Left Handed Larceny

Week 4 Power Rankings

By Eric Berkenpas

Four weeks into the season and things are really starting to take shape. Let’s take a look at how things are looking at this point in the season.

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1. Chicago Blackhawks - This was a no brainer. Hawks haven't lost a game in regulation yet and are coming into a 5 game home stand. Toews looks to keep his team rolling.

2. Boston Bruins - The Bruins two regulation losses came to their rival, the Buffalo Sabres. Outside of that, they would be right on pace with the Hawks right now. Goal scoring is coming from all lines and all players. Number 1 penalty kill is a nice thing to have too.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins - The Penguins have had a very up and down season but are 8-2-0 in their last 10, both losses coming to the Devils. They have scored the second most goals in the league and have the second best goal differential. Sidney Crosby has elevated his level of play and sits one point back of the league leader, Tomas Vanek.



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4. New Jersey Devils - Neutral zone trap still works, Brodeur and Hedberg look like they are 25 and David Clarkson is proving that last year wasn't a fluke. The Devils are for real.

5. Vancouver Canucks - Roberto Luongo has overcome the drama and proven that he is still the number 1 goaltender in Vancouver. Aside from two straight losses, the Canucks have re-established themselves in the West and in their division.

6. Anaheim Ducks  - The Ducks may be challenging the Hawks for story of the year so far. A team that no one thought would do much has coolly scored 3.29 goals per game and ridden their Swedish phenom goaltender Viktor Fasth to an 11-2-1 record.

7. St. Louis Blues  - An injury to Jaroslav Halak really threw their season into a loop and Brian Elliot was not able to bring good relief. Rookie goaltender, Jake Allen, has rejuvenated the Blues and been a crucial part of their recent three game win streak.

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8. New York Rangers  - I may still be ranking these guys too high, but they are 7-2-1 in their last 10 are are starting to shape into the team everyone thought they would be. The Rupp trade to the Wild for Powe and Palmieri teamed with the call up of rookie J.T. Miller has a lot to do with the recent success of the Rangers.

9. Montreal Candiens  - The Canadiens under Michel Therrien continue to amaze. Carey Price has been the goalie everyone thought he might be coming into the league and scoring has been coming from all over the place. Having Andrei Markov back in the lineup and leading that powerplay is a huge plus over last year.

10. Carolina Hurricanes  - The Hurricanes are really starting to get things rolling. Eric Staal is off to a great start and J. Staal and Semin have hit their stride. Defense has shored up and has helped Cam Ward begin to look more like himself. This team could keep climbing in the East, watch out Pens and Bruins!

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11. Nashville Predators  - Pekka Rinne is an animal. Once again, the Preds are built around a completely defensive strategy and score just enough goals to keep themselves in pace in the West. Two shutouts last week got Rinne within 0.02 of Anderson for tops in GAA.

12. Toronto Maple Leafs  - The Leafs have got to be happy with where they are now. They currently sit in the 6 spot in the East and seem to have solved their goaltending issues. Nazim Kadri has broken out this year and scoring has been coming from all over the place. It's nice the see Phaneuf break out last week too with 4 points and plenty of hits.

13. Detroit Red Wings  - You can never count out a Mike Babcock team. Certainly not having one of their best seasons, the Red Wings are once again battling injuries, this time to Datsyuk, Franzen and Samuelsson. Rookie Damien Brunner has filled in nicely to keep the Wings going along with Zetterberg who is having himself quite the season so far at 20 points.

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14. Dallas Stars  - Jamie Benn has woken up and his team seems to have responded. Although they lost twice to the Flames, the Stars have notched wins against the Ducks, Oilers and Canucks, who have all been tough teams to beat. The Stars will have the survive the next week or so without their number 1 goaltender, Lehtonen. Third year goalie Richard Bachman is going to have to keep the Stars rolling.

15. Minnesota Wild  - I continue to wait for the Wild to break out and they keep failing. It's beginning to look like it may never happen. Mike Yeo's time in Minnesota may be coming to an end if he can't utilize all the talent on that team and get them into the playoffs.

16. Phoenix Coyotes  - Which Mike Smith is going to play each game? Some games he looks like last year's Mike Smith, other games he looks like 4 month old Swiss Cheese. Coyotes are going to have to shore up the D and Mike Smith is going to have to get some consistency. Regardless, the Coyotes find themselves in the 8 spot in the West and are 6-2-2 in their last 10.

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17. Philadelphia Flyers  - Excitement over the upcoming Pens-Flyers game 2 of the season has been drowned out by the severe struggle of the Flyers. Giroux has got to get his squad going before they get too far behind the rest of the Division and the Conference. Even with all their struggles, they still sit only 2 games out of a playoff spot.

18. Edmonton Oilers  - Edmonton is still having trouble putting everything together. They have arguably the best young talent in the league but can't seem to find the back of the net. It's beginning to be inexcusable that there is still no chemistry. Devan Dubnyk has been the saving grace so far and has kept them in things.

19. San Jose Sharks  - What happened in San Jose? 2 weeks ago, nothing could go wrong, now they are staring down a 7 game losing streak and their version of the two headed monster has gone cold. Things are going to have to take a turn quickly or the Sharks will find themselves missing the playoffs for the first time since the 02-03 season.

20. Tampa Bay Lightning  - The Sharks of the West. Just when Lindback looked like the answer in goal, he gave up 16 goals over his last 5 games and his team has lost 6 of the last 7.

21. Ottawa Senators  - You can hardly blame the Senators for their drop in the rankings. They are without Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek. Anderson is doing all he can to keep them going, but the 4 lines each led by an inexperienced young center are all having trouble finding the back of the net. The Sens are going to be hard pressed to make playoffs.

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22. Los Angeles Kings  - Can't blame it on a Stanley Cup hangover. They had plenty of time to rest up for the start of a long delayed season. The Kings are not scoring goals and are not the defensive team they were last year. Quick was arguably the best goalie last year but is hardly a top 15 goalie this year. Time is running out on the defending champs.

23. Washington Capitals  - Mike Ribeiro is about the only player standing out in Washington but they have been able to find success behind Braden Holtby lately. They have looked solid in their last 4 having lost only one of those in a one goal game to the surging Rangers. Adam Oates may be getting things together in Washington. Ovechkin is still going to need to elevate his play.

24. New York Islanders  - The Isles have quickly reinserted themselves into the 5 spot in the Atlantic. They have shown glimmers of hope this year but still are not complete enough to compete with the Pens, Devils, Rangers and Flyers in their division.

25. Buffalo Sabres  - Without the efforts of Tomas Vanek, the Sabres might only have won 2 games so far. Lindy Ruff tried to get Tyler Myers going by serving him a healthy scratch 2 games in a row, but something big has to change for the Sabres to turn their season around.

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26. Calgary Flames  - If the Flames could play the Stars every game, they might make the playoffs. Other than that, wins have been hard to come by in Calgary.

27. Colorado Avalanche  - Matt Duchene is off to a great start in Colorado, but no one else is feeding off his energy. They can only hope that Landeskog can energize his team if he can manage to come back from his concussion injury.

28. Florida Panthers  - They can't score and can't keep the puck out of their net. They have the worst goal differential but still find themselves in third in their division. Do you wonder why Winnipeg hasn't shown up on this list yet?

29. Winnipeg Jets  - Nothing is going right in Winnipeg. No one is stepping up offensively and the defense has been less than stellar in front of struggling goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. This team needs a couple years to fill some holes.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets  - For the third time in a row, the Blue Jackets hold the last spot on the list. There is little talent to speak of in Columbus and even less chemistry.