Power Rankings - Nov. 10

Mikhail Grabovski skates up ice against the Ottawa Senators. (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)

Ryan Dixon
2008-11-10 14:46:00

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ positive, pesky play has caught many people off guard, including this scribe.

Mikhail Grabovski’s early-season success, however, has not.

Hey, when you get one right, you’ve got to ride it for all it’s worth.

Grabovski’s seven goals topped all rookies after last weekend’s action and his work on a line with Niklas Hagman and fellow freshman Nikolai Kulemin is a big reason the Leafs have been a fun team to watch this year.

Nobody ever questioned Grabovski’s skill, but the 24-year-old never proved he could play without the puck in Montreal and the Canadiens couldn’t find a spot for him behind Saku Koivu and Tomas Plekanec.

However, Toronto coach Ron Wilson has gotten through to Grabovski, who’s no longer a liability in his own zone.

THE HOCKEY NEWS POWER RANKINGS
RK.	TEAM	LW	OVERALL	THE SCOOP
1		2	9-2-2	Little surprising to see Wings give up 3.08 goals per game, which puts them 19th overall in the league
2		1	13-3-0	Looks like Nabokov won't miss too much time with his leg injury
3		10	8-3-3	Right now, there's a huge discrepancy between this spot in the power rankings and the top two slots
4		4	11-5-1	At $550,000, defenseman Dan Girardi is one of the league's best bargains
5		3	8-2-2	Captain Saku Koivu says this team is lucky to have the points and wins it does
6		14	7-3-3	The Hawks host Boston on Wednesday; when is the last time that was a game to get excited about?
7		7	8-3-3	Just two goals in 14 games for Derek Roy; Sabres need much more production than that
8		5	9-7-1	Pronger showing he's still a force with 14 points through 17 contests
9		16	7-4-2	Both of Ovechkin's goals came in the same game; he's been held scoreless in 10 contests this year
10		19	9-6-0	Sweet Bobby Lou, Canucks fans are so in love with you
11		6	8-4-1	Niklas Backstrom is playing well in goal and eligible to be a UFA come July
12		11	8-4-2	Sid obviously isn't right heading into big Cup final rematch in Detroit
13		15	8-5-2	So is Eric Staal an elite point-producer in this league or not? So far this year, the answer is not
14		20	6-5-4	People thought Vesa Toskala would have to stand on his head for this team to win, but he's got an .884 save percentage
15		8	8-7-1	Won one game in last five and nearly blew a five-goal lead in that one
16		17	6-6-2	The last Northeast team on this list, but actually playing pretty stingy 'D' of late
17		9	7-5-2	Brodeur is just one name on a long, long list of injured Devils
18		21	5-7-2	Turco's puck-playing blunder against San Jose a sure sign he and the Stars are pressing too hard
19		25	7-6-0	Three goals and five points in past two games for Olli Jokinen
20		27	7-6-2	20-year-old Steve Mason makes his case for crease time by winning the first three starts of his NHL career
21		18	7-6-1	No goals and two assists for Sam Gagner all year? That's not a jinx, that's a sophomore catastrophe
22		13	4-6-3	Is his third team a charm for 24-year-old Hobey Baker winner Matt Carle?
23		12	7-6-1	Only three players (Erat, Arnott and Weber) have more than two goals
24		29	6-7-2	Four-game winning streak shows team isn't a complete lost cause
25		24	5-4-4	Newcomer Steve Downie is good along the boards and can play a madman in owner Oren Koules' next film production
26		22	6-8-0	Hejduk shows there's some life left in his hands; after 14 games he's on pace for 47 goals
27		26	5-8-1	Looks like they'll be requiring another one of those patented late-season Panther pushes
28		28	5-6-2	Erik Ersberg making a case to take over No. 1 goalie spot
29		23	5-7-1	Lost five in a row and play next seven of 10 on the road, where they have just one win all year
30		30	4-8-2	Trent Hunter, a Calder finalist in 2004 you'll recall, had five goals and 11 points through 14 games