Islanders Power Ranking Survey

especially 2 weeks in.

…is that they often bear no relationship to reality.
Most publications come out with their first power rankings before games that matter start – it’s really a ranking of expectations and how teams are perceived.
Then, for the first few weeks of the schedule, they feverishly try to adjust so that surprises or major injuries are “accounted” for and they can feel the rankings are “fair”.
Past that point, it’s just an exercise in short-term result tracking – “oh, so-and-so played 4 games last week and went 2-2, that’s good, they’ll stay in place…but other-team played 2 games and went 2-0, so they clearly had a better week than so-and-so and should be ranked higher…”

There used to be a SI.com NFL writer who tried to keep track of who beat who and incorporate it in his rankings – no team which had beaten another team head to head would be ranked lower if he could help it. Which is a nice idea in theory, but even in the NFL with it’s much shorter schedule, it would be thrown out by midway through the season. (Usually due to the Raiders fluke victory over a contender.)

So can we please, please, please post a huge disclaimer on these posts explaining that the “last ranking” is just an indexing reference of how the writers for each of these rankings or polls perceives our team to be playing in comparison to the prior week? Please? =p

I believe from reading your post that you are wondering how power rankings would be calculated. If I’m mistaken, then move along. Nothing to see here….

Here’s the most basic method. For simplicity, let’s say Team A is being calculated, and whomever they played against is Team B:

1) Add the winning percentage of each Team B they have defeated.
2) Add to that half the winning percentage of the Team B’s that Team A has tied.
3) Add nothing for losses.

Sometimes, instead of (3) above, a certain amount is subrtracted. Sometimes it’s just Team B’s winning percentage (making it just as negative an impact as (1)‘s positive impact). Sometimes the difference between the two team’s winning percentages is subtracted.

This is done for each game, and the numbers are added up. The higher the total number, the team is in the power rankings.

However, the rankings you have shown are more likely done through concensus opinions of the news organizations’ staffs. Not too scientific.

This is one of those media driven exercises in futility that I try to pay no attention to, but I love to read them anyway. Usually because whoever is compiling them has some sense of humor evident in his comments. The fact that the Rangers have now lost Gaborik, Drury and Prospal makes the next rankings interesting. They lost to Colorado and Toronto, we beat both without Streit, Okposo, Schremp and Bailey. If we somehow end up behind the Rangers again, it will be one more indication of how little credit the Islanders receive from the media. WGAS (Who Gives A Shit).

and so… i believe the best answer to “what is the islanders’ power ranking?” is 42.

Yahoo Sports hockey writer Ross McKeon:
NHL Power Rankings

On the 19th, he had us as 12th, previously 21st, and cited the development of Bailey.