Power Rankings: Quenneville jumps in needing quick impact

Updated Oct. 20

Duncan Keith looked like he was in an uncomfortable position, not just because a pack of reporters had surrounded his dressing room stall and stuck tape recorders in his face.

Joel Quenneville knows he doesn't have too much time to show major progress. (Getty Images)

It was the inevitable question that was obviously the hard part for the fourth-year Blackhawks defenseman, the one about the impact of last week's coaching change on Chicago that really can't be answered at this point. Chicago stunned everyone in the hockey world by dropping the ax on Denis Savard just four games into the season -- ironically after the team won its first game -- so naturally everyone wanted to know what the difference was with veteran Joel Quenneville behind the bench.

"He's an established coach with a great record, so he gets our respect right away," Keith said after Chicago beat Vancouver on Sunday to give the new coach his first win. "But it's been so quick, so there hasn't been a whole lot of change, maybe a few things here and there, but for the most part his message was to go out there and don't think too much."

That might be the best advice of all for the young Blackhawks, who began the season with extremely high expectations. But in the minds of the organizational powers that be, Chicago seemed headed for disaster under Savard, who was only in his second full season as a head coach.

How quickly Quenneville takes this team to the next level remains to be seen. His first two games saw subtle signs of improvement in the way the team played defense, in particular on special teams. One thing is for sure though, Quenneville understands he doesn't have the luxury of patience in Chicago.

"As coaches, we're in a short-term business," Quenneville said. "We want to win hockey games."

And quickly. Here are this week's rankings:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Sharks · Trends	2
	The Sharks started putting things together on their recent road trip and are firing on all cylinders right now. Not coincidentally, Evgeni Nabokov is much sharper in goal, too.
	2	Penguins · Trends	1
	Any more questions about a hangover? The Pens finished October with Malkin and Gonchar on the shelf, and a league record-tying 11 wins.
	3	Sabres · Trends	5
	The Sabres are looking for more from Derek Roy, but in the meantime, goalie Ryan Miller is sizzling with only one regulation loss in his 10 starts.
	4	Avalanche · Trends	3
	Craig Anderson gets the NHL's October star of the month for leading the Avs to first place in the West and tying a league record for wins in a month.
	5	Blackhawks · Trends	4
	The shots-per-game stat usually tells the story about which team controls games and Chicago is firing an average of 11 more than it is allowing.
	6	Capitals · Trends	6
	Enough of an early division cushion for the league's best offense to withstand the absence of the league's most dangerous scorer for a while.
	7	Rangers · Trends	8
	When you start thinking about MVPs, remember how the Rangers looked last week without Marian Gaborik in the lineup.
	8	Kings · Trends	9
	Defenseman Drew Doughty is doing the job in his own end and on the scoreboard with a goal and seven assists in his last six games.
	9	Canucks · Trends	10
	Lots of key injuries, little offense from the third and fourth lines and still Vancouver is keeping its head above water.
	10	Flyers · Trends	11
	The Flyers are producing big offense these days, especially Scott Hartnell with seven points in his last three games.
	11	Red Wings · Trends	17
	Only Tomas Holmstrom is scoring regularly, but Detroit is hanging tough after getting six of 10 possible points on its road trip.
	12	Devils · Trends	14
	Happy trails so far this season for the Devils, one of only two unbeaten teams on the road.
	13	Coyotes · Trends	20
	Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov continues to keep Phoenix in the playoff picture. He has allowed two or less goals in eight of his 11 starts.
	14	Flames · Trends	7
	Still waiting for Olli Jokinen to break loose and to provide Jarome Iginla the kind of center he needs.
	15	Bruins · Trends	13
	The Bruins aren't getting much offense because the power play isn't working. Boston has scored once with the man advantage in the last seven games.
	16	Senators · Trends	15
	The Senators have a chance to put up some points in November with nine of the team's 12 games being at home.
	17	Canadiens · Trends	12
	Interpret this any way you want: The Habs were .500 in October at 7-7, but six of the wins came in OT or shootouts.
	18	Stars · Trends	16
	Rookie Jamie Benn is off to a strong start for the Stars, who have been a lot more effective on the road than at home so far.
	19	Blue Jackets · Trends	18
	R.J. Umberger has started putting up points for the Jackets, who are actually scoring more per game than anyone in the Central Division.
	20	Oilers · Trends	19
	The flu bug has slowed down a lot of the Oilers, just not Dustin Penner, who is among the league scoring leaders with 19 points.
	21	Lightning · Trends	23
	Bolts coach Rick Tocchet is looking for something to shake Vincent Lecavalier out of his funk. Meanwhile, the Bolts have yet to lose at home in regulation.
	22	Thrashers · Trends	22
	Still waiting for Nik Antropov to score his first goal, although his 10 assists have helped the Kovalchuk-less Thrashers.
	23	Ducks · Trends	25
	A better effort defensively in the last couple of games, while Bobby Ryan's offense is starting to come around.
	24	Islanders · Trends	30
	The Isles are giving their fans something to cheer about with a four-game winning streak and a winning record at home.
	25	Panthers · Trends	26
	A couple of desperately-needed road wins were overshadowed only by the offensive exploits of Steven Reinprecht.
	26	Predators · Trends	27
	Pekka Rinne is looking to regain his No. 1 job in goal, winning a player of the week honor to help make his case.
	27	Blues · Trends	21
	The Blues are singing them at home, with a 1-5 record and only seven goals in their last six games at Scottrade Center.
	28	Wild · Trends	28
	They've been the Wild at home and Minny on the road so far, but more telling about the problems is the minus-23 combined rating for the top four defensemen.
	29	Hurricanes · Trends	24
	The way things are going, the 'Canes season will be done by the time Eric Staal gets back, regardless of how long it is.
	30	Maple Leafs · Trends	29
	Weeks like this -- the season's first win and 12 points from Tomas Kaberle -- need to be remembered by the Leafs.