You guys and gals love lists of top plays, dunks, teams, arenas, players, coaches, breakfast cereals (I prefer Cinamon Toast Crunch) and any other form of comparison. So for all you pucheads out there, here’s FanFeedr’s incredibly subjective (but awesome) NHL Top Goal Power Poll for the 2011-2012 season. Comment on how great this list is or how it’s incredibly flawed and much better goals were missed. Either way, here’s the list.

1) Eller’s Spin-O-Rama

Montreal forward Lars Eller already had a hat trick against Winnipeg when he was held near the Jets’ net and awarded a penalty shot. What happened next is only what I consider the goal of the year, no big deal. It was his fourth goal of the night, doubling his total for the entire season!

2) Malkin’s Amazing Effort

Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin had to do a whole lot to get this goal against Colorado. He first banged an Avs player into the boards to get his team possession. Then he got the puck back on a pass, put the puck between the feet of defenseman Gabriel Landeskog and then did a nifty deke move to push the puck past the goaltender. Just spectacular!

3) Doughty Beats The Clock

There have been other buzzer-beating goals in the NHL this season, but Kings defenseman Drew Doughty beat the clock from his knees. There were 0.3 seconds left when Doughty rushed in from the left wing on a rebound, dropped to one knee and rifled it past Columbis goalie Curtis Sanford.

4) Bobby Ryan Schools The Islanders Shorthanded

Anaheim forward Bobby Ryan was on the penalty killing unit when he went up the ice with temmate Corey Perry. Perry slid Ryan the puck, and Ryan did the rest. He maneuvered around two New York players and completely deked out Isles goalie Evgeni Nabokov for the shorthanded tally.

5) Ribiero Preys On Predators

Veteran Stars forward Mike Ribiero was on a two-on-two in the Nashville zone when both Preds defenders tried to pry the puck from Ribiero’s stick. Ribiero then went around both players and put a backhand past world class goalie Pekka Rinne. Take a look.

1) Pittsburgh is the hottest team in the league right now, having stolen their eighth win in a row from Toronto on Tuesday night after trailing 4-1 in the third period. They’re missing their largest star, and have found another go-to guy in Evgeni Malkin who has become their fearless leader (that was not a Russian joke, editor’s note). Besides for Malkin’s scoring, the Penguins’ rock has been goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He’s top five in games played and wins, and is very solid in goal.

2) St. Louis is the most underrated team because of how their team is sorely lacking multiple All-Star players. Brian Elliot is amazing in goal and they ALSO have Jaroslav Halak as the backup to switch to. I wish my team had such problems…they’re sitting pretty five points out of the conference lead. They are a great “team” and with another key guy added before the deadline, they could be killer come playoff time.

3) It might be tough to say this out loud, but Alex Ovechkin might not be the best player in the league anymore. With Sidney Crosby out with a long-term injury and Ovi being very un-Ovilike, the door is wide open for…drumroll… Steve Stamkos. I know, not very surprising, but Stamkos is just amazing. Are you surprised he’s leading the league in goals? I’m not. Is it surprising that he’s a favorite to win the Art Ross trophy EVERY YEAR? Nope. He’s amazing, and benefitting from other stars dropping in the standings. Look out league, this guy is going to be amazing for a long time. Great news for the future of Team Canada.

It’s that time of year again. We’re past the All-Star game and the rest of the season consists entirely of battling to secure a playoff spot. As always, it’s fun to predict who will win the league’s yearly awards. After more than half of the games have been played, it’s safe to say that we have as clear a picture of the nominees as ever. Let’s see who is at the top of their game.

Hart Memorial Trophy – Season MVP – Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

It’s tough being the second best player on a team only because the best one also happens to be the best in the league. With Sidney Crosby sidelined for what appears to be the foreseeable future, Malkin has stepped up his game immensely. Not only is he leading the NHL in points, but he’s also the main reason the Penguins are still relevant in the Eastern Conference.

Vezina Trophy – Best Goaltender – Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

No offense to defensemen Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, but the Predators would be going nowhere without their man in between the pipes. Rinne is near the top of the league in every goaltending stat category and is Nashville’s hero. To me this trophy isn’t just performance but also what the goalie means to his team and that gives Rinne the extra boost over players like Henrik Lundqvist and Jimmy Howard.

