NHL Power Rankings: November 29th, 2010: Vol. 2
Hockey season is off and skating full speed ahead in 2010 and Cappers Picks is the place to look for the best NHL Handicapping advice all season long.
Our second instalment of the 2010-11 NHL power rankings puts several of the usual suspects near the top of the ladder.
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However, the latest NHL power rankings also feature a few fresh faces surging up the standings and a few surprising slumps as well.
1. (2) Washington Capitals (17-6-2): It’s still scary to see the Caps first overall in the standings when Alex Ovechkin is on pace for his worst pro season. He’ll turn it around at some point, won’t he?
2. (3) Detroit Red Wings (15-4-2): Like the San Antonio Spurs, the savvy vets in Hockeytown keep going out and winning games, over and over. They look like the class of the West right now.
3. (10) Pittsburgh Penguins (15-8-2): Overshadowed by Stamkos mania, Sidney Crosby is having a nice little season of his own. So is Kris Letang; the puck-moving defender has exploded for 22 points in his first 25 games.
4. (4) Philadelphia Flyers (15-6-4): The two-game losing skid doesn’t scare me at all. I still like the Flyers to return to the Stanley Cup final this year on the strength of their amazing depth.
5. (8) Montreal Canadiens (15-8-1): In one month, Carey Price has gone from booed to vastly improved to now, arguably, the leader in the clubhouse for the Vezina Trophy. Simply amazing.
6. (21) Atlanta Thrashers (12-9-3): Maybe Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd really were the heart and soul of the Blackhawks last year? Since Ladd got the “C” and Buffs got the “A” in Atlanta, the Thrashers are 5-0.
7. (5) Vancouver Canucks (12-7-3): The Canucks have won two straight games and are due to start one of their signature long streaks. That could happen now that Alex Burrows looks healthy and is back playing with the Sedins.
8. (24) Dallas Stars (13-8-1): The Brad Richards trade rumors are nothing more than that – rumors. He’s scoring at an elite clip again and playing on a first-place team. He isn’t going anywhere for a while.
9. (18) Columbus Blue Jackets (14-8-0): They continue to get solid contributions from unlikely sources. R.J. Umberger won’t stop scoring and Mathieu Garon won’t stop standing on his head. Is that sustainable? I’m skeptical.
10. (20) Colorado Avalanche (13-9-1): Could a slide be on the horizon? Chris Stewart had 25 points in 23 games, establishing himself as a premiere power forward. Losing him to a broken hand over the weekend is devastating. 
11. (16) New York Rangers (14-10-1): The Rangers are sneaking up on the league thanks to solidly distributed scoring. Henrik Lundqvist stumbled over the last couple of weeks but has stopped 69 of 70 shots over his last two games. That should surprise no one; he’s a Class-A netminder.
12. (11) Chicago Blackhawks (13-11-2): It’s nice to see the defending champs string a pair of wins together. Hard to believe that only two teams in the West have lost more games in regulation than the Hawks.
13. (12) Phoenix Coyotes (11-6-5): They’ve still won only half their games this season but they quietly have the NHL’s second-best record over the last 10 games at 7-1-2 .We’d call it a fluke but that’s what we said last year, right?
14. (1) Los Angeles Kings (13-9-0): Massive tumble for the Kings over the last two weeks. The surprising problem this year: offense. The Kings are sixth in goals against and fifth in penalty killing but just 16th in goals per game and 19th on the power play. Time to up the push for Jarome Iginla.
15. (9) San Jose Sharks (11-7-4): You still get the feeling that they’ll be at the big dance come April but the slowish start is a bit surprising. Thornton, Marleau and Heatley just aren’t dominating the league the way they did a year ago.
16. (13) Tampa Bay Lightning (13-8-3): Offensively, the Tampa Bay Stamkoses are tearing it up, but they can’t keep pucks out of their own net, allowing 3.2 goals per game. Any chance Tampa would mortgage some futures for a Tomas Vokoun trade? I’m guessing no.
17. (14) Boston Bruins (12-8-2): Tim Thomas’ goals against average in October was 0.50. In November, it’s 2.29. That’s still an outstanding number, but it’s a reminder that all hot streaks end eventually. Tuukka Rask may get his shot yet.
18. (6) St. Louis Blues (12-7-3): The problem for the Blues is that they don’t have the firepower to stay afloat when their goaltending eludes them. If Jaroslav Halak remains inconsistent all year, so will St. Louis.
19. (19) Minnesota Wild (11-9-2): Niklas Backstrom looked like he was back with a vengeance. Then came his last three starts: five goals, six goals, seven goals. That’s a scary arithmetic sequence. His big contract looks worse by the game.
20. (7) Anaheim Ducks (11-11-3): The Ducks still can’t shake their penalty problems; they’re fourth in the NHL in PIMs. But their top-end talent continues to deliver. Any team with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan should contend for a playoff spot every season.
21. (22) Carolina Hurricanes (10-10-3)
22. (23) Buffalo Sabres (9-13-3)
23. (15) Ottawa Senators (11-12-1)
24. (17) Nashville Predators (9-8-5)
25. (26) Calgary Flames (9-12-2)
26. (25) Florida Panthers (10-12-0)
27. (27) New Jersey Devils (8-14-2)
28. (29) Toronto Maple Leafs (8-11-3)
29. (28) Edmonton Oilers (6-12-4)
30. (30) New York Islanders (5-12-5)
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