Power Rankings - Dec. 1
Joey MacDonald has a 2.89 GAA and .907 SP for the Islanders in place of Rick DiPietro. (Getty Images)
Ryan Dixon
2008-12-01 14:31:00
The name Joey somehow seems appropriate for a scrappy underdog, which is exactly what New York Islanders goalie Joey MacDonald is proving to be.
MacDonald has held his own in the Islanders crease since it was left vacant due to Rick DiPietro’s latest injury. MacDonald has a respectable .907 save percentage this year and a winning 10-9-2 record while playing for a team that isn’t exactly a league power.
The 28-year-old goalie has certainly been perseverant over the course of his career. Never drafted, MacDonald got his pro start in 2001-02 with the ECHL’s Toledo Storm and spent several years in the American League with Detroit’s farm team, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
The Islanders are his third NHL organization, but he’s finally found a home.
| RK. |
TEAM
|
LW
|
OVERALL
|
L10
|
THE SCOOP
|
| 1 |  |
1
|
20-3-1
|
8-1-1
|
No regulation time home losses through 13 games this year |
| 2 |  |
3
|
16-4-4
|
8-1-1
|
First in goals against, third in goals for and they're coming from everywhere |
| 3 |  |
2
|
15-4-4
|
6-2-2
|
Wings giving up 3.04 goals per game, which puts them 23rd in the league |
| 4 |  |
5
|
14-6-3
|
7-2-1
|
Pens benefiting from Sidney Crosby's don't-forget-about-me hot streak |
| 5 |  |
12
|
14-8-3
|
5-3-2
|
Ryan Getzlaf is becoming an absolute beast |
| 6 |  |
6
|
14-7-1
|
6-4-0
|
Antti Miettinen has been a pleasant surprise with 19 points through 22 games |
| 7 |  |
8
|
11-7-5
|
7-1-2
|
I think you can start engraving Simon Gagne's name on the Bill Masterton Trophy |
| 8 |  |
4
|
10-6-6
|
4-3-3
|
Nikolai Khabibulin's day-to-day injury opens the door for Huet to grab the No. 1 job |
| 9 |  |
9
|
13-8-3
|
5-4-1
|
Tomas Fleischmann showing signs Caps were right to be patient with him |
| 10 |  |
7
|
17-8-2
|
6-3-1
|
Brandon Dubinsky had points in three of 14 November games |
| 11 |  |
10
|
13-6-4
|
4-4-2
|
Current seven-game homestand is longest in franchise history; time for Habs to make some hay |
| 12 |  |
11
|
14-8-2
|
6-2-2
|
Lost first contest of an eight-game road trip in Calgary on Saturday |
| 13 |  |
16
|
14-9-1
|
6-4-0
|
Reports are Mike Cammalleri is on the block, just as he's getting hot |
| 14 |  |
13
|
12-8-2
|
5-5-0
|
Patrik Elias has 14 points in 12 games since Brodeur was injured |
| 15 |  |
14
|
11-10-2
|
5-4-1
|
Some thought Patric Hornqvist would be a dark horse in the Calder race; right now, he's in the American League |
| 16 |  |
15
|
12-11-2
|
4-6-0
|
Canes are just 6-7-0 at home this season |
| 17 |  |
18
|
11-9-3
|
3-7-0
|
Maybe Thomas Vanek is a bargain at $7 million a season |
| 18 |  |
21
|
10-9-3
|
6-3-1
|
Giving up a league-low 24.6 shots per game |
| 19 |  |
19
|
8-9-6
|
3-5-2
|
People are already loving the tone Brian Burke sets as GM of this team |
| 20 |  |
17
|
10-10-3
|
5-4-1
|
Steve Mason's .919 save percentage makes him the obvious choice in goal right now |
| 21 |  |
24
|
10-10-2
|
5-4-1
|
Speaking of goalies named Mason, backup Chris Mason has stopped 106 of 109 shots over his last three starts |
| 22 |  |
25
|
11-12-0
|
6-4-0
|
Milan Hejduk seemed to rediscover his touch early on, but has one goal in his last 11 games |
| 23 |  |
28
|
10-12-2
|
6-4-0
|
19-year-old rookie Josh Bailey is staying with the big club all season |
| 24 |  |
22
|
8-10-4
|
3-5-2
|
Approaching the one-year anniversary of becoming an awful team |
| 25 |  |
20
|
10-11-2
|
4-5-1
|
Slow starts are killing the Oilers; they've had the lead after one period just five times in 23 games this season |
| 26 |  |
30
|
9-11-3
|
5-3-2
|
How about Craig Anderson and his .948 save percentage and 1.87 goals-against average |
| 27 |  |
23
|
8-11-4
|
3-5-2
|
Loui Eriksson's 11 goals one bright spot for the Stars |
| 28 |  |
27
|
10-11-2
|
3-5-2
|
Mikael Tellqvist is supplanting Ilya Bryzgalov for No. 1 |
| 29 |  |
26
|
8-12-3
|
4-5-1
|
Ondrej Pavelec's play offers an encouraging glimpse into Atlanta's long-term goalie future |
| 30 |  |
29
|
6-10-7
|
1-6-3
|
Tampa had such a high profile in the summer, but have become completely forgettable |
The Hockey News ranks the teams 1-30 each Monday based on a combination of last week’s play and a squad’s overall outlook.
