Thanksgiving week has provided for a few shakeups in hockey. There is a new leader in Washington and the Ice Vols provided a sweep to come within two points of the SEC lead.

Rankings

Top Five

1. New York Rangers (13 - 8 - 1) - Despite not having the best record thus far, the Rangers are the top team right now in the NHL. The Rangers have an 8 - 2 record in the last 10 games, winning six out of seven, including key wins against Philadelphia and Toronto.
2. Ottawa Senators (16 - 4 - 1) - The Senators have faded a little in the last week. They have lost three of four, however, they did beat Montreal and the team has been very good to this point.
3. Detroit Red Wings (15 - 6 - 1) - After three straight losses in the previous week, the Red Wings rebounded and won two of three games this week. Their only loss came to the surging Predators.
4. Nashville Predators (11 - 8 - 2) - Although the Preds were 1 - 1 in the last week, their win came over Detroit and they are 7 - 1 - 2 in their last 10.
5. Atlanta Thrashers (11 - 10 - 0) - Atlanta does not have a great record, but the Thrashers have won seven of eight, including wins against Carolina and Tampa Bay.

Bottom Five

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (9 - 11 - 2) - The Penguins lost two of three games in the last week and their only win came in a shootout against the Senators.
2. Edmonton Oilers (8 - 13 - 1) - The Oilers have also lost two of three, however, they have a chance to rebound with games against Chicago and Columbus next week.
3. Buffalo Sabers (8 - 10 - 1) - Buffalo did beat Ottawa this week, showing the parody in the league, but they still have a lot to overcome.
4. Los Angeles Kings (8 - 12 - 1) - The Kings are dropping fast, losing five straight. It doesn't look good for them, as they face San Jose twice and Anaheim in the next week.
5. Washington Capitals (7 - 14 - 1) - We will see how the coaching change does, but one win doesn't show me enough to consider moving them from the bottom of the league.

Does Alfredsson equal Ottawa Success?

How good is Daniel Alfredsson?

What about the rest of his team in Ottawa?

The Senators are finding out the way they wouldn't like to. Alfredsson, who leads the team with 16 goals and 30 points, went down with a groin injury in an eventual loss to the Penguins.

Ottawa has to play the Flyers on Saturday and the Islanders mid-week and Alfredsson will at least miss the Flyers game.

Without Alfredsson, the Senators have not looked great. If NHL awards weren't based solely on statistics, this could prove MVP-status for him.

Reform in Washington

The Washington Capitals fired Head Coach Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving Day.

Although I feel that the move was overdue, I think the management staff could have picked a better time then Thanksgiving evening to make the announcement. Pretty poor timing, as the family could have been sitting down for dinner with some poor news.

Bruce Boudreau was named the interim head coach. It was a strong move by the Capitals organization.

Rather then appointing an assistant coach on the team, the Caps immediately appointed Boudreau from their minor league affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

Boudreau won a minor league championship with the Bears and his philosophy made an immediate difference with team.

I was able to catch the game on TV on Friday, when the Caps played the Flyers. The players had an extra bounce to their step and their weaknesses seemed immediately improved. The Caps scored on their first power play, which was ranked No. 23.

Then the Caps stopped a 5 - on - 3 power play for Philly. Entering the game, Washington's penalty kill was also ranked No 23.

The move looked good for at least the first game. The Caps beat the Flyers in overtime 4 - 3.

Local Flavor

Last Friday, the Ice Vols got back to winning as they beat conference rival Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Joe Williams lead the team with three goals and Jon Benner added two goals, as the Ice Vols beat Alabama 7 - 1.

Then on Saturday, the Ice Vols finished the road trip to Alabama with another win against the Crimson Tide. The Ice Vols beat Alabama 6 - 5 to sweep the series. Williams and Benner each added two more goals.

The two wins have improved the Ice Vols' record to 7 - 4, with 14 points. They now sit two points behind Georgia and Alabama in the SEC standings. The Ice Vols sit eighth in the ACHA South.

Williams leads the team in goals with 17, and is tied for 16^th in goals in Division 3. Williams also leads the team with 30 points and 71 penalty minutes.

Kelsey McLean leads the trio of goalies for the Ice Vols with a 2.60 Goals Against Average to go along with one shutout.

The Ice Vols have another week until their next game, when they host Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, November 30. The game will be at the IceArium and is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m.

It will be the last game for the Ice Vols until the new year.