Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Monday’s games

Rank, team, record (last week’s ranking)

1. Washington 49-15-11 Capitals clinched top seeding in the East. They’ve lost only three times in regulation since Jan. 12. (1)

2. Phoenix 47-23-6 Coyotes clinched first playoff berth since 2002 and hit 100-point mark for first time in franchise history. Their story gets better and better. (2)

3. San Jose 47-19-10 Joe Thornton’s consecutive-games-played streak with the Sharks ends at 379 because of a lower-body injury. (7)

4. Nashville 44-27-6 Predators are 7-2-1 in their last 10 but have seen their lead over the Red Wings shrink. (5)

5. Detroit 39-23-13 Beware the Red Wings, who have won five straight and eight of their last 10. (12)

6. Vancouver 45-26-4 Roberto Luongo has allowed at least three goals in 11 of his last 17 games. Cause for Canucks fans to panic? (6)

7. Buffalo 42-23-10 Sabres clinch first playoff berth in three seasons thanks to a 7-3-1 push. (8)

8. Chicago 46-21-7 What’s with the Blackhawks’ two losses to the Blue Jackets in four days and 2-4-2 record in their last eight? (3)

9. Pittsburgh 44-25-7 Sidney Crosby’s two-goal game against Toronto on Sunday ended his seven-game drought. Penguins aren’t near the same level they were a year ago. (4)

10. New Jersey 44-26-5 Devils clinched a playoff berth for the 13th consecutive season. (11)

11. Colorado 41-27-7 Avalanche has been fading. Goalie Craig Anderson, third in playing time at 3,927 minutes and 48 seconds, has lost some sharpness. (10)

12. Kings 42-27-6 Jonathan Quick, who has passed 4,000 minutes, seems to be showing effects of all that playing time. (9)

13. Ottawa 41-30-5 Senators have won four straight. Daniel Alfredsson reaches 20 goals for 12th time. (16)

14. Boston 34-29-12 Marc Savard made his first public appearance Saturday since his March 7 concussion. He’s still ailing and not ready to forgive Matt Cooke. Can’t blame him. (15)

15. Montreal 37-31-8 Canadiens’ power play in two for 23 at home since resuming play after the Olympic break. Still, they’re 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. (13)

16. St. Louis 36-30-9 Keith Tkachuk ends a 15-game slump with a goal against Edmonton. The Blues won’t make the playoffs, but they’ve played hard in winning six of 10. (18)

17. Calgary 38-29-9 Flames beat Washington on Sunday to stay alive in the West, but they’re teetering because of too many bad decisions by management and poor performances on the ice. (17)

18. Philadelphia 38-32-6 Losing Jeff Carter to a broken foot is far from the only reason the Flyers are staging a late fade for the second straight season. (14)

19. Atlanta 33-31-12 Thrashers have stayed within reach of final East spot, but losing to Carolina on Monday didn’t help. (20)

20. Dallas 33-29-14 After a rough beginning, goaltender Kari Lehtonen has won four of his last six starts. (22)

21. Ducks 36-31-8 About all that’s left for them is helping Teemu Selanne score career goal 601 to tie idol Jari Kurri. (19)

22. Minnesota 37-33-6 Wild is competing hard, though its playoff chances are just about gone. (21)

23. N.Y. Rangers 33-32-10 Usually steady Henrik Lundqvist allows a costly goal in a loss to Toronto. Their season could come down to their last two games, against the Flyers. (25)

24. Toronto 28-35-13 After winning seven straight, Jonas Gustavsson is looking less monstrous and more like “The Monster” he was billed as. (28)

25. Columbus 31-32-13 Blue Jackets eliminated from playoffs despite beating Blackhawks twice in four days. (26)

26. Carolina 32-35-9 Hurricanes go from the sublime -- a shootout victory over the Capitals -- to the ridiculous, a shutout loss to the Thrashers. (23)

27. Florida 30-33-12 Poor David Booth. He missed 45 games because of a concussion and suffered another last week, ending his season. (24)

28. N.Y. Islanders 31-34-10 Goalie Rick DiPietro’s season is reportedly over because of a swollen knee. Good news: He has only 11 years left on his 15-year, $67.5-million contract. (27)

29. Tampa Bay 30-33-12 Lightning is about to miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Bright light: Steven Stamkos ranks among league leaders with 45 goals. (29)

30. Edmonton 23-44-7 Oilers can break club record for fewest points in a season. They had only 60 in 1992-93, in an 84-game schedule. (30)

helene.elliott@latimes.com