For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.
Jonny (Posted 2008-12-08 07:28:56)
Even the Leafs (great team that they are) beat the Wings. So the Habs beating them means absolutely nothing. Nor is Buffalo that great.
If other teams improve more, then they are going to go above montreal. And look at their L10 - ugly.
Mavid (Posted 2008-12-06 13:47:25)
Duh..I did...
John (Posted 2008-12-05 00:02:48)
Blah blah blah you read it to me
GUS MOLLASIS (Posted 2008-12-04 00:57:34)
Hey Wing Hater -- Don't be a hater...it takes too much energy. Look at Sean Avery---as an example. The Wings will win because they play as a team, keep their mouth shut, and muck and grind from October -June. They are 16-4-4 and they are not happy. That's why they will win. They know it's a long season. Please don't hate my Wings, they are Great and Great for hockey. If you want to hate anything---Hate AVERY'S BIG MOUTH. GO Wings!
Mavid (Posted 2008-12-02 21:13:04)
Why don't you Hab haters learn to read..I never said they should be high in the rankings...WHAT I SAID WAS THAT THEY WON TWO OF THREE, AND HAVE IMPROVED AND YET MOVED DOWN IN THE RANKINGS...SEEMS TO ME THAT IF YOU PLAY BETTER YOU SHOULD MOVE UP NOT DOWN...OR AT LEAST STAY THE SAME..there is that clear enough for you..
David (Posted 2008-12-02 20:59:24)
Wow once again three of the bottom 5 teams are in the Southeast. If the league wont put these teams out of their misery maybe the bad economy will.
bob (Posted 2008-12-02 19:53:42)
Mavid, open your eyes, all you see is Habs. Why dont you cry us a river...montreal is where it belongs
John (Posted 2008-12-02 19:46:54)
Who are theese habs fans ? A have real sense of entitlement. Before the season started they were favriotes to win the east though it could happen i doubt it. EXPECTING TO BE HIGH IN THE POWER RANKING when you have no players in the top 50 in points. you can win 3 games in one week it doesnt prove anything. YOUR TEAM STILL ISNT PLAYING THAT GOOD.
Mavid (Posted 2008-12-02 15:57:25)
THN power rankings are like a car accident, you have to look even though you won't like what you see..
The Habs beat the stanley cup champion wings, then lost to the Caps because they ran into a hot goalie..not because they played poorly. Then they beat Buffalo, so they won two of three and there overall play has improved, and yet they continue to slide in the rankings. I am guessing you must have missed watching these games...
James Finney (Posted 2008-12-02 11:11:46)
If anyone on the Bruins wins ROY, it should be Wheeler - the kid is a beast and I can't wait for him and Krejci and Lucic to develop even more because in three years the Lucic-Krejci-Wheeler line is going to be absolute beast. Granted, I don't think any Bruins player is going to win ROY this year, but the future definitely looks good in Boston - Lucic, Kessel, Krejci, Bergeron, and Wheeler leading the offense with Lashoff, Stuart, and Hunwick holding down the defensive end.
Eric (Posted 2008-12-02 09:32:39)
I think it is a little early to talk about ROY for anyone let alone Hunwick although I will say he has really stepped up and played beyond mine and just about everyone elses (except for maybe his parents) expectation. Blake Wheeler could also have early considerations since you bring this up. The one team that scares me is Pittsburgh. The Bruins showed that they can pound on the Rangers, except for an awful final 8 minutes or so when they played against each other and the Bs had a couple of let downs that led to the Rangers to tie the game and ultimately win in a shootout. If the Bruins can continue to score even at a lesser pace as long as they are keeping the puck of the net they will win a lot of games... Presidents trophy might be out of the question only because San Jose is dominating and will continue to dominate unless Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Brian Boyle all go down with injuries simultaneously.
Winghater (Posted 2008-12-01 22:41:53)
I keep hearing Wings fans saying that there is no question they will repeat as Cup winners. I'm not thinking so.
cowtown (Posted 2008-12-01 19:30:51)
What's the story behind Cammalleri being on the block? Is it because he's a UFA at year's end and Sutter thinks he'll command way more money than he's worth? or possibly that he doesn't fit in long-term with the Flames plans? Though he struggled for a stretch recently, I think he's a welcomed addition to the Flames roster - finally Sutter lands a pure goal scorer that skates hard and works hard. That's a welcome change from Tanguay and Huselius, 2 cry-baby's who only showed up to play when they felt like it. Hopefully no truth to this....
dominictiano (Posted 2008-12-01 18:06:43)
The Bruins really started to take off when they called up rookie defenceman Matt Hunwick. People may take that as strange but he's played 12 games and the Bruins are 10-1-1 since his call up. He has 3-5-8 totals and a plus 10 ! And all that as a rookie defenceman !! Should he remain with the club after Andrew Ference ruturns from IR, and continues at this pace, he definitely needs to be considered for rookie of the year!!
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