This May Be Most Wide Open Cup Chase in History

This has, without question, been one of the most perplexing seasons in NHL history. Between the parity spurred by the salary cap and the questionable decision to award standings points for overtime and shootout losses, there is virtually no difference between playoff and nonplayoff teams. Case in point, the San Jose Sharks — ranked third in this week’s Power Rankings — have 25 victories, while the 27th-ranked Florida Panthers have 20 wins.Meanwhile, in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns missed the playoffs despite finishing with a 10–6 record. Were that record translated to the NHL (not accounting for overtime/ shootout losses), the Browns would have finished with 51 victories over the course of an 82-game season. In this NHL season, only the Red Wings and Senators are on pace to finish with 50 or more victories.This is the third season of The New York Sun’s Power Rankings, and typically, the rankings begin to sort themselves out by this point in the year, with relatively little movement from week to week. But this time around, it’s shaping up to be a truly bizarre race to the finish.So revel in the madness. For while parity has put the kibosh on excellence, this is also a world where the middling Washington Capitals have swept their four-game season series with the Eastern Conference-leading Senators. Any team can win on any night, and if this trend continues through the playoffs, it will be the most wide-open Cup chase in league history.Please note that the data is up to and including games played on Tuesday night, and that our statistics for special teams effectiveness also take shorthanded goals into account.1. DETROIT RED WINGS (LW: 1): Perhaps no statistic better illustrates the Wings’ excellence than their goal-differential (plus-56). But on Saturday night, it was the Senators, in a distant second with a plus-31 differential, who came out on top in a possible Stanley Cup Finals preview.REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%33–10–4 70 156 100 18.87% 86.32%2. OTTAWA SENATORS (2): Top-line power forward Dany Heatley is out for six weeks with a separated shoulder, and so it’ll be up to the likes of talented but inconsistent forwards Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly to provide additional offense in his absence.29–12–4 62 155 124 18.68% 87.80%3. SAN JOSE SHARKS (3): The Sharks’ defense and goaltending have been stellar, but the ongoing struggles of Patrick Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo, and all San Jose forwards not named “Joe Thornton” has been one of this season’s most perplexing storylines.25–13–7 57 115 101 14.49% 89.14%4. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (7): The white-hot Penguins are 9–0–1 in their last 10 games, all started by surprisingly effective journeyman netminder Ty Conklin; meanwhile, Evgeni Malkin, with two hat tricks in his last 11 games, has been the primary offensive catalyst.26–16–3 55 127 118 17.22% 81.82%5. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (5): If there’s an area of concern for the Devils, it’s that they’ve scored only six more goals than they’ve surrendered. By playing all season long with such razor-thin margins, they’re likely to be worn down for the playoffs.26–15–3 55 106 100 11.76% 85.06%6. MONTREAL CANADIENS (6): The Habs have lost in regulation only once in their last nine games (a 4–1 loss to the Rangers on Saturday night), and it’s their league-best power play that’s been the difference-maker.23–14–8 54 137 122 23.92% 83.71% 7. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (4): The Canucks are 0–14–1 when trailing after two periods; that they are among the NHL’s top teams is due almost exclusively to netminder Roberto Luongo, and offensive upgrades are a trade-deadline must for GM Dave Nonis.25–17–4 54 118 104 16.36% 84.19%8. MINNESOTA WILD (12): If the Wild have a glaring weakness, it’s their vulnerability to counterattacks while on the power play. Their 39 power play goals are third-best in the Western Conference, but they’ve surrendered an NHL-worst nine shorthanded markers.26–17–2 54 125 123 15.31% 84.46%9. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (11): One of GM Paul Holmgren’s most prescient maneuvers was the acquisition of defenseman Braydon Coburn at last year’s trade deadline; the young defenseman has rapidly become one of the Flyers’ cornerstones.23–15–5 51 137 118 22.01% 86.24%10. COLORADO AVALANCHE (13): Red-hot netminder Jose Theodore has improbably retaken the starting role in Denver, and on Tuesday night posted his first shutout in four years, stopping 32 shots (including 22 in the third period) to blank the reeling Lightning.25–18–3 53 129 127 12.37% 82.74%11. DALLAS STARS (8): Fully recovered from the wrist injury that forced him to miss most of the 2006–07 season, captain Brenden Morrow has re-emerged as a key contributor and is among the Stars’ leaders in every important offensive category.25–18–5 55 135 125 17.71% 90.69%12. ST. LOUIS BLUES (9): Rookie defenseman Erik Johnson, the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, has been magnificent for the Blues, compiling an impressive plus-10 rating while tallying 16 points in his first 31 NHL games.22–15–6 50 113 109 10.75% 86.01%13. ANAHEIM DUCKS (14): The Ducks are soaring up the Western Conference standings, 10–2–2 since Scott Niedermayer returned to the lineup, the strong play of forwards Todd Bertuzzi and Doug Weight also critical to the Cup champs’ resurgence.25–17–6 56 121 119 14.49% 83.40%14. PHOENIX COYOTES (15): The naysayers who doubted whether Wayne Gretzky could succeed as an NHL head coach are now eating crow, as Gretzky’s squad has battled its way back into the Western Conference playoff picture.24–20–1 49 117 122 13.99% 85.03%15. CALGARY FLAMES (10): Trouble is brewing in Calgary, where head coach Mike Keenan is deflecting blame for the team’s recent slide, saying it “has nothing to do with X’s and O’s” and everything to do with the team’s subpar effort.22–17–8 52 134 136 13.46% 80.73%16. