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Carter Gaddis' NHL Power Rankings

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 17, 2008

1. RED WINGS: They've stumbled a bit lately (five consecutive losses), but are you bold enough to pick against them?

2. STARS: They're the hottest team in the Western Conference and have the second-most points in the NHL. Which leaves them still 10 points behind Detroit.

3. DUCKS: Six-game losing streak? What six-game losing streak? With G J.S. Giguere heating up, they're postseason ready right now.

4. SENATORS: OK, so they're 5-9-1 in their past 15 games. Then why hasn't another team taken over the top spot in the East?

5. SHARKS: Actually, if they were better than 14-13-5 at home, they might have threatened Detroit at the top of the West.

6. WILD: They're in control of the Northwest Division, but they don't want to make a habit of losing to teams like the Oilers.

7. PENGUINS: They've held the fort in Sidney Crosby's absence, and now he's on the verge of returning.

8. CANADIENS: Ryan O'Byrne had to steal a purse? Couldn't he have bought his own?

9. FLAMES: Just when G Miikka Kiprusoff seemed hot, he gave up six goals Friday. To the Kings.

10. SABRES: Weren't these guys given up for out of it at the All-Star break? Points in 10 consecutive games changed that.

11. DEVILS: They're second in the East, but don't think for a minute that GM Lou Lamoriello will stand pat at the trade deadline.

12. FLYERS: They were surging, but they brought a five-game losing streak into the weekend. Maybe they could use Peter Forsberg.

13. PREDATORS: A team fighting for its playoff life shouldn't do things like lose 6-1 to the Blackhawks.

14. AVALANCHE: Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth and Paul Stastny might be back soon. But is it too late?

15. BRUINS: They need to do something about the power play, which went 1-for-25 in the first six games in February.

16. RANGERS: Can an unusual, five-day break in February help this underachieving team regroup?

17. CAPITALS: Alex Ovechkin has become the Hart Trophy favorite, but what if Washington misses the playoffs?

18. HURRICANES: Without Rod Brind'Amour (torn ACL), they'll be hard-pressed to stay competitive in the Southeast Division.

19. COYOTES: A home-and-home split this past week with Dallas wasn't bad, but Phoenix needs sweeps if it hopes to sneak into the playoffs.

20. LIGHTNING: There's no way anyone can argue that losing D Dan Boyle for four months did not utterly cripple this team.

21. THRASHERS: Hey, remember us? We're the defending Southeast Division champions. (We did win it last year, didn't we?)

22. ISLANDERS: Consecutive victories against the Flyers and Leafs created new false hope out on the Island.

23. BLUE JACKETS: How do you lose consecutive home games to the Kings and Blackhawks, then win at Detroit? It's the definition of inconsistency.

24. PANTHERS: They're right in the thick of the Southeast Division race, but it's still almost impossible to envision this team in the playoffs.

25. BLUES: They're raising ticket prices in St. Louis. Might be a better idea to raise expectations on the ice.

26. CANUCKS: A team with G Roberto Luongo should not be this bad, no matter who's injured.

27. BLACKHAWKS: They went 3-2-2 on a season-long, 17-day road trip. Not bad, but not good enough to threaten for a playoff berth.

28. OILERS: Even in Edmonton, where seemingly every decent player is on IR, they're talking about fighting their way into the playoffs. It's good to dream.

29. KINGS: Celebrate, Los Angeles! Your team no longer is the worst in the NHL. That distinction now belongs to the ...

30. MAPLE LEAFS: Have they finally bottomed out? Fans in Toronto had better hope so, because it's bad.

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