Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Monday’s games

Rank Team Record (previous week)

1. Washington 41-12-6. Alexander Ovechkin’s first hat trick this season lifts the Capitals past the Penguins for their 14th win in a row. Only his first hat trick? (1)

2. Kings 36-20-3. They’ve showed great resilience in extending club-record winning streak to nine before losing to the Ducks on Monday. (5)

3. San Jose 39-11-9. Sharks win at Toronto on Monday. It was their ninth straight away from home. Key defenseman Dan Boyle returns after missing six games because of an undisclosed injury. (2)

4. Chicago 38-15-5. Reuniting the line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp helped the Blackhawks end a three-game losing streak Saturday. (3)

5. Vancouver 35-20-2. In an unusual move, goalie Roberto Luongo asked that he not play at Ottawa. After the game off, he was refreshed enough to beat Boston in a shootout. (4)

6. Colorado 33-19-6. With 72 points, Avalanche has surpassed last season’s point total (69). Goalie Craig Anderson has six shutouts this season, three of them against Edmonton. (6)

7. Ottawa 33-22-4. Senators’ 11-game winning streak is ended by the Maple Leafs. They also lost defenseman Erik Karlsson to a shoulder injury. (9)

8. Phoenix 36-19-5. Matthew Lombardi has five points as Coyotes rout the Oilers. Coyotes equal last season’s win total. (8)

9. New Jersey 36-20-2. Devils win the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. It’s an uncharacteristic move for a buttoned-up, defense-first team. (10)

10. Pittsburgh 35-22-2. Sidney Crosby ties career best with 39 goals. Penguins are only 5-4-1 in their last 10 after weekend losses at Montreal and Washington. (7)

11. Buffalo 32-18-7. Sabres’ skid hits four straight losses. Team holds a meeting after losses to Carolina and Columbus. Talk is cheap. Effort isn’t. (11)

12. Calgary 29-21-9. Scoring woes continue even after the Flames trade Dion Phaneuf in blockbuster deal. (16)

13. Dallas 26-21-11. Goaltender Marty Turco has allowed only three goals in 101 shots in his last three starts for the Stars. (17)

14. Detroit 27-21-10. Ville Leino, a rare failed prospect, was traded to Philadelphia the day the Red Wings lost Tomas Holmstrom, Drew Miller and Patrick Eaves to injuries. But Johan Franzen (knee) should be back today. (13)

15. Nashville 31-22-4. Predators’ J.P. Dumont goes 192 games between two-goal performances, but his two-goal game isn’t enough against San Jose. (14)

16. Minnesota 29-25-4. Wild is staying in the West playoff race by earning points in nine consecutive home games. Fourth-string goalie Anton Khudobin earns first NHL win. (15)

17. Tampa Bay 25-21-11. Lightning has passed last season’s win total of 24. New owner Jeffrey Vinik says he will put resources into making the team successful. (24)

18. Montreal 28-26-6. Canadiens’ inconsistency continues. They win three straight and then lose to the feeble Bruins on Sunday. (22)

19. Ducks 28-24-7. They’re still close enough to eighth to be in the race, but they have to come out of the Olympic break strong, and without injuries. (18)

20. Philadelphia 29-25-3. Flyers seem stuck in neutral, going 6-5 in their last 11. Goaltender Ray Emery is out with a hip injury. (12)

21. St. Louis 25-25-9. Blues’ league-worst 9-16-5 home record is keeping them from making a bigger playoff push. (20)

22. Atlanta 25-24-8. Newcomer Niclas Bergfors scores as Thrashers win first game of post-Kovalchuk era. All Kovalchuk souvenirs on deep discount at the team store. (21)

23. N.Y. Rangers 26-26-7. They’re 3-7 in their last 10 and still not scoring enough to stay in the top eight in the East. (23)

24. Carolina 21-30-7. Goalie Justin Peters has a successful NHL debut. Hurricanes also get Niclas Wallin to waive his no-trade clause and be dealt to San Jose. Lucky him. (28)

25. Florida 24-25-9. Losing forwards Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton to injuries is too much for Panthers to handle. (19)

26. Columbus 24-27-9. Blue Jackets win two in a row under new Coach Claude Noel. Wins over Dallas and Buffalo were first back-to-back games for Steve Mason since October. (27)

27. Boston 24-22-11. Bruins needed a shutout from Tuukka Rask on Sunday at Montreal to stop a 10-game losing streak. (26)

28. N.Y. Islanders 23-27-8. Losing streak reaches a season-worst seven games. They’ve scored only nine goals in that span. (25)

29. Toronto 19-30-11. Jean-Sebastien Giguere loses after recording shutouts in his first two games with the Maple Leafs. (29)

30. Edmonton 18-34-6. Things just keep getting worse for the Oilers. Dustin Penner has two goals in 11 games and now Sam Gagner has a sore knee. (30)

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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