1 Manchester (1) – So the Monarchs are human, falling in regulation to Hartford in overtime to snap a 13-game winning streak. Manchester is an unthinkable 20-1-1-0 and has outscored opponents 97-39. The Monarchs have scored 21 more goals than any other AHL team and have all their players at the even mark or above in plus-minus. Michael Cammalleri and Yanick Lehoux have 37 and 36 points, respectively, to lead all AHL players.
2 Philadelphia (2) – The Phantoms have run into a bit of a speed bump after their AHL-record winning streak, but they are still unbeaten in regulation at home (12-0-1-0). Finnish goalie Antero Niittymaki is 13-4-0 with a 1.73 gaa.
3 Milwaukee (3) – The Admirals went 4-1-1-0 on a six-game road trip including two games each at tough Manitoba and Edmonton. Simon Gamache has seven PPG’s. Seven teams in the AHL currently have either 31 or 32 points.
4 Grand Rapids (9) – The Griffins make a bit jump, thanks to a 10-3-0-0 mark since falling 1-0 at home to Houston on November 6. Grand Rapids has managed four wins in its last five games despite scoring more than two goals just once in that span. The Griffins allow only 1.91 goals per game, fourth in the AHL, thanks mostly to four Joey MacDonald shutouts.
5 Manitoba (6) – Manitoba has opened up MTS Centre with four wins in six games. A resurgent Lee Goren, who toiled in San Antonio last season, has 14 goals and is a team-best plus-10. Both the Moose penalty kill and power play are top six in the AHL.
6 St. John’s (11) – After a 2-5-0-1 start, Doug Shedden’s Baby Leafs are 13-3-0-0 with all three losses on the road. St. John’s has won a franchise-record eight straight home games, including a pair at Air Canada in Toronto.
7 Hartford (10)– Hartford is getting healthy, most notably in the return of Jeff Hamilton, who had played only six games before returning with an overtime game-winner versus No. 1 Manchester. Pack has gone 4-0-1-0 in its last five, outscoring opponents 20-6 in the process. Hartford allows a league-low 1.73 goals per game.
8 Rochester (12) – The Americans have won five straight – remarkably all by one goal. Rochester has allowed more than two regulation goals just three times in its last 13 games. If the Amerks ever get fully healthy, they will terrorize the North Division further.
9 Edmonton (4)– On again, off again Road Runners have the following goal totals in their last four games (7, 1, 4, 0). They’ll miss amazing Finnish playmaker Tony Salmelainen, who will compete for his native country in the Baltica Cup. Salmelainen and his 21 points will miss four games.
10 Chicago (17) – The Wolves are 8-2-1-0 in their last 11, although six of the last seven have come against Utah, Hamilton and an injury-riddled San Antonio team. Kari Lehtonen’s starting to put it together (11-8-1, 2.21 gaa).
11 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8) – Penguins are 8-0-1-1 in their last 10 home games, but they have only one win 1-2-2-2 in their last seven on the road. Marc-Andre Fleury (8-4-2, 2.38 gaa) has begun to secure the No. 1 goaltending spot in his battle with Andy Chiodo.
12 Norfolk (5) – Admirals just returned from an eight-game road trip (3-4-0-1) and after three at The Scope, they had to Houston next week. Norfolk’s goaltending is great, but the Ads need to find a way to put goals on the board, having scored more than two just once in the last eight games.
13 Houston (7) – Thirteen-day break came at a good time for the Aeros, who lost their leading scorer (Pierre-Marc Bouchard), three-time AHL All-Star defenseman Ray Giroux and goalie Josh Harding in the last three weeks. The Aeros continue an eight-game homestand after the break, although it will be more like a pair of four-game homestands.
14 Worcester (14) – The IceCats haven’t strung together back-to-back wins since a six-game streak that ended November 5. Worcester has been shut out in four of its last six games since routing Portland 9-3 November 24.
15 Bridgeport (20) – Comeback kids have four wins when trailing after two periods at The Arena at Harbor Yard. ‘Tigers have scored just 11 first-period goals, but they’ve allowed only 10.
16 Lowell (13) – Brent Krahn was the AHL goalie of the month for November, and his 8-3-0 overall mark and 2.26 gaa impress. Lock Monsters must find ways to win on the road – two wins are tied for fewest in AHL.
17 Binghamton (16) – Sens are 1-3-1-0 in their last five, having allowed four or more goals in three of those games. Binghamton has scored first 16 times – tied for the second highest total in the AHL – but the Sens have lost six of those games.
18 Providence (15) – The Bruins will miss Patrice Bergeron, who was loaned to Team Canada for World Juniors. After Bergeron’s team-high-tying 24 points, only two other Bruins have more than 12. He’s a big reason Providence is second in the AHL on the power play at 22.0 percent. Tough-luck Hannu Toivonen is 8-9-1 with a good 2.13 gaa.
19 Syracuse (25) – Team has won four straight and is 5-1-0-0 since getting drilled 6-3 by Houston on November 20. Top goalie Pascal Leclaire has been out with an injury, but that hasn’t hurt Karl Goehring’s feelings. The tiny netminder has won his last five starts and sports a 1.77 gaa in his last six games.
20 Portland (19) – Since streaking to a 5-1-0-0 start, the Pirates have toiled to a 2-6-1-0 mark. Portland has scored more than two goals twice in its last nine games, and the Pirates don’t have a regular over the even mark in plus-minus.
21 San Antonio (21) – Rampage had better hope injuries to Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss aren’t serious, as it is an entirely different team without those two No. 1 picks. San Antonio’s only regulation win in eight games since November 11 was 1-0 over No. 28 Utah on November 28.
22 Cleveland (18) – The Barons are 2-4-0-1 in their last seven. Cleveland ranks last in the AHL on the penalty kill at 76.0 percent, including a woeful 74.4 percent at home.
23 Hamilton (23) – Dallas prospect Dan Ellis picked up his first win, 4-1 in Cleveland, after 10 losses to begin the season. The Bulldogs have two wins in their last 13 (2-8-2-1) after a 6-3-2-0 start. Hamilton has scored one or zero goals in nine of its last 12, and is last in the AHL scoring 1.92 goals per game.
24 Albany (22) – Team started out 4-1-1-0 but is 3-9-3-2 since. Fortunately for the River Rats, parody seems to be the norm among the bottom half of the East, so they figure to fight with Binghamton and Bridgeport for the fourth and final team into the Calder Cup playoffs.
25 Hershey (26) – Hot and cold Bears began a recent road trip with shutout wins at Albany and Worcester, but then fell in Portland and Providence. Hershey has won back-to-back games just twice this season, and will need to put a run together to stay in the hunt.
26 Cincinnati (24) – Until the offense comes together, this team will have to depend on Ilya Bryzgalov’s goaltending. After allowing seven goals over two games in Manitoba and Edmonton, the Russian World Cup goalie blanked Edmonton 1-0 in Alberta.
27 Springfield (27) – Falcons had started putting things back together before losing two straight to Albany and Lowell. Now Springfield must play 10 games without exciting wing prospect Evgeny Artukhin, suspended 10 games for bumping an official in a game against Albany.
28 Utah (28) – Since winning two of three versus San Antonio and Houston, the Grizzlies are 1-4-0-1. Utah won one of four games (1-2-0-1) without Jaffe Taffe, suspended for an elbow to the head of Houston’s Josh Harding on November 28.
