Updated: February 6, 2012, 10:55 AM ET

Power Rankings: It's a New York kind of day

Week:

By Scott Burnside (Posted Feb. 6, 2012)

The Bruins right the ship, the Senators take a tumble, the Devils are on the rise and the Habs continue to embarrass themselves. Read on, friends of the Power Rankings, read on.

• Have your say: Rank all 30 teams!

2011-2012 Power Rankings: Week 19
RANK	TEAM / RECORD	TRENDING	COMMENTS
1	New York 33-12-5	-- Last Week: 1	The Rangers have the best points percentage, have lost the fewest games and, after downing Atlantic Division foe Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, are 4-0-1 in their past five. They have defeated the Flyers four straight times.
2	Detroit 35-16-2	-- Last Week: 2	The Wings still are trying to figure out how long starter Jimmy Howard, who leads the league in wins, will be out of action. And Ty Conklin did little to assuage fears of Red Wings fans that they need to shore up their netminding for the playoffs after his performance against Edmonton on Saturday. But the Wings remain atop the Central and are 9-1-1 in their past 11.
3	Vancouver 32-15-5	1 Last Week: 4	It isn't always pretty for the Canucks, as was the case in Saturday's shootout win over Colorado, but they remain in the hunt for one of the top two seeds in the West and are 8-2-2 in their past 12.
4	Nashville 32-17-4	3 Last Week: 7	The Predators shook off a disappointing loss in Philadelphia on Thursday for a solid 3-1 victory over St. Louis on Saturday behind more Pekka Rinne exploits. The Predators have won 11 of 13 and at least temporarily vaulted over St. Louis into fourth in the Western Conference.
5	St. Louis 30-14-7	-- Last Week: 5	The Blues fell a point behind the Predators with a loss Saturday but have two games in hand and have lost just twice in regulation in their past 13 outings. They have the lowest goals against per game in the NHL.
6	Boston 33-16-2	-- Last Week: 6	The Bruins have gone a little sideways with just five wins in their past 11 games, although they did maul Washington on Sunday by a 4-1 count. Still, the B's have the second East seed, not to mention the Northeast Division title, pretty much wrapped up. And you know GM Peter Chiarelli will tinker before the trade deadline.
7	San Jose 29-15-6	3 Last Week: 10	Just when you want to throw the Sharks into the mix as a Cup contender, they wobble, as they did Saturday, losing 5-3 to Dave Tippett's never-say-die Coyotes. Still, the Sharks, who have the seventh-ranked points percentage in the league, control their own destiny vis-à-vis staying atop the Pacific Division and taking a run at a top seed in the conference.
8	New Jersey 30-19-3	5 Last Week: 13	The Devils embarrassed the Flyers on Saturday by pouring in six straight goals en route to a 6-4 victory, then waxed Pittsburgh on Sunday to make it three in a row against tough Atlantic Division competition. New Jersey has won four straight and is 7-2-1 in its past 10. All of a sudden the Atlantic is a pretty crowded place.
9	Pittsburgh 30-19-4	1 Last Week: 8	The Penguins were humbled by the Devils on Sunday but are still in the midst of a pretty good chunk of hockey that has seen them winning eight of their past 10. Evgeni Malkin continues to lead the league in scoring.
10	Philadelphia 30-16-6	4 Last Week: 6	The Flyers are one of those feast-or-famine teams. They looked great in knocking off red-hot Nashville at home on Thursday, then laid a giant egg against New Jersey on Saturday and were whipped by the Rangers on Sunday. The continued absence of veteran Daniel Briere hurts.
11	Chicago 29-17-7	2 Last Week: 9	The Hawks miserably began their nine-game road trip that marks the start of their post-All-Star break schedule, going 0-2-1, and are winless in five overall. They are giving up way too many goals and chances and have fallen to fourth in their division.
12	Florida 24-16-11	3 Last Week: 15	The Panthers are hanging on to the top spot in the Southeast Division. A disappointing 6-3 loss to Tampa on Saturday blunted the team's earlier victories over division foes Washington and Winnipeg.
13	Toronto 27-19-6	3 Last Week: 16	The Leafs are healthy and, after pounding Northeast Division rival Ottawa on Saturday, are looking more like a playoff team every day.
