NHL Power Rankings
November 20, 2006
By
James Meyerriecks
Though we're still working on a way to set up some space on the site where we can incorporate our player rankings, we can still set up all of you puckheads with an opportunity to scout your player's opponents for favorable and unfavorable matchups with our first power rankings of the year.
Figures are calculated based on a handful of factors, including:
- Team win/loss performance to this point in the season
- Team win/loss performance over the past ten games
- Team goals for, against, and differential
- Recent injuries that may have an effect on their upcoming schedule
Without further adieu, I give you FIC's first NHL Power Rankings!
1. Buffalo Sabres - They've looked human lately, but Maxim Afinogenov's return could spark them to new heights. Their 4.35 goals per game lead the league by nearly a goal, and are one of only two teams averaging more than a goal more than their opponents.
2. San Jose Sharks - Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo are starting to click a bit more lately, but it's not their top line that puts them in the number two spot. We already knew that Patrick Marleau was terrific, but Milan Michalek is emerging as a legitimate superstar.
3. Anaheim Ducks - They've lost less games in regulation than any team in the league, but their five overtime losses skew the numbers a bit. The second line has been terrific, and will have to continue to provide depth behind Teemu Selanne (five assists Sunday!) and Andy McDonald.
4. Detroit Red Wings - Back to back losses in Canada didn't knock them down too far. They've still won eight of ten. Dominik Hasek is having a renaissance, but the offense just can't seem to get going.
5. Nashville Predators - Their 3.5 goals per game are good for third in the league, and the defense in front of Tomas Vokoun has been recovering lately after a slow start.
6. Toronto Maple Leafs - The unquestioned surprise team of the top ten, the kids (and Andrew Raycroft) have stepped it up in Mats' Sundin's absence. Darcy Tucker (12 G, 6 A) has been terrific, and it's looking like last year might not have been a fluke after all.
7. Carolina Hurricanes - Cup Champs have really picked it up of late, going 7-2-1 in their last ten. Captain Rod Brind'amour has led the way with thirteen points during his current eight-game point streak. However, the goaltending of Cam Ward has been inconsistent at best.
8. New Jersey Devils - The only team in the top fifteen with a negative goal differential, the Devils have recovered nicely since an 8-1 thrashing at the hands of the Senators a few weeks ago. They're not scoring a ton of goals, but with sure-fire Hall of Famer Marty Brodeur between the pipes, they haven't had to. New Jersey has won eight of ten to grab a two-point lead with two games at hand on the hated Rangers.
9. Montreal Canadiens - Balance, balance, balance, and strong goaltending are this team's strengths. Cristobal Huet has been every bit as good as he was in his first real chance to start last season, and the Habs are getting contributions from everyone (eight players with ten points or more in nineteen games). They'll get even scarier when Chris Higgins returns in mid-December.
10. Calgary Flames - Kipper in October? Not so hot. Kipper in November? Absolutely incredible! The top line of Alex Tanguay, Daymond Langkow, and Jarome Iginla has started to find ways to get on the scoresheet, and Vezina winner Miikka Kiprusoff has allowed just seven goals during the team's six-game win streak.
11. Dallas Stars - The trip through the southeast bumped their goals against per game from about 1.80 to 2.11. If Marty Turco's on, the Stars are tough to beat. If he has any trouble at all, they just don't have the offensive skill to make up for it.
12. New York Islanders - It's a bit early to judge the fifteen year deal Rick DiPietro got this offseason, but he's actually looked terrific lately. Mike Dunham has looked even better between the pipes, and stopped 43 of 44 shots on Saturday. If they can get any kind of production behind Jason Blake and Alexei Yashin, this team might remain in contention all year.
13. New York Rangers - The Czech line is still firing, but the goaltending has looked a lot more like it did before the strike than it did last year. Henrik Lundqvist's 3.25 GAA may get it done in the regular season, but it's just not going to cut it come playoff time.
14. Minnesota Wild - The Wild have won just four of their last ten since winning their first seven. People in the Twin Cities have to be praying that whoever is using that voodoo doll of Marian Gaborik will lose it in his absence.
15. Edmonton Oilers - Dwayne Roloson's starting to find his form in net, and the kids up front continue to develop. The Oilers have won four out of five since starting the month on a four-game losing streak.
16. Washington Capitals - Despite a high 3.00 GAA, Ollie the Goalie has looked great, stopping nearly 92% of the shots he's faced. They're not just the brothers Alexander up front, as Dainius Zubrus is flying high with seven goals in his last ten games.
17. Tampa Bay Lightning - When the big three are clicking, the 'Ning can be scary. Brad Richards, Vinny Lecavalier, and Martin St. Louis have combined for 13 goals and 21 assists in eight November games, leading the squad to a 5-2-1 record this month. Johan Holmqvist has been brilliant in stealing the starting goaltending duties from Marc Denis.
18. Atlanta Thrashers - Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Slava Kozlov have been amazing up front for the Thrashers, but the same can't be said about Kari Lehtonen or Johan Hedberg between the pipes. After a strong start, the Thrashers have allowed 38 goals in losing six of their last ten. Lehtonen, considered amongst the best young goaltenders in the league, has temporarily lost his job to the Moose.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins - You've got to start somewhere. While the Penguins are looking significantly better than last year, they don't look like they're ready to elevate their game beyond just being a contender to make the playoffs yet. Sid the Kid and Evgeni Malkin are providing plenty of excitement, but they still lack depth. Marc-Andre Fleury (9-5-1, 2.81, .914) has been among the most improved players in the league so far, but Jocelyn Thibault has been horrible when Fleury gets a rest.
