Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Monday’s games

Rank; Team; Record; (Previous ranking)

1. Vancouver, 36-12-9. The Canucks have won seven of their last nine. Alex Burrows has eight goals in his last nine games and Mikael Samuelsson has 14 points in his last nine games. (2)

2. Philadelphia, 36-14-5. The Flyers have scored only eight goals in their last five games and have been blanked on the power play in three of those games. (1)

3. Tampa Bay, 34-17-5. Not afraid of working overtime: the Lightning leads the NHL with 13 wins in overtime or by the skills contest known as the shootout. (4)

4. Detroit, 34-16-6. Todd Bertuzzi has four goals in his last two games. He’s streaky, and when he’s on a roll he’s tough to stop. (5)

5. Montreal, 31-20-6. Goalie Carey Price (27 wins, six shutouts) will have to carry them with Hal Gill joining fellow defensemen Josh Gorges and Andrei Markov on the sideline because of injury. (8)

6. Boston, 31-18-7. The Bruins were spanked by the Red Wings on Sunday, for their second straight loss. Montreal might soon pass them atop the Northeast Division. (7)

7. Nashville, 30-19-7. Predators declared they want to win now when they traded a first-round draft pick to Ottawa for Mike Fisher. (11)

8. Phoenix, 30-19-9. Coyotes have won five straight. Their fourth win in a row came at Chicago’s expense and before a full house. Start of a trend, or are Cubs fans in Arizona early for spring training? (15)

9. Pittsburgh, 35-19-4. Bad week for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby (concussion) isn’t coming back soon, Evgeni Malkin (knee) undergoes surgery and they brawl with the Islanders. (3)

10. Ducks, 32-21-4. Ducks outscored opponents, 16-7, in sweeping trip to Colorado, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. It was franchise’s third sweep of a trip that lasted four or more games. (12)

11. Washington, 29-17-10. Capitals’ defense has improved but at the expense of the offense: they’ve scored three goals in their last three games. Home ice hasn’t been an advantage with a 5-6-6 record in their last 17 at the Verizon Center. (6)

12. Minnesota, 30-20-5. The Wild has won three in a row and eight of 10 but isn’t gaining much ground in the wacky West. (18)

13. Kings, 31-22-3. Improbably they’re 4-0-2 in a stretch of 10 straight road games, part of a 7-0-2 push. Their defense and goaltending have been excellent but adding a scoring left wing or center would help their playoff chances immensely. (13)

14. San Jose, 30-21-6. After a 9-0-1 run, the Sharks have lost two in a row, including a clunker at Florida on Sunday. Just when you think they’re a real team they backslide. (10)

15. Dallas, 31-19-6. The Stars have won two of their last nine, the only Pacific Division team that has been slumping. Their division lead and once-sure playoff spot soon could be gone. (9)

16. Calgary, 29-22-8. Earning 18 of 22 points has put the Flames in the No. 8 spot in the West. (14)

17. Chicago, 28-22-6. Defending Stanley Cup champions are still flailing after a 2-2-2 trip in which they beat only teams that trail them. There aren’t many of those anymore. (16)

18. N.Y. Rangers, 30-24-4. Battering the Penguins on Sunday ended the Rangers’ 0-5-1 slump, but their troubles probably aren’t over yet. (17)

19. New Jersey, 22-30-4. The honeymoon of Coach Jacques Lemaire continues in a 12-1-2 surge. Playoffs, anyone? They’re still a ways out but it would be a great story. (21)

20. Columbus, 28-23-5. Blue Jackets have won five in a row on the road, tying a franchise record. They’re within striking distance of eighth in the West, but it’s a longshot. (23)

21. Carolina, 27-22-8. Hurricanes’ victory over Atlanta on Sunday ended their three-game losing streak and vaulted them past the Thrashers and into eighth in the East. (19)

22. Buffalo, 26-22-6. Sabres’ three-game winning streak ended Sunday in ruins of 7-6 overtime loss to the Islanders. They can’t play high-scoring games like that. (20)

23. Atlanta, 25-23-10. Winning two of 10 games is not the way for the Thrashers to hold onto eighth in the East. They’re been passing it back and forth with Carolina. (24)

24. St. Louis, 25-21-9. The Blues capitalized on Vancouver mistakes Monday to win for only the fourth time in their last 11 games. (25)

25. N.Y. Islanders, 20-29-7. Brawls, suspensions resulting from game against Penguins add to the circus atmosphere around this team. (28)

26. Toronto, 23-27-6. Every time the Maple Leafs make a modest surge toward the playoffs they take a few steps back. It doesn’t help that they’ve lost six of their last seven road games. (27)

27. Florida, 24-24-7. Panthers had lost five in a row and nine of 11 at home but then rallied to beat the Sharks, in an upset. (26)

28. Colorado, 25-26-6. Peter Forsberg was scoreless and minus-4 defensively in his two-game comeback. Avalanche has lost eight straight and 10 of 11. (22)

29. Ottawa, 18-30-8. Trading center Mike Fisher to Nashville for draft picks was the beginning of what looms as a long and difficult rebuilding process. (29)

30. Edmonton, 16-32-8. Oilers have fewest wins and home wins (seven) in the NHL. When do they trade Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky? (30)

helene.elliott@latimes.com

twitter.com/helenenothelen