their road record. 9-1-1. I don’t care who it’s against or what excuses and explanations anyone wants to offer up. When a team goes 9-1-1 on the road, everyone else should be very, very afraid.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins (12-4-3, 27 points)

Within the first month of the season, Jordan Staal made everyone forget about the horrific sophomore slump he went through last year. This could be the time he challenges his brother Eric for family bragging rights.

5. Montreal Canadiens (11-5-2, 25 points)

Merci Patrick Roy ... Merci beaucoup.

6. New York Rangers (14-6-2, 30 points)

Yeah, it’s never a good thing when your star goalie pulls himself from a game. The point total is nice, but the Rangers are still a win one, lose one team, and that’ll have to change for them to climb higher in these rankings.

7. Vancouver Canucks (12-6-2, 26 points)

Regardless of how incredible Roberto Luongo is as a goalie, I’ll always have a hard time believing a team relying on scoring from Kyle Wellwood’s a threat to do anything. Nice return this week from Pavel Demitra, although it’s only a matter of time until he’s hurt again.

8. Washington Capitals (11-5-3, 25 points)

The Capitals had rattled off six wins in seven tries before dropping a game to the Kings on Thursday. One Alexander is back dominating (Ovechkin), while the other is still felled by an “Upper Body Injury” (Semin). Defensemen Mike Green left Thursday’s game as well. How they weather this storm will tell us a lot about the 2008-09 Capitals.

9. Chicago Blackhawks (9-4-5, 23 points)

How this team is 1-5 in games that go to a shootout is beyond me. They have two solid goaltenders and Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Martin Havlat can all dangle like there’s no tomorrow. If Joel Quenneville ever uses anyone other than Kane, Sharp and Toews as his first three, he’s crazy. Someone needs to look into this for me. Can I get an assistant?

10. Minnesota Wild (11-5-1, 23 points)

Every year, Minnesota’s pretty much the same as they were the year before. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, Nicklas Backstrom doesn’t get enough recognition as a top tier NHL goalie and they can’t score to save their lives. Only four times all season have they scored more than three goals in a game, including three times in a row to open the season.

The Rest of the Pack

11. Carolina Hurricanes
12. Anaheim Ducks
13. New Jersey Devils
14. Calgary Flames
15. Philadelphia Flyers
16. Edmonton Oilers
17. Buffalo Sabres
18. Columbus Blue Jackets
19. Nashville Predators
20. Toronto Maple Leafs
21. Los Angeles Kings
22. Tampa Bay Lightning
23. Phoenix Coyotes
24. Colorado Avalanche
25. St. Louis Blues
26. Atlanta Thrashers
27. Dallas Stars
28. Ottawa Senators
29. Florida Panthers
30. New York Islanders

(You can read more of Kyte’s work at http://spencerkyte.blogspot.com.)