Aaron Portzline's NHL power rankings

Monday,  April 5, 2010 11:29 A.M.

The NHL's top stars play in the East, but the West is still the best conference -- by far. Look below. Six of the top seven clubs and 11 of the top 17 play in the old Campbell Conference. Here are this week's NHL power rankings, courtesy of Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline, with last week's rankings in ( ):

1. Washington (1): Funny that R.J. Umberger's words caused such an uprising, when lots of NHL observers -- some Caps fans included -- would agree wholeheartedly.

2. Chicago (4): OK, then, the Hawks' goaltending dilemma is settled: Antti Niemi, 3-0 with a .975 save percentage in wins over Minnesota, New Jersey and Calgary.

3. San Jose (3): The Sharks are 8-7-2 since the Olympics, probably taking a deep breath before they confront another playoff run with high expectations.

4. Phoenix (2): The Coyotes are witnessing market correction. After winning nine straight, they're 2-3-1, and they needed a shootout to beat lowly Edmonton.

5. Detroit (5): Goaltender Chris Osgood on Sunday made his first start since Jan. 27. It might also have been his last start as a Red Wing.

6. Vancouver (8): Roberto Luongo's mediocre play the past three weeks would have been a bigger worry in previous seasons. These Canucks can pick up their goaltender.

7. Nashville (6): One more win will give the Preds their third 100-point season since the lockout, yet coach Barry Trotz still isn't the favorite for the Jack Adams Trophy.

8. Pittsburgh (7): Nothing has come easy for the Pens lately. Maybe Tuesday's playoff appetizer vs. Washington and Thursday's Igloo farewell vs. the Islanders will get Sidney & Co. recalibrated.

9. New Jersey (10): Perfect hockey? The Devils lost 2-1 in overtime to Chicago on Friday, the first NHL game without a penalty -- either side -- since March 28, 2001.

10. Ottawa (12): Can't figure this club out, except to say the Sens won't last long in the playoffs. They lost eight out of nine, then won six in a row, only two get drubbed by the lowly Islanders on Saturday.

11. Buffalo (9): Think there's more to the Sabres than goaltender Ryan Miller? When he allows more than two goals, Buffalo is 7-14-3 this season. When he allows two or less, they're 32-4-5.

12. Los Angeles (11): Woke up from their offensive slumber to rout Vancouver 8-3 on Thursday. Then nodded off to sleep again with a 2--1 shootout loss in Anaheim 48 hours later.

13. Calgary (14): Really, when you look at the Flames' cast of forwards -- Jarome Iginla, Rene Bourque, and ... and ... -- they don't have the look of a playoff club. Not in the West, anyway.

14. Montreal (17): Who could have guessed the Canadiens season would be saved by goaltender Jaroslav Halak, a ninth-round draft pick (No. 271 overall) in 2003?

15. Colorado (13): The Avs have a three-foot putt to beat Calgary for the No. 8 seed, but this is a tester. They play in Vancouver, then host Chicago and Los Angeles.

16. St. Louis (19): Is interim coach Davis Payne a keeper? The Blues are 21-14-3 since grumpy Andy Murray was fired, including 10-5-2 at home.

17. Anaheim (22): The Ducks gave it a heck of a late-season push, but they won't quite get there. Did you know the SoCal clubs -- Los Angeles and Anaheim -- have never made the playoffs in the same season?

18. N.Y. Rangers (23): Classic Rangers season. In the playoffs (maybe), quickly out of the playoffs (if they get in), a mid-level first-round pick and some bad free-agent signings ahead this summer.

19. Dallas (20): Big story this summer is what happens to Marty Turco. Clearly, the Stars have targeted Kari Lehtonen as their man of the future.

20. Boston (15): The Bruins would be a lost cause in the West. As it stands, they're probably in the playoffs in the East, despite winning consecutive games only twice since the beginning of March.

21. Atlanta (18): Blowing a late lead and losing to Pittsburgh on Saturday was probably the fatal blow to the Thrashers' playoff chances. But, really, did they deserve a berth?

22. Philadelphia (16): The Flyers -- for the 303rd straight season -- need a goaltender. If they can maneuver under the cap this summer, this is a possible landing spot for Dallas' Marty Turco.

23. Minnesota (21): The Wild were done in this season by a supreme lack of skill up front. When Guillaume Latendresse leads the club in goals, you've got issues.

24. Columbus (24): The two-game set with the Red Wings to end the season was supposed to have playoff implications. Like so much else this season, it won't live up to the expectations.

25. N.Y. Islanders (25): What's damned the Islanders more than anything else is their absolutely brutal draft history. Especially since they end up with a lottery pick every year.

26. Carolina (26): The Hurricanes face several dilemmas this off-season. Do they believe the strong recovery from an awful start? Or do they turn the roster over?

27. Tampa Bay (27): Vincent Lecavalier's disappearing act has worn thin in Tampa Bay. His goal totals since 2006-07: 52, 40, 29 and 23. He's now the third or fourth best player on his club.

28. Florida (28): The Panthers have one home win since March 6, continuing the long-running "kick our fans in the teeth" marketing campaign in Miami.

29. Toronto (29): Against his old mates in Boston this season, Phil Kessel had no goals, one assist and a minus-5 rating. Plus he gave them -- essentially -- a first-round pick.

30. Edmonton (30): The Oilers need a point out of their final four games to avoid tying Philadelphia (2006-07) for the fewest points (56) in the post-lockout era.

aportzline@dispatch.com

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