The NHL season is already in the second half of the season as leagues prepare to shut down for two and a half weeks to make way for the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. It will be very interesting to see how the teams respond once the break is over. This rest time will undoubtedly affect the performance of the athletes, especially those who do not participate in the games. This is also a huge hurdle to hurt the league and I encourage you to cut back on the amount of action in the NHL until teams have a full week of play under their belt.
Doc’s has been red hot in hockey as we collected 12 points last night going 3-0, winning games by an average of three goals per game. We’ll carry this momentum onto the Friday card when we’re ready to launch our NHL Game of the Month for February. This will be the only five-unit pick we’re releasing in February, and it’s the perfect way to start the break on a positive note.
The Carolina Panthers have surpassed the Ottawa Senators as the cream of the NHL. This team is young, but that hasn’t been taken into account as Martin Gerber continues to do the work between the tubes. This team recently beefed up their offense with the acquisition of Doug Weight from the St. Louis Blues. Will he provide the veteran leadership to take them to the top? Only time will tell.
One team that has struggled lately is the Philadelphia Flyers. They have lost three games in a row and the loss of Peter Forsberg seems to be bringing them up to speed. They must stay within striking distance of the New York Rangers until Forsberg returns if they still have any hope of winning the Atlantic Division. The break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Flyers.
The following is a list of the top 10 National Hockey League teams based on Doc’s Power Ranking.
1) Carolina Panthers: Everything seems to be in line for the Hurricanes to claim the top spot in the league. As of this writing, they have a three-point cushion and play in a weak division where they can rack up points against Florida, Washington, Tampa Bay and Atlanta. Assuming the Erics stay healthy, this team will be tough in the playoffs.
2) Ottawa Senators: The Sens have calmed down a bit after a whirlwind start to the NHL season. This team has the face of a champion, with a strong attack and a veteran goalkeeper who has won great games in the past. They are still getting pressure within the division from Buffalo and the winner of this race will likely host the first two rounds of the playoffs. The loser will only get the advantage of an ice round at home.
3) Detroit Red Wings- The Wings have parted ways with the Nashville Predators and appear to have taken control of center back. This is a bad split as only two teams will make it to the playoffs. The Wings are yet to win games through their offense as their goal is shaky with Manny Legacy in the net. He continues to let a bad goal get through and it will keep them out of the Stanley Cup Finals.
4) Dallas Stars- The Stars have taken control of the Pacific leading by 12 points over the Kings. Marty Turco is a great goalkeeper and he just signed an extension to stay with the team. This team likes to keep the score low and that’s how games are decided once the playoffs roll around in April. This team is impossible to beat in a penalty shootout as they have emerged victorious in all eight of their chances this season.
5) Buffalo Sabers: The Sabers have quietly kept up with the Senators despite going undetected on the national radar. Marty Biron and Ryan Miller are capable of winning big games at the net. With Chris Drury keeping the captaincy, Buffalo could make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
6) New York Rangers – The Rangers have played exceptional hockey despite being voted one of the worst teams in hockey by numerous publications. This team has scored points in eight of its last ten games and has the best offensive player in the league in Jaromir Jagr. They have also allowed less than three goals per game, which is a formula for success in April.
7) Nashville Predators – The Preds continue to dominate in GEC, winning 21 of their 27 games played at center. This is a team that did a good offseason job of acquiring Paul Kariya to bolster the offense. Thomas Vokoun has had a good season at the net, but I don’t see this team advancing beyond the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
8) Calgary Flames – This team has the makeup of a championship team but has failed to break away in the Northwest Division. Only three points separate four teams, but I think the Flames will eventually pull away thanks to their goalkeeper Miikka Kiprusoff. That said, Jarome Iginla needs to establish himself as one of the top five players in the league. One surprising move was that they traded Steve Reinprecht for a substitute goalkeeper. I don’t understand this trade, but Darryl Sutter has done magic in the past.
9) Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers need to hang on this week, then they can look to a healthy Peter Forsberg to return after the break. They played a late lead against the Rangers on Saturday and thus find themselves in second place in the Atlantic. I don’t think the Rangers would really scare this Flyer team and expect them to make another run to reclaim the top spot in the Atlantic.
10) Vancouver Canucks – This team has dominated General Motors Place winning 19 of the 25 games played there. The Canucks have a dominant offense led by Markus Naslund, who just returned from injury. I hope this team makes the playoffs, but I wonder if they can hold off the Flames in the standings.
This is how I rank the top 10 teams in the rankings based on their strength. There is still a lot of season to play and with the Olympics looming, the momentum will definitely shift. Don’t forget to sign up for Doc’s NHL Game of the Month, starting this Friday, February 10, 2006. Doc’s has cashed in on this play at 75% this season.
Stanley Cup Early Prediction: Dallas vs. Ottawa