14	Washington 27-21-4	-- Last Week: 14	The Capitals continue to stutter-step their way through the schedule, as they lost 4-1 to Boston on Sunday and still find themselves hovering around the playoff bubble one point back of Florida for the Southeast Division lead.
15	Minnesota 25-19-8	5 Last Week: 20	The Wild continue to lurch along, going 1-1-1 since the break, but that's been enough to stay in the top eight in the West and actually move to within two points of seventh-place Los Angeles.
16	Ottawa 27-21-7	4 Last Week: 12	The Senators are quickly free-falling out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, as they are winless in six (0-5-1) and have played more games than any other team in the league. Look out below.
17	Los Angeles 25-18-10	6 Last Week: 11	Just when you want to anoint the Kings a surefire playoff team, they go sideways, as was the case in back-to-back losses in St. Louis and Carolina. The Kings have won two of six, and the offense continues to shoot too many blanks.
18	Dallas 27-22-2	-- Last Week: 18	The Stars are hanging around the playoff picture in the West. It's time for Kari Lehtonen to prove he's a franchise netminder.
19	Calgary 24-22-6	2 Last Week: 21	The Flames are still hanging on with three wins in their past five. Big week ahead: They have three games on the road against Anaheim, San Jose and Phoenix.
20	Phoenix 23-21-8	2 Last Week: 22	Just when you want to count the Coyotes out of the playoff chatter in the Western Conference, they come up big, as they did in beating San Jose on Saturday.
21	Colorado 26-25-3	2 Last Week: 19	After scrambling back into the playoff discussion in the West, the Avs have hit another stretch -- winless in five -- where they can't put enough W's on the board to make us believers.
22	Tampa Bay 23-23-5	3 Last Week: 25	If there is a team that's capable of making a surprise charge to the postseason from back in the pack, it would be the Lightning, who are unbeaten in regulation in seven (6-0-1), including a huge win over Southeast Division-leading Florida on Saturday.
23	New York 21-22-8	5 Last Week: 28	The Isles have put together a nice run of performances, going 6-2-2 in their past 10, which is typical of a franchise that has a knack for winning games when they don't matter.
24	Anaheim 19-24-8	7 Last Week: 17	The Ducks have just two regulation losses in their past 13 games, and trade talk surrounding core players seems to have cooled. What of defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, though? Stay tuned, as the market would be hot and heavy for the talented Slovak.
25	Winnipeg 24-24-6	2 Last Week: 23	Disappointing losses to Florida and then to horrid Montreal reinforced that this Jets team isn't quite ready to join the playoff party.
26	Edmonton 21-26-5	3 Last Week: 29	The Oilers are enjoying a brief revival, led by point machine Sam Gagner, and have won three in a row.
27	Carolina 20-25-9	1 Last Week: 26	Good on the Canes, as they swept their season series with the Bruins and are 6-2-2 in their past 10. Watch for GM Jim Rutherford to be busy as he continues to field offers from the many suitors of forward Tuomo Ruutu.
28	Buffalo 22-24-9	1 Last Week: 27	The Sabres are 10 points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and seem destined to finish well out of the playoff bracket, because other also-rans such as the Islanders and Lightning are playing well of late.
29	Montreal 20-24-9	5 Last Week: 24	The Habs appear ready to mail in the rest of the season, as they've lost three of four since the All-Star break and have looked grisly in doing so. Their win Sunday over Winnipeg was just their fourth in their past 12 games and momentarily lifted them out of the Eastern Conference cellar. The housecleaning can't come soon enough.
30	Columbus 14-32-6	-- Last Week: 30	Just when long-suffering Columbus fans thought they'd seen it all, even the clock conspires to keep the floundering Blue Jackets at the bottom of the overall standings.
Biggest Jump: 5 Biggest Drop: 7 Make your own Power Rankings

Power Rankings: It's a New York kind of day

ESPN Conversations