In the inaugural edition of NHL Power Rankings – and one that falls late in the 2011-12 NHL regular season – the New York Rangers sit in first place, followed by the Vancouver Canucks.
The Boston Bruins, fueled by solid road play and a high goal differential, slip into the third spot, followed by the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Before you assume that the post is filled with typos, note that the point tally in parentheses is a secret mix of statistics per team, and obviously not the team’s actual point total.
A little late to the rink, but it’s time for The Wife Hates Sports to include the National Hockey League in its overall Power Rankings suite.
KP would just be an “ice-hole” not to include hockey in the mix.
Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers have given opponents fits this season
KP’s NHL Power Rankings: March 5, 2012
*Stats and figures as of Sunday evening, March 4, 2012
1. New York Rangers – 42-15-7 – 91 points (144 points)
Henrik Lundqvist leads the NHL with a .939 save percentage and his 1.79 goals against average is ranked second in the league.
2. Vancouver Canucks – 41-17-8 – 90 points (142 points)
Cory Schneider is currently ranked fourth in the NHL in save percentage (.932).
3. Boston Bruins – 38-23-3 – 79 points (127 points)
Tyler Seguin has been one of Boston’s best this season
20-year-old center Tyler Seguin is second on the team in points, with 51, and leads the Bruins in goals scored, with 22 on the year.
4. Detroit Red Wings – 43-20-3 – 89 points (125 points)
Jimmy Howard is fifth in the NHL in goals against average (2.05) and third in the league in wins (33).
5. Pittsburgh Penguins – 38-21-5 – 81 points (115 points)
Evgeni Malkin is second in the NHL in goals scored (38) and tied for the league lead in points, with 80.
6. St. Louis Blues – 41-18-7 – 89 points (111 points)
Brian Elliott’s 1.63 goals against average currently is the best in the NHL, while Jaroslav Halak’s 1.91 GAA is good for third in the league.
7. Nashville Predators – 38-20-7 – 83 points (96 points)
Pekka Rinne’s 36 wins rank as the most among NHL goalies so far this season.
8. Philadelphia Flyers – 35-21-7 – 77 points (81 points)
Scott Hartnell’s 31 goals is the fourth most in the NHL to this point in the season.
9. Phoenix Coyotes – 33-23-9 – 75 points (77 points)
Ray Whitney leads all Coyotes in points (59) and assists (39).
10. New Jersey Devils – 36-24-5 – 77 points (70 points)
The Devils have a better record on the road (20-12-2) than at home (16-12-3).
11. Ottawa Senators – 34-24-8 – 76 points (70 points)
The Senators are 7-2-1 over their last ten games, and sit as the 7th seed in the East.
12. Chicago Blackhawks – 36-24-7 – 79 points (63 points)
The Blackhawks are currently the only Western Conference playoff team that has a losing record on the road, with a record of 14-17-3.
13. San Jose Sharks – 33-24-7 – 73 points (61 points)
The Sharks are 2-7-1 over their last ten games and struggling to hang on to a playoff spot.
14. Dallas Stars – 34-26-5 – 73 points (55 points)
Loui Eriksson leads the team in points (57), with 21 goals and 36 assists on the season.
15. Los Angeles Kings – 30-23-12 – 72 points (46 points)
Anze Kopitar leads the team in points (55), goals (19) and assists (36).
16. Florida Panthers – 30-22-12 – 72 points (32 points)
Florida’s -23 goal differential on the season is the worst among all playoff contenders in both the Eastern and Western conference.
17. Colorado Avalanche – 33-29-4 – 70 points (26 points)
Colorado has zero players with 20 or more goals, with Gabriel Landeskog sitting as the current team leader, scoring 18 goals.
18. Winnipeg Jets – 31-27-8 – 70 points (24 points)
Blake Wheeler leads the team in points (53) and assists (39).
19. Calgary Flames – 29-25-11 – 69 points (19 points)
The Flames allow an average of 31 shots per game, the sixth most in the NHL.
20. Washington Capitals – 32-27-5 – 69 points (18 points)
Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals have been a huge disappointment, especially on the road
The disappointing Capitals have really struggled on the road, posting an 11-18-3 record to date.
21. Buffalo Sabres – 30-27-8 – 68 points (16 points)
Jason Pominville leads the team in points (59), goals (23) and assists (36).
22. Toronto Maple Leafs – 30-28-7 – 67 points (16 points)
Toronto’s overall -7 goal differential is the best among teams currently not sitting in a playoff spot.
23. Anaheim Ducks – 28-28-10 – 66 points (11 points)
Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry have combined for a total of 23 power play goals and 23 power play assists this season.
24. Tampa Bay Lightning – 31-28-6 – 68 points (6 points)
Steven Stamkos leads the NHL in goals scored (47) and is tied for the league lead in points (80).
25. Montreal Canadiens – 25-31-10 – 60 points (1 point)
Center David Desharnais leads the team in points (51) and assists (37).
26. Carolina Hurricanes – 24-27-14 – 62 points (-1 point)
The Hurricanes have a winning record at home, but have posted an abysmal 7-14-8 record on the road this season.
27. Minnesota Wild – 28-27-10 – 66 points (-2 points)
Minnesota’s 137 goals (2.11 per game) are the fewest in the NHL this season.
28. Edmonton Oilers – 25-33-6 – 56 points (-16 points)
Edmonton’s 26.8 shots per game average are the second fewest in the NHL this season. Only Minnesota has taken fewer shots per game.
29. New York Islanders – 28-29-6 – 65 points (-19 points)
New York’s 588 total penalty minutes are the fourth fewest in the NHL this season.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets – 20-38-7 – 47 points (-67 points)
The Blue Jackets have allowed 209 goals this season (3.22 per game), which is the second most allowed in the NHL.
* All stats per NHL.com and ESPN.com
The Wife Hates Sports NHL Power Rankings system has a method to its madness, attempting to be different and not just rank by popularity and record. It mixes a secret formula of six completely different categories, meshed into a points system. The categories don’t just include team results regarding record, but how each team has performed recently, as well as incorporating some statistics on both a team’s offense and defense, too.
