After a three week reign, the Blues have been knocked from their perch atop the Power Rankings. No snide comments here. Pavol Demitra caught a stick in the inside corner of his eye on Saturday. While the prognosis is good, he could be gone for up to a month. With 14-16-30 in his last 19 games, the Blues will miss him.
And we apologize for no Rank Comments last week. Blame it on Mario.
ESPN.com's secret formula has taken it all in and spit it back out. To right any wrongs, click here and give us a few Rank Comments of your own.
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Team
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PVS
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W-L-T-OL
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ESPN.com says
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1. Devils
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2
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20-11-6-0
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8-8-3 without Jason Arnott and Scott Niedermayer. 12-3-3 and unbeaten in their last six (5-0-1) with.
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2. Blues
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1
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25-5-4-0
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Pavol Demitra is sidelined with an eye injury. The Blues aren't the same without him.
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3. Avalanche
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3
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25-8-5-0
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Loss at Nashville has us shaking our heads. One of the best home teams can't let up on five-game road trip with only one opponent over .500.
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4. Stars
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8
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21-11-4-1
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Rookie Marty Turco is proving he's capable if Ed Belfour goes too heavy on the decongestant again.
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5. Penguins
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14
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17-14-6-1
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With seven points (2-5-7) in two games already, Mario will finish the season with 161 points. Hey, we're not betting against him.
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6. Sharks
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5
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22-9-5-0
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Bryan Marchment misses Saturday's game with a sore neck. Sharks lose. There is joy in Edmonton.
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7. Capitals
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10
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17-13-7-1
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Don't know why or how, but they are the hottest team in December. Loss to San Jose sticks out like a sore thumb.
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8. Flyers
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6
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17-14-7-0
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1-2-0 start to five-game road trip proves Bill Barber is not god and fantasy team owners still can't put Brian Boucher in their lineup.
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9. Canucks
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13
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19-11-4-4
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A 5-0 loss at Calgary. A 1,500-mile flight. A 6-3 win at San Jose. Dr. Jeckyl, meet Mr. Hyde.
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10. Sabres
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12
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20-12-3-1
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Dominik Hasek is still "The Man." But can Martin Biron cover when "The Man" goes loopy at a critical time? Because it will happen.
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11. Red Wings
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7
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22-13-3-3
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Igor Larionov returns from a three-month vacation in Florida. Forgets to bring Chris Osgood's game back with him.
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12. Maple Leafs
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11
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20-12-4-3
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A brief tour through the Southeast was all Cujo needed after an Atlanta thrashing and Mario's welcome home party. But was it enough?
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13. Kings
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15
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17-14-7-1
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No truth to the rumor the Kings want to play the rest of their schedule on the road.
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14. Coyotes
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9
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16-9-10-1
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Other GMs are pressuring the league to lift the Coyotes' trade embargo. And the players aren't distracted by this?
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15. Senators
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4
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19-12-6-0
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Winless in last six and leapfrogged by Toronto in the standings. inconsistency will do that.
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16. Thrashers
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16
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15-15-6-1
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If the Thrashers make the playoffs, will Ted Turner flap his arms in the stands each time they score?
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17. Flames
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18
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13-15-7-4
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Kudos to GM Craig "No Panic" Button for not firing Don Hay. A 7-2-1 streak proves it's the players not the coach.
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18. Oilers
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17
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18-15-6-1
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Doug Weight's clocking of Bryan Marchment made him a cult hero of the elite players in the league – and us, too.
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19. Wild
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20
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12-17-7-2
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Wild (4-0-2) join Devils as only teams undefeated in last six. North Stars? What North Stars?
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20. Predators
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21
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14-17-7-1
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Five of the next seven games are on the road and could determine if the Predators are in contention come playoff time.
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21. Bruins
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22
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13-16-5-4
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Victim of win-one-for-the-new-coach syndrome vs. Florida. But fluctuating effort will mean another no-show in the postseason.
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22. Ducks
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19
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13-19-5-4
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0-4-1 road trip stops Guy Charron's whistling.
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23. Blackhawks
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24
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14-19-3-2
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Forget about the citizens of Chicago, even we're starting to lose interest. And we get paid to pay attention.
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24. Blue Jackets
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23
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12-22-4-2
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Win or lose, the Jackets keep selling out. So what's the problem? It's not until next season the two will be connected.
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25. Lightning
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27
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12-18-5-2
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Never thought the Lightning would be ahead of the Rangers, but a 2-1-1 streak puts them there. Thunderbug better enjoy it while it lasts.
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26. Hurricanes
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25
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14-16-4-2
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Loss of Rod Brind'Amour may not be as catastrophic as it seems. Maybe.
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27. Rangers
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26
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16-21-1-1
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Gee, good thing Brian Leetch rediscovered his offensive game.
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28. Islanders
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28
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11-20-4-2
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Great, now the Islanders are beating themselves. What, the other 29 teams weren't enough?
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29. Canadiens
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29
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10-23-4-2
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Brian Savage described the team's morale as fragile. Funny, we didn't know there was any morale left.
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30. Panthers
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30
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7-19-7-5
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New Year's Eve at the Murray house – either Murray house – must have been real fun.
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