ESPN

CHICAGO -- It’s starting to be a weekly thing. The last two Stanley Cup winners continue to sit atop ESPN.com’s Power Rankings with the Blackhawks just behind the Boston Bruins again in rankings released on Monday.

The teams have nearly identical records -- Chicago is 24-10-4 while Boston is 24-10-1 -- heading into action on Monday, so it’s a flip of the coin which one deserves the top spot.

The Hawks had a fantastic December, going 10-2-1. The Bruins went 9-3 after a 12-0-1 November. So who would win in a playoff series if it was held today? Statistics can be misleading but if the point of the game is to score and stop other teams from scoring then Boston has the edge. They lead the league in both categories and are the only team giving up -- incredibly -- less than two (1.91) goals per game. That alone makes them deserving of the top spot.

The Hawks, meanwhile, rank fifth in scoring and 15th in defense. At the end of the day those statistics don’t mean much when you have the record the Hawks do but in choosing the top team for the power rankings, Boston gets the edge for its current domination at both ends of the ice.

CHICAGO -- One loss last week sent the Blackhawks toppling from the No. 1 spot in ESPN.com’s power rankings, though they didn’t fall far. They check in at No. 2 as Chicago and Boston flip-flopped.

The Hawks had a furious third-period comeback attempt against the Pittsburgh Penguins last week but lost that game, 3-2, before beating the Montreal Canadiens, 5-1 to close out their pre-Christmas schedule. Boston, meanwhile, left a lasting impression with an 8-0 drubbing of the Florida Panthers before hitting the holiday. The Bruins have won 20 of 23 games so it’s hard to argue their right to the top spot.

The Blackhawks deservedly continue to top central division teams though the St. Louis Blues aren’t going away. The Blues are up to No. 5 in the rankings while the Detroit Red Wings dropped to No. 7 due to some problems on the road. That could be good news for the Hawks, they play Detroit twice at the United Center in the span of 10 days coming up.

A win on Monday and the Hawks would become the first team in the NHL to reach 50 points, another good reason they are near the top of the power rankings.

ESPN.com’s power rankings took the Olympic break off, but they are back, with the Chicago Blackhawks looking up at a couple of teams.

It’s not a surprise that the Washington Capitals, with a recent 14-game winning streak under their belt, sit atop the rankings. Nor could anyone argue too much that the San Jose Sharks are ranked ahead of the Blackhawks at No. 2.

The Hawks’ 5-4 loss on Sunday at home to the Detroit Red Wings kept them from being higher than No. 3. Despite some spotty play both before and after the Olympic break, the Hawks are just one win behind Washington for the NHL lead.

The defending champion Penguins lurk just behind the Hawks at No. 4 and the surprising Phoenix Coyotes round out the top five.

The Hawks began the week with a bad loss to the lowly New York Islanders. Despite leading after the first period again and outshooting their opponent in lopsided fashion, they gave up four goals in the second period en route to the 5-3 loss. Bounce-back wins against the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks guaranteed a .500 week and a top-five position in the rankings.

The Hawks held the top spot for weeks until Washington went on its run and the Sharks began the post-Olympic schedule by going 2-1, losing only to the New Jersey Devils. Unless both teams collapse, San Jose or Chicago should finish the season with the No. 1 seed and home-ice advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

ESPN.com's Power Rankings are out, and despite a losing weekend, the Chicago Blackhawks remain on top.

It helped that the other contenders for the No. 1 spot all lost this past weekend as well. The Hawks also remain 2 and 1, respectively, on offense and defense in the NHL.

The New Jersey Devils are closing the gap in team goals-against average, but the Hawks remain No. 1 in that category, giving up just 2.13 per game to New Jersey’s 2.16. No team since the 1977-’78 Montreal Canadiens has led the league in offense and defense.

The Devils and San Jose Sharks traded spots in the rankings with New Jersey moving up to No. 2. The Devils have the same number of wins as the Hawks but have played three fewer games.

The biggest surprise is where last year’s finals participants are in the standings. The Detroit Red Wings are 13th, but they’ve been hovering around that mark for a while because of the number of injuries they have endured.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, however, have no such excuse in dropping to ninth. One problem is goaltending. Marc-Andre Fleury has struggled since helping Pittsburgh to a Cup win last spring.

Still, you would be hard pressed to find someone that believes the Phoenix Coyotes, who rank one higher than Pittsburgh, would beat them in a playoff series.

The other team climbing the ranks is the Vancouver Canucks. They are 7-0-2 in their past nine and up to seventh in the rankings. The Hawks will play them on the road later this month. Another hot team, despite being ranked 25th, is Columbus. They have won three in a row and visit the United Center on Thursday.