Left Handed Larceny

Week 8 Power Rankings

By Eric Berkenpas

The push for playoffs is really starting to heat up and as usual, standings look drastically different than they did two weeks ago. Lets see where everyone stands now:

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1. Pittsburgh Penguins - I know Caleb and Ryan are shaking their heads as they read this but for real, the Penguins are dominating the month of March (haven't lost yet) and are doing it on both the defensive and offensive sides of the ice against some of the better teams in the East. Sidney Crosby is having his best season yet and has created stars out of Dupuis and Kunitz. Oh, and this is all without last year's MVP, Evgeni Malkin.

2. Chicago Blackhawks - They are human after all. Having lost two in a row to Colorado and Edmonton (two of the bottom teams in the West) and being taken to a SO against the Jackets, they unleashed their frustration in an 8-1 shellacking of the Dallas Stars. This team is still arguably the best. You just can't really argue against the Pens 9 game win streak and the fashion in which it was achieved.

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3. Anaheim Ducks - There can be nothing but good things to say of this squad. The only question for them now is what happens to Corey Perry after Getzlaf got his huge extension? That shouldn't affect them this year though, and clearly isn't as they are 7-0-3 in their last 10, have points in 11 straight games and are 17-1-3 in their last 21.

4. Boston Bruins - Can't knock the B's for those two losses to Pittsburgh as both came in the 2nd game of back to backs and while the Penguins were hot. Outside of those losses, the Bruins are playing solid playoff hockey and could still potentially be in first in the East if not for having played 3 less games than Pittsburgh.

5. Montreal Canadiens - This is a team that I just keep waiting to tail off but the longer I wait, the better they seem to get. Michel Therrien has his system working to perfection and find a lot of scoring coming on the powerplay. No player really stands out statistically except Carey Price who is tied for the league lead in wins with a 2.33 GAA.

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6. St. Louis Blues - The Blues have gotten back to their defensive prowess and have found ways to put more pucks in the back of the net than last year. What you may not know is that the goaltender standing out right now is rookie Jake Allen. He has won 5 in a row, 2 of those coming against San Jose, 1 against the Ducks who he only allowed one goal to and 2 against Phoenix (one of which being his first career shutout).

7. Minnesota Wild - The Wild have really turned it on and taken control of the Northwest Division and that 3rd spot in the West. They are gonna have to beat the big boys though as their only 3 losses in the last 10 games were to Chicago and Anaheim. They gotta be pleased with Ryan Suter's explosion too (2 G, 12 A in last 10).

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8. Ottawa Senators - I struggle with the idea of putting them this high given the depleted lineup they have but they have still found ways to succeed. Can't beat the top teams in their division though which comes as no surprise due to being severely out-manned game in and game out. Gotta have Paul MacLean as a candidate for the Jack Adams given what he has been able to accomplish without his 4 best players.

9. Detroit Red Wings - It's a roller coaster ride in Hockey Town. This is as inconsistent of a Red Wings squad that I have seen in a very long time. It was a great win against Vancouver but those two losses to Columbus regardless of how good that team is playing right now can't be overlooked. Get everyone healthy though and the Wings could make a very strong push at the end of the season.

10. Los Angeles Kings - Another team riddled with inconsistency. Just when you thought the Kings were going to be lights out in the second half, they lose two straight to a weak Phoenix team and a struggling Sharks team. Was good to see them bounce back at home against the Sharks though. The defense is going to need to play better in front of Quick. The injury to Matt Greene is proving to be a bigger deal than it was at first.

11. Winnipeg Jets - The Jets have continued to outdo expectations as they have elevated themselves to the 3 spot in the East. Their play has still been inconsistent and they have been beating the lower teams in the East but that is more than can be said for many other teams. We'll see how they fare in the next two weeks where they have the Bruins once, Pens once and Canes twice.

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12. Columbus Blue Jackets - Gotta go with the hot team. Columbus has points in 10 straight and sit just 2 points out of  a playoff spot. They played a tough game at home against the Hawks and beat the Wings twice in a row to make it 4-0-1 this season against their rivals from the north. The Jackets have been in every game and Bobrovsky has been the best goaltender in the last couple weeks.

13. Toronto Maple Leafs - The Leafs were really starting to look like one of the top teams in the East before they hit Boston, a hot Winnipeg team twice and a blazing hot Pittsburgh team twice. The Leafs still have one of the better teams in the East but they have proven they can't compete with the big boys.

