Left Handed Larceny

Power Rankings: Week 10

by Eric Berkenpas

Playoffs are nearing! It's starting to get to crunch time for some teams. Let's take a look at where everyone stands:

Photo cred thescore.tumblr.com

1. Pittsburgh Penguins - They didn't lose a single game in March and went without Malkin, Letang and Fleury in several games. The Pens are riding a 15 game win streak, have rendered only 9 goals in 11 games and added Morrow, Iginla and Murray. Only cause for concern is a broken jaw to the meat and potatoes of their team, Sidney Crosby.

2. Anaheim Ducks - The Ducks, though still behind the Hawks in the standings, have beaten them is 2 of 2 head to head meetings so far. Things in Anaheim aren't all fine and dandy though. Losing two in a row to a struggling San Jose squad is a cause for concern and the deteriorating of Victor Fasth means Hiller will have to perform or Anaheim could be in trouble.

Photo cred chicagosportsmemories.blogspot.com

3. Chicago Blackhawks - The Hawks finally hit that bump in the road and are 5-5-0 in their last 10. No questioning this team still being one of the best in the league though. They just stampeded over their division rival Detroit Red Wings 7-1. Patrick Kane continues to be marvelous and leads all Western Conference players in scoring with 42 points.

4. Montreal Canadiens - The Canadiens have held on to first in their division by beating the Bruins in their last two meetings both by exciting come from behind victories. The 1-0 loss at Pittsburgh is excusable but the   2-1 overtime loss to the Sabres is not. Regardless, the Habs sit pretty in 2nd in the East and will just need to hold off the Bruins to keep that spot.

5. Minnesota Wild - This is another team that just won't lose right now. They are 8-2-0 in their last 10 and passed up a hot Vancouver team for first in their division. The positive thing is the Wild, behind a surging Devon Setoguchi, have found their scoring touch. Nick Backstrom leads the league with 19 wins and has been sensational.

Photo cred www.hockey-trades.com

6. Vancouver Canucks - The threat of the Wild passing them really set a fire in the Canucks' behinds because they went on a nice 6-2-0 run to hold the Wild off for awhile. Corey Schneider looked good in those games and the Canucks look to be taking playoff form.

7. Los Angeles Kings - The Kings have been one of the better teams in the second half of the season but still have had some sloppy losses. You can really feel this team starting to take form and a 5-4 win IN Chicago cannot be undervalued. That was a huge win. The Kings will need to stop losing to the bottom teams in the West though if they want to have hopes of making another Cup run.

Photo cred boston.sportsthenandnow.com

8. Boston Bruins - The Bruins are really in a downward spiral right now. The two losses in a row to Pittsburgh are forgivable, but then going and losing to Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Philadelphia in their next 6 was not good, especially given the manner they lost to the Habs. The Bruins are not playing a playoff brand of hockey right now and missed out on the top grabs at the trade deadline. Time for Claude Julien to show why he is a top coach in the league and rebound his team.

9. San Jose Sharks - The Sharks are rising again! And no thanks to Antti Niemi. He is 4-0 in his last 4 with  2 shutouts and a 1.25 GAA. 2 of those wins came against the Ducks who we all know is one of the best teams in the league. The Sharks are certainly making steps in the right direction. Also good to see a strong penalty kill (3rd best). Special teams can make or break a team come playoffs.

10. Toronto Maple Leafs - Leafs are also killing penalties well, but are killing too many. They are the most penalized team in the league and need to become more disciplined if they want a shot at going anywhere in the playoffs. Pittsburgh and Montreal are two teams they are likely to have to go through in the East and they both have very dangerous power plays. Regardless, the Leafs have shown an ability to beat the top teams in the East - good sign!

Photo cred www.ottawasun.com

11. Ottawa Senators - The Sens are hangin' around in the East and went a very quiet 6-2-2 in their last 10. All those losses however came to teams currently holding playoff spots. This is where the injuries are killer. Ben Bishop has been great in relief but unfortunately is going to have to be better as is the defense in front of him.

12. Detroit Red Wings - The Wings really looked like they were going somewhere with wins at Edmonton, Vancouver, 2 at Anaheim and 1 at Phoenix in a 6 game stretch, giving up only 12 goals in those games. Then they lost 2-0 at San Jose and 7-1 at home against the Hawks. Is this team ever going to get it together? I don't care how good Chicago is. There is no excuse for letting up 7 goals in a game.

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13. Washington Capitals - The Caps are on a roll right now and have the top powerplay in the league. They played solid playoff hockey in a 2-1 loss in Pittsburgh, followed it up with back-to-back 4-0 and 6-1 wins at division leader Winnipeg and finished off a little 3 game win streak by winning 3-2 at NY Rangers. Ovechkin may have found his touch as well, tallying 5 goals and 3 assists in that 4 game stretch. The Caps will need their superstar if they want to make playoffs. And if they do, watch out! Only 4 games back from leading the division.

