NHL

NHL Power Rankings: Blues are in rhythm

A year after a great season, which ended in a six-game, first-round ouster at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues are back, looking not just to win one playoff round but four.

The Blues are 7-1-2, already having beaten the champion Chicago Blackhawks twice. The only game in which they failed to get a point was a 6-2 loss to the Sharks. The Blues rank second in goals per game (3.7) and seventh in goals against (2.4), which is a recipe for success. Not to mention their power play has been deadly, leading the league at 28.2 percent (11-for-39).

Goalie Jaroslav Halak (7-1-1, 2.15 goals against, .917 save percentage) has been excellent after a mediocre season (six wins in 15 starts) in which he split time with Brian Elliot. The Blues also have Alexander Steen (who?) leading the league with 11 goals, having scored in nine of 10 games. Currently third in the Central Division — they have played the fewest games in the league — the Blues seem poised for a special season.

(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Avalanche (1): Almost a month into the season, the Avalanche have shown no signs of slowing down. They have allowed more than two goals once and are currently on a four-game winning streak.

2. Sharks (2): Impressively rank first in goals per game (3.9) and goals against (1.6). Finally gave goalie Antti Niemi a rest after he had started the team’s first 11 games.

3. Ducks (6): Frederik Andersen has three wins in his first three NHL games, replacing an injured Viktor Fasth. Sound familiar? Last season, as a rookie, Fasth started his career with eight straight wins.

4. Maple Leafs (4): Phil Kessel was named the NHL’s second star of the week with five goals, and he has started off this week in similar fashion with two goals and two assists in a 4-0 win over the Oilers on Tuesday.

5. Blackhawks (5): With eight wins and five losses, the Blackhawks aren’t as dominant as they were a season ago, but have gotten points in 11 of 13 games.

6. Blues (7): Steen, 29, has 11 goals in 10 games, nearly halfway to his previous season high of 24, set in 68 games in 2009-10. He is the son of former Winnipeg Jets star Thomas Steen.

7. Coyotes (10): An 8-3-2 start has been possible because their defense is getting on the scoresheet. Three Coyotes blueliners are in the top seven on the team in scoring.

8. Penguins (3): Lost three in a row before a 3-1 win Monday against the Hurricanes. Still have breathing room atop the Metropolitan Division.

9. Bruins (9): What goes around comes around. One game after scoring with less than a second left in regulation to beat the Sharks, 2-1, the Bruins coughed up a 3-2 lead with 1:08 left in a 4-3 regulation loss to the Devils.

10. Canucks (11): Not many teams have taken advantage of the extra point like the Canucks. They won three games last week after regulation and are 5-1 in overtime and shootouts.

11. Lightning (12): Beat the two-win Sabres and the three-win Panthers, but fell Tuesday to the Devils, who had been 2-5-4.

12. Canadiens (14): Here’s how you win three of four: allowing four goals in four games.

13. Kings (13): Fun fact: The Kings have 15 different goal-scorers. By comparison, the Rangers have 18 goals.

14. Red Wings (8): Haven’t won in almost two weeks. They have been blown out twice (5-2 at Phoenix, 6-1 versus Ottawa) while also losing two in extra time (1-0 shootout loss to San Jose, 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers).

15. Predators (18): Nashville hopes Carter Hutton performs more like he did in his first start (38 saves in a 3-1 win over the Jets) as opposed to his latest start (five goals in a 6-1 loss to the Blues) while he fills in for Pekka Rinne in net.

16. Blue Jackets (17): Hammered the Maple Leafs 5-2, but lost to the Ducks 4-3. Have to win close games if they want to be a playoff team (1-3 in one-goal games).

17. Hurricanes (15): Goalie Cam Ward will be out another 2-3 weeks with a lower body injury. The Hurricanes are 0-3 without him.

18. Wild (22): You can’t make this stuff up: In their first 12 games, the Wild lost three, won three, lost three and won three. Naturally they lost game No. 13, but will have a chance to end the pattern with their next three games at home.

19. Senators (16): Played a grueling four-game stretch against the Red Wings, Ducks, Sharks and Blackhawks in which they went 1-3.

20. Jets (20): Started out the season 2-0, but it hasn’t been pretty since. They are 3-5 in one-goal games.

21. Islanders (19): Really struggling with four wins and eight losses. Not exactly where a playoff team a year ago expected to be.

22. Stars (24): Lindy Ruff earned a victory in his first trip back to Buffalo, where he coached for 14-plus seasons, as the Stars topped the Sabres 4-3 on Monday.

23. Flames (21): Absolutely no consistency. At 5-4-2, they have won back-to-back games once and followed up a 6-1 thumping by the Stars with a 5-2 win over the Capitals.

24. Devils (27): Have won two in a row and are 3-1-1 in their past five. Future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr scored his 119th game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over the Lightning on Tuesday, moving him within two of the all-time record of 121 held by “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe.

25. Capitals (23): Alex Ovechkin is pointless in his past two games, the first time this season he has gone that long without a goal.

26. Rangers (26): They rank 30th in goals for and 29th in goals against. The good news is backup Cam Talbot has played well in Henrik Lundqvist’s absence, allowing six goals in three games (two wins).

27. Flyers (28): It’s early, but if they are going to turn their season around, the Flyers need to beat division opponents. Their next four are in the Metropolitan.

28. Panthers (29): In a battle of two of the league’s worst teams, the Panthers came out on the losing end of a 2-1 clash with the Sabres.

29. Oilers (25): Edmonton started three different goalies in four games, but it didn’t matter — they lost all four.

30. Sabres (30): Traded franchise mainstay Thomas Vanek to the Islanders for Matt Moulson and a pair of draft picks. Moulson delivered with two goals in his Sabres debut in a 4-3 loss to the Stars on Monday.