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Carter Gaddis' NHL Power Rankings

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 20, 2008

1. RED WINGS: Not even a three-game losing streak to Minnesota, Ottawa and Atlanta can budge Detroit from the top spot.

2. SENATORS: Six weeks without Dany Heatley (shoulder) will test this team's ability to remain at the top of the weak Eastern Conference.

3. DUCKS: Here they are near the top after so much difficulty this season. Is a repeat possible? Not unless Detroit blows a tire.

4. PENGUINS: Without Sidney Crosby, it will be tough to keep pace with New Jersey.

5. CANADIENS: Montreal has hung around in second place in the Northeast. Can it make a push with Ottawa's Heatley on the sideline?

6. DEVILS: If they're going to win the Atlantic, they'll have to find a way to defeat the Islanders, who are 5-0-0 against New Jersey.

7. SHARKS: Even after losses to Pacific opponents Anaheim, Phoenix and Dallas, San Jose was only a point out of first on Friday.

8. STARS: C Mike Ribeiro is on pace for 84 points, a career year. Where would Dallas be without his production?

9. FLYERS: December's six-game losing streak is forgotten, and they're back in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

10. WILD: As usual, they've been dominant at home (15-7-1) and mediocre on the road (11-10-2).

11. FLAMES: G Curtis Joseph's return to the NHL doesn't mean much considering G Miikka Kiprusoff played 47 of 48 games before CuJo's signing.

12. CANUCKS: A 1-1-1 road trip ended with Markus Naslund scoring a goal in his 1,000th game.

13. AVALANCHE: First Joe Sakic, then Ryan Smyth, now Paul Stastny (appendix). If this team still makes the playoffs, G Jose Theodore deserves a medal.

14. BLUE JACKETS: As well as this team has played at times, it would be a shame for Columbus to miss out on its first taste of playoff hockey.

15. ISLANDERS: They are deeply flawed, like most teams in the East, yet G Rick DiPietro might very well carry them into the playoffs.

16. COYOTES: Like Columbus and St. Louis, they're having an unexpectedly good season. Like those teams, Phoenix is on the outside looking in right now.

17. BLUES: G Manny Legace's knee already was a problem; now he has a right arm injury that could limit his effectiveness. That's not good news for St. Louis.

18. BRUINS: Even if this team sneaks into the playoffs, will the city of Boston notice?

19. CAPITALS: If this team somehow sneaks into the eighth seed, Ottawa might have to worry; Washington swept the four-game season series.

20. THRASHERS: They long ago overcame the shock of an 0-6-0 start. Now they need to prove they have the stuff to defend their Southeast Division title.

21. PREDATORS: They just don't have the talent to create traction in the Western Conference race.

22. HURRICANES: Injuries and inconsistency have them in a freefall, but they're still the deepest team in the Southeast - and the team most likely to win it.

23. OILERS: It's tempting to say they'd compete in the Eastern Conference, but let's see how this five-game stretch against Southeast teams goes.

24. BLACKHAWKS: G Patrick Lalime has snatched the top job from G Nikolai Khabibulin, for the time being.

25. RANGERS: They're bad on the road (7-10-5) and only adequate at home (15-10-0). There's no excuse with all the talent this team has.

26. PANTHERS: Like the Lightning, they still think they have a chance to make the playoffs. Amazingly, they might be right.

27. MAPLE LEAFS: Coach Paul Maurice says front office turmoil hasn't been a distraction. In fact, Maurice insists, it's helped the team stay focused. Say what?

28. LIGHTNING: It's hard to remember a Lightning season so full of bizarre mood swings. One day they're flying high; the next they're lamenting another inexplicable loss.

29. SABRES: It looked so good in December after a six-game win streak. It's not looking so great now.

30. KINGS: Even after a 6-4-0 stretch, they remained behind the Lightning in the overall league standings.

Carter Gaddis

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