Week 7 Power Poll

Late this past week a story broke in the Ontario Hockey League where the OHL was going to stop staged fights between players of rival teams.

The new rule reads,
“If two or more players should enter into a fight, prior to, or at the drop of the puck at the commencement of any period of a game, then such player(s) shall be assessed an automatic game misconduct in addition to any penalties assessed, the OHL Member Team shall be fined $500.00 and the player(s) suspended for one (1) game. For any subsequent offense by the same team, the fine shall increase in $500.00 increments, and for any subsequent offense by the same player, the minimum suspension would double from the previous occurrence.”

 

A friend of mine brought this to my attention and asked me what I thought of it. At this point I'm not sure how I feel about it. I have heard rumors that some fights are staged between players but to my knowledge I haven't seen any. That doesn't mean it hasn't occurred.

 

The main thing to keep an eye on is how the OHL enforces rule and how it may carry over to the NHL. Fighting is a part of hockey. I'm curious how they are going to prove some fights are staged.

 

Here is the Power Poll for Week 7.

 

1. (1) Washington                  17              6             2              36

Has won three games in a row since being shutout last week vs. New Jersey. 

2. (3) Philadelphia                15              6              4              34

Not sure if they are the Best team in the East but they looked good against Minnesota on 
Wednesday.

3. (2) Detroit                      15              4              2              32 

Home & Home sweep of Columbus keeps Detroit on top in the West. 

4. (9) Pittsburgh                 15              8              2              32 

Right now the Penguins are the biggest threat to Philly in the Atlantic Division 

5. (4) Montreal                   15              8              1              31

Tomas Plekanec is leading the Canadiens offense with 23 points (8G, 15 A) 

6. (8) Tampa Bay                13              8              3              29

6-0 loss to Washington shows how far the Lightning have to go to be in the class of the Capitals. 

7. (14) N.Y. Rangers            14             10              1            29

Three division games this week for the Blueshirts

8. (11) Chicago                     13             11              2            28 

Went 4-2 on their circus road trip 

9. (12) Columbus                    14              8             0            28 

Not sure how I feel about their 3rd jersey but I like the fact this team is competitive. 

10. (13) Vancouver                12              7              3            27

7-0-1 on the season with Jeff Tambellini in the lineup

11. (6) St. Louis                     12              7              3            27 
Brad Boyes (5G, 8A) is starting to regain his scoring touch. 

12. (19) Atlanta                       12              9              3            27

Ondrej Pavelic & Dustin Byfuglien join Sidney Crosby as the three stars of the week.

13. (16) Phoenix                      11              6             5            27

Coyotes are starting to play like last year's squad instead of previous seasons.

14. (7) Colorado                      13              9             1            27
Beat Minnesota on Saturday but lost Chris Stewart with a broken hand. 

15. (21) Dallas                       13              8             1            27 

Kari Lehtonen has a GAA of 2.70 in 22 games for the Stars. 

16. (5) Los Angeles                 13              9            0            26 

Has lost six of seven since starting November 4-0. 

17. (10) Boston                       12              8             2            26

1st meeting with Philadelphia this Wednesday since 3-0 collapse in last season's playoffs.

18. (17) San Jose                      11              7           4          26 
in 4th place in Pacific but in position to take control of division. 

19. (15) Anaheim                     11             11            3           25

6-4 win over Phoenix ends six game winless streak for Anaheim. 

20. (18) Minnesota                    11              9             2          24

If they could only play better in the 2nd period. 

21. Carolina                          10             10              3            23

Congrats to Paul Maurice on coaching his 1,000th game. 

22. (20) Nashville                     9              8             5            23 

Looked like they had too much turkey against Minnesota on Friday. 

23. (23) Ottawa                       11             12            1           23 

10-0 when leading after two periods, 0-8-1 when trailing after two. 

24. (24) Buffalo                       9             13             3            21 

3rd loss to Montreal is going to make it hard to catch the Canadiens in the Northeast. 

25. (25) Florida                        10             12            0          20

Start a three game trip out west on Wednesday in Anaheim. 

26. (26) Calgary                       9             12             2            20 

The Flames are proving you can't win with Olli Jokinen on your team. 

27. (27) Toronto                         8             11            3          19

Having an inability to find stability at the Center position.

28. (29) New Jersey                      8             14            2        18

Won three out of four games for their best week so far this season. 

29. (28) Edmonton                       6             12           4          16

Taylor Hall has two goals & two assists in his last five games.

30. (30) N.Y. Islanders                  5             12            5         15
Won their 1st game since October 21st with a 2-0 win over New Jersey.