Left Handed Larceny

Week 6 Power Rankings
by Eric Berkenpas

Almost halfway into the season, let's see where teams rank:

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1. Chicago Blackhawks - I can't believe that 2 weeks later, I am still talking about the Hawks as a team that has not lost in regulation yet. Still the obvious number 1.

2. Boston Bruins - The Boston Bruins continue to dominate at a very sluggish pace. They are tied with the Kings for having played the least games so far. Certainly hasn't effected them though. Rask has been dominant and this physical bunch is establishing their dominance in the East.
 

3. Anaheim Ducks - Bruce Boudreau continues to prove he is a legitimate coach as he tries to keep pace with the Hawks. This team is complete from top to bottom with a potent offense, solid defense, and one of the best goalie tandems in the league. Keep in mind they are one of only 3 teams to beat the Hawks, albeit in OT.

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4. Montreal Canadiens - Michel Therrien has had a ton of success with his defensive mentality in Montreal. With Carey Price having the best season of his career so far, the Canadiens have been able to score enough goals with their fast and ferocious attack to establish themselves in the top spot in the East.

5. Vancouver Canucks - Robert Luongo continues to play well (aside from the 8 GA debacle at Detroit). Henrik Sedin finally got on the scoring sheet and Daniel Sedin has been his normal self. Ryan Kesler will be a big loss and this could be the reason for the recent struggles.

6. Ottawa Senators - Was a tough choice between the Sens and the Pens. Gotta give the higher spot to the defensive team. It's amazing that given the losses the Sens have suffered, they are still finding themselves in the top 10. Ben Bishop has been fantastic in relief of the injured Anderson.

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7. Pittsburgh Penguins - Pens have been up and down on this list all year. Just when you think they are getting hot, Malkin gets hurt and the defense implodes. Chris Kunitz is having his best season and is a big reason the Pens find themselves atop the league in goals scored.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs - Toronto has tightened up the D and enjoyed the goal scoring success of James Van Riemsdyk to find themselves in the 6 spot in the East. This is one of the best looking Leafs teams in the last decade.

9. Minnesota Wild - The Wild have found their winning touch but mostly through the goaltending of Backstrom. Goal scoring has still been an issue and Zach Parise has been cold. Defense, however, is always the key to success and the Wild have shown prominence there.

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10. Detroit Red Wings - The Wings beat the Canucks 8-3 and came minutes away from handing the Hawks their first loss in regulation. An up and down season so far lands Detroit tied for 4th in the West.  Damien Brunner continues to prove that he deserves rookie of the year and has diminished the loss of Franzen for 2 weeks.

11. New Jersey Devils - The recent slide by the Devils has proved how important and valuable Brodeur is to this team. Hedberg was not able to bring good relief and the Devils found themselves giving up 16 goals in 4 games and losing all 4 of those games. Brodeur coming back from injury should help the Devils re-claim their defensive grit.

12. Carolina Hurricanes - The Carolina Hurricanes were just starting to come on and then they lose Cam Ward for the year. Dan Ellis is going to have to bring some solid relief or the Canes will taper and lose their lead in the Southeast.

13. St. Louis Blues - The next several teams have all been incredibly inconsistent, starting with the Blues. Halak returned to the lineup but has not been able to help his team gain some consistency. Regardless, the Blues have been able to get their wins.

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14. San Jose Sharks - The Sharks have not been able to rediscover their groove but still find themselves in good position in the West. Marleau and Thornton need to get going again and Ryan Clowe is going to need to start finding the back of the net; he has not scored yet.

15. Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers got Hartnell back and are beginning to look like last years team again. Jakub Voracek found his scoring groove and Giroux has heated up. Simmonds is playing great hockey and Bryzgalov has been solid all year. Flyers are primed and ready to make a run in the East.

16. Dallas Stars - Lehtonen is back and struggled out the gate but re-established himself in a 4-1 win against St. Louis. Dallas is sitting in the 24 pt pack in the West and are only a couple games from either being in 4th or out of the playoff picture. Jamie Benn needs to heat up again he is -9 in the last week.

17. Phoenix Coyotes - Just earned themselves a solid win against Anaheim and are 6-3-1 in their last 10. Defense and goaltending has still been inconsistent  but the signs are there that this team can still play the defense that earned them a playoff spot last year.

18. Nashville Predators - If the Predators could score goals, they would find themselves near the top in the West. Defense and goaltending has been as good as last year but goals have been hard to come by. Someone is going to have to take charge of this team and spark them offensively. Defense is good but you gotta score goals.

19. NY Rangers - The Rangers playoff hopes are still alive but are slipping. They lost Nash for a little stretch but even being in the lineup for most of the season, he hasn't been able to help the Rangers score and while the defense is good, it's not what it was last year. Something is going to need to change in New York or the Rangers will find themselves as the most disappointing team this year.

20. LA Kings - The Kings began to get their old mojo back. Just when it didn't look like they had a true #1 goalie anymore, Quick turned it on. Mike Richards got going and the Kings were playing that hockey that won them a cup last year. Doughty needs to find the goal.

21. Calgary Flames - Calgary has found their first groove of the year in the past couple weeks. Joey McDonald hasn't been the best goalie but has played well enough to get his team some wins and they are only 2 games back from a playoff spot. Don't sleep on the Flames.

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22. Colorado Avalanche - The return of Gabriel Landeskog is a plus for this squad and though they have lost 4 of their last 5, they earned a point in three of them. Colorado is hangin' around in the West and trying to get things going. Matt Duchene has been good but will need some scoring support. 

23. NY Islanders - John Tavares is slowly shaping into the superstar that everyone expects him to become but just doesn't have the quality team around him to make the jump into the playoffs. The Isles are keeping their sights on that 8 spot though and they just might get it when all is said and done.

24. Tampa Bay Lightning - Struggle city. Steven Stamkos is the only thing good comin' outta Tampa right now. Other than that, nothing is in sync and the losses are spreading like wildfire.

25. Edmonton Oilers - This young group of guys just can't seem to get it together. Maybe it's the coach, maybe a bad mix of players, who knows. Can't discount that amount of talent on this team though. They have enough of it to do what LA did last year.

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26. Winnipeg Jets - After winning 4 of 5 against quality Eastern opponents, the Jets dropped 2 straight to the 2 worst teams in the East to remind the whole league that the Jets still are not good.

27. Buffalo Sabres - A passing of the torch in Buffalo has not led to any immediate changes as the Sabres continue to lose 2 out of every 3 games. Tomas Vanek has cooled off drastically and Ryan Miller has been plain bad.

28. Washington Capitals - Lack of effort defines this team. They have talent but just don't look like they care. More than anything, the Capitals just need an attitude adjustment, starting with Ovechkin.

29. Columbus Blue Jackets - All is well in Columbus! They exited the last spot in the rankings for the first time! Not really because of any improvement, more because the team that replaced them is that bad.

30. Florida Panthers - You can't give up 3 to 4 goals per game and expect to win many games. Theodore and Clemmensen have been horrible and scoring has been an issue. Blame it on injuries if you'd like but do you really think Versteeg, Jovanovski  and Bergenheim would turn the ship around? I don't. Either way how they stand now, they are the worst team in the league.