Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
In this one, as we do every Wednesday, we'll be sharing our rankings for the top-5 teams in hockey.
Todd Cordell
1. Tampa Bay (11-3-2)
Despite no Victor Hedman, the Lightning find themselves tied for 1st in the NHL in points. Anton Stralman has been an excellent addition to their blue line, their young guns in Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson, etc. have all stepped up and Steven Stamkos is Steven Stamkos. Tampa Bay is for real.
2. St Louis Blues (10-4-1)
They've won eight of nine games including wins over Anaheim, Dallas, Chicago, etc. They're getting good goaltending, doing well in possession and the Jaden Schwartz - Jori Lehtera - Vladimir Tarasenko line has turned into one of the NHL's best.
3. Pittsburgh Penguins (10-3-1)
The Penguins won seven consecutive games prior to their dud against the Rangers. For the most part they've done a good job of staying healthy, and they should continue to pile up the wins as long as that is the case.
4. Anaheim Ducks (10-3-3)
They've lost a few games of late, but I'll credit that to the absence of Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin more than anything else. When they get healthy the wins should come with regularity once again.
5. Vancouver Canucks (12-5-0)
They haven't had the hardest schedule by any means, but they've won eight of their last 10 games and are tied for 1st in the league in points. It's hard to argue with results.
Ryan Wilson 1. Tampa Bay (11-3-2)
Most teams would miss their Norris caliber #1 defenseman, but apparently not the Lightning. They continue to win and when on the rare occasion they lose to a good team like Chicago, they mange to take a point for their troubles.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (10-3-1)
They got their clocks cleaned last night by New York but it still only counts as one loss in the standings. The overall sample size has been impressive. They have a + 23 goal differential which is 9 better than the next team (TB). Beau Bennett is back in the lineup and the Penguins now have one less useless player on the gameday roster (adios Sill). Things are still good in Pittsburgh.
3. Anaheim (10-3-3)
Just like the Lightning they have lost a key cog in their lineup. Corey Perry (as well as Beauchemein) has a viral infection keeping him out of the lineup. The Ducks have lost 3 straight after reaching OT but they are still collecting points and not sinking without their former Hart Trophy winner.
4. Vancouver Canucks (12-5-0)
Sure they have a game in hand but if you are sitting on top of the powerful Western Conference you deserve your kudos. Ryan Miller is playing great and the Canucks have been one of the surprise teams to start the year. Radim Vrbata has been a great fit in Vancouver.
5. Buffalo Sabres (3-12-2)
Yes, the Buffalo Sabres. While everybody is trying to win games they are trying to lose them and they are. Tim Murray has an end goal in mind for this season and his team is well on their way to achieving it. Locking up McEichel is way more important in my eyes than trying to be the 8 seed. The Sabres have a league worst -39 goal differential, which is remarkably bad. Murray deserves credit for getting his team to do exactly what he wanted them to do so far this season. The NHL has a dated system in place and Murray is exploiting it, he deserves credit for that.
Tim Chiasson 1. Pittsburgh Penguins (10-3-1)
My number one remains the Penguins. They might have had their six-game winning streak snapped but they've still been rolling over everyone in their path otherwise. It will take more than one loss to knock the Penguins out of first.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (11-3-2)
Tampa Bay has the best point percentage (.750) in the league and went 3-0-1 since the last HockeyBuzz Power Rankings. It's a no-brainer to have them second; they've been dominant. This team is scary deep. They are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender right now.
3. Nashville Predators (10-3-2)
Nashville may be third in the West but they hold the best point percentage out of all Western teams at .733 and have two games in hand over the first place Canucks. 3-0-0 since the last Power Rankings, the Preds just keep winning and climbing the standings.
4. Montreal Canadiens (11-4-1)
The Canadiens went 3-0-0 last week and while their opponents weren't an impressive group they still have 23 points in 16 games. That's a very impressive number. Montreal continues to get world-class goaltending from Carey Price and Dustin Tokarski.
5. St Louis Blues (10-4-1)
The Blues are still rolling along after their slow start. Their only loss in the last nine games came at the hands of the Nashville Predators. The Blues are a dangerous hockey team that is playing great on both sides of the puck and continue to climb up the NHL standings.
James Tanner I think records at this point are irrelevant. The top five teams, regardless of their current record are as follows:
St.Louis - already the deepest team with the best D before Tarasenko started being one of the NHL's best players.
Pittsburgh - They have Crosby, they have Malkin. Letang had a 5 point night. The powerplay is a ridiculous weapon no on in the rest of the league comes close to.
Tampa Bay - They are pretty good right now. Just go ahead and add a Norris Quality Dman to their roster, no biggie.
LA - They have 2 cups. They have Richards, Kopitar, Gaborik, Williams and Brown - none of which are on their best line. Oh and the best goalie in the world.
Arizona - Just kidding. It's Minnesota. Don't care that they wouldn't qualify for the playoffs right now, they're a little banged up, but their roster is among the deepest and most balanced in hockey. They could win the Cup.
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