PLUS/MINUS - 11/17/08

(Sorry for the delay in posting this. I had some plumbing issues in my apt last night)

PLUS/MINUS is my weekly Power Rankings Column. The + or – is based on the previous weeks rankings

PLUS/MINUS Brian Boucher is giving the Sharks all they need while Evgeni Nabokov is injured

1) San Jose Sharks {15-3-1} (EVEN)

2-0-1 week (OT loss vs. Nashville, win vs. Calgary, win @ Chicago)

For the 2nd week in a row, how can anyone say anyone is better than this team right now.

2) Detroit Red Wings {11-2-2} (EVEN)

2-0-1 week (OTL vs. PIT, wins @ Tampa and @ Florida)

They are playing strong hockey and beating the teams they should (which is almost all of them)

3) New York Rangers {13-5-2} (EVEN)

2-0 week (win @ NJ, shootout vs. Boston)

A very strong week, but they need to stop sleep-walking through the first 2 periods of games and then finding ways to win late. It's okay to do that from time to time, but sometimes you need to beat a team from beginning to end.

4) Boston Bruins {10-3-4} (+1)

2-1 week (won @ Chicago, vs. Montreal, SO loss @ NYR)

The Bruins had a 5 game win streak going before the Rangers game and have won 8 of their past 10. Easily the hottest team in the East.

5) Pittsburgh Penguins {11-4-2} (+3)

3-0 week (OTW @ Detroit, SO win vs. Philly, win vs. Buffalo)

Meet the 2nd hottest team in the East. The Penguins have won 6 in a row and are getting that same look and chemistry that they rode right through the playoffs.

6) Minnesota Wild {10-4-1} (+1)

2-0 week (Shutout win vs. Phoenix, Shoot out win vs. Columbus)

Minnesota is that really good team that's flying under the radar right now. They are a frustrating team to play against.

7) Montreal Canadiens {10-4-2} (-3)

2-2 week (won vs Ottawa, lost @ Boston, lost vs. Philly, shootout win @ St. Louis)

There's no doubt Montreal can be the best team in the league, but Carey Price needs to be more consitent in net and the offense needs to wake up a little.

8) Anaheim Ducks {10-7-2} (+1)

1-1-1 week (lost vs. Florida, OTL vs. Nashville, shutout win @ Los Angeles)

An average week for a team that is still playing solid hockey. Losing D Francois Beachuemin hurts them, but Bret Hedican will be able to contribute in his absence.

9) Washington Capitals {10-4-3} (+4)

2-0-1 week (won @ Carolina, vs. NJ, OTL @ NJ)

It's funny what happens to a team when they get Alexander Ovechkin back in the lineup. With Carolina slumping, Washington is taking full advantage of it. If Jose Theodore can find his game, look out.

10) Vancouver Canucks {10-6-1} (+1)

1-0-1 week (shootout loss vs. Colorado, win vs. Toronto)

The Canucks are getting a solid balance of offense, defense, and goaltending right now. They have a four game road trip coming up to prove their merit on the road.

11) Buffalo Sabres {9-5-3} (-5)

1-2 week (won vs. St. Louis, lost vs. Columbus, lost @ Pittsburgh)

The former hottest team in East has cooled off.They have a huge game in Boston on Wednesday night to right the ship before a four game homestand.

12) Carolina Hurricanes {9-7-2} (EVEN)

1-2 week (lost vs. Washington, lost @ Atlanta, shootout win vs. Tampa Bay)

It was not a great week for Carolina, but their two losses were to teams that were on a roll. Once Eric Staal gets back to form, the Hurricanes will be fine.

13) Nashville Predators {9-7-1} (+8)

3-0 week (OT wins @ San Jose & Anaheim, win @ LA)

Talk about an up and down team. They went 0-3 and were badly outplayed in the first half of their road trip and rebounded with 3 strong wins. This is a team that will probably hang around the 5-8 spots in the West all year long.

14) Chicago Blackhawks {7-4-5} (-5)

0-1-2 week (shootout loss vs. Boston, OT loss vs St. Louis, lost vs. San Jose)

A very tough week for a team who is playing solid hockey. All of their losses this week were decided by one goal. We haven't seen the best of this team yet.

15) Columbus Blue Jackets {8-7-3} (+1)

1-1-1 week (lost vs. Phoenix, won @ Buffalo, shootout loss @ Minnesota)

Columbus is playing smart, fundamental hockey right now. If they can step it up just a bit, they will be in the hunt for a playoff spot in the stretch run.

16) Calgary Flames {9-8-1} (-2)

1-1-0 week (won vs. Toronto, lost @ San Jose)

Calgary looked really bad against San Jose and has lost 3 of their past 4. I have a feeling this team will cycle between hot and bad all year long.

17) Toronto Maple Leafs {7-7-4} (+1)

1-2-0 week (lost @ Calgary, won @ Edmonton, lost @ Vancouver)

Their western Canada road swing went as you would expect from the Leafs right now. It looks like they will be that team that is the best of the non-playoff contenders.

