Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Sunday’s games (last week’s ranking)

1. Chicago 25-9-3: Weekend sweep of pesky Predators put Blackhawks atop standings. The roar really is back. (3)

2. New Jersey 27-9-1: Despite loss to Capitals, Devils have won nine of last 11 and are getting injured players back. (1)

3. Washington 24-9-6: Capitals trade team captain Chris Clark, defenseman Milan Jurcina to Columbus for Jason Chimera, then fall flat in loss to Hurricanes. (5)

4. Pittsburgh 26-11-1: Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin were named to Russia’s Olympic team last week; Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury will get the nod from Canada this week. (2)

5. San Jose 24-8-7: Patrick Marleau scores career goals 300 and 301 against Ducks. He, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley are locks for Canadian Olympic team. (7)

6. Phoenix 24-13-3; Win over Kings on Saturday was Coyotes’ ninth straight at home, tying a franchise record set in Winnipeg days. Let’s hear it for the ‘peg’! (9)

7. Buffalo 23-11-4: Sabres are 6-2-2 in their last 10. Goaltender Ryan Miller will be rewarded this week when he’s named to the U.S. Olympic team. (6)

8. Colorado 22-12-6: Won seven of 10, staying atop the Northwest Division and earning only second home sellout of the season. (11)

9. Vancouver 23-16-0: After 6-2 homestand, Canucks keep going with a rout at Calgary on Sunday. Sedin twins got Swedish Olympic berths; Roberto Luongo will get Canadian spot. (13)

10. Kings 22-14-3: Lost four of five, scoring 10 goals. Without Justin Williams, Teddy Purcell (one goal in 33 games) goes to the top line. Getting near time to make a depth move. (4)

11. Boston 18-12-7: Won three straight and are 13-5-5 since 6-7-2 start. Good time to be featured in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day. (18)

12. Nashville 22-13-3: Lost three in a row, the last two to Chicago. No shame there, but West is too tight to allow even the slightest slump. (8)

13. Detroit 19-14-6: Todd Bertuzzi’s two goals at Columbus pull out a win for injury-ravaged Red Wings and gives him eight in nine games. (12)

14. Minnesota 20-16-3: Won a franchise-best 10 games in December. It’s those other months that are tricky. (17)

15. Ottawa 20-15-4: Cut ticket prices up to 30% for some games. Fans aren’t warming to this inconsistent bunch. (16)

16. Calgary 21-11-5: Lost eight of last 12, a stunning slide for a team expected to be a lot better. (10)

17. Montreal 19-19-3: Goaltender Jaroslav Halak stops 180 of 186 shots during a four-game winning streak, but lost to Ottawa on Monday. (24)

18. Dallas 16-11-11: Stars have won one of their last eight road games and three of their last 10. (14)

19. St. Louis 17-16-5: Lost last two after winning three straight. Still have to wonder if they’re tiring of Coach Andy Murray. (23)

20. Florida 16-17-7: Tomas Vokoun had two straight shutouts over Boston before Sunday. Coach Peter DeBoer started Scott Clemmensen against Bruins and lost. Overthinking can be dangerous. (19)

21. N.Y. Rangers 18-16-4: Chris Drury is finally stirring, scoring three goals in his last four games after scoring only two in his first 28. (25)

22. Atlanta 18-16-4: Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract talks hit a “snag.” He reportedly wants $100 million over 10 years, front-loaded. Might be too rich for Thrashers’ blood. (15)

23. Philadelphia 17-18-2: Flyers have beaten the Islanders 13 times in a row. Too bad they have to play 28 other teams. (29)

24. N.Y. Islanders 15-17-7: They have the Rangers’ number, with 10 wins in their last 14 games at Madison Square Garden. (26)

25. Ducks 15-16-7: Latest mishap is minor cut to Ryan Getzlaf’s thigh, requiring a few days to heal. It could have been worse. Same can’t be said of the Ducks. (20)

26. Toronto 13-17-9: Maple Leafs are 1-7 in overtime and have lost two shootouts. Throwing away points is not good strategy.(22)

27. Tampa Bay 15-15-9: Alex Tanguay’s wakes up to score goals in two straight games. Steven Stamkos (21 goals, 37 points) reviving after a long slump. (27)

28. Carolina 10-22-7: Hurricanes lose to former coach Peter Laviolette when he returns with Flyers, but rebound to beat Capitals on Monday. (30)

29. Edmonton 15-20-4: Oilers have lost seven straight. Falloff is across the board and shows no signs of ending. (21)

30. Columbus 15-18-7: Blue Jackets end nine-game losing streak by upsetting Red Wings in overtime. (28)

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