This week's power rankings (merged)

[Mitchy moo]

2006-2007 Power Rankings: Week 7
RK (PV) TEAM REC. COMMENT
1 (4) Sharks 15-6-0 Yes, they have more collective losses than Buffalo and Anaheim, but the Sharks are the hottest team in the NHL right now. They've won six of the last seven with Milan Michalek (not Cheechoo) posting a point in each game over that stretch and they've allowed fewer goals (47). Signs point to the Sharks taking over the Pacific lead by next week's offering.
2 (2) Sabres 16-3-1 Neither Biron nor Miller could solve the Senators in two games this past week. On Saturday, in the second meeting, the Sabres look beat for most of the game. Turnovers are also a problem. But, unlike the Ducks, they didn't lose to Philly AND Chicago.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/powerranking (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/powerranking) <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

[Mitchy moo]

NHL Power Rankings
Rank LW Team
1 1 Buffalo Sabres (16-3-1)
Just think how impressive the Sabres' start would be if they didn't have to face the Senators. After setting an NHL record on Monday with its 10th consecutive road victory, Buffalo headed home for a matchup with Ottawa. Easy win, right? Not only did the Sabres drop that game, but two days later, they lost another showdown with the Sens -- losing both by a combined 8-3. Considering their road success, it may be a bad thing that the Sabres play four if their next five at home.
Last Week: 2-2-0
2 2 Anaheim Ducks (14-2-5)
He's inching toward a milestone (500 goals), but that doesn't mean Teemu Selanne is unwilling to share the puck. The Finnish winger had scoring chances on Sunday, but set up his linemates instead. The result: a career-high five assists in a 6-4 win over the Coyotes. The five helpers tied a club record set by Dmitri Mironov on Dec. 12, 1997, while giving the 36-year-old Selanne his seventh career five-point game.
Last Week: 1-1-1

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/scott_wraight/11/20/power.rankings8/index.html (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/scott_wraight/11/20/power.rankings8/index.html)

[Mitchy moo]

Updated Nov. 21

Sometimes it helps to have a little outside intervention.


Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk publicly urged patience with his team. (Getty Images)
Take the Ottawa Senators for example. Last week, their owner decided to arrange a conference call with reporters to deal with criticism faced by his team and those who run it. That was something owners just don't do, but Eugene Melnyk insisted it was necessary to "clear the air" and "avoid any distractions for the team.

Even though Melnyk lives in Bermuda most of the time, he said he heard calls for a major trade-shakeup along with the firing of coach Bryan Murray and/or GM John Muckler. But the Ottawa owner said he had no intention of doing anything and wanted everyone to know it.

"I wouldn't trade this roster for any roster," Melnyk said. "It's a disappointing start, but you can't have these knee-jerk reactions or panic reactions.

"The key is to take a deep breath. Everybody stay calm, and the team itself will sort itself out."

And that may be. Despite their horrendous start, the Senators still have one of the league's most talented lineups and they showed it the night before Melnyk's call when they beat the league-leading Sabres in Buffalo. Ottawa has looked extremely good in the three subsequent games as well -- wins against Buffalo again and Minnesota -- and a loss in New Jersey that could have been easily reversed.

For now, the Senators are still under .500 at 9-11-1, but as Melnyk said, it's still early and if Ottawa plays to its capability, anything can happen.

"Nobody remembers who is first going around the first turn of the Kentucky Derby; everybody remembers who crossed the finish line first," Melnyk said. "For us, what we're looking at is a winning club that's getting itself together."

We'll see. Here are this week's rankings.

POWER RANKINGS
Current Team Previous
1 Sabres · Trends 1
Injuries are starting to hurt, but the Sabres are deep and they can always explode the way they did against Tampa Bay.
2 Predators · Trends 4
While the big guns of Paul Kariya and Jason Arnott haven't fired much lately, Steve Sullivan is on a tear and the Predators have been methodical enough to get points in 15 of their last 16 games.

http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/powerrankings (http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/powerrankings)

[Mitchy moo]

Last updated Nov. 17, 2006 1. BUFFALO SABRES [unchanged]
Overall record: 15-2-1 (31 pts)
Last 10 games: 7-2-1

Blew a lead at home to Ottawa, but most nights keep finding a way to win even without Number One goalie Miller.
2. DETROIT RED WINGS [up from 5]
Overall record: 12-4-1 (25 pts)
Last 10 games: 9-1-0

Have won nine in a row and the most goals against they've given up in that stretch is three — just once.
3. SAN JOSE SHARKS [up from 4]
Overall record: 14-6-0 (28 pts)
Last 10 games: 7-3-0

Cheechoo got banged up earlier in the week. That could hurt. Still have lots of depth and have won five of six.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/power-rankings.html (http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/power-rankings.html)

[Mitchy moo]

03.(02.) Nashville Predators Record: 11-4-2-24
Last time they lost a game like they did to Minnesota it meant bad things for the Preds. Hopefully Trotz won't let his team play wide open like they did before. They are a defence first team and if they get away from that they become a largely average team.

02.(04.) Detroit Red Wings Record: 12-5-1-25
They continue to roll thier way along just minding thier own and ignoring all the critics, and thier are alot of them, and doing thier hockey thing.

01.(01.) Buffalo Sabres Record: 16-2-1-33
Buffalo buffalo buffalo. One day they won't be number one on this list. One day. Until then I will think of creative ways to oust the mfrom thier throne. As Dennis Green would say "If you want to crown them, then crown thier a-s-s-e-s. They are who we thought they were! They are who we thought they were! And we let them off the hook.

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/yesteryearsfins/46105 (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/yesteryearsfins/46105)

[LtFinFan66]

Yo Skoob, wouldn't be easier bro just to make 1 thread and incorporate ALL the power rankings into that thread?? Just asking :up:

[Mitchy moo]

Yo Skoob, wouldn't be easier bro just to make 1 thread and incorporate ALL the power rankings into that thread?? Just asking :up:

All these writers have their own style & cannot just be lumped into one soup. It would spoil the mix.

[JD]

I would prefer them all in one thread too..

[Dude]

Merged - we don't need 5 threads on the same topic.

[SkateZilla]

lol, good you merged them, so they can complain at you instead of me...

i was gonna merge them all and sticky it...

[Dude]

I'm a big boy. I can take the heat.