We have now reached the midway point of the season. Just like I said last week, we are at the point of the season where teams will find out if they are contenders and pretenders. Within the next couple weeks, we will also find out what teams will become buyers and sellers leading up to the February 28 trade deadline.
| Rank | Team | Last Week | Team Notes |
| 1 | PHI | 1 | The Flyers retain the top spot almost by default. Their two games last week was a home-and-home against New Jersey which Philadelphia won both games. |
| 2 | DET | 2 | Anytime you sweep the western Canada road trip that is impressive. They lost another key player Friday when Brad Stuart was a victim of a Tom Kostopoulos cheap shot. Stuart is expected to miss up to eight weeks. |
| 3 | WAS | 3 | We are back to seeing the Capitals of usual since the December loss against Pittsburgh. Their shootout loss against Tampa was the first time they failed to win since that December 23 matchup. |
| 4 | VAN | 2 | Vancouver’s eight-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of the Red Wings. They also hold the largest division lead of any team. |
| 5 | NSH | 15 | Chicago is playing like they don’t want to catch Detroit, but as of late Nashville has. They are currently in second place in the Central as they have won five straight with four of them being on the road. |
| 6 | PIT | 5 | The Pens have been 1-2-2 in their last five games. Four of those came in the first eight days of the new year. Will they sink or swim without Sidney Crosby? |
| 25 | CBJ | 21 | The west coast was Thanksgiving for Detroit and Nashville as they were a combined 6-0. The Jackets have lost four straight, with all of them coming on the road. Three of those on the west coast. Not to mention unhappy defenseman Mike Commodore was sent down to the AHL and wants to be traded. |
| 26 | FLA | 26 | Five games in seven days is a tough stretch for any team. The Panthers started out well winning two, but lost the last three. Six game home stand over the next two weeks should help them. |
| 27 | CGY | 22 | They managed to take only one point in three games last week. They was a shootout loss against Detroit where they were ahead by two late in the second period. |
| 28 | EDM | 29 | What a week for rookie forward Jordan Eberle. He injured his ankle Monday, then suffered an appendicitis attack two days later. Fifth on the team in goals and assists, he will be out for a couple weeks. |
| 29 | OTT | 28 | The coaching ax could drop on coach Cory Clouston next. General Manager Bryan Murray suggested his job held in the balance over the weekend with games against Chicago and Tampa. They scraped out a point in those two. It is possible Murray could coach the team himself before the All-Star break. |
| 30 | NJ | 30 | Their first win of 2011 came against Tampa last night. The Bolts were playing their fourth game in six nights, and they got into New Jersey late as they played in Ottawa Saturday night. |
