Power Rankings: Sharks Claim Top Spot

We have a new team at the top of our power rankings as the San Jose Sharks take over the No. 1 spot. Meanwhile, a red-hot Eastern Conference team breaks into the top three, while the losses continue to mount for one club that's stuck in the basement.

More Coverage: What's Happened to Steve Mason?
Pink Slip Index: Complications in Carolina

1. Sharks (Last Week: 3) San Jose takes over the top spot this week thanks to the best record in the league and wins in eight of its past 10 games. The most impressive showing of the week was their 5-0 dismantling of the Penguins on Saturday night.
2. Devils (9) The Devils remain perfect on the road (9-0) and make a huge jump in this weeks rankings. They've won seven in a row and 10 of 11. They haven't allowed more than two goals in a game during this current streak.

3. Avalanche (2) The Avs are still one of the best teams in the league, and the biggest surprise, but losses in four of their past six, including both games this past week, move them down one spot.

4. Capitals (6) No Ovechkin, no problem. The Capitals have put together a 3-1 record since their best player went down with an injury, and have scored 16 goals in the three wins. Granted, the wins came against the Islanders and Panthers (twice) but, hey, those guys get paid too. Even though he's missed four games, Ovechkin is still only seven points back for the league lead in points and is still tied for the league lead in goals.
5. Penguins (1) It's a testament to how dominant they were in October that the Penguins could lose four in a row and still have the fifth-most points in the league. No time to panic, though, as the following players who suited up and played key roles in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final are currently out: Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Brooks Orpik, Tyler Kennedy, Max Talbot, Kris Letang. Ouch.
6. Flames (10) The Flames are starting to hit a little bit of a roll again, winning four in a row. Miikka Kiprusoff is starting to pick it up as well, allowing just two goals in his last three starts.
7. Sabres (3) When he's healthy and on the ice, Tim Connolly is a pretty productive player. He's showing it again this season, leading the Sabres with 15 points in 15 games.
8. Kings (5) Anze Kopitar has opened up a six-point lead in the scoring race and is currently on pace for 60 goals and 129 points. I don't expect him to keep up such a ridiculous pace, but he's been one of the top two or three forwards in the league through the first month-and-a-half.
9. Blackhawks (12) Jonathan Toews has returned to the lineup and is already making an impact with a goal and an assist in his first two games back. They still hold the top spot in the division, but have the Red Wings gaining ground fast. Speaking of which...
10. Red Wings (13) Things are starting to get back to normal for Detroit as it cracks the top 10 for the first time this season. The Wings have won four of five, including one of the most dominating performances by any team this season with a 9-1 win against Columbus on Wednesday. With nine goals in 17 games, Tomas Holmstrom looks like he could have a career year in the goal scoring department.

11. Flyers (14) The only thing they've been lacking the past two years is a goalie, and maybe, just maybe, they've found one. Ray Emery has been fantastic in his past five starts and has improved his season save percentage to point .924.

12. Rangers (8) As a team, the Rangers have slowed down considerably after their hot start. Individually, Marian Gaborik is as good as he's ever been, putting up 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 17 games. He's six points back of Kopitar for the top spot in the scoring race, and trails Kopitar and Ovechkin by just one goal for the league lead.
13. Coyotes (7) If you like offense, Coyotes games aren't for you. Phoenix is seventh in the league in terms of preventing goals (2.39 per game), and 23rd in terms of scoring goals (2.50 per game).
14. Canucks (11) Such a confusing team. After going on a run where they won seven of nine, the Canucks have now dropped three in a row, scoring just three goals in the process. Andrew Raycroft had a nice run prior to Roberto Luongo's concern, and then wet the proverbial bed against St. Louis by giving up four goals in eight minutes on Tuesday.
15. Stars (17) Marty Turco is on his way to bouncing back from a disappointing 2008-09 campaign, and is currently in the top 10 in both goals against average and save percentage.

16. Blue Jackets (15) Steve Mason seems to have regressed this season, but is it all his fault? I'm still a believer in the 21-year-old goalie, and the Blue Jackets as a team. They're still only two points back for the top spot in the Central Division.
17. Lightning (19) It's still all about Steven Stamkos this season as the second-year forward is leading the club with 13 goals and 19 points. Victor Hedman is still searching for his first NHL goal, but is more than holding his own defensively by averaging well over 23 minutes of ice-time per game. The future looks promising with those two guys solidifying the foundation.
18. Senators (16) In just 16 games, Mike Fisher is already over halfway to matching his goal output from a season ago.

19. Canadiens (18) Thursday's win against Phoenix was just Montreal's second win in regulation this season. Things are getting entertaining off the ice in regards to the "goaltending controversy" between Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak.

20. Bruins (22) One of the many teams around the NHL that's been decimated by injuries (Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, David Krejci for a short period of time) and it's taken a toll on their offense. On the plus side, Tim Thomas hasn't allowed a goal in regulation in two consecutive games.
21. Thrashers (21) They were able to tread water without Ilya Kovalchuk, posting a 3-3 record in his absence, and were rewarded with a three-point performance in his return on Thursday. Shocking stat: Nik Antropov still doesn't have a goal.
22. Predators (23) J.P. Dumont has only played in 10 of Nashville's 17 games, but he still leads the team in scoring with 11 points. Only Carolina has scored fewer goals than the Predators this season.

23. Islanders (24) They're still losing a lot of games in extra time, but at least they're getting points. The Islanders are just one point back of a potential playoff spot
24. Oilers (20) Only two wins in the past 10 for the Oilers, and even Dustin Penner has cooled off a bit with three points in six games.
25. Blues (25) After recording his first career hat trick against Vancouver, David Perron is now leading the team with seven goals. Not a bad run for a guy that started the season with zero points in his first seven games. Wins are still hard to come by for St. Louis, winning just one of its past seven.

26. Ducks (26) He only has one goal, but Ryan Getzlaf is still one of the best playmakers in the league averaging almost an assist per game.

27. Panthers (27) Tomas Vokoun has pitched a shutout in three of his past four starts, including Thursday's 40-save performance against the Boston Bruins. If the Panthers are going to get back in this thing they're going to need him to continue to be a wall in net.
28. Wild (28) This probably isn't what Minnesota had in mind when it signed Martin Havlat this past summer: two goals and six assists in 16 games.

29. Maple Leafs (29) Jonas Gustavsson has been one of the few bright spots in Toronto in an otherwise miserable season. "The Monster" has been the starting netminder in all three of the Maple Leafs wins, and has posted a .912 save percentage. Phil Kessel has averaged a point-per-game (two goals, two assists in four games) since making his debut.

30. Hurricanes (30) If it were possible to rank them lower than 30, I would. The Hurricanes enter the weekend with the losing streak at 13. Can this team turn it around?