1. Pittsburgh Penguins (9-2-0), LW: 1
They didn’t look good against the Devils, but they were going to lose at some point. They completely dominated St. Louis, and showed resiliency against Florida. Marc-Andre Fleury has been outstanding, and could be emerging as a legit candidate to start for Team Canada in Vancouver.
2. Colorado Avalanche (8-1-2), LW: 9
All hail Craig Anderson! The free agent signee has to be the Vezina favorite through the first few weeks. Colorado picked up two impressive home wins, but has four big road games coming up. Can they keep their early season success going??
3. Washington Capitals (6-2-2), LW: 3
The Caps scored five goals in Atlanta without Ovechkin, Semin, or Backstrom being involved. They’ve now won four games in a row, ugly or not, and have a big rematch against the Flyers on Tuesday.
4. Calgary Flames (7-2-1), LW: 5
You can make an argument that the Flames are the best team in the West. Going into the season, the team’s offense was the biggest question mark. They have been scoring goals in bunches, especially at home. They host Colorado and Detroit to close out the month before they spend most of November on the road.
5. San Jose Sharks (7-4-1), LW: 6
You have absolutely no idea what Sharks team will show up on a nightly basis. They blew out the Rangers, and then lost 5-2 to the Lightning. I will say, though, that their win over the Flyers was very impressive with Thomas Greiss in net. They have company in the Pacific, though, and will have to work to win the division (contrary to last year).
6. Philadelphia Flyers (5-3-1), LW: 4
Philly is missing that ‘it’ factor thus far. After a great start to the season, Ray Emery has been a bit shaky, and the offense has struggled at times. I am very interested to see how they’ll fare against Washington tomorrow.
7. Chicago Blackhawks (6-3-1), LW: 7
It’s safe to say that Cristobal Huet made a bit of a statement with his shutout of Nashville. He’s been awful this year, but maybe that performance can turn it around. Duncan Keith has been a force this season, finally showing his offensive potential. Will the ‘Hawks be able to hang onto the RFA-to-be??
8. Buffalo Sabres (6-1-1), LW: 15
Ryan Miller is right there with Anderson if you want to talk about early Vezina candidates. He leads the league in save percentage, and has been rock solid. What’s been so impressive with this team is that they keep winning without Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy clicking. Just wait until they get the offense rolling!
9. New Jersey Devils (6-3-0), LW: 11
The road warriors kept rolling with victories in New York and Pittsburgh this week. They’re now 5-0 away from home, and breathing down the necks of the Rangers and Pens. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac have been carrying this offensively, and will need some help if they wish to keep up with the joneses.
10. Vancouver Canucks (6-5-0), LW: 12
Are the Canucks officially back?? I saw an interesting ‘tweet’ last week, stating the Willie Mitchell hit on Toews could have the same affect as the Alex Burrows short-handed goal from last year. The Burrows goal ended the long losing streak last February, and Vancouver came back in Chicago after the Mitchell hit.
11. New York Rangers (7-3-1), LW: 2
Did we reward this team too soon?? John Tortorella’s crew has dropped three in a row, and they’ve looked like a completely different team compared to when they won seven straight. They have a chance to turn things around this week against some weaker opponents.
12. Los Angeles Kings (8-4-0), LW: 21
Now that Anze Kopitar leads the league with 21 points, he’s officially taken the next step towards stardom. They’re the highest-scoring team in the league, and lead the Pacific Division by a point. Terry Murray & company have a big showdown in San Jose on Wednesday!
13. Phoenix Coyotes (6-3-0), LW: 16
Is Phoenix the real deal?? Ask me next week after they play three games against Western opponents who they’d be competing with for a playoff spot. They’ve been a great story thus far, but I’m still not totally sold that they’ll keep it up for 82 games.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (6-4-0), LW: 8
I praised this team last week, but looked like a different team on their road trip. The goaltending was, well, awful! The defense was also shaky at best. I think they’re really missing the blue-line duo of Hejda and Commodore, who were unsung heroes on last year’s team.
