NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 12 Poll

For four straight weeks, the Chicago Blackhawks have reigned supreme at the top of Bleacher Report's NHL Power Rankings. An 11-1-1 record in combination with the team's convincing long-term track record has inspired a healthy run at the top of our list.

Have the holidays changed anything? Anaheim has opened up a four-point lead for the top spot in the league standings, Nashville has won 11 of 14, and that doesn't even begin to take into account the strong clubs in the East.

Our expert panel returns once again to answer that and other questions this week: Dave Lozo, Steve Macfarlane, Allan Mitchell, Lyle Richardson, Carol Schram and myself. As always, all of the rankings here are based both on what's happened so far and what we expect to happen in the future, and will not mirror the NHL standings exactly.

Read on to see where every NHL team sits this week. 

Most news and statistics are courtesy of NHL.com and are current through the start of action on December 29.

30-26: Edmonton Oilers-Arizona Coyotes

USA TODAY Sports

30. Edmonton Oilers (Last week: 30): Edmonton has lost 20 of its last 21 hockey games. 

29. Carolina Hurricanes (Last week: 29): Discounting the shootout, the Hurricanes have scored one goal or less in nine of their last 11 contests. Defenceman Justin Faulk leads the team in scoring with 20 points. For the sake of contrast, every member of Tampa Bay's top-six forward group has more than that. 

28. New Jersey Devils (Last week: 27): Edmonton's weird combo of interim head coach Todd Nelson and interim transitional coach/general manager Craig MacTavish was bettered by the Devils this week when GM Lou Lamoriello took over behind the bench as part of a three-headed coaching monster. The weird setup isn't likely to help a team that has gone three weeks without a regulation win.  

27. Buffalo Sabres (Last week: 26): Buffalo snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday with a shootout decision over the visiting Islanders. The Sabres' 6-1 shootout record is a big part of the reason they're putting some ground between themselves and Connor McDavid. 

26. Arizona Coyotes (Last week: 28): The Coyotes managed consecutive wins in Week 12. It's the first time in better than a month that Arizona has put together back-to-back wins.

25-21: Colorado Avalanche-Columbus Blue Jackets

USA TODAY Sports

25. Colorado Avalanche (Last week: 23): Colorado's modest three-game winning streak came to an end Saturday when they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Blackhawks. Somewhat surprisingly on a team with some significant young guns, the Avs leading scorer is 35-year-old Alex Tanguay, who has 24 points in 33 games. 

24. Ottawa Senators (Last week: 22): The Sens fall two spots after dropping three straight games. Their record under new head coach Dave Cameron is now 3-3-2. 

23. Philadelphia Flyers (Last week: 25): Philadelphia climbs two spots after managing both a win and a loss in Week 12. That's actually better than it sounds—the Flyers are four games into an eight-game road swing, and currently sport a 3-1-0 record on the trip. 

22. Calgary Flames (Last week: 24): The Flames ended an eight-game losing streak with an overtime win over Los Angeles on Monday and followed that up with a 4-1 win over their provincial rivals from Edmonton on Saturday. 

21. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last week: 20): The Blue Jackets had a nasty run of injuries early and were terrible, but recovered nicely in December by reeling off seven straight wins. They fall somewhere between those extremes lately, alternating wins and losses over their last five games. 

20-16: Dallas Stars-Toronto Maple Leafs

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

20. Dallas Stars (Last week: 21): Dallas has quietly started to put some results together. A streak of four straight wins came to an end Tuesday, but on Saturday the Stars traveled to St. Louis and beat the Blues. The club is now 6-2-0 in its last eight games.  

19. Boston Bruins (Last week: 19): The Bruins hold steady after a week in which they scored five goals in a win over Nashville but then surrendered six in a loss to Columbus. Starter Tuukka Rask—who came on in relief in the latter contest—has now allowed at least two goals in 10 consecutive games and has a .895 save percentage in December.  

18. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 18): The Wild show flashes, but the last few weeks have been tough on the team. Minnesota has now lost five straight after dropping two games this week. It's a stretch that included a four-game home stand which should have represented a chance to make up some lost ground in the West. 

17. Florida Panthers (Last week: 17): The Panthers kicked off a four-game homestand over the holidays in fine fashion, besting Pittsburgh in the shootout Monday and then scoring six goals against Toronto on Sunday. The offence has turned around somewhat—Florida has now scored at least two goals in 11 consecutive games and three times in that span has topped four markers. 

16. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last week: 16): Our panel has yet to sour on the Maple Leafs, a team which has now lost four of its last five and allowed four-or-more goals in each of the defeats. Despite the defensive lapses, starter Jonathan Bernier has been excellent and sports a .921 save percentage on the season. 

15-11: Vancouver Canucks-Dallas Stars

Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

15. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 15): The Canucks destroyed Arizona in Vancouver on Monday, running up a 7-1 score in a game that saw 11 of the team's 12 forwards pick up at least one point. Sunday's contest wasn't so easy, as the Ducks edged Vancouver in overtime, 2-1. 

14. Washington Capitals (Last week: 14): Washington had two wins and a loss this week and is now a ridiculous 8-1-2 in its last 11 games. Between the Capitals and the Rangers, the Metropolitan Division suddenly has four successful teams. 

13. New York Rangers (Last week: 13): The Rangers won both of their Week 12 games, extending the team's current streak to eight consecutive wins. With the exception of winger Tanner Glass (one assist, minus-11 through 28 games), the club appears to be firing on all cylinders. 

12. Winnipeg Jets (Last week: 12): Winnipeg had a couple of tough road games last week, but came out OK, edging Minnesota in overtime and inflicting a 5-1 beating on Chicago. Nominal backup Michael Hutchinson made 38 saves in that contest and has started three of the last four games. He is now 9-2-2 with a .939 save percentage on the season. 

11. San Jose Sharks (Last week: 7): The Sharks lost both of their games this week, prompting a slide out of the top 10. The losses (to Los Angeles and Anaheim) end a streak of five straight wins and a stretch that saw San Jose win nine of 10. 

10. Montreal Canadiens

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week: 9

Recent Trend: Montreal played just one game last week, beating the Isles by a 3-1 score, but has been on a nice run lately, winning five of six games with their only loss coming against the league-leading Ducks. 

Big Picture: Allowing for games played, Montreal has the sixth-best record in the NHL, but the team's status as an elite club is very much open to debate. I outlined why in a Nov. 17 piece when the Habs led the NHL in points. In the 16 games since, the Canadiens have been exactly .500, winning eight and losing eight. 

By the Numbers: Here's a strange one: Montreal has the best win percentage when leading after one period (a perfect 100 percent success rate) but has held a lead after the opening period only four times. Edmonton is the only team in the NHL with fewer than four wins after leading in the first period. Depending on point of view, in other words, the Habs are either the best team in the NHL or the second-worst at collecting wins when leading after one.  

9. St. Louis Blues

Scott Rovak/Getty Images

Last Week: 5

Recent Trend: Lacking a reliable goalie, the Blues are in a bit of a funk at the moment. Saturday's loss to the visiting Stars made four straight defeats for St. Louis. The team has allowed at least three goals in each of those and 18 overall. 

Big Picture: That St. Louis is a legitimate contender isn't really in doubt, and with Brian Elliott getting closer to a return to the lineup, the team's big flaw (goaltending) should right itself shortly. 

By the Numbers: Neither Martin Brodeur nor Jake Allen has been able to really claim the No. 1 spot in Elliott's absence. Allen now has a .899 save percentage on the season and has lost three straight. Brodeur is 2-2-0 in four starts and has an ugly .892 save percentage. 

8. Los Angeles Kings

Juan Ocampo/Getty Images

Last Week: 10

Recent Trend: Los Angeles has won three of four games, though that lone defeat was troubling—the Kings lost a 3-0 lead at the halfway point of the game and eventually fell to a Calgary Flames team that had lost eight straight. 

Big Picture: The Kings never seem to be all that imposing in the regular season, but the team has won two Stanley Cups in the last three playoffs. As long as they make the postseason they will be (correctly) regarded as a contender. 

By the Numbers: After a slow start offensively, star centre Anze Kopitar is making a splash. He has 12 points in his last five games and now sits just two points back of Jeff Carter for the team scoring lead. 

7. Detroit Red Wings

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Last Week: 11

Recent Trend: A six-game losing streak came to an end this week, as Detroit scored nine times in a pair of victories over Eastern doormats Ottawa and Buffalo. That six-game run was somewhat misleading, too, in that four of the team's losses came in the shootout.

Big Picture: Somehow, the Red Wings are two points out of first in the Eastern Conference. It sometimes feels as though pundits have been predicting a decline for the old Wings every summer of my adult life, but the team continues to defy those predictions. 

