The Hockey News: Power Rankings: THN Power Rankings

THN Power Rankings - Jan. 29

With Teemu Selane back in the flock, the Ducks are challenging Detroit for top spot.

Mike Brophy
2008-01-29 11:58:19

OK, break time is over. Time to get down to business. For some teams, say the Toronto Maple Leafs, this means trying to clear the deck of big contracts to make room for prospects. Good luck Cliff Fletcher.

For others, like the Detroit Red Wings, defending champion Anaheim Ducks and the Ottawa Senators, it means gearing up for a long playoff run. With the NHL trade deadline only a few weeks ahead, it will be interesting to see which teams identify themselves as buyers and which will be sellers.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

THE HOCKEY NEWS POWER RANKINGS
RK.	TEAM	LW	OVERALL	L10	THE SCOOP
1		1	37-10-4	7-2-1	For a while it looked like the Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk show, but don’t discount the contributions of Dan Cleary who, with 19 goals, is headed for a single-season high.
2		3	27-20-6	6-3-1	So Teemu Selanne is back. Hardly a shock. Who the heck quits after scoring 48 goals and winning the Cup?
3		2	27-18-4	6-2-2	Doing just fine without Sid The Kid, thank you very much. It helps, of course, when Evgeni Malkin chips in four goals and six points in three games.
4		4	31-15-4	5-5-0	Time to decide, once and for all, if troubled goalie Ray Emery is worth the headache. And if Martin Gerber is the man to carry the Senators through the long grind of the playoffs. Oh, and by the way, captain Daniel Alfredsson had a seven-point game just prior to the break.
5		6	27-16-5	8-1-1	High-priced free agent Daniel Briere hit the 20-goal mark, but his minus-13 has to be of some concern to the Flyers.
6		5	25-17-8	6-3-1	Winger Alex Tanguay, whose name is often mentioned in trade talk, has no goals in his last six games.
7		7	28-18-3	6-4-0	Back-to-back two-goal games for Patrik Elias has some in Jersey believing he can salvage what has otherwise been a very disappointing season.
8		8	27-15-7	5-3-2	Jonathan Cheechoo appears to be rounding into form and not a second too early. The Sharks responded to a 6-3 spanking by Detroit by beating Chicago and St. Louis.
9		10	26-15-8	7-2-1	Mike Komisarek has emerged as a bona fide frontline defenseman on a team that derives success in keeping the puck out of its net.
10		9	28-20-5	5-4-1	A two-game losing skid was not exactly how the Stars hoped to enter the all-star break.
11		12	28-19-3	5-4-1	The Wild carried a 40-minute lead to victory for the 20th time this season (20-0-0), beating Colorado 3-2.
12		11	26-19-5	4-5-1	Roberto Luongo took a well-earned rest at the all-star break and now will have to contend with carrying a team still in search of secondary scoring as far as he can.
13		13	25-19-5	6-3-1	Everything that could go wrong did in an 8-2 shellacking by Montreal, but the Bruins responded nicely by beating the Islanders 4-1 in their next game.
14		14	26-21-2	6-3-1	Radim Vrbata returned from a groin injury with three goals and an assist in a 4-3 overtime victory over Nashville.
15		16	25-20-5	5-2-3	Radek Bonk, who got off to a quick start for the Predators, has not scored in 15 games and has just one goal in his last 23. Welcome back to Earth.
16		17	23-22-5	7-3-0	After a slow start, rookie Nicklas Backstrom has put up nine points (all assists) in his last four games for the improving Capitals.
17		15	26-20-4	5-4-1	Two straight losses have the Avalanche clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Goalie Jose Theodore continues to sparkle with Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth and Paul Stastny all out of the lineup.
18		18	23-24-5	6-3-1	It may be too late for a serious charge at a playoff spot, but the Oilers are serving notice they will be a team to contend with in the very near future.
19		19	25-20-6	6-4-0	With all due respect to Eric Staal, can anybody explain how Rick Nash didn’t win the car at the All-Star Game? Just wondering.
20		20	24-20-6	4-4-2	Three losses in four games have the Islanders barely holding onto the final playoff spot in the East. Not only that, there has to be some concern about goalie Rick DiPietro’s health. He pulled out of the skills competition at the All-Star Game.
21		21	24-24-4	4-6-0	As if losing isn’t bad enough, the Hurricanes surrendered three shorthanded goals to the Islanders in a 6-3 loss Jan. 22.
22		24	24-21-6	4-4-2	Jaromir Jagr had two three-point efforts in four games for the Rangers.
23		25	23-25-4	3-4-3	Coach-GM Don Waddell told thehockeynews.com his team would be a buyer at the trade deadline. The question is, will he give up impending UFA Marian Hossa in the process?
24		22	23-23-4	4-5-1	A pair of one-goal losses before the break have the young Blackhawks scrambling to keep their heads above water.
25		23	22-19-7	3-5-2	What was turning out to be a storybook season took a sudden turn for the worse when the Blues dropped seven in a row.
26		26	20-29-2	5-5-0	They still sit in last place in the league, but the Kings continue to show improvement. Don’t be surprised if they unload a few veterans at the deadline.
27		28	20-25-5	5-4-1	Typical of the Lightning’s inconsistency, Tampa Bay shut out Ottawa in Canada’s capital and two games later got beat at home by the Senators.
28		27	20-23-8	4-6-0	Let the yard sale begin. Toronto dumped GM John Ferguson and replaced him, temporarily at least, with 72-year-old Cliff Fletcher.
29		29	22-24-5	3-5-2	Can you imagine this team without goalie Tomas Vokoun? Yikes!
30		30	21-21-6	2-5-3	Defenseman Brian Campbell called a halt to contract negotiations, which means the Sabres will likely trade the impending UFA.