Norris Trophy – Best Defenseman – Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

This trophy is also not entirely about individual performance, or offensive production (sorry Erik Karlsson). Chara isn’t just his team’s captain, he is arguably Boston’s best player. He’s a dominant force for the Bruins defensively, hence his +26 rating (which is insane). It’s also his time to start officially taking over from Red Wings’ Captain Niklas Lidstrom.

Calder Trophy – Best Rookie – Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers

The kid is great. He’s having a very solid year offensively on a team that is filled with young players and sorely lacks leadership and depth. It’s not easy being the first overall pick and making people believe you deserved it, but RNH is really the only rookie we’re hearing about this year. He was a major factor in the Oilers’ rise in the standings and will be a cornerstone in their lineup for a long time.

Jack Adams – Best Coach – John Tortorella, New York Rangers

The reason I go with Torts here is based on the fact that I don’t think the Rangers are a very good “team”. They have a handful of stars but, overall, I’m not overly impressed with them. However, they do sit atop the Eastern Conference standings having played less games than everyone else beneath them except for Boston. As we all saw in HBO’s 24/7 series, Tortorella knows how to kick his team into gear and with his coaching the Rangers could be poised for a solid Cup run this spring.

Selke Trophy – Best Defensive Forward – Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

Toews is arguably one of the best all-around players in the league. He’s a dominant scorer, a killer in the face-off zone and is a tremendous leader for a Chicago Blackhawks team trying to return to the Stanley Cup Finals. I think this is a no-brainer since no player really comes close to Toews in his depth on both sides of the rink.

With the help from SprungOnSports staff writers Adam Davis and Daniel Friedman, today marks the first of a weekly top 10 poll based on a points system used in college basketball and college football polls. A team with a first place vote earns 10 points, second place nine points and so on. The team closest to the maximum 30 point level is ranked first. Here goes:

NHL Power Poll
1) New York Rangers- 27 points- The Rangers earned two first place votes and go into the All-Star break leading the Eastern Conference.
1) Detroit Red Wings- 27 points- Despite losing a 7-2 decision at Montreal, the Red Wings have won seven straight and lead the NHL in points.
3) Boston Bruins- 22 points- The panel was divided on Boston, who got a first place vote but also a seventh. They’ve only won five of their last 10 games.
4) Nashville Predators- 17 points- Despite being fifth in the Western Conference standings, Nashville got two fourth place votes and have won nine of 10.
5) Chicago Blackhawks- 14 points- Ranked high as third and as low as unranked this week, Chicago has also only won five of 10 and just fell to the Predators.
5) Vancouver Canucks- 14 points- The Canucks are on their way back after a slow start and are third in the league in goal differential.
7) Pittsburgh Penguins- 11 points- A huge seven game winning streak led by Evgeni Malkin has them in the top 10, and they even got a third place vote.
7) St. Louis Blues- 11 points- They had been on a roll, but losses in consecutive nights to Detroit and Pittsburgh lowered their stock.
9) San Jose Sharks- 7 points- The Pacific Division leaders are fifth in the league in goals allowed per game and barely earned them a spot this week.
10) Washington Capitals- 6 points- Despite having allowed more goals than they’ve scored, the new Southeast Division leaders got a fifth place vote for all their points.
Also Receiving Votes- Los Angeles Kings (5 points), Philadelphia Flyers (4 points)

1) It’s interesting look at the Eastern Conference standings as teams head into the nice long All-Star break. There are currently three teams tied for seventh place in the conference – Toronto, Florida and New Jersey. All three did not make the playoffs last season. Even more intriguing is how the Panthers are sitting in the seventh spot but have the same number of points as division leader Washington. With a little push from all of these clubs, we could be seeing a very different playoff crop than we did a year ago.

2) Detroit and Montreal are the lone teams playing Wednesday before a week-long All-Star break. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but with a W tonight Detroit will have won eight in a row and would have a five point lead atop the Western Conference standings. The Red Wings seem to always have a strong roster but this recent run is a great way to be playing in January if they’re looking for a top seed when the playoffs come around.

3) Finally, a little rant about the All-Star game. While I am just like everyone else and am fully aware how the game means nothing, I do believe two things: A) That it shouldn’t be a popularity contest and only players who are rightfully deserving should make it, and B) It should have enough importance based on that first rule that players who are given the honor of being selected should actually want to play. Players like Washington’s Alex Ovechkin are bowing out because their “heart isn’t in it” and others are just not taking it seriously. The same thing applies with the fans – the new addition of the fantasy draft has been fun but the game itself means absolutely nothing to many hockey lovers. That needs to be changed.