TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Carter Gaddis' NHL Power Rankings

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 1, 2007

1. RED WINGS: The depth and stability of this organization keeps them at the top year after year.

2. RANGERS: Right now, G Henrik Lundqvist makes them the favorite in just about every game they play.

3. CANUCKS: G Roberto Luongo is heating up (three straight shutouts). And that means so is Vancouver.

4. STARS: They'll have to weather the absence of RW Jere Lehtinen (abdominal strain) to stay on top in the Pacific.

5. SENATORS: Suddenly, G Martin Gerber is looking human. Does that mean Ray Emery gets another look?

6. FLYERS: What's encouraging in Philly is they're still winning without Simon Gagne (concussion).

7. HURRICANES: They can't quite pull away in the Southeast because of a break-even intradivisional record.

8. CANADIENS: Lurking behind Ottawa in the Northeast but need to keep an eye on Boston, too.

9. BLUES: Paul Kariya is not the 40-goal scorer he once was, but his presence makes St. Louis a playoff contender.

10. BLACKHAWKS: When G Nikolai Khabibulin plays like he did last week against Tampa Bay, Chicago is for real.

11. BRUINS: They had the kind of November that could be a springboard to success in the spring.

12. WILD: After Marian Gaborik scored one goal in his first 10 games, he scored eight in his next nine.

13. PREDATORS: They are 5-2-2 against the Central Division, the toughest division in hockey.

14. DEVILS: They're streaking now, and resurgent G Martin Brodeur is the main reason.

15. DUCKS: Kind of spun their wheels in November, but the Pacific lead is one good win streak away.

16. AVALANCHE: A 10-2-0 record at home is the only thing keeping them competitive right now.

17. SHARKS: Joe Thornton is averaging a point per game, but is that enough for a player of his caliber?

18. ISLANDERS: They fell a little off the pace in the Atlantic because of an up-and-down November.

19. SABRES: Finished November playing well (4-1-0) but still have a tough climb.

20. BLUE JACKETS: G Pascal Leclaire (hamstring) can't be out for long, or this team's fortunes sink quickly.

21. PANTHERS: A 7-6-1 November has them within striking distance of the Hurricanes in the Southeast.

22. FLAMES: A 4-10-0 November left them sinking in the Northwest.

23. THRASHERS: They've got G Kari Lehtonen (groin) back, but he'll need to be better than he was before he got hurt (0-4).

24. COYOTES: They're right around .500, which is a step forward. They'll need to find some scoring to take the next step.

25. MAPLE LEAFS: Who goes? Who stays? Chances are, neither Coach Paul Maurice nor GM John Ferguson last the season.

26. PENGUINS: If they're going to live up to lofty expectations this season, they'll need to get hot. And soon.

27. OILERS: Expectations aren't an issue in Edmonton, where the Western Conference championship of 2006 seems like a figment of Alberta's collective imagination.

28. LIGHTNING: They're just too streaky. At this point, merely reaching .500 and staying there would be an achievement.

29. KINGS: As bad as it has been, losing LW Mike Cammalleri (groin) for any length of time would be disastrous.

30. CAPITALS: Like Sidney Crosby is Pittsburgh, Alex Ovechkin needs to win for their burgeoning rivalry to mean anything.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT