Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Monday’s games

1. Philadelphia 29-11-5. Flyers have won six of their last seven and seven of their last 10. They’ve done it without Chris Pronger (foot surgery). He might return this week. (3)

2. Vancouver 29-10-6. Canucks’ 4-0 loss to Minnesota was only their second regulation defeat in their last 20 games. They’re 2-2 on a trip that ends Tuesday in Denver. (1)

3. Detroit 28-11-6. Tomas Holmstrom (broken wrist) and Jimmy Howard (bruised knee) joined Pavel Datsyuk (broken hand), Dan Cleary (broken ankle), Brad Stuart (broken jaw) and Chris Osgood (hernia surgery) on injury list, but Red Wings have barely slowed. (2)

4. Dallas 28-13-5. Stars have won four straight and six of seven, outscoring opponents, 25-11, in that span. They remain the biggest surprise of the season. (6)

5. Pittsburgh 28-14-4. Sidney Crosby still troubled by concussion symptoms. Penguins have won last two without him, but it hasn’t been easy. (5)

6. Boston 25-13-7. Bruins getting healthier, as forward Milan Lucic (undisclosed injury) and defenseman Mark Stuart (broken hand) returned in 7-0 rout of Carolina on Monday. (9)

7. Washington 25-14-7. Capitals have scored three goals or fewer in 10 straight games. Alexander Ovechkin remains a puzzle at 15 goals and 45 points in 44 games. (4)

8. Nashville 24-15-6. Predators split home-and-home series with Blackhawks. Defenseman Shea Weber continues his outstanding season with a nine-game point-scoring streak. (8)

9. Phoenix 23-14-9. Coyotes’ loss to Sharks on Monday ended a four-game winning streak. David Schlemko became third defensemen to be injured. (16)

10. Chicago 25-18-4. Blackhawks are 4-1-1 in their last six and look more like champs than chumps. They don’t play again until Saturday. (12)

11. Tampa Bay 26-15-5. Lightning has lost two straight and three of its last four, including two to the Devils. Ouch. (10)

12. Montreal 26-17-3. Canadiens beat the Rangers twice last week, once with Alex Auld and once behind Carey Price, and are challenging Boston for Northeast Division lead. (11)

13. N.Y. Rangers 26-18-3. Acquiring forward Wojtek Wolski from Phoenix for defenseman Michal Rozsival left them with a young defense, a big gamble. (7)

14. Ducks 25-19-4. They’ve won seven of their last nine but will play eight of their next nine games on the road. If they’re still in a playoff position after that, they could be for real. (15)

16. Minnesota 22-18-5. Wild has beaten Canucks four straight times at home by a combined 21-6. Unfortunately, Minnesota had to play other teams too. (14)

16. Carolina 22-17-6. Hurricanes have points in nine of their last 11. Center Eric Staal became club scoring leader since move to Carolina, with his 474th point. (22)

17. Kings 24-20-1. Winning only two of eight games on their just-completed homestand might come back to haunt them later. They still need more speed and skill up front. (18)

18. Colorado 23-16-6. Avalanche has won only four of its last 10. But team got good news when shoulder injury suffered by center Ryan O’Reilly proved to be minor. He will be out two weeks. (17)

19. San Jose 23-19-5. Patrick Marleau plays in his 1,000th game Monday and scores to help Sharks beat Coyotes. (19)

20. Atlanta 23-18-7. Thrashers’ rally past Florida ended a four-game losing streak. Defense and penalty killing are the culprits in their slide. (13)

21. Florida 21-20-3. Scott Clemmensen has started three straight games, winning two and losing one in a shootout. (25)

22. St. Louis 21-17-6. Blues are 1-5-1 in their last seven and they’re coming home, where they’ve lost three straight. They’ll have to work hard to stay near West pack. (20)

23. Calgary 20-20-6. New General Manager Jay Feaster continues to evaluate talent and decide course. Here’s some advice: Trade veterans with any value, clean house, and start over. (26)

24. Columbus 21-20-4. Blue Jackets have lost six of their last seven, with only a shootout victory over Detroit breaking the monotony. (27)

25. N.Y. Islanders 14-23-7. Second-year center John Tavares leads the team’s 9-5-2 surge by scoring 10 goals and 19 points in those games, including his second career hat trick. (23)

26. Toronto 18-21-5. The Maple Leafs have won their last five on the road but have only one win in their last six games at home. That won’t get them anywhere. (24)

27. Buffalo 19-20-5. Sabres were 5-1-1 before defense fell apart against the Islanders in a 5-3 loss Saturday. (21)

28. Ottawa 17-23-6. Rumors about an imminent coaching change continue to swirl. Winning only two of 10 games will fan those flames. (28)

29. New Jersey 13-29-3. Taking three of four points in trip to Florida and Tampa ranks as an achievement for the Devils. (30)

30. Edmonton 14-23-7. Young Oilers have a world of potential in kids like Taylor Hall and Magnus Paajarvi, but they have some growing up to do.(29)