Old faithful

Nicklas Lidstrom is 40 years old, but still plays the big minutes of a player in his prime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Adam Proteau
2010-10-13 15:50:00

It’s the first week of THN.com’s Power Rankings – and with most teams only playing a handful of games so far, there isn’t much that separates the league’s middle 20 franchises from one another.

But it is clear that a few teams stand out at the top and bottom of the league’s standings, including the veteran Red Wings; the surprising Maple Leafs and Oilers, and the more-than-underwhelming Ducks, Senators and Devils.

So, without further ado, let's get to the first rankings of 2010-11, where an old reliable franchise tops the charts.

THE HOCKEY NEWS POWER RANKINGS
RK.	TEAM	OVERALL	THE SCOOP
1		2-0-1	Ageless wonder Nick Lidstrom leads all Wings skaters in average time on ice (24:57)
2		2-0-1	Weaknesses at power play (7.7 percent efficiency) and on faceoffs (43.9 percent) need to improve
3		2-0-0	Haven’t faced a serious challenge yet; win-hungry Penguins will give them that Wednesday night
4		2-0-0	Two road wins to start season is great news, but they’ll need to beat good teams before they’re taken seriously
5		2-0-0	Opening-night win over Flames was impressive, but had to lean on Khabibulin to beat Panthers
6		2-0-0	Upcoming three-game road trip – including games against two Central Division rivals – will test House of Payne
7		2-1-0	All those who thought Caps would have 100 percent penalty killing and 7.7 percent power play success, please report to U.S. military’s psychic training division
8		2-1-0	Between Quick (.964 save percentage) and Bernier (.935), it’s an embarrassment of riches in net for L.A.
9		2-0-0	They’re unbeaten, but both wins came against the not-so-wild Wild; imminent five-game road trip won’t be easy
10		2-1-0	Victories over Hawks, Wings show last season wasn’t a fluke
11		1-0-1	Two very winnable games (vs. Atlanta and Carolina) coming up for so-so Sharks
12		1-0-1	Offense needs to kick into gear if Nucks are to thrive during the upcoming five-games-in-eight-days stretch
13		1-1-1	Pat Kane and Niklas Hjalmarsson both a minus-4 for inconsistent Hawks
14		1-0-1	Plucky, undermanned Isles face Caps, Pens and Avs this week. Back to life, back to reality…
15		1-0-0	Played only once and beat hapless Ducks; this week, it’s Hawks, Blues and Caps
16		1-0-0	It’s just one game, but Bolts’ power play already looks deadly
17		1-1-0	Nathan Horton trade looking like a home run for Peter Chiarelli
18		1-1-0	Captain Shane Doan pointless and a team-worst minus-2 in two games
19		1-1-0	Is Blueshirts’ third-period collapse against Isles a bad omen, or a blip on the radar?
20		1-1-0	Star forward Rick Nash playing more minutes than any Jackets skater – not a good comment on D-Corps
21		1-1-0	Formerly mighty power play has yet to convert on a single extra-man opportunity
22		1-1-0	Win over Kings keeps wolves at bay, but with Brendan Morrison leading all Flames point-getters with two assists, the wolves will be back
23		1-2-0	Paul Martin a solid replacement for Gonchar; Zbynek Michalek (a team-worst minus-3) still adjusting
24		1-2-0	Antropov, Modin and Peverley have combined for just one goal, two points and a minus-8
25		1-2-0	Myers and Vanek have only one assist and a minus-9 between them and Miller’s .880 save percentage isn’t helping
26		0-1-1	No team has won more faceoffs than Minnesota, but that’s where the Wild’s winning ends
27		0-2-0	Panthers threw all they had (including 42 shots) against Canucks, but still came up short. Get used to it
28		0-2-1	Sens’ top two scorers are Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Neil. Spezza and Kovalev should feel shame
29		0-2-1	A league-worst 14 goals allowed? Kovalchuk really is changing Devils’ defense-first culture
30		0-3-0	Second-worst on faceoffs, worst in goals-for, worst in win percentage – yeah, the Ducks are the worst