The Hockey News ranks the teams 1-30 on Mondays. Changes in rankings reflect each team’s play from the previous seven days.

For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

Comments

chris (Posted 2008-02-01 17:44:30)
I agree that the Flyers should be ahead of the Pens.Flyers have won all the games vs the Pens this year which i believe is 4.

Michael T. (Posted 2008-02-01 17:21:00)
I noticed that thehockeynews almost always ranks the Sharks lower than they deserve

dropthepuck (Posted 2008-02-01 15:19:07)
Ranking the Ducks as number is simply rediculous. I man let's see them play with Selanni and pile up some wins. btw, 99CENT, you are an idiot...enough said.

Mavid (Posted 2008-01-30 20:00:12)
That's funny 99cent considering that 20 players on the Ducks team are Canadians!! So really it is still here..so its not so tough YO YO..

99CENT (Posted 2008-01-30 18:42:33)
Whitey, Whitey, has no care, Anaheim is everywhere, Canada, we know its really tough,, Hockey was yours we npw grabbed yoyr Cup,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Yo Yo.

Kevin Smith (Posted 2008-01-30 14:40:13)
Montreal is currently 4th in the East in Goals For (tied for 5th overall), and 5th in goals against (tied for 9th overall). The thing I've noticed in the recent past, when "Experts" pick Montreal to miss the playoffs, they make it. And when they pick Montreal to make the playoffs, they miss it. Last year was an exception though, if I remember correctly. -shrug-, I think 9 is a bit low for a team that some are calling the fastest in the league. They're also supposed to be the best passing team in the league, and are 2nd in hits. Just need to work on the penalty killing and faceoffs, in my opinion.

Clayton White (Posted 2008-01-30 14:39:57)
Thanks to Brophy for some positive spin on the Oilers. You're right, they will be a team to contend with in the very near future.

Chris (Posted 2008-01-30 08:54:32)
I'm not really sure why the comment about Montreal is based on an assumption that Montreal is getting success because they are keeping the puck out of the net. Last time I checked they were one of the highest scoring teams in the league. Perhaps, the writer. Should lookup some statistics. Also, 2nd in east but 9th in the power rankings ...sounds like he's just making stuff up.

SCOOP (Posted 2008-01-29 22:32:53)
The common thread for Cup winners. Superior defence and a bonafide sniper. Until recently 1/2 the cup winners in history led the league in defence in regular season. For a stretch of almost 25 years starting in the early 70's, every team had a current 50 goal man on their roster. Therefore the Cup contenders are: Detroit, Anaheim and San Jose. Sleepers would be New Jersey, Calgary and Pittsburgh

Mavid (Posted 2008-01-29 18:47:17)
Yea Dennis I was a little puzzled by his comments too, seem to me the last time I checked the Flyers were an American team... Donewith THN check out the TSN power rankings we are 3rd. I think you are right, the prediction of 13th was so far off, I guess they need to keep the Habs low to somehow justify such a rediculous placing. Most other rankings have us in the top five after two solid wins in Boston and New Jersey..I don't think anything would move them up that high here.

donewith THN (Posted 2008-01-29 16:15:19)
Well guys I know it may hurt your feelings to admit Habs are not 13th in their own division as you projected but you should try to get some work done as they do not belong to 9th overall position. If you want to gain in credibility do your homeworks it's your job to analyze hockey.

Dennis (Posted 2008-01-29 15:31:42)
Weird Yates, since im arguing for the Flyers, not against them. Born and raised in south eastern pennslyvania brother, no envy here.

Dennis (Posted 2008-01-29 14:17:20)
How the hottest team in hockey the past 10 games (philadelphia flyers), second most productive offense (philadelphia flyers) and number 1 power play in the league (philadelphia flyers) arent in the top three is beyond me. What is even nuttier is that the Penguins are above them.

Mavid (Posted 2008-01-29 13:15:55)
I bet it just pained you to move the Habs up one measly spot...

View All

THN Puck Poll

View all

Where do you think Mats Sundin will end up?

Our Partners

Our Other Websites