Western Conference Power Rankings: Week Five

The Western Conference has seen quite a bit of winning. They also have been dominant in every week. There have been many jumps, with each team moving except for one team. Let’s look at where each team falls this week in the Western Power Rankings: Week 5.

Nov 3, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa (81 is congratulated by his bench for scoring a goal during the third period against the Calgary Flames at the United Center. Calgary won 3-2 in OT. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

(9) 1. The Chicago Blackhawks played very well this week, winning three of their four games, and lost the fourth in overtime. Their first game was on Monday, an away win against the Minnesota Wild. They took them to town, outscoring them 5-1. Sheldon Brookbank recorded the game winner. Their next game was Tuesday at the United Center, defeating Jason Spezza and the Ottawa Senators by a score of 6-5. They had three days off, and then went to Winnipeg in hopes of another win. They beat the Jets 5-1 with Brandon Bollig scoring the winning goal. They went back home to face the Calgary Flames, where the game went into extra time. The game winner was a post-ringing shot from Flames’ defenseman Kris Russell. The Blackhawks nabbed 7 points this week.

(7) 2. The Phoenix Coyotes were perfect this week, grabbing six out of six possible points this week. Their first game was on Tuesday, a home victory over the Los Angeles Kings. They defeated the Kings 3-1 with captain Shane Doan scoring the winner. They then hosted the Nashville Predators on Thursday. It was a tough battle, but they defeated the Preds 5-4 in the shootout. Mikkel Boedker was the one who netted the final goal in the shootout for Phoenix. Their third game was in San Jose, another close game. They battled hard through 65 minutes, and they finally beat the Sharks in the shootout. Antoine Vermette ended the game to win it 3-2. The Coyotes snagged 6 points this week.

(5) 3. The Anaheim Ducks have been impressive this year, holding a 12-3-1 record and sits on top of the leaderboard. They started their week in Philadelphia, where they took a close win with a score of 3-2. Kyle Palmieri scored the third goal for Anaheim. They had the next day off, and then took on the Boston Bruins on Thursday in Boston. It was a very close battle, but they fell to Jarome Iginla and the Bruins in the shootout. Their final game of the week was Saturday in Buffalo, where they dominated the Sabres 6-3. Corey Perry and Emerson Etem fell a goal short of getting a hat trick in the victory. The Ducks snatched 5 points this week.

(10) 4. The Dallas Stars played four games this week, going 2-1-1. Their first game was on Monday, an all too close call against the Sabres. They managed to get the win by a score of 4-3, even though Matt Moulson scored two goals in his Sabres debut against them. They then challenged the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal. They fell to the Canadiens 2-1, with Rene Bourque scoring the winning goal for Montreal. They had the next two days off, and then hosted the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. They lost a big battle to Colorado in overtime. Paul Stastny’s two goals lifted the Avs over the Stars. They then went to Ottawa on Sunday for their final game of the week. They beat the Senators 4-3 with a shootout victory. First-year captain Jamie Benn scored the shootout winner. The Stars scored 5 points this week.

(3) 5. The Colorado Avalanche have been one of the best teams this year, sitting just second in the league. They went 2-0-0 this week, continuing their great season. Their first game was Friday against the Dallas Stars in Dallas. They played a long game, but Paul Stastny scored his second goal of the game to end it in overtime. He also recorded the first goal of the game. Their next game was in Canada against the Montreal Canadiens. They handed them a 4-1 loss, taking their second win of the week Saturday. The Avalanche have been in good hands with Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, and they will be one of the top teams all year long. The Avalanche grabbed 4 points this week.

Oct 28, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin (22) celebrates a goal against Washington Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth (30) (not pictured) by during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

(1) 6. The Vancouver Canucks participated in 3 games this week, losing only one of them. They first hosted the Washington Capitals on Monday. They won the close battle 3-2 with a goal by Daniel Sedin. Their next game was against the Detroit Red Wings at Roger’s Arena on Wednesday. They seemed like a worthy opponent to the Red Wings, but they couldn’t handle them, and youngster Tomas Tatar buried the game winner for the Wings in the 2-1 loss. Their third game of the week was another home game, where they took on the Toronto Maple Leafs. They outplayed Toronto, and shut them out 4-0. Daniel Sedin was also awarded the game winner. The Canucks earned 4 points this week.

