Current NHL Power Rankings: Ducks in charge

By Scott Burnside (posted Dec. 15, 2014)





A week ago, I penciled in the Anaheim Ducks at No. 1 and changed my mind at the last minute to go with the scorching-hot Chicago Blackhawks. No such hesitation this week, as the Ducks are not just the hottest team in the league but perhaps the best team right now (with all due respect to the smokin' hot Toronto Maple Leafs). And how about those Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets? To find out about the rest of the gang, read on.

2014-2015 Power Rankings: Week 10
RANK	TEAM / RECORD	TRENDING	COMMENTS
1	Anaheim 21-6-5	1 Last Week: 2	Even without the injured Corey Perry, the Ducks are machinelike, winners of seven straight and 10 of 12 to open up breathing room atop the Pacific as well as the league standings.
2	Chicago 21-9-1	1 Last Week: 1	The Blackhawks' eight-game winning streak was snapped Saturday by the Islanders, but they followed that up with a solid 2-1 win over the Flames on Sunday.
3	St. Louis 20-8-2	5 Last Week: 8	The Blues have won four in a row and continue to take on the Blackhawks and Predators in what is a pitched battle for the top spot in the Central.
4	Pittsburgh 19-6-4	2 Last Week: 6	Sidney Crosby has the mumps, but the Pens have points in eight of their past 10 to maintain their slim hold on the top spot in the Metropolitan.
5	Detroit 17-7-7	2 Last Week: 3	The Wings are winless in three, including dropping two in a matter of days to the Leafs, but can look forward to four in a row at Joe Louis Arena, where they have been tough all season. They are missing Stephen Weiss and Justin Abdelkader up front.
6	Nashville 19-8-2	1 Last Week: 7	The Preds were shut out by the Sharks on Saturday and have the league's 29th-ranked power play. Good thing they have the NHL's top goaltender in Pekka Rinne.
7	Tampa Bay 19-9-3	3 Last Week: 4	The Bolts were beaten twice last week by former Southeast foe the Capitals and have lost three of four.
8	New York 20-10-0	3 Last Week: 5	A huge win over the red-hot Blackhawks ended an ugly three-game slide. But they still boast the league's worst penalty killing.
9	Toronto 18-9-3	6 Last Week: 15	OK, we admit we have no idea what to make of the Leafs, other than they have somehow lost only once in regulation in their past 11 games and have won five in a row after a shootout win over the Kings on Sunday.
10	Montreal 19-10-2	2 Last Week: 12	The Canadiens are slowly righting the ship after a rough patch, putting up two straight wins.
11	San Jose 17-11-4	-- Last Week: 11	No in-between this season for the Sharks, who are again playing top-notch hockey en route to seven wins in their past eight games. They have allowed 16 goals in this eight-game stretch.
12	Winnipeg 15-10-6	2 Last Week: 14	The Jets couldn't handle the Ducks on Saturday but still have points in eight of nine and get a dose of some Eastern Conference action this week with the Sabres, Bruins and Flyers all visiting the MTS Centre.
13	Los Angeles 15-10-6	-- Last Week: 13	The Kings are still stuck in neutral, as they have just four wins in their past 11 games. Where would they be without Jonathan Quick? Ugly to think about it.
14	Vancouver 18-10-2	5 Last Week: 9	The Canucks are now winless in four and have been outscored 17-7 over this stretch.
15	New York 14-10-4	7 Last Week: 22	The Rangers are beginning to look more like the team that would bend but didn't break en route to a Stanley Cup finals berth last spring. They have three wins in a row in spite of losing Derick Brassard to the mumps.
16	Calgary 17-13-2	6 Last Week: 10	Yikes, the bottom has officially fallen out on the plucky Flames, as they have dropped five in a row. The challenge for coach Bob Hartley is to stop the bleeding before this gets out-of-the-playoff-picture ugly.
17	Washington 14-10-5	2 Last Week: 19	The Caps are 4-0-1 in their past five, including two wins last week over the Lightning. Could this be a corner turned for Barry Trotz's crew?
18	Florida 12-8-8	-- Last Week: 18	The Panthers continue to collect points -- nine times in their past 12 games, they've come up with at least one -- to keep hanging around the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Kudos to coach Gerard Gallant for keeping his troops on task after a difficult start.
19	Minnesota 16-11-1	2 Last Week: 17	The Wild are stuck in a win-one-lose-one pattern, which is a surefire way to miss the playoffs. They face the Blackhawks, Bruins, Predators and Flyers before the holiday break. Tough test, indeed.
20	Boston 15-13-2	4 Last Week: 16	The Bruins have two wins in their past nine games, and the offense has gone south in a dramatic way. Oh, well, at least they're likely to get the 2016 Winter Classic.
21	Columbus 12-15-2	3 Last Week: 24	What a remarkable turnaround for the beat-up Blue Jackets, who have won six in a row.
22	Buffalo 12-16-2	4 Last Week: 26	Love what Ted Nolan and his gang are doing in Buffalo. Three wins in a row and nine wins in their past 12. Tanking? Not this group.
23	Dallas 11-13-5	3 Last Week: 20	The Stars face the Canucks and Flames this week. Let's see whether faint rumblings of a recovery are real.
24	Colorado 10-13-7	3 Last Week: 21	The Avs are without Semyon Varlamov again and are unable to put together enough consistent efforts to make headway in the Central.
25	Philadelphia 11-13-5	3 Last Week: 28	The Flyers are showing a brief spasm of life with a modest two-game winning streak.
26	Ottawa 12-12-5	3 Last Week: 23	I'm guessing maybe it wasn't all Paul MacLean. The Senators are still going nowhere in a hurry in spite of making the league's first coaching change of the season.
27	New Jersey 11-15-5	2 Last Week: 25	With the Sabres and Blue Jackets surging, this is exactly what it's come to for the hapless Devils, winners of just two of their past 11 games.
28	Arizona 10-16-4	1 Last Week: 27	The Yotes have somehow gone winless in nine straight at home. That will have them busting down the turnstiles at Gila River Arena.
29	Carolina 8-18-3	-- Last Week: 29	The Hurricanes have lost five straight and have scored five total goals during that stretch. Ugly.
30	Edmonton 7-19-5	-- Last Week: 30	Amazingly, the Hurricanes' ineptitude pales in comparison to the embarrassing Oil, who have one win in 16, costing coach Dallas Eakins his job.
Biggest Jump: 7 Biggest Drop: 6