Power Rankings: Suprising Avs, Coyotes jump into top 10

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

ESPN.com

You've got to love the early weeks of an NHL schedule.

Colorado is the top team in the Western Conference, Columbus and Phoenix are right on the Avs' tails and the revamped New York Rangers are going neck and neck with Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh atop the Eastern Conference. Then, there's the Leafs, still looking for win No. 1.

So, with that, here's the latest list. As always, you can weigh in here and rank all 30 teams.

-- By Scott Burnside; posted Oct. 19

2009-2010 Power Rankings: Week 4
	RK (PV)	TEAM	REC.	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Penguins	7-1-0	We give the Penguins a slight nod over New York by virtue of their sparkling 5-0-0 road record.
	2 (5)	Rangers	7-1-0	The Rangers, winners of seven straight, are hitting on all cylinders, from their peerless goaltending to an impressive young blue line to the hot hand of Marian Gaborik.
	3 (13)	Avalanche	6-1-1	This is not a misprint. At least not yet. Kudos to Joe Sacco's hard-working band of overachievers, especially netminder Craig Anderson, who has played himself into contention for the U.S. Olympic team. The Avs are an impressive 4-1-1 on the road, including a come-from-behind shootout victory over Detroit on Saturday.
	4 (9)	Blue Jackets	5-1-0	The Blue Jackets are off to the best start in franchise history, and this with top-six defensemen Jan Hejda and Mike Commodore out with injury.
	5 (24)	Coyotes	5-2-0	Once again, not a misprint. The Coyotes have won two in a row at home and three in a row overall, including Saturday's emphatic 4-1 victory over Boston. Offense is still a concern, but the Coyotes lead the league, allowing just 1.43 goals against per game.
	6 (8)	Senators	5-2-0	Solid job by coach Cory Clouston and the Sens, who are making folks in Ottawa forget the nightmare summer of Dany Heatley with a strong team game. This past week, a hat trick for former Shark Milan Michalek and another strong outing for Alexei Kovalev against his former team on Saturday.
	7 (2)	Flames	5-2-1	The Flames had a nice bounce-back win against Vancouver after blowing a big lead against Chicago and losing to Columbus. Still, their tendency to let down after building leads is troubling.
	8 (11)	Capitals	4-2-2	The Caps may be starting to turn a corner with a solid win over San Jose and a shootout victory over Nashville. Netminder Jose Theodore should be back this week after missing time with back spasms.
	9 (19)	Thrashers	4-1-0	The Thrashers are coming off a big road weekend with victories in New Jersey and Buffalo to run their record to 4-1-0, the best start in franchise history.
	10 (6)	Blackhawks	5-2-1	Yes, Chicago is 5-2-1, but nagging questions about goaltending, and specifically Cristobal Huet's ability to deliver the goods, continue to dog the Hawks.
	11 (14)	Sabres	4-1-1	Home loss to Atlanta on Saturday was a bit of a hiccup, but the Sabres are proving naysayers wrong with balanced scoring and great defense/goaltending.
	12 (15)	Oilers	4-2-1	The Oilers are 4-2-1 under new coach Pat Quinn and averaging four goals a game, a marked departure from last season.
	13 (18)	Stars	3-1-3	Just one regulation loss -- Friday night against Boston -- and the Stars bounced back nicely for a big win in Chicago the next night. Alex Auld got the win and is bidding for more playing time in the Stars' net.
	14 (7)	Sharks	4-3-1	Still don't quite know what to make of the Sharks, who looked dreadful in a loss to Washington before rebounding to easily handle the New York Islanders. Coach Todd McLellan is still trying to get offense and defense to come together at the same time.
	15 (22)	Devils	4-3-0	Martin Brodeur shows he's still got it in blanking Carolina on Saturday, putting him one away from Terry Sawchuk's all-time shutout mark. The Devils still have just 18 goals in seven games.
	16 (10)	Red Wings	3-3-1	The Wings have been up and down, hammered by Buffalo, handled by L.A. and then beaten in a shootout after blowing a lead against Colorado. Injuries are a factor in their mediocre 3-3-1 start.
	17 (4)	Flyers	3-2-1	The bloom is off the rose a bit with the Flyers, who are having a surprisingly hard time closing the deal. They let Florida escape with a victory this past week and have lost three in a row. Philly doesn't play again until Thursday.
	18 (23)	Blues	3-2-1	The Blues got a much-needed win in Anaheim on Saturday courtesy of backup Ty Conklin, who posted a shutout.
	19 (3)	Kings	4-4-0	After a torrid start, the Kings have lost three straight and have scored just nine goals in their past five games.
	20 (12)	Ducks	3-3-1	Inconsistency continues to dog the Ducks, who were eaten up 5-0 at home by St. Louis on Saturday night.
	21 (21)	Bruins	3-4-0	A fine performance Friday in Dallas was followed by a tepid one the next night in Phoenix. The Bruins still don't resemble last season's dominant Eastern Conference team.
	22 (26)	Canucks	3-4-0	Only two regulation wins have come against sad sacks Montreal and Minnesota. Canucks still not quite right and looking at another three weeks without Daniel Sedin.
	23 (29)	Panthers	2-4-0	Big win over Philadelphia, but the Panthers still have managed just 14 goals in six games. Nice turn by Scott Clemmensen in the victory over the Flyers. Will we see more of the former Devils backup?
	24 (16)	Lightning	2-3-2	The Lightning look like a playoff team one night and play like junk the next. They are in a "junk" phase now after having been humbled by Ottawa and Pittsburgh. Mike Smith is not holding up his end of the bargain in net and is in danger of being supplanted by Antero Niittymaki.
	25 (17)	Hurricanes	2-4-1	The Hurricanes have lost three in a row and managed just four goals over that period, including a shutout against last season's playoff foes, New Jersey, on Saturday night.
	26 (20)	Predators	2-4-1	The Preds have lost five straight, can't score and are now prone to troublesome defensive/goaltending funks. That's not good for a team whose only hope of success is in having a solid team defense.
	27 (27)	Canadiens	2-5-0	How is that rebuild going, GM Bob Gainey? The Habs have lost five straight and don't seem to have a clue. Former Hab Alexei Kovalev twisted the blade in Saturday's 3-1 victory by Ottawa. Not likely the last time that will happen this season.
	28 (25)	Islanders	0-3-3	The Isles are in a funk without a regulation win and have been outscored 12-5 in their past three games. John Tavares (seven points) and unheralded former collegiate star Matt Moulson (seven points) are lone bright spots.
	29 (28)	Wild	1-6-0	The only mitigating factor for the 1-6-0 Wild is they've played six of seven on the road. Bad news is they are 0-6-0 in those games.
	30 (30)	Maple Leafs	0-6-1	Over/under on which month the Leafs get their first win stands at December as questions persist as to whether this is the worst Leafs team of all time. Until they get a win, it is a valid question.