NHL Power Rankings: January 7th, 2011: Vol. 4
Hockey season is off and skating full speed ahead in 2011 and Cappers Picks is the place to look for the best NHL Handicapping advice all season long.
How much does parity rule in the NHL this year? Well, our top team in the power rankings was only 10 points out of ninth place in its own conference before winning last night.
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(Previous rankings in brackets)
1. (5) Vancouver Canucks (26-8-5): The Canucks lead the NHL in wins and points and have the longest current winning streak at seven games. Not a fluke. This is the deepest, most well-rounded team in hockey.
2. (1) Pittsburgh Penguins (26-12-3): 5-4-1 over their last 10 games and Sid the Kid is goal-less in three. Maybe it’s an HBO hangover? Still, the 8-1 win over Tampa last night helps.
3. (9) Tampa Bay Lightning (24-12-5): Even with the embarrassing beating they suffered last night, the Lightning have still been one of the league’s hottest teams over the last month. It’s not surprising to see their offense explode under Guy Boucher. But will Dwayne Roloson solve their goaltending woes?
4. (4) Philadelphia Flyers (24-10-5): Uh-oh. The Flyers are still playing good hockey overall but Sergei Bobrovsky has crashed back to Earth hard and they sent Michael Leighton down. Maybe their goaltending woes aren’t solved after all.
5. (2) Detroit Red Wings (25-10-5): Pavel Datsyuk’s injury hasn’t hurt them much so far; they’re running away with the Central this season.
6. (6) Dallas Stars (24-13-4): Their size and physicality up front is paying off; the Stars are playing more like we thought they’d play last year.
7. (12) New York Rangers (23-15-3): If you like old-time hockey you have to like what the Rangers are doing, relying on good goaltending and a very gritty forward corps to do their damage.
8. (13) Washington Capitals (23-12-6): It’s officially time to start worrying about Alex Ovechkin. Is he hiding an injury? Playing tentatively because of his suspension last year?
9. (8) Boston Bruins (21-11-6): I still like the Bruins as a darkhorse Stanley Cup contender but Marc Savard needs to find his groove if Boston really wants to make waves in the playoffs.
10. (16) San Jose Sharks (21-14-5): Make it six games without a goal for rookie sensation Logan Couture. Time for the vets Thornton, Heatley and Marleau to step it up.
11. (3) Atlanta Thrashers (22-15-6): It looked like they’d started the inevitable slide but they’ve halted it with consecutive wins. Given their size and speed up front with guys like Evander Kane, the Thrashers still have a real shot to play meaningful games in April.
12. (14) Nashville Predators (20-13-6): The Preds’ defense and goaltending continues to carry them. They’re third in goals against and penalty killing but 26th in scoring and 28th in power-play percentage. 
13. (19) Colorado Avalanche (21-14-5): Hanging in despite inconsistent goaltending and they’ll get a nice shot in the arm when Chris Stewart returns from a broken hand (likely in the next week or so).
14. (20) St. Louis Blues (20-13-5): If they can stay in the playoff hunt for another month, the time may be right to trade for a veteran scorer.
15. (22) Minnesota Wild (19-15-5): On a nice little run, largely thanks to Martin Havlat being taken off his leash, but few teams have a lower ceiling than Minnesota.
16. (15) Phoenix Coyotes (18-13-8): Sidney Crosby gets the love but Shane Doan is just as hot right now, with five goals and nine points in his last four games.
17. (10) Chicago Blackhawks (21-18-3): OK, Hawks. Toews, Kane and Hossa are healthy. Excuse time is over. Let’s see you pile up some wins – fast.
18. (17) Los Angeles Kings (22-16-1): To me, the Kings’ struggles are just as surprising and maddening as Chicago’s. If the Kings are serious about making a run in the cap era they have to pony up now. They could get a king’s ransom for Brayden Schenn after he dominated the World Junior tournament.
19. (11) Anaheim Ducks (21-18-4): Ryan Getzlaf’s facial injury is more serious than originally feared. Could it cost Anaheim a playoff spot when all is said and done?
20. (7) Montreal Canadiens (21-16-3): The Habs’ fall was just as predictable as the Canucks’ rise. The Canucks are so talent-rich that they had to float to the top eventually. The Habs, Carey Price aside, aren’t actually a good hockey team.
21. (25) Carolina Hurricanes (18-15-6)
22. (27) Florida Panthers (18-18-2)
23. (18) Columbus Blue Jackets (20-17-3)
24. (30) New York Islanders (12-19-6)
25. (28) Ottawa Senators (16-19-5)
26. (24) Calgary Flames (18-20-3)
27. (23) Buffalo Sabres (16-18-5)
28. (26) Toronto Maple Leafs (14-20-4)
29. (21) Edmonton Oilers (12-19-7)
30. (29) New Jersey Devils (10-27-2)
