Power Rankings: Champions clearly make Classic statement

Updated Jan. 5

Amid all the Winter Classic's well deserved attention last week, the Detroit Red Wings managed to make a statement that was hard to miss -- "Don't forget about us!"

Not that anyone really has, but much of the focus in the first half of the season has been legitimately trained on the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and to a slightly lesser extent, the Chicago Blackhawks. Meanwhile Detroit's reigning Stanley Cup champs have been quietly lurking in the shadows, exerting only as much energy as necessary, something coach Mike Babcock suggested before the Winter Classic was necessary for a veteran team dealing with a long season he compared to Groundhog Day.

"What I mean is it wears you out and that's a great thing because the mentally tough survive," Babcock said. "I know when you've been through what we've been through, you're not as pumped every night as you'd like to be. Something like this gets you excited."

That should serve as a warning after Detroit shifted into a higher gear last week, overwhelming the Sharks and then effectively ending Chicago's division title dreams and its nine-game winning streak with convincing back-to-back victories.

The Red Wings are looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions this season, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since they did it a decade ago. But the late-'90s were a much different era, when the Red Wings were free to spend -- and they did -- unencumbered by the salary cap that now forces noticeable roster turnover from one season to the next.

Detroit has been fortunate when it comes to its lineup and payroll, in large part because it is always a Stanley Cup threat and top players -- as Marian Hossa last summer -- take a little less to be part of it. Last week they showed why.

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.