Power Rankings: March Madness can't stop Sharks

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March Madness (the hockey kind) may have derailed us for a day, but the Power Rankings are here this week.

While it may be futile to figure out how things will turn out over the last few weeks of the regular season, we do know the San Jose Sharks are still our No. 1 team.

The Sharks have won 13 of their past 14 games and clinched a playoff spot this week, hitting the stride many had waited for earlier in the season.

As always, you can weigh in and rank your 30 teams here.

Until next time, enjoy, puckheads!

-- Posted on Thursday, March 20

2007-2008 Power Rankings: Week 23
  RK (PV)   TEAM REC. COMMENT
1 (1)   Sharks 44-21-9 Just one loss in 14 games to pull within five points of the Red Wings for the overall league lead. Enough said.
2 (2)   Ducks 42-25-8 Chris Pronger's out (suspension), but Ducks were able to pull out a big win over division foe Dallas. Two more road games against Pacific teams (San Jose and Phoenix) await.
3 (6)   Red Wings 48-20-6 Despite close losses to Nashville and Columbus, Detroit has had a decent March (the Wings are 6-2-0). Unfortunately, the injuries keep coming as defenseman Brad Stuart is out with a fractured finger.
4 (5)   Canadiens 40-24-10 Home ice is on the line for the Canadiens down the stretch, but life at the Bell Centre hasn't been easy (13 of Montreal's 19 home losses were versus teams currently out of the playoff picture).
5 (7)   Rangers 39-26-9 The Rangers pick up big back-to-back wins against the Penguins and Devils, giving them another jump this week. And Chris Drury's tying goal versus NJ is more proof of how the forward just turns the "clutch" on this time of year.
6 (3)   Penguins 41-25-7 Sidney Crosby is still out of the lineup. Latest debate: Do you bring him back before the playoffs, or let him rest it out? Discuss.
7 (4)   Stars 42-28-5 Think teams have finally figured out Mike Ribeiro? He has just two assists and no goals in his past six games.
8 (8)   Devils 42-24-7 The Devils have just three regulation wins in their past 11 games.
9 (11)   Canucks 37-26-10 Roberto Luongo has made 22 straight starts for the Canucks, who are in a dogfight with each of their four Northwest opponents for playoff positions in the West.
10 (13)   Hurricanes 40-30-5 Riding an 8-2-0 run behind the heroics of Eric Staal, the Hurricanes return to the top 10 this week.
11 (9)   Flames 37-26-10 Is this one of the most inconsistent teams in the league? The Flames went 1-3-0 on a recent road trip, including a loss to Atlanta. When you've got your Northwest foes breathing down your neck, that's the kind of game you need to win.
12 (12)   Wild 39-26-9 Four of the Wild's past six games have been shootout losses. Yeah, they gained valuable points, but can they get away with these comebacks against Northwest foes down the stretch?
13 (10)   Avalanche 39-29-6 Peter Forsberg is out again, meaning he has played just four games since being signed by the team on Feb. 25.
14 (14)   Senators 40-26-7 We still wonder if the Senators are "back" in time for the postseason run. Even with the playoffs around the corner, that isn't stopping Ottawa scribes from speculating what it would take for the team to buy out Ray Emery next season.
15 (15)   Bruins 37-27-9 The Bruins are still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and they got some good news this week as big defenseman Zdeno Chara returned to the lineup.
16 (18)   Sabres 35-28-11 Three straight wins, outscoring their opponents 20-7 over that span, and the Sabres are still looking to sneak into the East's top 8.
17 (20)   Capitals 36-31-8 Alex ... Ovechkin ... stud.
18 (16)   Predators 36-30-8 A 2-5-0 run isn't helping Nashville's playoff hopes.
19 (17)   Flyers 36-28-10 The Flyers snapped a four-game skid with a win over Atlanta, but with their remaining games all against Atlantic foes, nothing is a given.
20 (23)   Oilers 37-32-5 The team that won't say die, Edmonton is LOVING the three-point game. The Oil are 10-2-0 over their past 12 and six of those wins came in the overtime or shootout.
21 (25)   Panthers 35-31-8 Another late-season rush to make the playoffs. Another late-season winning streak. Will it be too little, too late again? The Panthers do realize the season starts in October, right?
22 (19)   Coyotes 36-33-5 The Coyotes fell victim to the Oilers' hot streak this past week, losing twice against The Great One's former club.
23 (21)   Blackhawks 35-32-7 While the playoffs fall out of view, it's moral wins like the one over Washington that are giving Chicago fans hope that they'll be watching the Hawks AND the Cubs in late April in 2009.
24 (22)   Blue Jackets 33-30-11 Let the scouting begin.
25 (26)   Maple Leafs 33-31-10 Let the imaginary courting of Brian Burke or Ken Holland begin! We don't tamper here at the Power Rankings.
26 (24)   Islanders 32-35-7 Some say Long Island is a hard draw for free agents, but we're banking on coach Ted Nolan's appeal.
27 (27)   Blues 30-32-11 Two wins in 14 games. Ouch.
28 (28)   Thrashers 31-37-8 Lottery ... ?
29 (29)   Lightning 29-36-8 Anyone ... ?
30 (30)   Kings 28-40-6 Anyone ... ? Bueller? Bueller?



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