| Ranking (previous) | Team | Commentary | Record |
| 1 (3) |  | The Stars hold onto that number one spot for the third week as the Red Wings continue to flounder and the Stars continue to shine. I love being right as Brad Richards truly has made the biggest impact of any deadline moves, he really gave the Stars a shot of adrenaline. | 41-23-5 |
| 2 (2) |  | The Penguins might have the edge for this second but the Devils still have a game in hand and with the way they are playing I really like this teams chances to win a cup. They are in a good spot to grab the number one spot in the East which goes a long way in an easier schedule and the home ice advantage which means a lot in Jersey. If the Devils win another cup I will die a little more inside. | 38-23-6 |
| 3 (5) |  | Even though the Devils are at number two there is no selling Pittsburgh short right now, they rank just a spot below their division rival. The Pens seem to have the right things happen night in and night out. If they can't score Ty Conklin will come up with 40 saves and if Ty Conklin can't stop a single puck, Malkin and the boys score 6 goals for the win. I would really look forward to a Devils/Pens showdown in the playoffs because the contrasting styles would make for some exciting hockey. | 38-23-7 |
| 4 (3) |  | Apologies to the Ducks for dropping them a spot even after a dominate week but I had to put the two big teams in the East above them for now. Beware of this squad in the playoffs because they are built for a run. I am calling for a showdown of the best defensive squads in the cup finals right now between New Jersey and Anahiem, unfortunately two teams I hate. | 38-23-7 |
| 5 (8) |  | They have the all important two seed for now as they squeak ahead of the Senators this week. Much like the battle in the Atlantic division, the Canadians/Senators regular season battle means everything in the long run because whoever gets the 2 has 10X a better chance for a playoff run than whoever gets 5. | 36-22-9 |
| 6 (7) |  | Things can change quickly in the Eastern Conference. If the Sens can build from a few solid performances in a row they can jump from 5 to 1 in the blink of an eye. | 37-24-6 |
| 7 (4) |  | For all the wagon jumpers doubting the Red Wings right now because of their recent slump where the hell we you when they were crushing every team in the NHL? Apparently Wing bashing is trendy right now (talking to you Saint). Nicky Lidstrom should be back this week so I expect the people watching hockey to be back on the Red Wings junk by the end of the week. | 43-18-6 |
| 8 (9) |  | The Sharks really bounced back this week with a great win over the Canadians, even if it was because of a shaky Carey Price performance. As long as this team has Evgeni Nabokov nothing is impossible once the playoffs start. | 37-21-8 |
| 9 (11) |  | Advantage Minnesota for the time being as they have the Flames beaten back now and have taken over the division lead, all be it by a tiebreaker. This week will mean a lot in the long run of the playoff race as the Wild play the Sharks and the Devils. You know they are watching the rest of the division close on them quickly. | 37-25-5 |
| 10 (6) | . | While the Wild are busy scrapping with some of the top teams in hockey the Flames get Nashville and St. Louis. Advantage Calgary | 35-23-9 |
| 11 (14) |  | The Avs have gone from playoffs in doubt to making a run at the division lead very quickly. This weekends showdown with the Flames will mean a lot to this team, so hopefully for them Peter Forsberg gets his NHL legs back by than. | 35-26-6 |
| 12 (13) |  | The Rangers keep inching up the rankings and the playoff picture as this week they are up to number 12 and are right on the heels of the Bruins. This Sunday should be the game of the week as the two skate against each other for the battle of who plays Montreal in the first round and who plays Carolina. That's a pretty big deal. | 34-24-9 |
| 13 (12) |  | They slip out of the playoff spot right now but still have Roberto Luongo which makes me believe they will catch a team without a real starting goalie (Nashville) in the long run. | 32-24-10 |
| 14 (10) |  | Losing to Washington 10-2 really needs to be out of sight out of mind quickly, but that didn't seem to be the case as they couldn't muster a single goal against the Panthers the next night. They can not afford to get cold right now, these final weeks of the NHL are to important to get ice cold. | 35-24-7 |
15 (15) |  | The Predators have ownership of the 8th playoff seed back for now but they need to perform above and beyond expectations if they really want to keep it. | 34-25-8 | | 16 (18) |  | Tuesday night was make or break for the Sabres when they played the Flyers in a huge showdown with big playoff ramifications. Last time the two met the Sabres dropped a 3-0 lead to lose in shootouts. History looked like they were going to repeat themselves as they blew 2-0 lead to go into the third 2-2. Luckily for them cheating became legal as they scored a goal with an extra man on the ice, no power play, no pulled goalie, just a blown call. In a huge game like that the refs should be ashamed for missing such a blatant call. | 32-26-9 |
| 17 (17) |  | Here we go again, just when I was starting to do the math of how many games they had to win to get into the 6th seed and have a chance for a playoff run they drop two games in a row, to two teams that both have serious shots at getting into that 6 spot. With so many games with division opponents in their future they need to pick it up now or be doomed to miss the playoffs. | 33-26-8 |
| 18 (19) |  | The Hurricanes shouldn't be to confident in their three seed right now, the Capitols have made some huge statements the past few days and look poised to make a run at them. | 34-29-5 |
| 19 (16) |  | Ah the Coyotes, such a good young team to make the jump from the bottom of the NHL to finishing in the middle of the pack. They should be happy with that but next year they need to make the necessary adjustments to get themselves in. | 33-28-5 |
| 20 (24) |  | I said last week that the Blackhawks goal for the season should be to not finish in the bottom 10. With Andrew Ladd's immediate impact on the team they are now just one spot away from jumping out of the 20s. | 32-28-6 |
21 (23) |  | There is still a slight chance the Islanders can get red hot and sneak into the playoffs, it is an outside chance but beating the Rangers Tuesday night is the beginning. Now they need to beat the Flyers in most of their 3 games left with them this season. | 32-29-7 | 22 (21) |  | Does a team that hasn't gotten out of the bottom 10 all season really have a chance at making the playoffs? Yes, they have a very good shot if they continue their solid play since adding Huet to help with their goaltending problems. | 31-28-8 | 23 (22) |  | I called the Blue Jackets playing spoilers this week and was right on the money as they beat the Sharks and the Flames. Now they should lose games to the bottom tier teams (Tampa, Chicago, and Edmonton) and maintain their stay in the bottom of the NHL. | 30-28-10 | 24 (20) |  | The Blues have dropped 9 spots in two weeks. They had plenty of games in hand so I thought they had a shot to make a push for the playoffs, unfortunately games in hand mean nothing if you can't win. | 29-27-10 | 25 (25) |  | The Oilers make history this year as they best team in shootouts ever. Garon is unbeatable in shootouts and Gagner is leading the charge offensively. Unfortunately for the Oilers being good at shootouts doesn't mean all that much in the long run, especially when you can't win in regulation. | 31-31-5 | 26 (26) |  | Do Sportscenter announcers even watch hockey? This week someone said during hockey highlights that the Maple Leafs are still right in line for a shot at the playoffs. In what dimesion? | 29-29-10 | 27 (29) |  | I still weep when I see how much talent this team has yet they still can't move anywhere because they can't afford to bring in more talent. Vokoun's talent is going to waste and Olli Jokinen hopefully won't be stuck here much longer. | 30-31-8 | 28 (27) |  | They still play no defense and without Marion Hossa around they don't have much offense either. | 29-31-7 | 29 (28) |  | Mike Smith is doing as much as I thought he would for the Lightning in goal, I hope I wasn't wrong about the Richards trade being about even. | 26-33-7 | 30 (30) |  | Still at the bottom of the world. | 26-37-5 |