By the Numbers: Detroit is 1-7 in the shootout this season, and a lot of that has to do with Jimmy Howard being porous. Despite a solid career record in the skills competition, in 2014-15 Howard has allowed 11 goals on 15 shots (.267 save percentage).  

6. Pittsburgh Penguins

USA TODAY Sports

Last Week: 2

Recent Trend: Pittsburgh tumbles four spots after dropping all three of its games in Week 12. The current three-game slide follows a trio of consecutive wins. 

Big Picture: The Penguins are always expected to be one of the top teams in the league, and they haven't disappointed so far this season. The club currently sits in first in the Eastern Conference and is tied for the NHL lead with 20 wins. 

By the Numbers: Jeff Zatkoff got into his first game of the season last week, relieving Marc-Andre Fleury and turning aside 16 of the 17 shots he faced against Tampa Bay. Teams looking for goaltending help may want to consider the Pens' third-string goaltender, who looked good over 20 NHL games last season and is on pace for his third straight season of .920 save percentage or better goaltending in the AHL. 

5. New York Islanders

Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press

Last Week: 4

Recent Trend: New York held a 74-47 edge in shots in the two games it played last week, but ended up losing both of them, ending a run of four consecutive wins.  

Big Picture: The Islanders are still a bit of a mystery. After a brilliant summer, the club has shown the ability to be a top-level team for 35 games. The question is whether it has staying power. 

By the Numbers: No goalie in the NHL (min. 10 games played) has a worse save percentage than Chad Johnson, who has posted a ghastly .867 number between the pipes for the Isles. Despite this, the club has still managed a .500 record (5-5-0) in his games. 

4. Tampa Bay Lightning

Scott Audette/Getty Images

Last Week: 8

Recent Trend: The Lightning ended a mini-slump this week, winning consecutive games on either side of the Christmas break after previously losing four of five contests. 

Big Picture: Tampa Bay has a very good, very complete team. The forwards and defence offer a blend of good depth, improving youth and established (and still young) stars, while Ben Bishop holds the fort in net. 

By the Numbers: Little 5'9", 182-pound Tyler Johnson has been a five-on-five machine this season. The undrafted pivot leads the NHL in plus/minus and is second in the league in points at even-strength. 

3. Anaheim Ducks

Norm Hall/Getty Images

Last Week: 3

Recent Trend: Anaheim's run of alternating wins and losses has now reached seven consecutive games. The team's penchant for close decisions hasn't gone away either—the Ducks' last three contests all went to overtime. 

Big Picture: The Ducks presently lead the NHL with 54 points despite a thoroughly mediocre plus-six goal differential. Looking at the NHL standings page, an observer has to scroll all the way down to 18th-ranked Florida to find the next team in the standings with an equally low goal differential. This isn't nearly as good a team as wins and losses would seem to indicate, despite its ranking by our panel.

By the Numbers: Sami Vatanen has been a pretty lethal offensive weapon for the Ducks (24 points in 38 games), but he's also more than that. The 5'10", 180-pound Vatanen plays in all three disciplines and has averaged 22:25 per game, just 0:16 less per night than team leader Francois Beauchemin.  

2. Nashville Predators

John Russell/Getty Images

Last Week: 6

Recent Trend: Nashville has won four of its last five games, six of its last eight and 11 of its last 15. 

Big Picture: With healthy goaltending and a somewhat rejuvenated offence, the Predators look like a vastly improved club from the one that finished just outside the playoffs last season. Are they a contender? If they're still sitting in a top-five position in the NHL standings come Game 82, it'll be hard to argue otherwise. 

By the Numbers: Derek Roy, who was placed on waivers Sunday, has been well and truly snake-bit this season. He has just one goal on 35 shots, for a 2.9 shooting percentage on the year. He's an 11.8 percent shooter on his career, meaning we'd normally expect him to score four times on that number of shots. 

1. Chicago Blackhawks

Bill Smith/Getty Images

Last Week: 1

Recent Trend: Chicago is 4-1-1 over its last half-dozen games, 7-2-1 over its last 10 and 15-3-1 over its last 19. The Blackhawks win a lot of games.

Big Picture: Chicago is an elite regular-season team and an elite playoff team. No club in the NHL is more impressive as of this writing. 

By the Numbers: Ben Smith is starting to find the range offensively. A valuable forward who contributes a lot that doesn't show up in the box score, Smith had just three points in his first 28 games but has six in his last eight contests.