Power Rankings: Hawks on high, Wings soar despite latest injury

Week: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

ESPN.com

Another week, another new team atop our power rankings. How can you not anoint the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks, winners of seven straight?

-- By Pierre LeBrun; posted Nov. 23

2009-2010 Power Rankings: Week 9
	RK (PV)	TEAM	REC.	COMMENT
	1 (6)	Blackhawks	15-5-2	Impressive sweep of western Canada, and now a date in San Jose on Wednesday night. Must-see TV.
	2 (2)	Sharks	16-5-4	Not sure how long they'll stay together, but the best line in hockey right now is Marleau-Thornton-Heatley, bar none. Don Cherry says put 'em together as a unit on Team Canada. Not a bad idea!
	3 (1)	Devils	14-6-1	Ah, the curse of getting ranked first overall in the ESPN.com power rankings: Devils stumble to 0-2-1 week. More importantly, they lose another key player to injury in Dainius Zubrus. They'll find a way to survive. They always do.
	4 (3)	Flames	13-6-2	Humiliated by the Blackhawks, but responded like good teams should with a hardworking win in Los Angeles.
	5 (10)	Red Wings	11-6-4	Just at a time when they're rolling with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10, they lose another star player in Niklas Kronwall.
	6 (4)	Capitals	13-5-5	The ubertalented Caps have a characteristic that annoys some people in their organization: They tend to play down to the opposition, as evidenced again last week by losses to Montreal and Toronto.
	7 (8)	Penguins	15-8-0	Jordan Staal has really stepped up during the team's injury ordeal -- and perhaps opened up some eyes at Team Canada.
	8 (7)	Flyers	12-7-1	Philly's PK unit is crumbling, falling to 18th in the NHL.
	9 (5)	Sabres	12-6-2	Winless in three, Buffalo's hockey team is worrying the citizens of a city already depressed by its NFL team.
	10 (15)	Blue Jackets	12-6-3	Man, my bud Scott Burnside was asleep at the wheel when it came to these guys last week. Rick Nash and the Jackets are on fire: 6-1-3 in their last 10 and riding the second-best PP in the NHL.
	11 (11)	Kings	13-9-2	This team just isn't the same without Ryan Smyth. Get well soon, Captain Canada!
	12 (17)	Stars	12-6-6	Brad Richards is a man on a mission this season.
	13 (9)	Avalanche	13-7-3	Only three wins in 10 games. Is reality starting to set in?
	14 (14)	Lightning	9-5-7	Strangely enough, the Bolts are having a nice season despite ranking in bottom third of the league in both PP and PK.
	15 (20)	Predators	12-8-1	Five wins in a row, dead last in the NHL in offense, but the hardest-working team in the league.
	16 (16)	Coyotes	13-9-1	Team's top scorer, the talented Shane Doan, ranks 72nd among NHL scorers. This team is winning its share of games with very little offense.
	17 (22)	Senators	11-6-3	Three-game win streak has Ottawa back on track after 3-4-3 stretch.
	18 (21)	Bruins	10-8-4	The return of Marc Savard will boost a team that's showing signs of life.
	19 (19)	Canucks	12-11-0	Roberto Luongo hasn't allowed more than two goals in a game since his return from injury.
	20 (13)	Thrashers	10-7-3	This team has to start winning games at home.
	21 (23)	Canadiens	11-11-1	Impressive weekend when you take three out of four points from Washington and Detroit. Oh, and Carey Price? Yeah, he's back.
	22 (24)	Panthers	10-9-2	They're alive! Florida on fire with 7-2-1 run in past 10 games.
	23 (18)	Islanders	8-8-7	Nice piece on Matt Moulson by Burnside today.
	24 (12)	Rangers	11-10-1	It has come down to this: The free-falling Blueshirts are now behind the hated Isles in the power rankings.
	25 (26)	Wild	8-12-2	Can anyone remember the last time this team was ranked as low as 23rd in goals against per game?
	26 (27)	Blues	8-8-4	They've won two of three since the owner blew a gasket.
	27 (25)	Oilers	9-11-3	Four games in five days this week and a chance to turn around a season headed to hell.
	28 (28)	Ducks	7-11-3	They're 1-1-0 so far on crucial seven-game homestand that will determine many things for some of these players.
	29 (30)	Hurricanes	5-12-5	Oh yeah, baby: Two wins a row!
	30 (29)	Maple Leafs	4-11-6	The GM is working the phones hard.