My Power 10

Alright, over the last ten games, I've tried watching as much hockey as I could (thank you Center Ice) and I wanted to come up with my top 10 power rankings during that span. I'm basing my opinions on how well each team played, their consistency in that span, and which team I'd be worried to play in this present time. There are a lot of teams playing extremely well and teams that have cooled down considerably. These are the teams who I feel are the toughest teams out there right now.

1. The Boston Bruins (18-9-1) - Boston is the best team in hockey right now. Period. The defending Stanley Cup Champions were asleep the first 10 games where they went (3-7) in the month of October. But then after this shaky start, they went on an incredible surge where they went (12-0-1) in the month of November. They have great offensive power, especially with young Seguin who's blossomed into a powerhouse goal scorer, contributing 13 goals along with 13 assists in 27 games. With Lucic, Bergeron, Marchand, Horton and Chara, the offense doesn't seem it'll cool off. With Tim Thomas back to his normal self in net, they have a good shot going back-to-back Cup years my friends. Watch out.
2. The Detroit Red Wings (18-9-1) - Another very unusual start to the season, Detroit destroyed their 5-0 start by dropping 6 straight. People questioned whether the most consistent team in hockey (standings-wise) can bounce back this season. I answer with these names. Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Zetterburg, Franzen, Eaves, Holmstrom, Kronwall. They've went (8-2) last 10 games and Jimmy Howard is a capable goalie who can lead them through the playoffs. Even though I feel the Eastern Conference is too good for a West Coast team to win the Cup this year, this would be the team to make my guess be horribly wrong.
3. The Vancouver Canucks (18-10-1) - Have to be honest, this team is scary. When you have two scary-looking twins who will make you look like a Pee-Wee hockey team, how couldn't you make this list. The Sedins with Burrows have been one of the most dominant lines in hockey dating back to last year. With another shaky start, Vancouver has the hottest record the last 10 games, posting a (9-1) record in that span. Even though I hate Luongo, he's been pretty consistent as of late and when you have Corey Schneider as your back-up, you have a good shot in winning games. Maybe they can continue this success and push for another Stanley Cup chance. But I'm doubtful with that notion.
4. The New York Rangers (16-6-4) - Homer pick right? Wrong. We've played the fewest amount of games so don't let our overall position fool you. Acquiring Brad Richards has sparked secondary scoring, something that has been missing for as long as I can remember. With Gaborik playing like a fiend, we're unquestionably a force to be reckoned with. Stepan has proven he can play with the best, along with youngsters like Anisimov, Hagelin and Mitchell. Our heart, soul and captain Ryan Callahan, has led us in finding an identity of hard-work, blocking shots and camaraderie. We've beaten Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington who's had our number for so many years. We've let up the fewest amount of goals (59) without our All-Star defenseman Marc Staal and Michael Sauer, whose injuries had left him out many games. Once their both healthy, along with Lundqvist and red hot back-up Biron, and this added offense, the Rangers are finally ready to make a push for a deep playoff run.
5. The Philadelphia Flyers (18-7-3) - 101 goals in 29 games. Yikes. Claude Giroux, in my eyes, is the only player in hockey who can break the 100-point mark this season. The beginning of the season seemed like they were trying to make themselves a horrible team, giving up Jeff Carter and Mike Richards right off the bat. They gambled on the aging superstar Jaromir Jagr, who hadn't played in the NHL for almost 3 years. Well, the gambling worked. With Jagr, Giroux and Hartnell, they have become, once again, another offensive powerhouse team who's won 5 straight, posting a (7-3) record the last 10 games. Even with questionable goaltending, the Flyers are capable of outscoring their opponent no matter how many goals they let in.
6. The Pittsburgh Penguins (17-9-4) - People can say this team is only good when Crosby and Malkin are healthy. And when they say it, they might as well admit they don't know a thing about hockey because this team, time and time again, has proven they can win without them. Marc-Andre Fleury (15-6-2) may be the best goalie in hockey this year. James Neal has surprised me with his consistent offensive power where he's still finding ways to score (17). With Dupuis, Cooke, Staal and Letang providing secondary scoring, they're a playoff team. With Malkin and Crosby healthy, they are just out-right scary. 
7. The Minnesota Wild (20-7-3) - Why do I have the league-leading Minnesota Wild at number 7 you ask? it's obviously not because they've won 7 games in a row. It's not because they've won 8 of their last 10. And it's definitely not because they've only given up 64 goals in 30 games. No, it's because, in my eyes, they're going to fall down in the near future. Don't get me wrong, they're playing great hockey. But with Backstrom and Harding as their goalies, they are a beatable team. They don't have enough offense to support them and I believe they're going to slowly lose their confidence. If, and this is a big if, Backstrom and Harding (mostly Harding) can continue their success, they can ultimately prove me wrong and they may be something to be scared of later in the season.
8. The St. Louis Blues (17-9-3) -"Oh Baby!" J.D. is making strides with this team. First off, who the hell is Brian Elliot? He only has a 12-2-0 record with 4 shutouts. With this type of goalie performance this team can be the best team in the West by far. This team has gone (7-1-2) in their last 10 where they beat Detroit, Pittsburgh, San Jose and Washington in that span. With Steen, Oshie and Backes providing balanced scoring, and Elliot playing like a fiend, this team is a legitimate contender in the NHL. Good job J.D.!
9. The Florida Panthers (16-8-5) - Scary, scary team. Posting a (6-2-2) record their last 10, Florida has surprised us all with a stellar beginning of the season. Fleischmann, Versteeg and Weiss is the best line in hockey. They have combined for 89 points this season and they seem to be clicking. What worries me is their secondary lines who just aren't contributing. If the top-line doesn't produce, no one will and that won't win you a Cup. Jose Theodore has been playing his best hockey since his All-Star year in Montreal and he  needs to continue it if Florida has any shot in being a playoff contender. 
10. The Chicago Blackhawks (17-8-4) - The reason why I have Chicago as number 10 is simple. I've been able to watch their last 10 games (5-4-1) and they just don't seem in sync. They still have a great record but they give up just too many goals and even though they have a majority of the big names still, I just don't see them keeping up with their poor goaltending. They need to do something with them because Crawford and Emery have a combined .GAA of 2.90, which will not win you a Cup unless your offense is the Philadelphia Flyers. If Crawford can shake out the cob-webs, maybe they'll have another shot at the Cup but I doubt it.

So there's my 10. Comment and let me know what you guys think! You can give me your top 10 as well. Thanks guys. Tell your friends about my blog too!