The Maryland Sports Blog

Sports Illustrated has released their first NHL Power Rankings of the year. I’ll go over their top 10. For the complete SI rankings, click here.


1. Detroit Red Wings. Can’t argue with that. So far, the transition from Brian Rafalski to Ian White has been seamless. Nicklas Lidstrom continues to get better with age. How Pavel Datsyuk is still underrated is beyond me.

2. Buffalo Sabres. So far, they have impressed me. They’re probably ranked a bit high, but their offense looks a lot better than last year’s. I will never underestimate a team with Ryan Miller in goal either.

3. San Jose Sharks. Blame whoever makes the schedules for this, but they’ve only played one game so far this year. In that one game though, they looked up to par, beating the Coyotes 6-3. Could this finally be the year they live up to their true potential and win a date with Lord Stanley?

4. Philadelphia Flyers. Uh oh. They’ve finally found a good goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov. The days of looking forward to facing Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher are over. If you want to know how big a difference an elite goalie can make, ask the 1999-2000 Buffalo Sabres. Still the tough, physical team that they’ve always been.

5. Nashville Predators. Probably ranked a bit too high since they simply aren’t going to sustain their current level of scoring, but they are my dark horse candidate to win the West. Fun fact: David Legwand already has 5 points in his first two games. It took him his first thirteen games last year to get to 5 points.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins. Definitely ranked a bit too high. Especially since they do not have their two best players in Sidney Crosby (arguably the best center in the league) and Evgeni Malkin. That being said, the Pens are a team that should not be overlooked. They managed to make the playoffs last year despite not having either player during the second half. Knock on wood: Matt Cooke hasn’t gotten into a fight AND hasn’t injured anyone yet.


7. Boston Bruins. Glad to see that everyone isn’t in panic mode. They’ve only allowed four goals in three games so far. They are still the team to beat in the East. No doubt. Once the offense gets going, this will be a very tough team to beat.

8. Washington Capitals. The Capitals are back to what they do best: Giving their fans heart attacks. Tomas Vokoun will improve on his performance on Monday. Expect Vokoun to look more like he did in the second period and overtime of the Lightning game. Bank on it. Power play is definitely a concern though, as is their defense.

9. Vancover Canucks. They’re sitting pretty at 1-0-1, but their goaltending situation is getting very heated. Could definitely prove to be a distraction. Luongo is not helping his cause with his patented inconsistent play.

10. Toronto Maple Leafs. Another young team that has looked very good so far. Let’s see if they can sustain this level of play though. And what the heck has gotten into Phil Kessel? Not that I’m against it since he’s on my fantasy hockey team…

 

11. New England Patriots- The defensive line is a concern for the Patriots. Look for Tom Brady to have a better season than he did last year. The star wide receivers might be getting older but Randy Moss still has something left in the tank.

12. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan has shown that he can be a top quarterback in the NFL. Two games against the Saints will be tough but this could be a playoff team.

13. Houston Texans- I rate them higher than other publications because they have a quarterback that can get it done. In a quarterback driven league that proves big. They also have wide receivers and a solid pass rush.

14. San Fransisco 49ers- If they can get consistent play out of their quarterback they should be a solid team. The defense plays tough and they got weapons on the offense that could hurt even the best teams.

15. New York Giants- When comparing teams I always look at the quarterback first and last. The Giants might be the last team in these rankings that have a solid quarterback,  and the talent around him is not bad either.

16. Miami Dolphins- They made improvements in the offseason by bringing in wide receiver Brandon Marshall, and they have a good coaching staff that has them playing hard every game.

17. Tennessee Titans- They got one of the best running backs in the game. Chris Johnson can change the game at any moment. There are concerns with quarterback Vince Young, a reason they are at 17.

18. Chicago Bears- Real wild card with quarterback Jay Cutler. If Julius Peppers comes to play this could be an okay team, but they play in a very hard division.

19. Carolina Panthers- The quarterbacks are really going down hill from here… Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen in a QB battle.

20. Arizona Cardinals- The reason I have this team so low is the quarterback situation. Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson have not proven anything to me. They lost a lot of talented players this offseason.

It’s never too early to start breaking down the NFL and what everyone think’s they’ll do. I sat down and analyzed the teams and created my power rankings:

1: New Orleans Saints- The top spot is dedicated to the defending champs. They have an offense that can score at will.

2: Indianapolis professional football team- Reggie Wayne is having a tiff with the Colts ownership, which could potentially be something to watch.

