NHL Power Rankings: Week Ending Jan. 8, 2010

I hope all of you are digging yourselves out of the severe winter weather.  Don't feel too bad—those who occupy the bottom of the power rankings have even more to dig out, from.

With that, here are the power rankings for the week ending Jan. 8, 2010:

1. Chicago - Winners of eight of their last nine, the 'Hawks have won seven of those eight games by a three-goal margin. 

2.  San Jose - Their eight-game winning streak was stopped by a 6-2 loss to the LA Kings, and at the Shark Tank, no less.  They did, however, rebound against the St. Louis Blues—you have to lose sometimes, right?

3. New Jersey - If they could just schedule Pittsburgh, these days, they'd win the rest of their remaining games; however, losses to the Capitals and the 'Hawks were the only blemish in their last 11 games. 

4. Buffalo - Winners of five straight, the Sabres have made a serious run for the first seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.  Yes, they give up a lot of shots; however, they also have the stellar goalie tandem of Miller and LaLime. 

5. Vancouver - Much like Chicago, the 'Nucks are pounding opponents, with five of their seven victories by at least a three-goal margin, during a 7-0-1 streak.  Their lethal first line of Burrows and the Sedin twins are downright unfair.

6. Calgary - A 4-1 loss to the Wild, aside, Calgary's five-game winning streak has all but erased the painful memory of early December.  So long as 'Kipper plays consistently great, in net, the Flames should battle Vancouver for the Northwest Division title, at season's end. 

7. Phoenix - They've cooled off, a bit, going 2-2-2 over their last six games, but, a nifty five-game home-stand should help their cause.  If only their faithful would attend their games. 

8. Washington - They've rebounded from a three-game losing streak, having won their last two games.  They'll have to make due with their current goaltending tandem, as Semyon Varlamov suffered a setback, during his rehab assignment in Hershey. 

9.  Los Angeles - A tough loss, last night, to the Red Wings was a difficult way to begin their seven-game home-stand.  Getting Ryan Smith and Jarret Stoll back is a huge boost to their team's fortunes. 

10. Nashville - The 'Preds have rebounded, winning four of their last five games, after suffering through a three-game losing streak.  Their recent special team's struggles are a cause for concern. 

11. Boston - Getting soundly beaten by the 'Hawks was one of the only recent blemishes from a pretty solid stretch—then again, just about every team in the league gets soundly beaten by the 'Hawks, these days.

12. Colorado - An up and down team, lately; however, the Avs' play, to date, are helping coach Joe Sacco towards serious consideration as a Jack Adams candidate. 

13.  Pittsburgh - You might want to crank up that Tom Petty tune "Free Falling," once again.  How does this level of talent continue to struggle on the Power Play?

14. Detroit - They're not done, yet, having won 4-1-1 in their last six games.  As we speak, starting net-minder Jimmy Howard is still standing on his head, having stopped 51 of 52 shots, last night, against the Kings.

15. Dallas - Tonight's game against the Isles is a must-win.  This team has got to find a way to win on the road, especially with six of their next eight games on the road. 

16. Philadelphia - Give this team credit: Many, including myself, left this team for dead.  Now, they've gone 6-1-1, recently, and appear to have found their stride. 

17. Ottawa - The most puzzling of the playoff-contending teams—for every impressive victory, a blowout loss, follows.  This team desperately needs to re-discover their Power Play. 

18. New York Rangers - The Broadway Blueshirts are playing a bit better of late, but the strain of a lack of goal-scoring supporting, not to mention being overworked, is getting to goaltender Hendrik Lundquist.   

19. Montreal - They've started to play better, but, their lack of goal-scoring support, particularly for Cary Price, will prevent this team from any real run at the playoffs.

20. Minnesota - Rebounded from a four-game losing streak, last night; however, their continued struggles on special teams may end up dousing all of their efforts in recovering from their awful start to their season. 

21. Tampa Bay - Continue to play well, as of late—I give them credit for rebounding from giving up three goals in the first two minutes of their game against the Sabres.  Mike Smith now appears to be their go-to goalie.

22. New York Islanders - Winners of their last three of four games, the

Isles continue to pleasantly surprise.  Rick DiPietro has returned, but with the play of Dwayne Roloson, that return may not happen, for quite a while. 

23. Anaheim - Losing Ryan Getzlaf really hurts this team, but, their problems—lack of secondary scoring—will continue to ground these once high-flying Ducks. 

24. Atlanta - Well, they ended their nine-game winless streak; however, with their defensive and goaltending struggles, the clock may have finally struck midnight for the Thrash. 

25. St. Louis - Maybe Andy Murray wasn't the problem—a repeat of their fantastic finish to make the playoffs seems out of the question. 

26. Florida - Getting Cory Stillman back in the lineup is a great help—now, they just have to quit giving up so many shots on goal, surrendering 121 shots in their last three games. 

27. Toronto - After his hot start, Phil Kessel has cooled, considerably, with only one goal in his last ten games.  The rest of the team's not doing much better, either. 

28. Columbus - I wanted to wait to see who could win the battle for Western Conference ineptitude, before considering where I ranked Edmonton and Columbus.  While they ended their 13-game road losing streak, the prospects for this team are non-existent. 

29. Carolina - Unlike the team below them, at least this team is battling to try to win.  A sad drop-off, from last season's playoff run—let the rebuild begin.

30. Edmonton - Losers of eleven of their last twelve, the Oil are an absolute mess.  That's about all I can say, about this team, at this point.