NHL Power Rankings: Detroit Red Wings Climb No. 3, Not Much Else Changes

It was a strange week in the National Hockey League. Essentially, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

In other words, the best of the NHL kept winning while the cellar-dwellers continued to lose. The teams that were in the Top 15 last week went 32-14-6 collectively, while the bottom half finished 20-23-9 as a whole. 

This means that not much changed in the power rankings. Other than the Washington Capitals surging past mediocrity and the Detroit Red Wings dominating at home, there weren't many changes in the rankings.

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

1. Boston Bruins (Last week: 1)

The Black and Gold pulled off a shocking feat this week and lost twice, once to Carolina and the other to Tampa Bay. (Really?) 

That being said, the Rangers lost, too, and seeing that the two teams play against each other on January 21, it felt right to not change anything and let that game decide who would be No. 1 next week.

Besides, Boston still has the best goal differential in the league, and the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 in that department is not even close. 

The Bruins being ranked No. 1 is also a prediction that they will beat the Rangers. They're at home and they're going to prove that they are the more complete team.

There isn't one thing not to love about the Bruins. They have grit, balanced scoring, solid special teams, great defense, unbelievable goaltending from both their starters and their backups, and they can win on the road. 

2. New York Rangers (Last week: 2)

Like the Bruins, the New York Rangers dropped a head-scratching game against the Montreal Canadiens. Ultimately, it's going to take beating Boston on January 21 to put them in the No. 1 spot.

There is also another department besides scoring where the Rangers trail the Bruins: the power play. It's obviously related to scoring, and the Rangers are only clicking at 14.3 percent this year. 

3. Detroit Red Wings (Last week: 6)

The Detroit Red Wings have now won 15 consecutive games at home, giving them an 18-2-1 record at the Joe. On the contrary, they're 12-13-0 away from Joe Louis Arena.

Don't think the Wings want home advantage?

The Red Wings are also 5-1 in their last six games against divisional foes St. Louis, Chicago and Nashville.

4. Vancouver Canucks (Last week: 3)

The Canucks started a six-game home stand on the wrong foot, dropping games against the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings.

On a bright note, they're still leading their division, and the twins already have 102 points collectively. They've also scored on a power play in each of their last three games.

5. St. Louis Blues (Last week: 5)

The St. Louis Blues are 6-0-1 in 2012, and three of their last four wins have been shutouts. They're getting some help from the schedule-makers because of a healthy dosage of home games in January.

That being said, the fact that the Blues are hanging in the toughest division in hockey should not be ignored, and they're doing it with possibly the stingiest defense in the league. 

6. Philadelphia Flyers (Last week: 6)

The Flyers fall to No. 7, but it's none of their doing (except for losing to Nashville). The Canucks, Red Wings and Blues are just playing tremendous hockey.

Philadelphia, on the other hand, still has questions regarding their goaltending situation. It was nice to see Mr. Universe, Ilya Bryzgalov, come away with a huMANgous victory against the Minnesota Wild, but can he keep it up?

Perhaps it was the Universe speech that made Bryz lose his confidence, because he's just 3-5-1 since then. 

7. Chicago Blackhawks (Last week: 7)

Now that we know Sarah Kustok exists, we're going to be watching a lot more Hawks games, or at least intermission reports.

8. Nashville Predators (Last week: 8)

All is well in Smashville, as the Predators have won five of their last six. They defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, and their only loss came to the New York Rangers on the road in a back-to-back situation.

Ultimately, it's going to take at least a victory over the Blackhawks to propel them past their Central Division foe. They play them twice this week. Stay tuned.

9. San Jose Sharks (Last week: 9)

The Sharks are 7-1-1 in 2012, and from those nine games, only three of them have been at the Shark Tank. They still also have a ridiculous amount of games in hand against most of their Western Conference foes. This is a dangerous team lurking under the radar.

10. Ottawa Senators (Last week: 11)

The Senators are 6-0-4 in their last 10 road games. This is impressive because it shows they know how to handle adversity. It's always a confidence booster when a team can win the battles away from home.

11. Los Angeles Kings (Last week: 10)

The coaching change has done them well. The Kings are now 8-1-5 under Darryl Sutter, and they finally scored their 100th goal of the season.

So why do they fall in the rankings despite being so hot? 

Not their fault. Ottawa has just been playing at another level, and so has everyone else in the top 10.

12. New Jersey Devils (Last week: 12)

The Devils have won three in a row, but games against the Bruins and Flyers this week will ultimately decide if they're a top 10 team.

13. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 19)

The Capitals are back. At one point this week, they were leading the Southeast Division again.

