Current NHL Power Rankings: Ducks take flight

By Scott Burnside (posted Oct. 20,2014)




 

Well, we almost got through the second week of the regular season without a Montreal Canadiens-Boston Bruins implosion. Thanks for that one, Milan Lucic. The Anaheim Ducks are rolling, and so are the Ottawa Senators; the New Jersey Devils are sliding, and so are the Winnipeg Jets; and Martin Brodeur is still without a job. One thing is constant, though: the Power Rankings.

2014-2015 Power Rankings: Week 2
RANK	TEAM / RECORD	TRENDING	COMMENTS
1	Anaheim 5-1-0	13 Last Week: 14	The Ducks continue to impress after opening-night jitters in Pittsburgh, with five straight wins. Easy to remember now why Frederik Andersen was a member of the all-rookie team last season.
2	Montreal 5-1-0	1 Last Week: 1	Apart from one stinker against Tampa, the Canadiens have been terrific in rolling to a 5-1 record, including a 3-1 record on the road.
3	Los Angeles 4-1-1	14 Last Week: 17	As per usual, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown (three points total) are off to slow starts offensively. Doesn't matter to the 4-1-1 Kings, who have won four in a row and are getting outstanding goaltending from Jonathan Quick. The Slava Voynov situation throws a shadow over the entire team, though.
4	New York 4-1-0	3 Last Week: 7	The 4-1 Isles were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten Saturday by the Penguins, but it's still a stellar start for the boys on Long Island.
5	Chicago 3-0-1	-- Last Week: 5	Nothing flashy yet in Chicago, just seven of a possible eight points to start the season.
6	San Jose 4-1-1	3 Last Week: 3	The Sharks' sterling 4-1-1 start was tarnished slightly by a 4-0 loss in New York to the Rangers on Sunday, but they have played just once at home.
7	Ottawa 4-1-0	11 Last Week: 18	Kudos to coach Paul MacLean for getting the Sens out of the gate in strong fashion (4-1) after a disappointing season that had some wondering about his job security. Both Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner are delivering in net early for the Sens, who have won four in a row.
8	Nashville 3-0-2	1 Last Week: 9	Despite having a new head coach in Peter Laviolette, the Preds are still doing it the Preds way: with goaltending and defense. They've scored just 12 goals but the 3-0-2 Preds have allowed only eight and are still undefeated in regulation.
9	Washington 3-0-2	2 Last Week: 11	Speaking of team defense, the Caps, also undefeated in regulation, have allowed just 11 goals in five games.
10	Tampa Bay 3-1-1	3 Last Week: 13	The Bolts get a five-game road trip off to a good start with a win in Vancouver. The loss of Victor Hedman (hand) is more than a little problematic because he will miss 4-6 weeks after surgery on Tuesday.
11	Pittsburgh 3-1-0	7 Last Week: 4	Guess Patric Hornqvist is fitting in OK -- the former Predator has eight points through four games.
12	Detroit 3-1-1	3 Last Week: 15	The Wings' offense is still hit-and-miss (11 goals in five games, four of those Friday against Toronto), but defense and goaltending have been outstanding.
13	Vancouver 3-1-0	3 Last Week: 10	The Canucks took their first loss of the season at home Saturday against the Lightning but are 3-1.
14	Columbus 3-2-0	6 Last Week: 8	A loss in Ottawa on Saturday followed by three more road games, on the West Coast, will be a good test for the plucky Blue Jackets.
15	New Jersey 3-2-0	9 Last Week: 6	Three straight wins have been followed by two straight losses.
16	Calgary 4-3-0	7 Last Week: 23	The Flames are playing Flames hockey: tough, in-your-face, and are so far sawing off opponents. Jonas Hiller has been excellent. Just ask Chicago and Winnipeg.
17	St. Louis 2-2-1	5 Last Week: 12	The Blues are 2-2-1 and just not quite there yet. A disappointing loss in Anaheim on Sunday shows the gap at this early juncture between where Blues are and where they should be.
18	Minnesota 2-2-0	16 Last Week: 2	The Wild have somehow managed to allow just four goals in four games and are 2-2. Guess it's called timely scoring.
19	Dallas 2-1-2	1 Last Week: 20	Never a dull moment for the Stars, who stole one in Pittsburgh and then came home to give one away to the Flyers. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are starting to get in a groove, though.
20	Boston 3-4-0	1 Last Week: 19	The Bruins are just not in sync yet with a 3-4 record -- and one of those wins came against Buffalo.
21	New York 3-3-0	1 Last Week: 22	The up-and-down Rangers got a huge home win over the red-hot but road-weary Sharks on Sunday to pull their record to 3-3. Which is about where their level of play suggests they should be.
22	Toronto 2-3-1	2 Last Week: 24	Will Leafs fans have any jerseys left to hurl on the ice at the Air Canada Centre by the All-Star break? The Leafs are 1-3 at home.
23	Colorado 1-4-1	4 Last Week: 27	Defending Central Division champs are 1-4-1 and their No. 1 goaltender, Semyon Varlamov, is on the shelf. Still, they play four of their next five at home, which should help even things out.
24	Philadelphia 1-2-2	6 Last Week: 30	The Flyers' lone win was an improbable come-from-behind effort in overtime in Dallas. But they're still too leaky in goal and on defense.
25	Arizona 2-2-0	9 Last Week: 16	The Coyotes were waxed by the Blues on Saturday and are still not getting the kind of defense or goaltending they need to stay close, having allowed 18 goals in four games.
26	Florida 1-2-2	1 Last Week: 25	The Panthers have somehow managed to score just five times in five games and are still 1-2-2. Go figure.
27	Winnipeg 1-4-0	6 Last Week: 21	The Jets are looking like a team determined to stay very much in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes with a four-game losing streak and just eight goals scored in five games.
28	Buffalo 1-5-0	1 Last Week: 29	The Sabres have just eight goals in six games, although they did manage to get their first win of the season courtesy of Carolina (see below).
29	Carolina 0-2-2	1 Last Week: 28	The Hurricanes are one of two teams without a win this season (see below).
30	Edmonton 0-4-1	4 Last Week: 26	The Oilers are winless and have dropped the first of a crucial seven-game homestand that will speak volumes about this team's character.
Biggest Jump: 14 Biggest Drop: 16