14. Edmonton Oilers - The Oilers are streaking right now, and I don't mean running around naked! They are on a 3 game win streak and have earned points in 8 of their last 10. Taylor Hall is lights out right now and will need his team to rally behind him to continue this run. Dubnyk will need to improve as well. Don't count out this young squad! It's only a matter of time before all this youth breaks out in a major way.

Photo cred darkbluejacket.blogspot.com

15. Columbus Blue Jackets - The Jackets just beat the Ducks 2-1 and have been a very solid hockey team in the month of March. They currently sit in the 8 spot in the West against all odds. Bobrovsky has made his case for being considered for the Vezina and the combination of young talent like Cam  Atkinson, Mark Letestu,  Artem Anisimov and Derick Brassard have propelled this team into the playoff picture.

16. New York Islanders - Yes, you are seeing correctly. This is the second team listed from the once powerful Atlantic Division. If it weren't for the red hot Pens, the Isles would have been 8-2-1 in March. John Tavares has 21 goals (2nd best) and is pushing his team into a potential playoff spot. Don't be surprised to see this team in the playoffs for the first time since 2006!

17. Winnipeg Jets - They are the 3rd place team in the East, yes. But are they deserving? No. They looked like an AHL team against the Pens and lost by a combined 10-1 at home against the Capitals two days in a row. This team is no where near a legitimate playoff contender and would barely be in the playoffs if they didn't play in the worst division in the league.

Photo cred www.usatoday.com

18. New Jersey Devils - The return of Marty Brodeur has had no effect. The Devils have lost 3 straight and dropped 10 of 15 in the month of March. Regardless, they are in the playoffs thanks to a good start to the season. The loss of Kovalchuk doesn't make matters any better.

19. St. Louis Blues - Huge drop for these guys. Jake Allen started to look like a rookie and the offense went cold. Halak re-established himself as the starter but has only won one game since doing so. They are a point out of playoffs with 3 game in hand on the 8th place Jackets.

20. New York Rangers - It was a toss up between the Rangers and Hurricanes for this spot. In the end, goalies and defense won out even though the Rangers, as offensively potent as they should be, cannot score goals. Defense and goaltending is always a more valuable asset come playoff time though, and that is what the Rangers have.

21. Carolina Hurricanes - The Canes were absolutely plummeting, losers of 7 straight. They ended that with a solid 3-1 against division leader Winnipeg and look to get back on track against some of the top teams in the East in the next couple weeks. Their weakest point all year has been the powerplay which currently sits at 3rd worst. Penalty kill is 5th worst. Special teams is the achilles heel on the Canes this year.

Photo cred bloguin.com

22. Dallas Stars - The loss of their captain, Morrow, has had little effect. Although on a very inconsistent basis, the Stars have been able to win some games against some of the best teams in the West (Anaheim and Minnesota). If they could just win the games they should win, they would be fine. The youth is going to have to step up because that is where management seems to be shifting their focus.

23. Tampa Bay Lightning - The good news? St. Louis is staying in Tampa. The bad news? He isn't staying on a very good team currently. The Lightning lost their head coach and for good reason. There is no reason this team should not be in a playoff spot. The Lightning need a coach who can team good defense. With Stamkos, St. Louis, Lecavalier and an up and coming Conacher, scoring is not an issue. The pucks just need to stop pouring into their net.

Photo cred topics.courierpostonline.com

24. Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers played an inspired game against the Pens in desperate search for a spark to get them going. They currently sit at the bottom of a weak Atlantic division  and are not getting production from guys like Briere, Hartnell and Gagne. Giroux is struggling in his first year of being captain, which could be expected. Bryz has done all he can in front of a porous defense but will need some help if the Flyers are going to start winning some games.

25. Colorado Avalanche - Of all the bottom teams, the Avalanche are the only team with hope for the future in their young stars, Duchene and Landeskog. John-Michael Liles is sorely missed on defense and there is no true #1 goalie. Fix those issues and this team is battling for a playoff spot. These are the reasons they were left out of the group of rank 30 teams.

It was really hard to rank these last 5 teams as they have all been absolutely horrible this year and recently. To solve this problem, I put them all at #30 in no particular order because they all share honors of being the worst team in the league. Here we go!

30. Calgary Flames - The Flames showed signs of life midway through the season but are now shipping out their stars for young talent, having finally realized they need to rebuild. Don't expect anything good from an Iginla-less Calgary team.

Photo cred bigstory.ap.org

30. Buffalo Sabres - Vanek is the only player who can produce and Ryan Miller is a piece of swiss cheese in front of a weak defense. It might be awhile before the Sabres find themselves to be competitive again in the NHL.

30. Florida Panthers - Jacob Markstrom and a suddenly tightened defense has helped the Panthers to look like a professional hockey team, but the Panthers still have serious issues.

30. Nashville Predators - The Preds only strength last year and through the first half of the season has all but disappeared. Pekka Rinne is still one of the best goalies in the league but can't be expected to hold his own against a constant onslaught on offense.

30. Phoenix Coyotes - They have lost 8 of their last 9 and are looking like possibly the worst team in the league. This is a team that everyone wants to see on their schedule right now.