NHL Power Rankings: Pittsburgh Penguins Collapse, Boston Bruins Still No. 1

The Pittsburgh Penguins' five-game losing streak has made it a dreadful time for all Penguins fans. They fell to No. 15 this week, but at least there is news of Sidney Crosby skating again.

The Bruins retain the No. 1 spot despite losing to Vancouver in a Stanley Cup rematch. 

Here are the rest of the power rankings. Comments, concerns, and compliments below. 

Power Rankings History: Dec 13-19 | Dec 20-26 | Dec 27-Jan 4

1. Boston Bruins 
Last week: 1 

The Boston Bruins remain at the No. 1 spot. They may not have the best record, but they're the best team. 

The reason for this is because their amazing goal differential. They're No. 1 in goals for and No. 1 in goals against. The loss to Vancouver shouldn't knock them off the perch because the Canucks were playing in an emotional game where they desperately wanted to avenge last year's loss. 

Plus, the Bruins kept it close and only lost by a goal. The Bruins are still the team to beat in the NHL.

2. New York Rangers 
Last week: 2

The Rangers hot streak has put them at the top of the NHL in points. 

Marion Gaborik has only scored a point in the last six games, but the Rangers keep winning. This is a testament to their balanced scoring, shutdown defense, and of course, Henrik Lundqvist.

3. Vancouver Canucks
Last week: 6

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Bruins to avenge last year's Cup loss, but they scored all of their goals on the powerplay.

As we mentioned last week, the Canucks unbelievable powerplay can only get them so far. If they fail to get on the man advantage or hit a rut on the powerplay, they may start struggling.

4. Philadelphia Flyers
Last week: 5

The Flyers had a solid week, winning three out of their four games. They seem to be unfazed by the Winter Classic loss. 

However, their plethora of rookies, which implies a bright future for the team, may end up harming them at the end of this season. Their inexperience, along with inconsistency at net and injuries at defense (Chris Pronger) are just a few of the adversities the Flyers have to deal with. 

5. St. Louis Blues
Last week: 9

Ken Hitchcock's team is making other team's sing the blues every time they play against them. Their goaltending has been stellar with Jaroslav Halak getting an emotional victory against the Montreal Canadiens in his return there. Brian Elliott, on the other hand, is having a Vezina caliber season.

But it doesn't stop there. The Blues are second in the league in shots allowed and this is a testament to their strong defense. 

It'll be interesting to see if the Blues can keep this going in the most difficult division in the league.

6. Detroit Red Wings
Last week: 4

The Wings had an inconsistent week. After defeating the Blackhawks, they followed that up with a curious loss to the New York Islanders by the score of 5-1. 

They finally return home for three games this week at the Joe. Hopefully, a little bit of home cooking will get them on the right track.

7. Chicago Blackhawks
Last week: 3

The Hawks had lost four in a row before beating the lowly Blue Jackets. They've been allowing plenty of goals leading one to think if Ray Emery and Corey Crawford can lead this team when it comes to playoff time.

8. Nashville Predators
Last week: 8

The Predators have won five of six and they play in the toughest division in hockey. Kudos to them. They remain at No. 8 though because Shea Weber, a defenseman, is their leading scorer. 

The Preds offensive firepower, or lack thereof, may end up being a major problem down the road. 

9. San Jose Sharks
Last week: 10

What's most impressive about the Sharks is that they have four games in hand against the Los Angeles Kings and another five games in hand against the West leading Vancouver Canucks. This team can really rise in the rankings once they catch up in the games played category.

10. Los Angeles Kings
Last week: 11

Maybe the Kings needed some Tebow magic to get pucks in the net. 

11. Ottawa Senators
Last week: 14

The Sens are on fire right now. They're 6-0-1 in their last seven. One major concern though is their defense. When their little run ends, can they continue to play good hockey in their own zone? 

We all know Jason Spezza can score. That said, the Sens still have a negative goal differential that they need to reverse.

12. New Jersey Devils
Last week: 12

The Devils are 2-2-1 in 2012. Martin Brodeur has had an extremely inconsistent start to the new year. After a vintage performance against the Penguins, he was pulled in the following game after eight minutes.

New Jersey needs Brodeur to shine if they want to remain in the playoff picture.

13. Florida Panthers
Last Week: 13

The Panthers had an impressive win against Vancouver following two straight losses.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs
Last week: 20

The Maple Leafs are streaking again. They've won four straight in 2012 and have outscored opponents 17-6 in that span. All of that was at home. The good news for them is that they have a favorable home schedule this month.

15. Pittsburgh Penguins
Last week: 7

The Penguins have lost five straight. Everyone knows about Sid being out, but what about Kris Letang? The team is 7-10 since his concussion.

16. Colorado Avalanche
Last week: 16

No one expected Colorado to continue playing the way they were for the rest of the season. It seems like they're finally going to slow down a bit. They've been outscored 8-1 in the last two games.

It'll be interesting to see how this young team reacts from these defeats. Good teams become great when they handle adversity effectively.

17. Winnipeg Jets
Last week: 15

The Jets are finding out that it's not as easy to win on the road. They lost three of their last four on the road and have a brutal schedule ahead with 10 of their next 15 away from the MTS Centre. 

18. Dallas Stars
Last week: 18

If the Stars want to move up (or even down) in these rankings they have to do something else rather than win one and lose one. 

19. Washington Capitals
Last week: 17

A little set back for the Capitals after winning four in a row. Blame it on Ovechkin. When they were on that little streak, he had eight points. In the last two games, the Capitals are 0-2 and Ovie has no points and is a -4.

20. Minnesota Wild
Last week: 19

The Wild were finally able to beat a quality team against the Sharks. Now can they use that momentum to get out of the rut they've been for a month now?

21. Phoenix Coyotes
Last week: 21

They were competitive against the Rangers and Kings, forcing overtime in both games. They're lurking in there only three points out of a playoff spot with a bunch of home games in January.

22. Calgary Flames
Last week: 23 

The Flames limped home from a 9-0 trouncing from the Bruins after a seven game road trip. They seemed to have amnesia though because they regrouped and won two straight home games.

The Flames love playing in the Saddledome, having won seven straight in their friendly confines.

23. New York Islanders
Last week: 25

The Islanders would love for the Red Wings to move to the Eastern Conference. They're now 5-0-1 in their last six games against them. 

24. Tampa Bay Lightning
Last week: 22 

The Bolts are wondering where the Dwayne Roloson from last year is. Oh, he's picking up his social security paycheck? 

I see.

25. Montreal Canadiens
Last week: 26

Maybe the Habs should've kept Jaroslav Halak. 

26. Buffalo Sabres
Last week: 24

What's the excuse now for Buffalo, now that most of their players are back from injury?

27. Anaheim Ducks
Last week: 29 

Good for the Ducks. They've won three straight at home. Let's see if they can keep this up on their Western Canadian road swing. 

28. Edmonton Oilers
Last week: 27

Let's just say the Oilers seven game road trip was not too kind to them. 

29. Carolina Hurricanes
Last week: 28

At the end of the year, Eric Staal's dismal season and Cam Ward's struggles will be looked at as the main factors of the Hurricanes failure to make the playoffs. 

30. Columbus Blue Jackets
Last week: 30

Is it time to trade Rick Nash and rebuild?