14. Vancouver Canucks - This is far from the Canuck teams we have seen in more recent years. Luongo found a comfortable spot on the bench after giving up 8 goals to the Wings. Schneider brought in some solid relief but didn't see too much offensive support. This team has had trouble finding sync and needs to get in gear soon before the hot teams in the West overcome them.

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15. New Jersey Devils - Success in New Jersey seems to be directly related to the health of Martin Brodeur. Given this, you can only feel good about the Devils in the coming weeks as it seems like Brodeur could be back in net as early as Thursday. Can't forget where they have been though (3-5-2 in their last 10).

16. New York Islanders - The Islanders are so close to finding their identity in the East and are hovering just outside a playoff spot. Other than the 6-1 loss to the surging Pens, the Isles have been pretty good of late which can be highlighted in their 3-2 win against Ottawa and 6-3 win against Montreal. They have the Habs and Pens this week back to back. Let's see if the Islanders can take the next step.

17. San Jose Sharks - The goaltending and defense are there. The scoring surprisingly is not. Thornton and Marleau have combined for 3 goals in their last 10 and Couture went cold after his red hot start but has 6 goals in his last 10. They are going to need secondary scoring from their 3rd line if they want to get back into it.

18. Edmonton Oilers - It can't be overlooked what Edmonton did to Chicago. They went into arguably the hardest place to play against arguably the best team in the league and pounded them for 4 goals in the first period and held on to deal the Hawks only their second loss of the season. The momentum continued with a 4-0 shutout of the Avs, 2-3 loss in OT to the Wings and 3-2 win against the Preds. Things are looking pretty decent in Edmonton right now.

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19. Carolina Hurricanes - Carolina can sympathize with the Devils as they too are feeling the loss of their all star goaltender. Dan Ellis and Justin Peters are not cutting it in Carolina. Doesn't help to not have the greatest defense in the world either. The pressure is on Eric Staal and Alexander Semin to light up the scoreboard to keep this team winning.

20. Phoenix Coyotes - The Coyotes had some tough matchups in the past couple weeks having to face some of the hotter teams in the conference. Still gotta win some of those games though and this team is far too inconsistent to be considered a legitimate playoff team.

21. New York Rangers - I am beginning to think this is as good as the Rangers are going to get. There is no depth on this roster and Lundqvist has not been as sharp as he usually is. Gaborik has been abysmal and Richards has been even worse. To add insult to injury, Marc Staal went down hard with a puck to the face. There is still enough time for the Rangers but that time is quickly fading.

22. Philadelphia Flyers - It truly is disappointing to see a team with so much young talent and energy do as poorly as the Flyers are doing. It was good to see them rebound with a solid win at home against the Devils but those losses to the Rangers, Penguins, Bruins and Devils stung the young guns on the Flyers. The Flyers are in slight disarray right now and are in no condition to make any type of playoff run.

23. Nashville Predators - Following a 4-0 shutout against Dallas, the Preds proceeded to give up 16 goals in 3 games. Scoring had been the issue in Nashville, but defense and goaltending has quickly emerged as a serious problem.

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24. Calgary Flames - Where will Jarome Iginla go? Anywhere? I think it all depends on the next couple weeks and where the Flames are then. They have been playing decent hockey and are riding a two game win streak. The 13 goals against in 3 games before those two wins can't be ignored though.

25. Colorado Avalanche - I am going to put a lot of stock in that win against the Hawks and put the Avs 5 spots higher than they probably should be. They don't have what it takes yet to be consistently competitive but they have a lot of good, young talent to build off of which is more than can be said for many other struggling teams.

26. Tampa Bay Lightning - The Bolts have given up little over 2 goals per game over the last 5 which is a significant improvement. It was just a really bad time for Stamkos to go cold. The Lightning could still turn this season around, they just need to keep playing solid team defense and Lindback needs to find more comfort in the crease.

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27. Washington Capitals - Nothing is improving in Washinton. Ovechkin is still as bad and unproductive as he has been all year and the Holtby/Neuvirth combo in goal has not been stellar. There probably is not a more confused man in the NHL than Ted Leonsis, owner of the Caps, who has been doing all he can to try to get his young stars going again to no avail.

28. Dallas Stars - Not just any team loses 8-1, regardless of who the opponent is. That was a home game too. There is very little to be excited about in Dallas other than their upcoming schedule where they get the Avs twice.

29. Buffalo Sabres - Ryan Miller is starting to talk down on his teammates (claimed Kaleta needed to grow up) and absolutely nothing is going right in Buffalo. The Sabres are going to need to spend a couple years rebuilding before they are competitive again.

30. Florida Panthers - Just look at the standings...