(2) 7. The Minnesota Wild have been fairly decent, and their stars (Jason Pominville and Zach Parise) have been playing well. They hosted the Chicago Blackhawks Monday night, falling to them by a score of 5-1. Sheldon Brookbank scored the winner for Chicago. They then hosted Montreal on Friday after three days off, and beat them 4-3. Pominville had the game-winning goal. Their final game this week was a big shutout for the team. Parise faced his old team for the first time since becoming a member of the Wild on Sunday night. The Wild won 4-0, with Michael Granlund receiving credit for the game winner. The Wild recorded 4 points this week.

(11) 8. The St. Louis Blues started the week at home on Tuesday. They invited in the Winnipeg Jets where they barely beat them 3-2. Alex Steen scored the winning goal. Their next game was Friday in the Sunshine State. They battled the Florida Panthers, where they dominated them 4-0, giving Derek Roy the winning score. Their final game of the week was in Tampa Bay, where they fought the Lightning, who have been a very competitive team so far this year. They fell a little shirt against Tampa, losing 4-2. Brett Connolly had the winning goal for Tampa Bay. The Blues had 4 points this week.

(13) 9. The Nashville Predators have been struggling this year, but they managed to get at least one point in both of their games this week. Their first was a game on Thursday where they went to Phoenix to battle the Coyotes. It was a close game, but they lost in a shootout. Mikkel Boedker had the shootout winner for Phoenix. Their second game was in Los Angeles, where they skated away with a 4-3 victory in regulation. David Legwand scored the goal that put Nashville ahead of Los Angeles. The Predators held on to 3 points this week.

October 27, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) celebrates with defenseman Drew Doughty (8) after scoring the winning goal against the San Jose Sharks in the overtime period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

(6) 10. The Los Angeles Kings had a stressful week, winning only one of their three games. The first game was a road game in Phoenix, where they lost 3-1. Shane Doan put them to rest with his game winner. They challenged the San Jose Sharks the next day on home ice, and beat them 4-3 in overtime, thanks to Anze Kopitar. Their final game was against the Nashville Predators at home. They lost again by a score of 4-3. David Legwand had the game winner for Nashville. The Kings brought in 2 points this week.

(8) 11. The Calgary Flames played in three games, and they had the same 1-2-0 record as the Kings. Their first game was against Toronto on Wednesday, where they fell to a 4-2 defeat. Mason Raymond had the game-winning goal. Their second was another home game against the Detroit Red Wings, where they lost 4-3, despite their last minute effort with a goal by Curtis Glencross with 10 seconds left to get their third goal. Their third game was in Chicago, where they beat the Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime. Defenseman Kris Russell snagged a goal with an ear-piercing post-hitting goal to end the overtime period and their week. The Flames only grabbed 2 points.

(4) 12. The San Jose Sharks have been strong so far, but they couldn’t win a game this week. Their first was against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. They took a 4-3 loss at the Staples Center thanks to Anze Kopitar, who scored the overtime winner. Their second game was Saturday in San Jose. The Sharks couldn’t beat the Coyotes, losing 3-2 in regulation. Antoine Vermette had the winning goal. The Sharks only manage to get 1 point this week.

(12) 13. The Winnipeg Jets had a bad week. They lost both of their games. Their first was a trip to St. Louis, where Alex Steen and the Blues beat them 3-2. They had three days off before taking on the Blackhawks on Saturday. The Hawks defeated them 5-1. Tobias Enstrom’s goal was the lone Winnipeg goal, which was also the first goal of the game. The Jets couldn’t score a point this week.

Nov 2, 2013; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Will Acton (41) and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith (2) fight during the third period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

(14) 14. The Edmonton Oilers were back to their usual ways this week. They couldn’t get a win this week in two attempts. Their first loss was a shutout by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs beat them 4-0, with Phil Kessel scoring two goals and two assists in the Leafs’ win. They then challenged the Detroit Red Wings, losing 5-0 ad giving goalie Petr Mrazek his first NHL shutout. The return of Darren Helm resulted in his goal being the game winner. The Oilers fell out this week and didn’t record a point.