Monday: Power Poll

This week's rankings: (Note: number in parentheses denotes last week’s ranking.)

1. Ottawa Senators (8): The Senators haven’t let early season predictions of an Eastern Conference championship trip them up, having begun the season 5-0. Dany Heatley so far has shown he is more than able to replace Marian Hossa.

2. Nashville Predators (4): The Preds are off to a 5-0 start, with a couple of shootout victories under their belts, game-winning shots by newcomer Paul Kariya.

3. Vancouver Canucks (13): The Canucks proved their resiliency by coming back to beat Minnesota on the road and then Dallas.

4. Detroit Red Wings (1): With stalwart Yzerman returning to the lineup, the Red Wings can only improve.

5. Montreal Canadiens (2): The Habs may have found a gem in rookie goalie Yann Danis, the first Canadien to post a shutout in his debut since Wayne Thomas did it in 1973.

6. New York Rangers (14): Underachievers no more? These Rangers are playing hard, and that’s resulting in some key early season wins.

7. Florida Panthers (9): Roberto Luongo is no fluke, and as long as he stays healthy the Panthers have a real shot at dethroning the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Southeast Division.

8. Buffalo Sabres (29): The reports of this team’s demise were greatly exaggerated. An abundance of good, young goaltending could prompt a trade that could help the Sabres in other areas.

9. Los Angeles Kings (6): The Kings have feasted on lesser talent so far. How good this team is will be easier to tell when it plays against hockey heavyweights.

10. Dallas Stars (17): Mike Modano is showing that he still has the Midas touch with a hockey stick in his hands.

11. Minnesota Wild (21): Surprisingly, the Wild have been able to put up offensive numbers with Marian Gaborik on IR. It will be interesting to see if his return from a groin injury will help or hurt this team’s early season chemistry.

12. Toronto Maple Leafs (23): Lindros showed last week he can still cause a defense to worry. Injured Mats Sundin (eye) will be out for a few more weeks. Can Toronto continue its strong play without him?

13. Tampa Bay Lightning (7): This team is playing well, despite a shootout loss to Washington, but is still not firing on all cylinders.

14. Carolina Hurricanes (26): Eric Staal and Rod Brind’Amour give this team a healthy dose of young and old.

15. Edmonton Oilers (5): A loss in the season’s first Battle of Alberta hurts, and this team will have plenty of battle scars before the playoffs begin. The question will be: Will the Oilers be playing in them?

16. San Jose Sharks (25): The Sharks look like a .500 team. A fast start could do wonders. A slow start could sink this fish.

17. Philadelphia Flyers (12): You’d expect better things with Peter Forsberg in the lineup. So should Flyer fans.

18. Boston Bruins (11): Joe Thornton was out for a blip but Glen Murray has been keeping the team afloat. Thornton’s health is key. Patrice Bergeron looks like the real deal.

19. New York Islanders (18): DiPietro’s health is key. This could be the goaltender’s breakout year, and that could benefit the Isles considerably.

20. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (16): Jean-Sebastien Giguere looks beatable, so the offense better overperform. Keep your eye on youngster Joffrey Lupul, who already has 4 goals and 1 assist.

21. Colorado Avalanche (19): This team is far from the powerhouse it just a few years ago, and looks more like a .500 team than a division contender.

22. New Jersey Devils (20): The Devils ranked 22nd? Is it just a slow start or the slow start to a long season? Hard to tell if this team should be defined as “experienced” or “old.”

23. Washington Capitals (24): Alexander Ovechkin has scored at least one point in each of Washington's first seven games. There is talk that the signing of Alexander Semin may not be that far away. If the defense can improve, this team may not be as bad as most think it is.

24. Calgary Flames (15): The Flames are finding wins difficult to come by – and that shouldn’t be for a team with so much talent. Goalie Miika Kiprusoff and the Flames’ defense need to improve immediately.

25. Atlanta Thrashers (3): Injuries have depleted this team from the get-go. It’s on its third-string goalie. Until the netminding returns to form, the Thrashers could continue to struggle.

26. Pittsburgh Penguins (20): The Penguins have yet to win a game, losing 4 contests in overtime. The wins will come though. Sidney Crosby is proving his worth with 2 goals and 7 assists.

27. Phoenix Coyotes (22): Coach Wayne Gretzky has already run one future hall of famer, Brett Hull, out of hockey. The Coyotes should fire him immediately. Just kidding – but it could be a longer season for The Great One than he expected.

28. Chicago Blackhawks (28): The Hawks had one of the sparsest opening night crowds of any NHL team. Those empty seats will continue to be vacant as the Blackhawks lack talent and depth.

29. St. Louis Blues (30): With the St. Louis Cardinals on the verge of playoff elimination, more eyes may be on the Blues – and that’s not a good thing.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets (27): They’re banged up with their ace Steve Nash, on injured reserve. This team is still far from playoff contention. How ‘bout them Buckeyes?

- The Ottawa Senators' Chris Neil hangs on the crossbar after scoring against the Boston Bruins on Saturday./Associated Press photo