| CNNSI.com Power Rankings |
| Rank | Last week | Team |
| 1 | 1 |  | St. Louis Blues |
| D-man Al MacInnis has now helped two teams rally from five goals down (first
time was with the Flames). We'll be talking about the Blues' 6-5 win over the
Leafs for ages to
come. |
| 2 | 2 |  | Colorado Avalanche |
| Wish we could call the two at the top 1 and 1A -- the Avs are every bit every
bit as much the No. 1 material that the Blues
are. |
| 3 | 3 |  | New Jersey Devils |
| Lackluster weekend but veteran Devs are showing that they can step up play when
they need
to. |
| 4 | 4 |  | San Jose Sharks |
| Wisely took themselves out of the Lindros sweepstakes -- the way they're
playing, who needs
him?
|
| 5 | 5 |  | Dallas Stars |
| Have a weekend in Southern Cal ahead of them. Will Hitch take everyone to
Disneyland? |
| 6 | 7 |  | Detroit Red Wings |
| Stevie Y's return almost gives them the look of a Cup
contender. |
| 7 | 8 |  | Ottawa Senators |
| For better or worse, the NHL's most gentlemanly
team. |
| 8 | 9 |  | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Pressing question: Will Santa be able to fit Eric Lindros down the
chimney? |
| 9 | 6 |  | Phoenix Coyotes |
| Out of the sunshine, on to the ice: Lemieux may give a much-needed jolt, but it
won't be until the playoffs that he really makes his
mark. |
| 10 | 15 |  | Vancouver Canucks |
| Wow! Naslund (18 goals) is really taking this captain thing to
heart. |
| 11 | 10 |  | Edmonton Oilers |
| Hoping Grier's shoulder injury doesn't linger; his grit is invaluable to this
good-but-vulnerable
team. |
| 12 | 11 |  | Buffalo Sabres |
| Contract talks with Peca resume. A prediction: Peca will be in a Sabres' sweater
when Buffalo hosts Boston on New Year's
Day. |
| 13 | 12 |  | Los Angeles Kings |
| Up and down, up and down -- this is one of the league's most entertaining
teams. |
| 14 | 13 |  | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| One of these days Jagr's going to get into a dominant groove. Then,
lookout. |
| 15 | 14 |  | Philadelphia Flyers |
| GM Bobby Clarke serving Philly fans well by being cautious in Lindros
deal. |
| 16 | 16 |  | New York Rangers |
| Well, they're scoring this year -- but can they tighten up that
D? |
| 17 | 17 |  | Anaheim Mighty Ducks |
| A model of
inconsistency. |
| 18 | 18 |  | Nashville Predators |
| Win a couple, lose a couple. That's not going to cut it in the tough Western
Conference. |
| 19 | 21 |  | Washington Capitals |
| Is Kolzig gearing up for another run like last
year's? |
| 20 | 20 |  | Carolina Hurricanes |
| After all these years, goalie Arturs Irbe, a cute little guy, remains
underrated. Just ask the
Senators. |
| 21 | 19 |  | Boston Bruins |
| For a club with so many skilled and energetic forwards, it sure does
struggle. |
| 22 | 22 |  | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| At home these kids sometimes look like a playoff club, but they have no
confidence on the road. They need to get some for their upcoming Western
swing. |
| 23 | 23 |  | Florida Panthers |
| There's the BCS, and the GOP versus the VP. With all the acronymious
controversies around them, the Panthers just want some W's and some help on the
PP. |
| 24 | 24 |  | New York Islanders |
| Played gamely versus Devils in a pair of weekend
ties. |
| 25 | 25 |  | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Good thing they play Columbus so
often. |
| 26 | 26 |  | Calgary Flames |
| Getting blueliner Derek Morris back after contract impasse will make team a)
better and b) more ebullient. But Flames could be out of the playoff picture by
Boxing
Day. |
| 27 | 29 |  | Montreal Canadiens |
| A solid few games give some relief to new coach (Michel Therrien) and GM (Andre
Savard). But there's still a long season
ahead. |
| 28 | 30 |  | Atlanta Thrashers |
| Trio of Audette, Ferraro, Brunette continues its consistent
production. |
| 29 | 27 |  | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Tugger's solidity in net gives them slight advantage over
Wild. |
| 30 | 28 |  | Minnesota Wild |
| Who cares if we stink? Hockey's
back! |
