Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Monday’s games

Rank Team Record Comment (previous week)

1. Chicago 31-11-4 After scoring four goals in five games Marian Hossa didn’t play Sunday against the Ducks because of a lower-body injury. He’s day to day. (1)

2. New Jersey 31-11-1 Finishing remainder of game against the Lightning in which the lights went out gave the Devils three games in three days. (3)

3. Buffalo 28-11-5 Jumbo rookie defenseman Tyler Myers -- he’s 6 feet 8 without skates -- earning raves and Rookie of the Year consideration. (4)

4. San Jose 29-10-7 Sharks lost home games to the Kings and Red Wings last week by a combined 10-3 and paid for it with a grueling practice Sunday. It paid off with win over Kings on Monday. (2)

5. Washington 27-11-6 Capitals scored eight against the Thrashers. Not surprising. Alexander Ovechkin didn’t have any. That’s surprising. (8)

6. Vancouver 27-17-2 Henrik Sedin takes over NHL scoring lead with 63 points. Canucks get points in nine of their last 11. (9)

7. Colorado 26-15-6 Rookie Matt Duchene (29 points) continues to shine. Rookie Ryan O’Reilly (five goals, 18 points) has been impressive, too. (7)

8. Phoenix 26-15-5 Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov might be tired after playing 2,363 minutes and 47 seconds, second-most in the NHL. Bryzgalov has allowed 15 goals in his last four games. (6)

9. Pittsburgh 28-18-1 Penguins’ power play ailing despite Sergei Gonchar’s return. Rugged defenseman Brooks Orpik is day to day with an undisclosed injury suffered Saturday at Toronto. (10)

10. Calgary 26-14-6 Flames are winless in four games against the Avalanche, overall, they’ve three of four. (11)

11. Kings 25-18-3 One-goal losses are killing them; they’ve lost seven of their last 10 by one goal. (5)

12. Detroit 23-15-6 That sound you hear is the Red Wings awakening. They’ve won four of five despite injuries that would have led lesser teams to concede the season. (13)

13. Nashville 27-16-3 Predators defy the skeptics and stay in the top eight in the West, even though Jason Arnott’s upper-body injury might keep him out awhile. (12)

14. N.Y. Rangers 22-17-6 Making a move after earning points in 11 of 12 games (8-1-3). Coach John Tortorella doesn’t have much to curse about these days. (17)

15. Boston 22-15-7 Bruins will miss center Marc Savard, out at least three weeks because of a torn knee ligament. (14)

16. Philadelphia 22-19-3 Goalie Michael Leighton, on a 7-0-1 streak, has pushed Ray Emery to the sidelines and has lifted Flyers back toward playoff position.

17. Montreal 22-21-4 Goaltender Jaroslav Halak is the Canadiens’ backbone in a 6-3-1 surge. (18)

18. Minnesota 23-20-3 Guillaume Latendresse stars with game-winning goal and three assists against defending champion Penguins. (20)

19. Ducks 20-19-7 Four-game winning streak looks like the late surges they’ve had the past four seasons. But they’ve got a lot of ground to make up. (27)

20. Dallas 19-15-11 Stars have won only one of their past 11 road games. That isn’t going to cut it if they want to make up ground in the West. (16)

21. N.Y. Islanders 19-19-8 Who was that masked man in goal last week? Rick DiPietro, out almost a year because of knee woes. (21)

22. Ottawa 22-20-4 Senators hold a players-only meeting after Sunday’s loss to Carolina stretches their losing streak to four. (15)

23. Tampa Bay 17-17-10 Lightning rebounded from a tough loss to the Flyers to finish off suspended game against the Devils with a win. (19)

24. Columbus 18-20-9 Wins over Edmonton, Calgary and Dallas might have prolonged Coach Ken Hitchcock’s tenure. (29)

25. Florida 18-20-7 Panthers end mediocre trip with 3-0 win at Ottawa, as Tomas Vokoun earns his fourth shutout. (22)

26. St. Louis 18-19-7 Blues beat Kings to give new Coach Davis Payne his first NHL win in his fourth game. He will find more wins very hard to come by. (25)

27. Carolina 13-24-7 Wins over Colorado and Ottawa are Hurricanes’ first two-game winning streak since early December. Goalie Cam Ward getting sharper. (26)

28. Atlanta 19-19-6 Thrashers GM Don Waddell has a lot of new best friends now, with Ilya Kovalchuk apparently about to be on the market. If he isn’t already. (24)

29. Toronto 15-22-9 Coach Ron Wilson unfairly singles out Phil Kessel for Maple Leafs’ problems, which include two wins in the last 10. Look in the mirror, Ron. (28)

30. Edmonton 16-23-5 The Oilers have won only once in their last 10. Sheldon Souray says he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause. There could be some takers. (30)

helene.elliott@latimes.com