Something old, something new, something Blue: Kevin Shattenkirk, centre, celebrates a goal with teammates Alex Pietrangelo, left, and Jason Arnott. (John Ulan/Canadian Press)
Do you consider the St. Louis Blues a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? Why not. They keep rolling along and as a result have regained top spot in our weekly power rankings.
One of the keys to their success since Ken Hitchcock took over behind the bench has been their consistency. They have dropped back-to-back games in regulation time only once under Hitchcock, and since that rough patch occurred last month the Blues have won eight of nine outings.
Check out where your team sits in the rankings, and chat it up below or on Twitter @wharnscbcsports.
 |
1. ST. LOUIS BLUES (42-18-7) The return of Andy MacDonald (eight goals and 11 points in 13 games) is a big reason why the Blues have played so well lately. (Last Week: 3) |
 |
2. NEW YORK RANGERS (42-16-7) Henrik Lundqvist and Co. received a wake-up call with a 4-1 loss across the river in New Jersey. (Last Week: 1) |
 |
3. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (39-21-5) A six-game win streak has been buoyed by the fact that captain Sidney Crosby soon could be back in the lineup. (Last Week: 7) |
 |
4. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (41-18-8) Back-to-back losses to Buffalo and Dallas has pushed the Canucks out of first in the West. (Last Week: 2) |
 |
5. DETROIT RED WINGS (43-21-3) The veteran club has been beset by injuries to key players like Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom and Jimmy Howard. (Last Week: 4) |
 |
6. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (37-21-7) Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has played much better of late and has the Flyers on a three-game win streak. (Last Week: 13) |
 |
7. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (38-21-7) They haven't been the world beaters we thought they would be since the trade deadline, but they need time to develop chemistry. (Last Week: 5) |
 |
8. BOSTON BRUINS (39-23-3) Too bad the Stanley Cup champs can't play Toronto every game. They have beaten the Maple Leafs five times this season. (Last Week: 8) |
 |
9. OTTAWA SENATORS (35-25-8) They have won three of their last five games, including goalie Ben Bishop's franchise debut against Tampa Bay. (Last Week: 9) |
 |
10. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (37-24-5) They are coming off one of their best outings of the season, a 4-1 victory at home versus the rival Rangers. (Last Week: 10) |
 |
11. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (36-25-7) They don't have their captain Jonathan Toews and their goaltending continues to be a sore point. (Last Week: 11) |
 |
12. DALLAS STARS (36-26-5) They have put together an impressive unbeaten streak at 7-0-1, including a big win over Vancouver. (Last Week: 15) |
 |
13. PHOENIX COYOTES (33-25-9) A four-game losing streak has pushed the Coyotes out of top spot in the Pacific Division. (Last Week: 6) |
 |
14. LOS ANGELES KINGS (31-23-12) He has scored only twice since he joined the Kings, but with Jeff Carter they have gone a strong 4-1-0. (Last Week: 17) |
 |
15.COLORADO AVALANCHE (35-29-4) The young Avs have picked up steam in their late push for a playoff spot with six wins in their last eight outings. (Last Week: 16) |
 |
16. WINNIPEG JETS (32-27-8) Too bad the Jets only have six games remaining at the MTS Centre. They finished their recent eight-game homestand at 5-1-2. (Last Week: 19) |
 |
17. FLORIDA PANTHERS (31-22-12) Panthers have gone 9-7-1 since the all-star break, good enough them atop the Southeast Division. (Last Week: 14) |
 |
18. SAN JOSE SHARKS (33-24-8) If they don't get their act together the West finalists from a year go could find themselves out of the playoff picture.(Last Week: 12) |
 |
19. BUFFALO SABRES (30-28-8) They suffered a setback in Winnipeg, but the Sabres remain very much a challenger for a playoff spot in the East.(Last Week: 23) |
 |
20. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (32-28-6) The Capitals miss Nicklas Backstrom, but remain close because the battle for the 8th spot in the East has been a turtle race. (Last Week: 18) |
 |
21. ANAHEIM DUCKS (29-28-10) Their impressive run in the New Year has stumbled somewhat with three losses in five games. (Last Week: 21) |
 |
22. CALGARY FLAMES (30-25-12) The Flames need to be better than the middling 2-3-3 showing they have put forth in the past couple of weeks. (Last Week: 22) |
 |
24. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (31-29-6) The loss of goalie Mathieu Garon will hurt the chances of the Lightning continuing its late-season push. (Last Week: 20) |
 |
23. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (30-29-7) They should fire their coach. Seriously, it's probably too late for laughable club to turnaround their dreadful second half. (Last Week: 24) |
 |
25. CAROLINA HURRICANES (25-27-14) They continue to play a late-season spoiler role, so much so that they're only six points behind the 10th-place Capitals. (Last Week: 26) |
 |
26. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (28-29-9) See Hurricanes. Only the Islanders have pulled to within five points of Washington.(Last Week: 28) |
 |
27. EDMONTON OILERS (26-34-6) The young and restless Oilers snapped a three-game win streak with a shootout victory over the struggling Sharks. (Last Week: 25) |
 |
28. MINNESOTA WILD (28-29-10) The Wild's humiliating loss to Colorado dropped them under .500 for the first time this season. (Last Week: 27) |
 |
29. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (21-38-7) The lowly Blue Jackets have put together their first three-game win streak of their forgettable season. (Last Week: 30) |
 |
30. MONTREAL CANADIENS (25-32-10) There hasn't been much to like about the play of the Canadiens these days. (Last Week: 29) |
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.