18) Edmonton Oilers {8-7-1} (-1)

0-1-1 week (lost vs. Toronto, OT loss vs. Colorado)

The Oilers are still trying to find their way. In their last 8 games, they've won 2, lost 2, won 2, lost 2.

19) New Jersey Devils {8-7-2} (-5)

1-2 week (lost vs. NYR, lost @ Washington, shootout win vs. Washington)

I like Kevin Weekes as a backup, but this team desperately needs to make a run at Nikolai Khabibulin or Dwayne Roloson

20) Philadelphia Flyers {7-6-4} (+8)

3-1 week (won @ NYI, shootout loss @ Pittsburgh, won @ Montreal, won vs. Atlanta)

This is another team that has really hot and really cold streaks. Their upcoming schedule will provide them a chance to higher above the .500 waterlevel.

21) Phoenix Coyotes {8-8-0} (-1)

1-2 week (won @ Columbus, shutout loss @ Minnesota, loss vs. Dallas)

A 3 game win streak ended for this team against two teams that match-up well against Phoenix. They get a good home test against Chicago before setting out for a 4 game road trip.

22) Atlanta Thrashers {7-8-2} (+1)

1-1 week (won vs. Carolina, lost @ Philly)

The Thrashers righted the ship with a 5 game winning streak before ending in Philly. They are still a game under .500 but are playing solid hockey. If their goaltending stays consistent, they can move up the standings a little bit.

23) Los Angeles Kings {7-8-2} (EVEN)

2-2 week (shootout win vs. Dallas, win @ Dallas, lost vs. Nashville, shutout loss @ Anaheim)

The Kings are playing better hockey and it's showing in their record. Erik Ersberg is playing really well in net for LA and should officially be the starter in the Staples Center.

24) New York Islanders {6-9-2} (+2)

2-1 week (lost vs. Philly, won @ Ottawa, won vs. Ottawa)

After a very rough start to the season, the Isles are finally getting some consistent offensive play. Joey MacDonald has been really good between the pipes while the Isles decide if it's worth making a movie for a goalie this year or not. The home and home sweep of the Senators was only their 2nd set of back to back wins this year.

25) Ottawa Senators {6-9-2} (-6)

0-3 week (lost @ Montreal, lost vs. NYI, lost @ NYI)

Ottawa's season got off to a rough start. Then they went on a steak of winning 4 of 5 and looked like the Senators teams of the past few years. Now it has crashed and they are in the midst of a 4 game losing streak. Look for some trades to happen here soon.

26) Colorado Avalanche {8-8-0} (+1)

2-0 week (2-1 shoout win @ Vancouver, 3-2 shootout win @ Edmonton)

I need to see more consistent winning from this team before I move them back up too high. They've won three in a row and are beginning to get the same momentum we saw when they got their 5 game winning streak going. Peter Budaj has continued to improve, but needs to do it at a quicker pace.

27) Dallas Stars {6-8-3} (-2)

1-1-1 week (shootout loss @ LA, lost vs. LA, won @ Phoenix)

I think it would be tough to make a case for anyone else being more disappointing than the Stars this season. Their offense hasn't been great, but the problems start with Marty Turco. Dallas made a minor deal by acquiring Darryl Sydor for Phillipe Boucher, but they will need to do a lot more than that to jolt this team back in the upper-echelon of the Western Conference.

28) St. Louis Blues {6-8-2} (+1)

1-1-1 week (lost @ Buffalo, won @ Chicago in OT, shootout loss to Montreal)

A pretty ho hum week for St. Louis. They have some decent talent on this team but it's taking time for them to develop. Losing Andy McDonald for 8 weeks will keep this team hurting more than they already are. Manny Legace is slowly improving with each start since returning from injury.

29) Florida Panthers {5-8-1} (EVEN)

1-1 week (won vs. Tampa Bay, lost vs. Detroit)

They took care of business against their cross-state rivals and played Detroit very tough. Florida improved their league worst PP to 2nd worst (12.7%) but need to continue the trend at a quicker pace. How soon will it be until Jay Bouwmeester is out the door in Sunrise?

30) Tampa Bay Lightning {5-7-5} (-8)

0-3-1 week (lost @ Washington, lost @ Florida, lost vs. Detroit, shootout loss @ Carolina)

The Lightning aren't the worst team in the NHL, but right now they are certainly playing the part. If firing the head coach (Barry Melrose) doesn't shake things up, it can be a long, hard road out of the basement for a team with so much talent. Rick Tocchet wanting to open up their playing style should help this team once everyone gets on the same page.

BIGGEST GAINER = Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers (+8)

BIGGEST LOSER = Tampa Bay Lightning (-8)

-15 Teams Moved Up

-9 Teams Moved Down

-6 Teams Remained Even