15. Edmonton Oilers (6-4-1), LW: 18
Yes, they lost back-to-back games in Calgary and Vancouver, proving they have some work to do before their put on that level. But a great sign for this team is that they’re top line is coming into top form, and that they’re winning without Sheldon Souray. They have a couple big home games against Colorado and Detroit this week.
16. Dallas Stars (5-2-4), LW: 19
I have been pretty impressed by the Stars so far. 7 of their first 11 games have been on the road, and they’ve played extremely well away from home. Brad Richards and Brendan Morrow haven’t missed a beat from last year’s injuries, and youngsters James Neal and Jamie Benn are showing their great potential.
17. Ottawa Senators (5-2-2), LW: 13
The Sens lost two very winnable home games in different fashion. Their rally against the Preds fell short, and then blew a late 2-goal lead against Boston. If they want to be considered a really good team, Pascal Leclaire’s going have to be more consistent.
18. Montreal Canadiens (5-5-0), LW: 24
They took care of business against the Thrashers and Isles, and then won a thriller against the Rangers. Even though 4 of their 5 wins have come in overtime, putting together a winning streak without Andrei Markov is impressive. Jacques Martin’s gang has an important slate of games coming up.
19. Boston Bruins (5-4-1), LW: 23
I give a lot of credit to Claude Julien for keeping his team on track while facing adversity with the injuries to Savard and Lucic. They played really well this week, and Saturday’s come-from-behind win should give them momentum going into their game vs. New Jersey on Thursday.
20. St. Louis Blues (4-4-1), LW: 14
After beating Detroit twice overseas, this team has lost 5 of 7. Aside from their blowout win in Anaheim, the offense has been atrocious. Through nine games, David Backes’ breakout season looks like a one-year wonder. Blues fans have to be worried that last season’s remarkable comeback was a fluke.
21. Detroit Red Wings (3-4-2), LW: 10
If you were to ask me today who would make the playoffs in the West, Detroit would not be included. Chris Osgood is the same goalie we saw last regular season, and the offense isn’t producing. The Wings have to be frustrated, as they’ve blown a couple late leads over the last couple weeks. They have a critical Western Canada swing this week.
22. Atlanta Thrashers (4-3-1), LW: 20
Even though Atlanta beat Buffalo and New Jersey on consecutive nights away from home, I wasn’t drinking the Koolaid. This was a very telling week, as they fell to Washington and San Jose at home.
23. Anaheim Ducks (3-5-1), LW: 17
What in the world has happened to the Ducks?? Everyone expected them to be a contender to not only win the Pacific, but maybe the conference. They’ve been horrible on home ice, and the goaltending has been less than stellar.
24. Tampa Bay Lightning (3-3-3), LW: 27
The Bolts rise by default this week, but they did handle the Sharks on Thursday. Have you ‘Seen Stamkos’ lately?? He has been a force thus far, adding another element to their offense.
25. Nashville Predators (3-6-1), LW: 26
You have to admit… since they lost a pair of ugly games two weeks ago, they have played much better and have competed in every game. I’m still not sold, though, that they can make the playoffs with the team they have at this moment.
26. Carolina Hurricanes (2-5-3), LW: 22
Here’s another team that we may have overestimated going into the season. Eric Staal isn’t helping his own cause (4 points in 10 games). They can’t buy a win on the road, and it’s time to hit the panic button in Raleigh…
27. Minnesota Wild (3-7-0), LW: 28
Minny picked up a couple big overtime victories this week, but have a tough slate ahead of them. They have yet to win a game on the road, and half of their goals have come via the power play. Ouch.
28. Florida Panthers (2-6-1), LW: 25
When Steven Reinprecht leads your team in goals, you know you’re in trouble! The ‘Cats are one of the worst teams in hockey, and would drop further if it weren’t for the Isles and Leafs.
29. New York Islanders (1-4-4), LW: 29
Congratulations to the Islanders… they won a game! But they followed that up by getting smoked by the Habs, and blowing a 2-goal lead to the Caps at home. And really, they very easily could’ve lost to Carolina.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (0-7-1), LW: 30
Could Toronto really go oh-for-October?? They’ll have to win on the road to keep that from that happening. Ron Wilson’s crew has four chances this week to get that first ‘W’.
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