Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings
Through Sunday’s games:
| RK. | TEAM | Comment (Last week’s ranking) |
| 1 | San Jose 14-4-4 | Sharks are 9-0-3 since last regulation loss. Nice, but let’s see them do that in April, May and June. (1) |
| 2 | New Jersey 14-5-0 | Devils lost at Philadelphia and nine-game road winning streak. (4) |
| 3 | Washington 12-4-4 | Alexander Ovechkin (shoulder strain) is expected back soon. Mike Knuble (broken finger) will miss two weeks. (2) |
| 4 | Buffalo 12-4-1 | If Ryan Miller (1.77 goals-against, .939 save percentage) isn’t the U.S. Olympic starter there should be an investigation. (9) |
| 5 | Philadelphia 11-5-1 | Potent power play (27%) fuels Flyers’ 6-1 surge. Chris Pronger is +13 while playing a league-high 27 minutes. (5) |
| 6 | Chicago 12-5-2 | Blackhawks go 4-0 on tough homestand. Marian Hossa (shoulder) began contact drills and should make his debut during six-game trip. (12) |
| 7 | Calgary 12-4-2 | Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff has allowed only five goals in his last five starts and is 4-0-1. (8) |
| 8 | Kings 13-7-2 | Kudos for winning in Tampa a day after they were routed, 7-0, in Atlanta. Ryan Smyth was injured at Florida, but it might not be serious. (6) |
| 9 | Colorado 12-5-3 | Avalanche has lost five of its last seven. Is this surprise team coming back to earth after great start? (3) |
| 10 | Detroit 10-5-3 | Red Wings were impressive in winning six of seven. They’ve scored 19 in their last three. (16) |
| 11 | Pittsburgh 14-7-0 | Evgeni Malkin returns to end losing streak, but Chris Kunitz and Brooks Orpik are out two weeks because of lower-body injuries. (7) |
| 12 | N.Y. Rangers 11-8-1 | Marian Gaborik (13 goals, 25 points) has at least one point in 16 of the 18 games he has played. (14) |
| 13 | Phoenix 11-9-0 | Victory over Dallas is sweet for Coach Dave Tippett, former Stars coach. (10) |
| 14 | Vancouver 11-10-0 | Henrik Sedin victimizes Colorado for first hat trick. Twin Daniel (broken leg) is still out. (13) |
| 15 | Tampa Bay 8-4-6 | Steven Stamkos (13 goals, 21 points) is the real deal. Bolts have not lost in regulation at home, 5-0-4. (18) |
| 16 | Columbus 11-6-2 | Shootout win over Ducks is solid follow-up to 9-1 loss to Red Wings. (11) |
| 17 | Atlanta 10-6-1 | Thrashers win four straight and get Ilya Kovalchuk back. Could they be ready to break out? (26) |
| 18 | Dallas 8-5-6 | Stars have won two in a row only once. One bright note: Mike Modano has a goal and an assist in each of his last two games. (15) |
| 19 | Nashville 9-8-1 | Predators set franchise record with 55 shots vs. Canadiens -- and won, continuing 6-2 surge. (19) |
| 20 | Ottawa 8-6-3 | Senators have lost three of four. Losing shootout was deflating start to big five-game homestand. (20) |
| 21 | N.Y. Islanders 8-6-7 | Problem: Isles are 3-0-7 in games that go past 60 minutes. Solution: win in regulation. (23) |
| 22 | Boston 8-8-4 | Bruins score five for first time since Game 2, but Penguins score six. (17) |
| 23 | Montreal 9-11-0 | Carey Price ties a club record with 53 saves against Nashville, but Canadiens have lost four of six. (21) |
| 24 | Edmonton 8-10-3 | Denis Grebeshkov (knee) and Fernando Pisani (ulcerative colitis) are latest victims of Oilers’ injury/illness wave. (24) |
| 25 | Florida 7-9-2 | Panthers are 4-2 in shootouts after going 3-8 last season. Winning in regulation . . . that’s another story. (29) |
| 26 | Ducks 6-10-3 | GM Bob Murray says players will go before Coach Randy Carlyle does. Mass departures may soon be in order. (25) |
| 27 | Minnesota 7-11-2 | Wild loses battle of the bottom feeders, falling to Hurricanes in a shootout Sunday. Ugh. (27) |
| 28 | St. Louis 6-8-4 | Owner Dave Checketts tells Blues “it’s time to win.” They then go out and lose to the Sharks, falling to 2-6-1 at home. (28) |
| 29 | Toronto 3-10-5 | Maple Leafs have only one home win. Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson has been monstrous. (22) |
| 30 | Carolina 3-12-4 | Hurricanes’ 14-game winless streak ends in shootout victory over Minnesota. They tried their best to lose by twice blowing three-goal leads. (30) |
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