Sharks top early season NHL power ranks

After an exciting three weeks of preseason, the National Hockey League (NHL) has entered the beginning portion of regular season play. Throughout the first two weeks, several analyst’s predictions have come true: the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks have done incredibly well thus far; the Western Conference looks very formidable and the two Stanley cup finalists in Chicago and Boston have continued their winning ways. However, there have been numerous teams currently in the top 10 that have shocked and surprised even the most diehard of hockey fans, players and coaches. With two regular season weeks already concluded, it is time to rank and evaluate the top contenders thus far:

1. San Jose Sharks (6-0): Through their first six games of the season, the Sharks are already looking like favorites to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Offense hasn’t been a problem so far this year as the Sharks have outshot opponents 42 to 22 per game through the first six games while averaging nearly five goals a game. Rookie sensation Tomas Hertl has been named NHL Star of the Week for notching four goals in one game against the Rangers and has compiled nine points in six games thus far. Captain Joe Thornton has provided steady leadership while Vezina Trophy Finalist Antti Niemi has been solid between the pipes, posting a .940 save percentage so far this season. With an impressive 6-2 victory against the undefeated St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, the Sharks are rolling and show absolutely no signs of slowing down.

2. St. Louis Blues (4-1): While the Blues did suffer their first loss against the Sharks earlier this week, the team has shown excellent chemistry through their first six games, defeating stellar teams such as Chicago and New York. The Blues currently have the best power play percentage in the league at 37.5 percent, dominating teams who take penalties. Superstar forward T.J. Oshie and grinding captain David Backes have provided most of the offense through the beginning of the season while a combination of goalie Jaroslav Halak and defensemen Barret Jackman and Alex Pietrangelo have shut down opponents from scoring. Good luck slowing this impressive offense down.

3. Colorado Avalanche (6-0): WOW. . .this is the only word that comes to mind when describing this young rising team. Despite being picked to finish last by several professionals in the offseason, the Avalanche had other plans in mind, including an undefeated start to the season with wins against powerhouses in Boston, Toronto and Washington. Through six games this season, the Avalanche has allowed just six goals. While these numbers might not be sustainable, they are certainly shocking considering the negative outlook surrounding this team in the offseason. First round draft pick Nathan MacKinnon has fit in nicely with young studs Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene while the return of Patrick Roy as head coach has made the beginning of the Avs season remarkable to say the least.

4. Chicago Blackhawks (4-1-1): The Stanley Cup champions are looking to repeat this season and have started off nicely, winning four of their first six games. Powerhouse forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have led the offense in scoring while Corey Crawford has been solid overall between the pipes. The Blackhawks will looks to avenge their recent loss against the Blues as they face off yet again later this week followed by another difficult matchup against Toronto. Heading into the season, Chicago was picked once again, along with the St. Louis Blues, to be Cup contenders in the Western Conference this year: If they can continue to improve on defense, the Hawks are certainly a heavy favorite to hoist the Cup yet again.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs (6-1): Of all of the teams that were busy acquiring new talent in the offseason, it appears that the Leafs have been the greatest benefactors. By signing free agent forwards Mason Raymond and Dave Bolland along with starting goaltender Jonathan Bernier, the Leafs have added strength, talent and depth to their offensive core. Raymond has scored eight points through the first seven games of the season while Bolland has been fantastic on the penalty kill unit. David Clarkson looks to make his Toronto debut sometime next week: imagine what this team can do after he is added into the lineup. As always, defense has been driving the Maple Leafs success as hard-hitting captain Dion Phaneuf has contributed to keeping pucks out of the net. The Leafs have shocked the Eastern Conference as they currently sit atop the Atlantic Division.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins (5-1): Guess who is currently leading the league in scoring? That’s right, Sid “the Kid” Crosby. With 13 points through the first six games, Crosby has been on fire coming out of the gate for the Penguins. While the Penguins haven’t had the toughest schedule in the world to begin the season, the duo of Crosby and Malkin have been able to fuel Pittsburgh to necessary victories. The main worry for the Penguins is two-fold: all-star sniper James Neal was just placed on long-term injury reserve while Norris Trophy finalist (award for best defenseman) Kris Letang has been sidelined for the first six games. Without these two key components in their roster, the Penguins are not as threatening as usual. If Neal makes a swift recovery and Letang can return soon, the sky is the limit for these Penguins. . .as long as Marc-Andre Fluery can keep his composure in net.

7. Anaheim Ducks (4-1): After opening the season against Colorado where the Ducks were hammered 6-1, the team has regrouped significantly, winning four in a row. Their most impressive win came over the Ottawa Senators last Sunday night where the club set a franchise record for shots recorded in one game at 56. The addition of young talent Jakob Silfverberg has helped the Duck’s offense tremendously, as the speedy winger has recorded four goals in the first five games. All-star Swiss goaltender Jonas Hiller has been undefeated in all of his starts for the Ducks, posting a .953 save percentage in the process. While the Ducks have been good at keeping the puck out of their own net, the offense has struggled to capitalize on key opportunities. Anaheim currently holds the worst power play percentage in the league, a statistic that must change if the Ducks wish to continue their current winning streak.

8. Boston Bruins (3-2): Coming in at the last spot of the power rankings are last year's Eastern Conference champs. Despite the Bruins dropping tough losses to Detroit and Colorado, the team’s defensive unit lead by Johnny Boychuk, Zdeno Chara and sophomore sensation Torey Krug, has been phenomenal, holding opponents to less than 1.7 goals a game. Tuukka Rask has averaged a .959 save percentage to begin the year. In case anyone was wondering, that is incredibly good, as Rask leads all goaltenders in the league in that category. The main problem for the runner-ups from last year has been offensive production. The Bruins have only averaged 2.3 goals per game to begin the season. The loss of forwards Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley have negatively impacted the team’s production to begin the season. However, assistant captains Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will improve as the season moves along and the Bruins will be able to count on consistent scoring from forwards Brad Marchand and six-time all star Jarome Iginla. Boston fans have nothing to worry about moving forward.

9. Detroit Red Wings (5-2): The Red Wings have played solid defense through their first sven games this season. While Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg have provided steady offense, it is both defense and goaltending that has made the Red Wings successful thus far this season. Niklas Kronwall has provided physicality while his defensive partner Jonathan Ericsson has been consistently making sharp decisions on the ice while Jimmy Howard has recorded a .928 save percentage in the five games he’s played in. If the Red Wings wish to go far this season, they will have to improve on power play and penalty kill situations and get a more well-rounded balance in offensive production from new acquisition Daniel Alfredsson and Johan Franzen. However, five wins in seven games is certainly nothing to smirk at. Detroit will welcome the undefeated Avalanche into town later this week and would love nothing more than to hand them their first loss of the season.

10. Montreal Canadiens (4-2): Montreal currently holds a three game winning streak after knocking off Edmonton, Vancouver, and Winnipeg in five days time. The rise of sophomore sensation Lars Eller coupled with the dominance of all-star Carey Price in goal has provided the Havs an excellent start to their season. The beauty of the Canadiens this year is that they are incredibly balanced: the team is currently averaging 3.4 goals per game while only allowing 1.7 goals per game. P.K. Subban currently leads the team with eight points. The Canadiens will look to star winger Max Pacioretty and and new acquisition Daniel Briere to provide more offense as each of these players have only record three points each thus far. Montreal will look to extend their winning streak when they welcome Columbus to town later this week.