First Place:
Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 4-0)
Well didn't the Ducks make me look like an idiot this week.
Led by ageless wonder Teemu Selanne* (5 points in 4 games), the Ducks had a clean sweep of their brutal week, capped off by a gritty overtime win against the rival San Jose Sharks. Sure, the Ducks won every game by 1 goal and sure, they were outshot in all but 1 game, but... shut up. Ducks fans needed this.
*I saw an amazing stat the other day: Teemu is the only person born after 1980 in the top 15 in NHL scoring. Teemu was born in 1970. Teemu is immortal. If he weren't so tan I'd think he was a vampire.
The highlight of the week was this goal in the dying seconds of their game against the Predators (starting at about 20 seconds):
Ducks Win With Two Seconds To Go (via ESPN)
The Ducks still have a lot of problems, especially on defense, but they had a great week so we should let them enjoy it. Sometimes teams get lucky but hey, if you're a fan of a team you shouldn't really care. They won, right?
Last Place!
Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 2-0)
No one lost this week (that's crazy) but the Kings get slotted into last because they lost their 2 free agent acquisitions: defenseman Willie Mitchell will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist, while winger Alexei Ponikarovsky will miss a month with a broken finger. The Kings will rely on young defenseman Davis Drewiske to fill the void left by Willie Mitchell on the penalty kill, while the versatile Brad Richardson will be asked to fill Ponikarovsky's considerable shoes at even-strength.
This basically leaves the Kings with the same roster they had last season, albeit without veteran Sean O'Donnell to keep things steady on defense. That team made the playoffs so the Kings should be OK; however, it leaves them in a perilous position if anyone else gets hurt. The Kings are going to need their best players, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, to kick it into gear to make up for their loss of depth.
This Week:
Tonight: Anaheim Ducks vs. New York Islanders, 7PM
Thursday: Los Angeles Kings vs. Dallas Stars, 7:30 PM
Friday: Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars, 7 PM
Saturday: Los Angeles Kings vs. New York Islanders, 7:30 PM
Sunday: Anaheim Ducks @ Chicago Blackhawks, 4 PM
Monday: Los Angeles Kings @ San Jose Sharks, 7:30 PM
Tuesday: Anaheim Ducks @ Dallas Stars, 6 PM
Wednesday: Anaheim Ducks @ Minnesota Wild, 5 PM; Los Angeles Kings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:30 PM