1. San Jose Sharks: The Sharks came out the gates smoking this season and haven’t stopped yet. San Jose has historically done well in the regular season, but often times fallen short in the playoffs, so time will tell if this Sharks team is for real or not.

2. Boston Bruins: Boston has hands down been the class of the Eastern Conference this season. After sneaking into the playoffs last season with the 8th seed, they gave the top seeded Canadiens all they could handle. For most Bruins fans, that was a sign of things to come this season. If Boston can keep on their game for the second half of the season, look for them to hold down the top spot and challenge for the Presidents Trophy.

3. Detroit Red Wings: Detroit is nipping at San Jose for the top spot in the West. After winning the Stanley Cup last season, all they did during the off-season was dramatically improve by signing Marian Hossa. They also replaced Dominik Hasek with Ty Conklin, who has rewarded them with five shut-outs so far and his second consecutive Winter Classic victory.

4. Washington Capitals: The Capitals have built on their post-season experience last season and have a strangle hold on the SouthEast division so far this season. They have gotten good contributions by several players, including Alex Ovechkin and new goalie Jose Theodore, and now they look to continue rising up the standings in the East. No matter what teams try to do, they can’t seem to stop Alex Ovechkin, as he continues to prove himself as the best player in the league right now.

5. New Jersey Devils: The Devils have surprised many fans by doing as well as they have considering they are missing the cornerstone of the franchise, Martin Brodeur. The Devils are neck and neck with the Rangers and Flyers in the division, but if they can get Brodeur back in time for the playoff race other teams in the East need to be on the lookout. Signing Brendan Shanahan in the middle of the season won’t hurt their chances either.

6. Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens were most experts pick as the top team in the East, but they have fallen well behind Boston in that race. Still, with half a season to go, anything can happen. They will need to get quite a bit of help in the second half if they plan on winning the NorthEast division, and we’re not talking about the type of help they received in loading up for the All-Star game.

7. Calgary Flames: The Flames are always in the discussion of teams out West due to the consistent play from goaltender Miika Kiprusoff. If he can withstand the usual heavy workload during the stretch run, I look for Calgary to make some noise in April.

8. New York Rangers: Like said above, the Rangers are in a tight division race and could easily fall out of the playoff race altogether if they go on any kind of extended losing streak during the second half. However, if they can get strong goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, they should be able to make it into the playoffs. Now whether they make it past the second round this year or not is still to be determined.

9. Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks have been a great story so far this season. After years and years of losing, they seem to have turned it around. They made a risky move this season by firing their coach extremely early into the season, but that doesn’t seem to have affected them very much. Much of their success will come down to how well young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews play.

10. Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres started out hot, cooled down, and have since heated right back up once the calendar hit 2009. Since New Years the Sabres have been much better and goalie Ryan Miller looks like he is on top of his game. It will be interesting to see how the Sabres do down the stretch because they have plenty of teams nipping at them in the standings.

11. Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers have rebounded from a slow start and look back in form so far this season. They will most likely improve even more when they get forward Danny Briere back from injury. However, they will need to clear some cap space in order to make that move, so it will be interesting to see how the front office handles that situation. Much of the Flyers success during the second half will hinge on how well their goaltenders perform and if they get hot at the right time again.

12. Phoenix Coyotes: The Coyotes are doing well so far this season, despite facing bankruptcy and other issues off the ice. They have been a much better team at home than on the road, so they might not last long if they squeak into the playoffs. Then again, once the playoffs start, anything can happen.

13. Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are hanging around out West but haven’t been very consistent so far this season. They have been pretty average at home and on the road this year. They will need to step up their game down the stretch to continue their post-season streak or they will be watching from home this year.

14. Minnesota Wild: The Wild have gotten very good goaltending from Niklas Backstrom. It shows in the standings as their goal differential is much better than the other teams they are surrounded with in the standings. If the Wild sneak into the post-season, they could cause some trouble for the higher ranked teams, much like Edmonton did a few years ago.

15. Florida Panthers: Florida has done very well so far this season, considering most experts didn’t even have them getting near the playoffs. The play from Florida has been good enough so far this season to have Pittsburgh looking in from the outside at the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but there is still plenty of time for Florida to take control or fall apart. If they slip up and fall out of the race, look for them to deal star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester before the trade deadline.