Week 19 Power Poll

Ok, I'm in the middle of moving so today's column will be brief but The Boston Bruins were busy over the weekend making a couple trades.

The Bruins were finally able to acquire Tomas Kaberle from Toronto & they sent Blake Wheeler to Atlanta in two separate deals.

Factoring in the Chris Kelly trade last week, Peter Chiarelli has been busy giving the Bruins a mini-makeover which begs the question why would a team at the top of the Northeast be so active near the trade deadline?

I think it is because of two things. One, the Bruins are being hit by the injury bug once again. After losing a 3-0 lead in a series loss to the Flyers last post-season Boston is positioning to not let history repeat itself.

Another reason could be the back to back losses last week to Detroit. For nearly 20 season the Red Wings have been the measuring stick in the NHL. After getting a close look last week Chiarelli figured some major tweaking was needed for the Bruins to compete in the playoffs.

Will these moves pay off? History says probably not but when you feel you have a chance for greatness you have to go for it. The way Tim Thomas has played this season the Bruins have just as good a chance as any team to come out of the East. Time will tell whether these deals work.

Here is the Power Poll for Week 19:

1. Vancouver           38 13  9  85 points
2. Philadelphia        39 15  5  83 points
3. Detroit             37 16  6  80 points
4. Pittsburgh          36 19  5  77 points
5. Tampa Bay           34 18  7  75 points
6. Boston              33 19  7  73 points
7. Phoenix             32 19  9  73 points
8. Washington          31 19 10  72 points
9. San Jose            33 21  6  72 points
10. Nashville           31 20  8  70 points
11. Calgary             31 22  8  70 points
12. Montreal            31 22  7  69 points
13. Los Angeles         32 23  4  68 points
14. Dallas              31 22  6  68 points
15. Minnesota           31 22  6  68 points
16. Anaheim             32 24  4  68 points
17. Chicago             30 23  6  66 points
18. N.Y. Rangers        31 26  4  66 points
19. Carolina            28 24  8  64 points
20. Columbus            29 23  6  64 points
21. St. Louis           27 21  9  63 points
22. Buffalo             27 25  6  60 points
23. Atlanta             25 25 10  60 points
24. Colorado            25 27  7  57 points
25. Toronto             25 27  7  57 points
26. Florida             25 26  7  57 points
27. New Jersey          25 30  4  54 points
28. N.Y. Islanders      22 30  7  51 points
29. Ottawa              19 31  9  47 points
30. Edmonton            19 32  8  46 points