They're 7-3 in their last 10, and with Florida struggling, expect Washington to begin the process of running away with the division.

14. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last week: 15)

After losing a hard-fought battle against the Capitals and having their losing streak extended to six, the Penguins came back in Byls-magic fashion, winning three in a row. This team pretty much has amnesia and refuses to remember the way they were playing just last week.

Although their three-game winning streak was constructed against teams like Florida, Carolina and Tampa Bay, Evgeni Malkin is on fire and a sure fire Hart Trophy candidate. The Pens can prove that they're a legitimate contender with wins on the road against the Rangers and Blues this week. 

15. Florida Panthers (Last week: 13)

The Panthers are 3-5-3 in their last 11, and the smoking-hot Washington Capitals are in striking distance for the division lead.

Let's take a wild guess and say that this little rut for the Panthers is not a temporary slide, but a downward spiral toward the "outside looking in."

16. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last week: 14)

What happened to the Leafs? After four straight wins, they dropped three in a row.

They do get Minnesota, Montreal and the Islanders to close out their first half, so expect a surge in the standings this week from the Leafs. 

17. Phoenix Coyotes (Last week: 21)

The Coyotes picked up overtime points against two of the three best teams in the NHL—Detroit and the Rangers.

Then they punched the Colorado Avalanche in the forehead.

The Yotes now have a positive goal differential, something the Flames, Stars, Wild and even the Kings don't have. 

18. Colorado Avalanche (Last week: 16)

Losers of four out of their last five, the Avs are looking every bit as cold as they were hot a few weeks ago. 

19. Dallas Stars (Last week: 18)

Wow! The Stars actually have a streak of some kind!

Unfortunately for them, it's of the losing variety. They've lost three in a row, albeit they were all one-goal losses, and two of three were against the Blues and Red Wings.

20. Winnipeg Jets (Last week: 17)

The Jets finally won on the road, beating Ottawa 2-0.

However, that's about the only thing that's gone right for the Jets in 2012. They're now 2-6 in the new year, and their plethora of upcoming road games is not a good sign of success for the young team.

21. Calgary Flames (Last week: 22)

The Flames finally lost at home after winning eight straight at the Saddledome. Their road woes continued, though, after losing in overtime to the Sharks.

The Flames haven't won in six consecutive road games now. 

22. Minnesota Wild (Last week: 20)

A four-game road trip against Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Toronto is not the best way to get out of what seems like a never-ending rut.

Despite only winning twice in 15 games, the Wild are still hanging onto a playoff spot because of their torrid start.

The All-Star break might be the only remedy for this team.

23. New York Islanders (Last week: 23)

The Islanders have been playing .500 hockey in 2012, and they added another impressive win to their resume against the Washington Capitals.

24. Anaheim Ducks (Last week: 27)

The Ducks are on fire. They're 5-0-1 in their last six, and they just defeated the Vancouver Canucks on the road.

They return home for three out of their last four games in the first half. It's not too late for a late playoff push.

The team has enough offensive firepower, and if Jonas Hiller gets hot, they can possibly get it done.

25. Montreal Canadiens (Last week: 25)

Strong efforts in losses to the Senators and Bruins eventually paid off. The Canadiens defeated the Rangers, and hopefully they can use that momentum to turn things around in a dismal season.  

26. Carolina Hurricanes (Last week: 29)

The Hurricanes have had the Bruins' number this season, defeating them three times. With Jeff Skinner back, don't be surprised if this team gets hot in the second half.

27. Buffalo Sabres (Last week: 26)

The Sabres have one advantage that other slumping teams don't: head coach Lindy Ruff. There isn't much Ruff hasn't seen behind the Sabres bench. 

As long as the Sabres have him and Ryan Miller, Buffalo still has a shot. They're in a middle of a seven-game road trip, which could be a great team bonding moment, especially if they find a way to win a few of their games before the All-Star break.

28. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last week: 24)

After not winning their first seven games of 2012, the Bolts defeated the Bruins on Tuesday. Figure that one out. 

29. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last week: 30)

Nash is being the Jackets' worst enemy by not forcing a trade out of there and helping them start something new to build around.

30. Edmonton Oilers (Last week: 29)

Oilers fans are thrilled. If they get the No. 1 overall pick and they draft Nail Yakupov, they're going to be seeing more of these priceless bits.

Siberia isn't too far from Edmonton. Maybe those 30-40 guys can come to Rexall Place and say "Come on Oilers!!!!"

Power Rankings History: Dec 13-19 | Dec 20-26 | Dec 27-Jan 4 | Jan 5-11