Despite injuries to a handful of key players, the Flames are nipping at the heels of the Coyotes for the final playoff spot in the West with an impressive 4-0-2 stretch. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)
The St. Louis Blues couldn't handle the heat. We put them right there in our top spot of the weekly power rankings seven days ago, and what do they do, they drop a close 2-1 decision to the worst team of them all, the Columbus Blue Jackets, on Tuesday.
That slipup cost the Blues our No. 1 billing, and enabled the New York Rangers to climb back into first. Yes, we know the Detroit Red Wings currently occupy the penthouse in the overall standings. But the Rangers have three games in hand and are only one point back of Detroit.
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 | 1. NEW YORK RANGERS (37-13-5) They have won four in a row, including a convincing 3-0 win over the Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins on Tuesday. (Last Week: 2) |
 | 2. DETROIT RED WINGS (39-17-2) Detroit made NHL history with their 21st win at home on Tuesday. The Wings have outings against Nashville and San Jose left on this homestand.(Last Week: 3) |
 | 3. ST. LOUIS BLUES (34-15-7)They had a four-game victory string snapped in Columbus on Tuesday, but received excellent news with the return of Andy McDonald last weekend.(Last Week: 71) |
 | 4. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (35-15-6) The Canucks have won four of their past five games, and much to the joy of goalie Roberto Luongo, three of those wins have come on shootouts.(Last Week: 4) |
 | 5. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (33-18-6) Head coach Barry Trotz benched Matt Halischuk last month and he scored. The same result occurred after rookie Ryan Ellis was scratched this week. (Last Week: 5) |
 | 6. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (32-19-5) Evgeni Malkin has opened up a seven-point lead in the scoring race with a five goals and 10 points in his last five games.(Last Week:6 ) |
 | 7. BOSTON BRUINS (34-18-2) We're not blaming their struggles on Tim Thomas, but the champs have gone 3-5-0 since the goalie's White House snub.(Last Week: 7) |
 | 8. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (32-20-4) They have survived the loss of rookie defenceman Adam Larsson (lower back), but could be helped out by a trade for Marek Zidlicky. (Last Week: 8) |
 | 9. SAN JOSE SHARKS (31-17-6) The inconsistent Sharks have dropped three of their past four decisions, and they have a big showdown in Detroit on Sunday.(Last Week: 9) |
 | 10. PHOENIX COYOTES (27-21-9) Goalie Mike Smith and the Coyotes have reeled off a 5-0-1 run and have themselves back in eighth spot in the Western Conference standings. (Last Week: 14) |
 | 11. CALGARY FLAMES (27-22-8) Despite injuries to a handful of key players, the Flames are nipping at the heels of the Coyotes with an impressive 4-0-2 stretch.(Last Week: 23) |
 | 12. LOS ANGELES KINGS (27-19-11) They finished off a mediocre 2-3-1 road trip with a 4-2 win in Dallas on Sunday. Now they have key games at home against Phoenix and Calgary. (Last Week: 10) |
 | 13. FLORIDA PANTHERS (27-17-11) The Panthers have distanced themselves from the Capitals in the battle for top spot in the Southeast with three straight wins.(Last Week: 16) |
 | 14. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (31-18-7) Head coach Peter Laviolette said there is no feud with his goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, but backup Sergei Bobrovsky has started the last three.(Last Week: 11) |
 | 15. OTTAWA SENATORS (29-22-8) They have put their slump in the rearview mirror by snatching five of six points in their last three outings.(Last Week: 18) |
 | 16. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (29-21-7) The season has gone wrong for this club. They have dropped nine in a row, haven't won in 11 on the road and have goaltending problems.(Last Week: 12) |
 | 17. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (24-24-8) Thanks to a 4-2-1 stretch, it appears to be the Islanders' turn among the bottom seven in the East to take a run at a playoff spot.(Last Week: 24) |
 | 18. ANAHEIM DUCKS (23-24-9) They still have a long way to go to chase down a post-season spot, but it has been hard to ignore the surging Ducks and their 13-3-3 New Year. (Last Week: 28) |
 | 19. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (28-23-6) The Maple Leafs are enduring a season-worst four-game losing streak, but they continue to lead the turtle race for eighth in the East.(Last Week: 13) |
 | 20. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (28-23-5) The Capitals are dealing with injuries to Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green and the ice-time unhappiness from Mike Knuble and Michal Neuvirth. (Last Week: 15) |
 | 21. MINNESOTA WILD (25-23-8) The Wild have the NHL's second-worst offence with an average of 2.16 goals per game. They have scored only seven times in the past six games. (Last Week: 17) |
 | 22. WINNIPEG JETS (26-26-6) They had an excellent chance at gaining on the Maple Leafs, but the Jets dropped a 3-1 decision to the Islanders at home on Tuesday. (Last Week: 19) |
 | 23. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (24-26-6) There is no doubt Steven Stamkos and Co. can score, but they've had difficulty preventing goals during their recent 1-3-1 slide.(Last Week: 20) |
 | 24.COLORADO AVALANCHE (28-25-4) The Avalanche have dropped six of its past eight games, but hope is on the horizon with the possible return of Matt Duchene from his knee injury.(Last Week: 21) |
 | 25. EDMONTON OILERS (22-28-5) There was a threat that the Oilers could finish 30th for the third successive season, but now they have gone on a 5-2-1 run. (Last Week: 26) |
 | 26. MONTREAL CANADIENS (23-25-9) The Habs had a four-game win streak snuffed out by the Hurricanes at home earlier this week. (Last Week: 27) |
 | 27. DALLAS STARS (28-25-3) They have taken themselves out of playoff contention with a horrid stretch of only one win in five games. (Last Week: 22) |
 | 28. CAROLINA HURRICANES (21-25-11) The Hurricanes have enjoyed an 8-4-4 stretch and head coach Kirk Muller returned to Montreal a winner on Monday.(Last Week: 29) |
 | 29. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (17-34-6) The day after the news broke that Rick Nash may be dealt before the trade deadline, they beat the Blues. Go figure. (Last Week: 30) |
 | 30. BUFFALO SABRES (22-24-6) A 5-0-1 run by the Sabres has been snuffed out by back-to-back losses to the Lightning and Devils at home.(Last Week: 25) |
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