3: Baltimore Ravens- Call it a hometown vote if you want, but the Ravens addressed all but one of its weaknesses this offseason…the cornerbacks. New additions to the defense should greatly help out the corners though, like Sergio Kindle and Terrence “Mount” Cody.

4: New York Jets- The sudden media darling of the AFC, they have a defense that is just plain scary. Revis and Cromartie are going to make opponent’s passing game rather difficult. Oh, did I mention they have Ladanian Tomlinson now, too? Or Santonio Holmes?

5: Minnesota Vikings- I have to preface this by saying if Brett Favre doesn’t play next year, this goes way down. They have a strong receiving corps and a defense led by now mullet-less Jared Allen that keeps them in almost every game.

6: Dallas Cowboys- Miles Austin has blossomed working with Tony Romo, and the addition of Dez Bryant combined with Jason Witten and Marion Barber in the backfield will allow the Cowboys to score…often.

7: Green Bay Packers- Aaron Rodgers is proving he can slice and dice even the best defenses.

8: San Diego Chargers- It should be interesting to see how the Chargers function with no Tomlinson to rely on. Ryan Mathews has some big shoes to fill for the Southern CA faithful.

9: Cincinnati Bengals- Giving Carson Palmer another reliable target opposite Ochocinco in Antonio Bryant and having two reliable corners have the Bengals in position to potentially sweep the AFC North again.

10: New England Patriots- A lot of questions for this team remain after being embarrassed in the wildcard round by Baltimore. Gone are the reliable names on defense, and the only reason I ranked them as high as I did was the fact that they still have Tom Brady and Wes Welker.

11: Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan is blossoming into a fine young quarterback, and a few additions to the defense through the draft have the Falcons poised to rival the Saints in the NFC South.

12: Houston Texans- The Brian Cushing controversy is certainly distracting, but this club has done nothing but improve each year. After barely missing the playoffs last year, what can we expect from the Texans this year?

13: San Francisco 49ers- Singletary added two O-Linemen during the first round of the draft, so the quarterback in SanFran will have all day to find Michael Crabtree.

14: Washington Redskins- I absolutely love the upgrade from Campbell to McNabb. Watch out for the Redskins, folks.

15: Denver Broncos- Here’s hoping for Josh McDaniel’s sake that Tebow doesn’t pull a Brady Quinn for Denver.

16: New York Giants- The G-Men are still wishing Plaxico Burress didn’t shoot himself.

17: Miami Dolphins- Adding Brandon Marshall gives Chad Henne a lot of potential for success in a division that contains the Jets and Patriots.

18: Pittsburgh Steelers- They lost their best all-around receiver in Santonio Holmes, and Roethlisberger’s own idiocy will make the first month of the season rough for the Steelers.

19: Arizona Cardinals- Two major pieces of the offensive puzzle are missing: Warner and Boldin. Can Fitzgerald carry the offense solo? I doubt it.

20: Carolina Panthers- Matt Moore did go 3-1 as a starter after Delhomme was pulled. DeAngelo Williams is also a perennial threat.

21: Philadelphia Eagles- I still don’t understand why they were so hellbent on ditching the quarterback that took them to countless NFC Championships and Super Bowl 39. Kevin Kolb?? Give me a break.

22: Tennessee Titans- We thought Vince Young turned a corner. Then he punched that guy in the face. I don’t know if he has what it takes mentally to be an NFL quarterback.

23: Seattle Seahawks- Pete Carroll is about to begin round 2 of coaching in the NFL. And he has a team with a lot of potential that also plays in the weakest division in professional football.

24: Jacksonville Jaguars- Name another offensive starter beside Garrard, MJD or MSW. I bet you can’t…and that’s not good for the Jags.

25: Chicago Bears- Nothing to be excited about in Chicago apart from the signing of Julius Peppers.

26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Tampa fans are overly excited about Gerald McCoy. And with good reason…he’s a beast.

27: Cleveland Browns- Mike Homgren is building a Cleveland team that could be something to watch in a few season from now. But as for right now, they’re still at the bottom.

28: Detroit Lions- Motor City has caught Suh fever. I’m thinking 5 wins is doable for the Lions this year.

29: Kansas City Chiefs- Eric Berry is going to be exciting to watch in the NFL.

30: Buffalo Bills-The Terrell Owens experiment in Buffalo is over. The Bills are back to square 1.

31: Oakland Raiders- Jason Campbell is a major upgrade over JaMarcus Russell.

32: St. Louis Rams- It’s Sam Bradford’s team…let’s see what he does with it.