20. Colorado Avalanche - The kids (Wojtek Wolski, Paul Stastny, Marek Svatos) have been great in stints this season, but they can't seem to find much consistency. Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk still give the Avs a pair of studs up front, but they're going to need a little more help. Keep an eye on the goaltending situation. Jose Theodore's been mediocre, and Peter Budaj just gave up just one goal as he won on back to back nights in Columbus and Minnesota this weekend.
21. Boston Bruins - Marc Savard is starting to remind us just how good Glen Murray (5 G, 5 A in last eight games) can be when he plays with an elite center. The offense has looked like it's coming together for a few weeks now, while the defense is suddenly looking a lot stronger with a healthy Brad Stuart back to help out. The Bruins are starting to roll, and have won four straight.
22. Ottawa Senators - Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Heatley, Alfie, and Spezza have started to pick up the pace, but they just can't seem to pull out those close games. The Sens are 1-6-1 in one goal games this season, and are three games under .500 despite outscoring their opponents 66-58 so far.
23. Vancouver Canucks - Talk about your transformations. Vancouver, which was routinely in the top three in scoring prior to the lockout, is 29th in the league with just 2.38 goals per game so far this season. Thankfully, the addition of Roberto Luongo this offseason means that they're still hovering right around .500.
24. Los Angeles Kings - You have to like what you've seen out of Mike Cammalleri, Anze Kopitar, and Alexander Frolov so far, but there's not much else to like in Los Angeles. Frolov is the hottest player in the league right now, and has six goals and two assists in his last three.
25. Chicago Blackhawks - Their five game streak of gaining at least a point came to an end Sunday night in Vancouver, but the Blackhawks have been surprisingly decent lately despite losing Michal Handzus for the year and star winger Martin Havlat until early December. If they can keep afloat until Havlat gets back (and continue to play defense), expect them to be on the rise.
26. Florida Panthers - Apart from Olli Jokinen (and possibly Nathan Horton), the young talent still looks to be at least a year away, and the veteran talent seems to be over the hill. Alex Auld has been a mess lately, losing seven in a row, so Eddie Belfour's taking a little more time away from the retirement home to get on the ice.
27. St. Louis Blues - Keith Tkachuk is still a fantastic power forward, but there's not much else to get excited about in St. Louis. The fans have noticed... They're drawing just over 6,000 fans a game, which is what they deserve for jacking up the ticket prices when they had the worst record in the league last year.
28. Phoenix Coyotes - It's becoming increasingly clear that (as great a player as he was) Wayne Gretzky should not be coaching in the National Hockey League. The 'Yotes have admittedly been decimated by injuries to three of their top four players (Mike Comrie, Shane Doan, and Steve Reinprecht), which means that Ladislav Nagy is a marked man every time he steps on the ice.
29. Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers showed some signs of life on their West Coast trip last week, but they're still just 2-6-1 in November. The offense has been poor, and the goaltending (particularly Robert Esche) has just been pitiful.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets - If you've been shut out five times in just eighteen games, this is where you belong. Rick Nash and David Vyborny have still been strong, but they're the only two Jackets with more than ten points on the year.
We'll continue to post our bi-weekly divisional updates, alternating with the Eastern Conference one week and the West the next. The power rankings will be updated every Monday morning, highlighting the change from the week before starting next week. Hopefully we can find the space (and... err... time) to start getting some player rankings up at FIC in the coming weeks.
Feature Articles 
Don't get your hopes up...even if they turn this winning streak into a playoff appearance (I highly doubt it), they won't go anywhere in the playoffs with me (equivalent of Tim Thomas) in net.
Don't get your hopes up...even if they turn this winning streak into a playoff appearance (I highly doubt it), they won't go anywhere in the playoffs with me (equivalent of Tim Thomas) in net.
I have to agree. Thomas isn't the answer, even if he has been on a hot streak for the past month. They're definitely capable of putting the puck in the net, though, and the defense is doing a lot better lately. After allowing 30+ shots in seven of nine October games, they've allowed 30 shots just once in their last five games, and they're getting strong contributions on both ends of the ice from Zdeno Chara and Brad Stuart.
It's been a while since I've heard anything regarding a legit number one goalie coming to Boston, though they were rumored to be going after Evgeni Nabokov as recently as early November. Unfortunately, the name I'd heard being discussed as going back to the Sharks was Glen Murray, who has led their offensive charge with seven goals and twelve points in nine November games.
Don't get your hopes up...even if they turn this winning streak into a playoff appearance (I highly doubt it), they won't go anywhere in the playoffs with me (equivalent of Tim Thomas) in net.
I have to agree. Thomas isn't the answer, even if he has been on a hot streak for the past month. They're definitely capable of putting the puck in the net, though, and the defense is doing a lot better lately. After allowing 30+ shots in seven of nine October games, they've allowed 30 shots just once in their last five games, and they're getting strong contributions on both ends of the ice from Zdeno Chara and Brad Stuart.
It's been a while since I've heard anything regarding a legit number one goalie coming to Boston, though they were rumored to be going after Evgeni Nabokov as recently as early November. Unfortunately, the name I'd heard being discussed as going back to the Sharks was Glen Murray, who has led their offensive charge with seven goals and twelve points in nine November games.
If they trade Glen Murray, all members of the front office should be fired. Jeremy Jacobs should do us all a favor and take his own life, regardless of whether or not they trade Murray.
I already don't like the new coach (Dave Lewis)...but he has a great moustache. Can we get a moustache emoticon???