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (17): All-Star netminder Rick DiPietro’s importance to the Isles cannot possibly be overstated; while the team’s lunch-pail work ethic is well-documented, it’s DiPietro who keeps this talent-starved team close virtually every night.22–18–5 49 107 123 11.64% 88.15%17. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (22): Home is where the wins are for the Blue Jackets, who have the league’s second-best record on home ice; with power forward Fredrik Modin due back soon, a first-ever playoff appearance just might be in the cards.22–18–6 50 115 110 14.49% 88.57%18. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (19): Talented forward J.P. Dumont has been on fire of late, tallying seven goals and 14 points during his nine-game point-scoring streak, and it’s due in no small part to his renewed willingness to battle his way to the net.22–19–4 48 125 123 12.20% 86.53%19. BOSTON BRUINS (16): Though Tomas Vokoun has certainly been quite solid for the Panthers after a shaky first month, sensational Bruins netminder Tim Thomas (.930 SV%, 2.33 GAA) was far more deserving of a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star Team.22–18–4 48 113 115 16.77% 80.00%20. NEW YORK RANGERS (20): As the Rangers continue their precipitous fall in the standings, the question becomes not whether they’ll upgrade in advance of the February 26 trade deadline, but whether they’ll look to unload UFA-to-be Jaromir Jagr.21–20–5 47 109 117 15.35% 83.90%21. AT L A N TA T H RA S H E RS (24): After his hat trick led Atlanta to an improbable 5–1 victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday night, speculation mounted that Marian Hossa could be Motownbound, but a fire sale’s unlikely for the new Southeast division leaders. 23–22–2 48 130 150 15.87% 82.65%22. BUFFALO SABRES (21): By announcing that he wouldn’t continue negotiating a new deal with the Sabres until after the regular season ends, All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell sparked rumors that he could also be made available at the trade deadline.19–18–6 44 124 120 15.51% 87.43%23. CAROLINA HURRICANES (18): The reeling Hurricanes, losers of three straight and four of their last five games, have been overtaken by the Thrashers; the good news is that recent acquisition Sergei Samsonov is starting to provide an offensive spark.22–22–4 48 143 154 15.64% 76.96%24. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (23): Rookie sensation Patrick Kane was invited to the NHL’s All-Star weekend in Atlanta, where he will participate in a threeon-three competition along with 15 of the league’s top young players.20–21–4 44 125 135 14.65% 86.36%25. EDMONTON OILERS (25): Strong chemistry between forwards Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky has helped of late, but the key to a second-half turnaround for the Oilers will be getting solid play from now-healthy defensemen Sheldon Souray and Joni Pitkanen.21–22–4 46 112 135 12.56% 86.76%26. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (28): First-line center Michael Nylander will be out for the re mainder of the season after under going rotator cuff surgery, illustrating why signing 35-year-old veterans to four-year, $19.5 million deals is such a terrible idea.19–21–5 43 127 138 14.06% 82.72%27. FLORIDA PANTHERS (26): Power forward Nathan Horton’s development has come to a grinding halt; he’s lit the lamp only 12 times, a key reason why the Panthers haven’t been able to rise in the cream puff-like Southeast Division.20–22–4 44 110 127 17.26% 82.30%28. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (27): John Ferguson Jr., is likely in his final days as the Leafs’ GM, and though the impatient fans would like to see a quick turnaround, it’s a lengthy, painstaking rebuilding effort that’s really needed in this hockey hotbed.17–21–8 42 128 150 11.94% 80.29%29. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (29): No NHL team has surrendered more goals than the hapless Lightning, whose team construction (built around three highpriced forwards) is the polar opposite of what’s required to win (strong defense and goaltending).17–24–5 39 130 156 17.14% 82.78%30. LOS ANGELES KINGS (30): Seeing the way former King Mathieu Garon is excelling in Edmonton (.918 SV%, 2.37 GAA), it’s become apparent that the problem in Tinseltown isn’t goaltender Jason LaBarbera, but rather the Kings’ improbably porous defense.18–27–2 38 132 154 19.47% 80.43%Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.

This May Be Most Wide Open Cup Chase in History

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