Power Rankings: Streaking San Jose Reaches Top Spot

Riding a seven-game win streak into the weekend, the San Jose Sharks have moved back to the top spot of our weekly NHL power rankings. Not only do they have one of the top lines in hockey (and the NHL's leading scorer, Joe Thornton) they've also been shutting teams down defensively by limiting teams to two goals or less in nine straight games.

1. Sharks (Last Week: 5) The Sharks are on a roll once again, and with wins in seven straight games they jump to the top of our power rankings. San Jose hasn't allowed more than two goals in regulation since Dec. 11 ... a stretch of nine games.
2. Devils (1) What a month of December for the Devils. New Jersey won 11 of 15 games, including a pair of shutouts against division rival Pittsburgh. The Devils will have three players (Zach Parise, Paul Martin and Jamie Langenbrunner) represent the United States next month in Vancouver.
3. Blackhawks (4) Speaking of teammates going to the Olympics, the Chicago duo of Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith made a stacked Canadian roster.
4. Capitals (2) The Capitals picked up Jason Chimera from Columbus last week in exchange for their captain, Chris Clark. Chimera recorded an assist in his first game. Another solid addition for a team that already has plenty of depth up front.
5. Sabres (7) Apparently, no deficit is too much for Buffalo to overcome. The Sabres erased 3-0 deficits in back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and Atlanta.
6. Penguins (3) Rough couple of weeks for the Penguins with a pair of losses to New Jersey (both shutouts), a last-minute loss to Toronto and a blown 3-0 lead in Buffalo.

7. Bruins (8) Patrice Bergeron has come a long way the past three years. One of the biggest surprises on the Team Canada roster, Bergeron heads into the weekend leading the Bruins with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists).
8. Coyotes (10) They don't appear to be going away. The Coyotes have the third most points in the Western Conference and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is leading the way. Could the lack of offense hurt them in the long run? No player has more than 26 points.
9. Predators (6) Shea Weber was excited about having an opportunity to try out for the Canadian Olympic team this summer, and on Wednesday his hard work was rewarded.
10. Flames (11) Calgary's two big-money defenseman, Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwmeester, didn't make the cut for Canada. Justified? Some would say yes, absolutely.
11. Avalanche (12) Don't look now, but Matt Duchene, the No. 3 pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft, is just one point behind John Tavares, the No. 1 pick, for the lead in rookie scoring. After seven points in his first 14 games, Duchene now has 20 in his past 28 games.
12. Canucks (15) It was a huge week for Olympic rosters, and Vancouver's Mikael Samuelsson had the best quote of all the talented players that didn't make the cut for their respective countries. He's responded with goals in two of his past three games.
13. Kings (9) Happy to see Drew Doughty get rewarded for his stellar play by making the Canadian roster. One of the best young players in the game today. A Norris Trophy or two is in his future.
14. Stars (16) Very quietly, Brad Richards is having one of the best seasons of his career. He's currently on pace for 96 points, which would eclipse his previous single-season high of 91 points during the 2005-06 campaign.
15. Red Wings (14) Offense has been a struggle for much of the season, and the Wings have been shutout three times in their past five games.
16. Senators (17) Since getting crushed, 8-2, back on Dec. 23, the Senators have responded nicely with wins in three of four. Daniel Alfredsson hasn't scored a goal in 13 games entering action on Saturday.

17. Rangers (18) The Rangers are starting to play like they were earlier in the season. With at least a point in six of their past seven games the Rangers have managed to climb back to within in one point of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Marian Gaborik is still having an incredible season.
18. Wild (19) Speaking of teams getting it back together, Minnesota has recovered from its disastrous start with a 19-12-3 run since losing six of its first seven games.

19. Thrashers (13) And now for a team that's going in the opposite direction. A seven-game losing streak (and losses in eight of nine) has Atlanta outside the top eight in the Eastern Conference.

20. Flyers (27) Michael Leighton has given the Flyers some life. Philadelphia had won four in a row before giving up a late goal and losing in overtime to Boston in the Winter Classic.

21. Canadiens (25) Jaroslav Halak is on another run for Montreal, similar to the one he had earlier this season.

22. Ducks (20) Bobby Ryan is starting to get on a roll for the Ducks with 16 points in 15 games in the month of December. He has six goals in his past nine games.
23. Blues (21) The Blues' power play struggles and inability to win a home game has finally cost head coach Andy Murray his job.

24. Lightning (26) Very surprised to see Martin St. Louis not make the team Canada roster. He's the fourth-leading scoring among Canadian forwards.
25. Islanders (23) He's still leading the team in goals and points, but John Tavares has just one point (a goal) in his past 10 games.
26. Panthers (22) One of the six teams separated by just three points in the No's. 8 through 13 spots in the Eastern Conference.

27. Blue Jackets (24) With Andy Murray getting the pink slip on Saturday, Ken Hitchcock is probably the next coach on the hot seat. Columbus finally snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 1-0 overtime win against Detroit on Monday ... and then followed it up with two more losses.
28. Maple Leafs (29) The Leafs have been OK offensively this season (12th in goals per game) but are still one of the worst teams in the league between the pipes. As of Saturday, no team has a worse save percentage than Toronto's .884.
29. Oilers (28) Dustin Penner remains to be one of the few bright spots in Edmonton. Well, Dustin Penner and what sounds like an awesome New Years party.

30. Hurricanes (30) Carolina has won two road games this season. Two. The places the Hurricanes won? Pittsburgh and Washington. How does that happen?