Power Rankings: Another regular season of Rankings comes to end
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Well, another season of our NHL Power Rankings comes to an end this week, and a few teams are riding high heading into the playoffs.
Chicago went 6-0-1 heading into its first-round matchup against Calgary, and Carolina was 8-2-0 in its last 10 games of the regular season. Our big mover of the week? The St. Louis Blues. Why? Because none of us, even you, thought they'd be in the playoffs come April 12.
And although our regular Rankings are done for 2008-09, you can rank your playoff teams here as we'll return next week with our special postseason edition.
Until then, enjoy the playoff action, puckheads!
-- By Joy Russo; posted April 13| 2008-2009 Power Rankings: Week 25 | ||||
| RK (PV) | TEAM | REC. | COMMENT | |
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Last regular-season meeting against the Canadiens has us pumped for the first round, but let's hope the younger B's are a bit more disciplined when it really counts. | |||
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The Caps closed out the season by gaining points in six of their last seven games (albeit some of those contests were against the Isles and Lightning). | |||
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It's here ... the postseason ... the big elephant in the room ... what will be the Sharks' fate this time around? | |||
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Erasing a 13-point Northwest Division deficit to catch Calgary and win home ice for the first round is something that has to give Vancouver confidence. The Flames? Not so much. | |||
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A 6-0-1 run to finish the season. A red-hot goalie with two shutouts in that span. Home-ice advantage in the first round. Sounds as if the Hawks are ready for the playoffs to return to Chi-Town. | |||
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Give Cam Ward a day off after 28 consecutive starts? How dare the Canes! | |||
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Let the goaltending debate begin! But seriously, puckheads, the defending champs finished with a 3-6-1 mark in their final 10 games, including two losses to Chicago. Coach Mike Babcock is going to put the hammer down. | |||
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The Penguins had just two regulation losses in their final 21 games of the season. But will their run be stopped by the rival Flyers in the first round? | |||
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The Devils closed out the season on a better note, including a season-finale win over their first-round opponent, the Hurricanes. But can Martin Brodeur & Co. erase the recent trend of poor playoff runs? | |||
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The Flyers lose some ground after failing to lock up home-ice advantage in the first round. Still, Philly is sporting a fairly healthy roster, something it couldn't say heading into the playoffs last season. | |||
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The Ducks seem primed for a strong playoff showing. The only thing that takes some getting used to is seeing Jonas Hiller leading the charge in net. | |||
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Yes, Blue Jackets fans, after eight seasons, your long wait is over! | |||
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Holy NHL comebacks, Batman. We think the Blues deserve the last-Rankings bump. Why? Because none of us, even you, thought they'd be in the playoffs come April 12. | |||
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Mike Cammalleri ... Miikka Kiprusoff ... Olli Jokinen ... Jarome Iginla ... WHERE ARE YOU?! | |||
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Three straight wins to close out the season, including a home-and-home against Philly. | |||
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This might be the one playoff year when the ghosts of the Forum haunt only the Habs themselves. | |||
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Let the Jay Bouwmeester Sweepstakes begin! | |||
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The Tennessean reported this past week that the Preds will miss out on roughly $750,000 for every home playoff game they could have played if Nashville had made the big dance. | |||
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If only the Sabres had had Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek for more games ... | |||
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Marian Gaborik has said he's leaning toward free agency, but will Jacques Lemaire's departure have any effect on his decision? | |||
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A strong finish to the season and a new extension for coach Cory Clouston should give hope to Sens fans for 2009-10. | |||
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Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. | |||
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Going after young talent? Grooming the stars of the future you already have? No spot in the draft lottery? A Hanson Brothers offspring? We just don't recognize this Leafs organization anymore. Oh, wait ... insanely expensive ticket prices? There you go! | |||
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Will the Thrashers' competitive finish be enough to keep Ilya Kovalchuk in Atlanta? | |||
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Money to spend over the summer ... it must be a GM's dream come true. | |||
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Seven seasons without a playoff berth and counting. | |||
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Wethinks the co-GM plan might need to change? | |||
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This is a young team that battled through a ton of injuries this season, most namely Rick DiPietro, he of the insane NHL contract. But add in a potential high draft pick to build around and things don't look that bad for the future. | |||
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Let the upheaval begin! | |||
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Are we really going to have to endure more Vinny Lecavalier trade rumors again this offseason? Ironic the NHL draft is in Montreal this year, no? | |||
