The NHL season is already well into the second half of the season as the 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 complete. This rest time will undoubtedly affect the performance of athletes, especially those who do not participate in the games. This is also a huge hurdle to hurting the league and I encourage you to reduce 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 picked up 12 points last night to go 3-0, winning games by an average of three goals per game. We’ll bring this momentum to Friday’s card when we’re ready to release our NHL Game of the Month for February. This will be the only selection of five units we will release in February and it is 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 taken into account as Martin Gerber continues to do the work between the tubes. This team recently bolstered its offense with the acquisition of Doug Weight from the St. Louis Blues. Will you provide veteran leadership to get them to the top? Only time will tell.
One team that has struggled lately is the Philadelphia Flyers. They have lost three straight games and the loss of Peter Forsberg seems to be catching them up. They need to stay within surprising distance of the New York Rangers until Forsberg returns if they still have any hope of winning the Atlantic Division. The break could not have come at a better time for the Flyers.
The following is a list of the top 10 teams in the National Hockey League according to 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 blistering 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 Buffalo division and the winner of this race will likely host the first two rounds of the playoffs. The loser will only get the advantage of a home ice round.
3) Detroit Red Wings- The Wings have parted ways with the Nashville Predators and appear to have taken control of center. This is a bad split, as only two teams will make it to the playoffs. The Wings have 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 him 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 has 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, having come out victorious on 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 on 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 hockey teams 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 job in the offseason 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 past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
8) Calgary Flames: This team has the composition 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 because of their goalkeeper Miikka Kiprusoff. That being said, Jarome Iginla needs to assert himself as one of the top five players in the league. One surprising move was that they traded Steve Reinprecht for a backup goalie. I don’t understand this craft, but Darryl Sutter has done magic in the past.
9) Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers need to hang on this week, then they can expect a healthy Peter Forsberg to return after the break. They played a late lead against the Rangers on Saturday and because of that they find themselves in second place in the Atlantic. I don’t think the Rangers will really scare this Flyer team and expect them to put in 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 expect this team to make the playoffs, but I wonder if they’ll be able to hold off the Flames in the standings.
This is how I rank the top 10 teams in the ranking based on their strength. There is still a lot of season to play and with the Olympics coming up, the momentum will definitely change. 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.
Early Stanley Cup Prediction: Dallas vs. Ottawa