Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings
Through Monday’s games
Rank; Team; Record; (previous ranking).
1. Kings; 12-4-0; Club-record 8-0-0 start at home and 31 for 31 penalty killing at home have been impressive. Jonathan Quick (1.85 goals-against, .944 save percentage) has been stellar. (1)
2. Detroit; 11-3-1; Red Wings have won nine of their last 11. Jiri Hudler gets first goal since his brief stint in Russia’s KHL. (5)
3. Philadelphia; 12-4-2; Flyers have won nine of 11 and Jeff Carter has new 11-year, $58-million contract. Win-big win. (4).
4. Vancouver; 10-4-3; Only one regulation loss for Canucks in their last 11. Roberto Luongo looking better every game. (6)
5. Washington; 13-4-1; Capitals defensemen have been contributing offensively during team’s 8-1-1 surge. (3)
6. Montreal; 11-5-1; Canadiens have won three in a row and four of five. One key reason: Brian Gionta has goals in three of their last four games. (10)
7. St. Louis; 9-4-3; Blues are sliding, losing four straight after 9-1-2 start. David Backes got five-year, $22.5-million extension. (2)
8. Ottawa; 9-8-1; Brian Elliott (no relation) earns first shutout of the season, against Boston. (15)
9. Boston; 9-5-1; Bruins have had a light schedule so far. At some point it will hammer them. (7)
10. San Jose; 9-5-2; Sharks have won seven of 11. Antero Niittymaki apparently has won starting job over Antti Niemi. (13)
11. Pittsburgh; 9-8-2; Back-to-back weekend wins for Marc-Andre Fleury tripled his season win total. (18)
12. Chicago; 9-9-2; Blackhawks take to the road for next six because of annual circus trip. They’re the ones on the tightrope. (9)
13. N.Y. Rangers; 10-7-1; Marian Gaborik is back and they’ve won three in a row to rise in the East. (19)
14. Minnesota; 8-6-2; Cal Clutterbuck — one of the best names in hockey — scores a goal Sunday but then suffers upper-body injury.(8)
15. Ducks; 10-7-2; Six-game winning streak ends with overtime loss in Chicago. Defense still suspect but offense looks better. (21)
16. Columbus; 9-6-0; Defenseman Mike Commodore (sprained thumb) is expected to return soon after missing 13 games. (16)
17. Phoenix; 7-5-5; Coyotes have won three straight but there’s still something missing compared to last season. (26)
18. Tampa Bay; 8-7-2; Lightning has lost three straight. Vincent Lecavalier will undergo surgery on his right hand and miss three to four weeks. (11)
19. Nashville; 7-5-3; Predators win two in a row but have lost six of their last 10. (23)
20. Dallas; 8-7-0; Stars score three goals in losing three in a row. Even worse: Mark Cuban says he doesn’t want to be majority owner. That would be fun. (12)
21. Colorado; 9-7-1; Veteran defenseman Adam Foote returned after missing eight games because of a concussion. (17)
22. Carolina; 8-9-0; Hurricanes’ 8-0-2 streak at Montreal smashed in 7-2 loss to Canadiens on Saturday. (14)
23. Florida; 7-8-0; Right wing Steve Bernier will be out several weeks after suffering broken orbital bone. (27)
24. Atlanta; 7-8-3; Thrashers’ defense has been unraveling in a 1-4-1 slump. (20)
25. Buffalo; 7-9-3; Ryan Miller’s return from injury at least makes them respectable most nights. Coach Lindy Ruff passes 1,000 games behind bench. (29)
26. Calgary; 7-9-0; Flames have lost six of seven. Jarome Iginla’s goal Saturday was only his third of the season. (24)
27. Edmonton; 4-9-3; Only two wins in last 14 for Oilers. Kids and veterans alike are struggling. (22)
28. Toronto; 5-8-3; Maple Leafs have won only once in last 10. But Brian Burke insists they can’t build through the draft. This is better? (25)
29. New Jersey; 5-11-2; Devils averaging fewer than two goals per game. Ilya Kovalchuk’s blunder on shootout attempt was a classic. (30)
30. N.Y. Islanders; 4-10-3; Coach Scott Gordon became victim of 0-9-1 slump with a team that has no depth. (28)
twitter.com/helenenothelen
More to Read
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.