NHL Power Rankings: February 4, 2013

Two-weeks into the season and already we are seeing which teams are poised to make deep playoff run. Here is the first NHL power ranking from The Inscriber.

1. San Jose Sharks (7-0-1 15pts)– It was definitely a close call between first and second this week. The Sharks just lost their first game of the season on Saturday in a shootout. They have the third best offense in the Western Confernce and the best defense in the entire NHL.
2. Chicago Blackhawks (7-0-2 16pts) – The Hawks lead the entire NHL in points with 16. The have a top-ten offense, to go along with their third-ranked defense. Corey Crawford has been stellar between the pipes so far with a 5-0-2 record and a 1.66 GAA.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning (6-2-0 12pts) – Look no farther than the Bolts for the best offense in the league. Tampa is scoring a staggering 4.88 goals-per game and the power play is a league best 36.1%. Defensively they are middle-of-the-pack, but with fire power like this that doesn’t really matter.
   
4. St. Louis Blues (6-2-0 12pts) – If it wasn’t for having to deal with the Blackhawks, the Blues would be atop their division. They trail only Tampa Bay in goals-per-game and power play success with 3.75 and 35.5% respectively. They are one of seven teams who are undefeated when scoring first.
5. Boston Bruins (6-1-1 13pts) – Despite having the third most points in the entire NHL, the Bruins sit here because of their offense. They have a mediocre offense, which no matter how many shots you stop you have to put pucks in the net to win. A team with great firepower can deal with a middle-of-the-row defense. Tuukka Rask has been great in net posting a 5-1-1 record with a .919 save percentage, a 2.10 GAA, and one shutout.
6. Montréal Canadiens (6-2-0 12pts)
7. Anaheim Ducks (5-1-1 11pts)
8. New Jersey Devils (4-1-3 11 pts)
9. Pittsburgh Penguins (6-3-0 12 pts)
10. Ottawa Senators (5-3-1 11pts)
11. Vancouver Canucks (4-2-2 10pts)
12. Nashville Predators (3-2-3 9pts)
13. New York Islanders (4-3-1 9pts)
14. Detroit Red Wings (4-3-1 9pts)
15. New York Rangers (4-4-0 8pts)
16. Edmonton Oilers (4-3-1 9pts)
17. Minnesota Wild (4-3-1 9pts)
18. Phoenix Coyotes (3-4-2 8pts)
19. Colorado Avalanche (4-4-0 8pts)
20. Toronto Maple Leafs (4-4-0 8pts)
21. Philadelphia Flyers (3-6-0 6pts)
22. Carolina Hurricanes (3-4-0 6pts)
23. Dallas Stars (3-5-1 7pts)
24. Buffalo Sabres (3-5-1 7pts)
25. Los Angeles Kings (2-3-2 6pts)
26. Winnipeg Jets (3-4-1 7pts)
27. Columbus Blue Jackets (3-5-1 7pts)
    
28. Florida Panthers (3-5-0 6pts)
29. Calgary Flames (1-3-2 4pts)
30. Washington Capitals (2-6-1 5pts)

John is the NHL Editor-in-Chief for The Inscriber, follow him on Twitter @JohnnyMacNHL. E-Mail him at [email protected]