Power Rankings: Week 14

1. Vancouver Canucks… LW: 1
Backup Cory Schneider has come up big for the Canucks, lending Roberto Luongo much-needed relief. Schneider is on a five-game win streak and has yet to lose in regulation.
2. Philadelphia Flyers… LW: 3
The Flyers are tops in the Eastern Conference with an 18-2-2 record when scoring first.
3. Detroit Red Wings… LW: 6
Defenseman Brad Stuart (12 points, +7) is the latest to go down to injury, but that didn’t keep the Red Wings from sweeping through their Western Canada swing.
4. Washington Capitals… LW: 5
In his last five games, Semyon Varlamov is 4-0-1 with a 1.19 goals-against and .962 save percentage. For the moment, he has taken the No. 1 role from Michal Neuvirth.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins… LW: 2
Sidney Crosby’s concussion has thrown a curveball into Pittsburgh’s plans; they’ve scored just two goals without him. It’s time for Evgeni Malkin to step up.

6. Dallas Stars… LW: 8
Another backup that’s been performing admirably is Andrew Raycroft, with eight wins and two shutouts. The Stars are starting to make believers out of their doubters.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning… LW: 4
The high-powered Bolts had a shaky week, but still sit on top of the Southeast.
8. Nashville Predators… LW: 14
What is one word we always use for Barry Trotz and company? Resiliency. They showed a lot of it by winning five straight and sweeping the California swing amidst injuries.
9. New York Rangers… LW: 15
The Blueshirts took a big step in the right direction last week, as far as their playoff hopes go. They are 17-0 when leading after two and the league’s best road team.
10. Chicago Blackhawks… LW: 13
Though they’ve been inconsistent thus far, the Blackhawks are starting to turn it on and are a team to watch here in the second half.
11. Los Angeles Kings… LW: 9
Though Jack Johnson is improving and has untapped potential, I don’t know if I would’ve given a seven-year, $30.5 million deal to a defenseman that has a -62 rating for his career.
12. Atlanta Thrashers… LW: 10
Interesting stat: Craig Ramsay’s club has surrendered the most shots and has blocked the most shots in the NHL.
13. Carolina Hurricanes… LW: 16
The ‘Canes have gained points in each of their last seven games. If they keep this up, will they be playoff bound?
14. Anaheim Ducks… LW: 18
Since Dec. 5, Jonas Hiller is 10-4-1 with a 1.56 goals-against and .953 save percentage with three shutouts. Also, the team is 4-1 since Ryan Getzlaf got injured.
15. Minnesota Wild… LW: 20
Minnesota was quite impressive during their four-game win streak, which was snapped yesterday. Jose Theodore and Cal Clutterbuck were solid during the streak.
16. Boston Bruins… LW: 11
Dating back to the beginning of last season, the Bruins have dropped eight of nine to rival Montreal following Saturday’s collapse.
17. San Jose Sharks… LW: 7
Joe Thornton and company have hit a major dry-spell offensively. The Sharks have five goals in the five games since winning in Chicago on Dec. 30 (with a 1-4 record).
18. Montreal Canadiens… LW: 19
Jacques Martin’s bunch needed a pair of overtime wins over Pittsburgh and Boston to get off the schneid.
19. St. Louis Blues… LW: 12
The players had a closed-door meeting on Sunday after losing three straight. They have a big swing out west later this week.
20. Colorado Avalanche… LW: 17
Chris Stewart is close to returning to the lineup after breaking his hand in late November. It’d be a big boost to a team that was just won twice in the last nine games.
21. Buffalo Sabres… LW: 22
Newcomer Jordan Leopold has quietly put together a terrific first season in Buffalo (24 points in 41 games).
22. Phoenix Coyotes… LW: 21
Among teams in playoff contention, the Coyotes are the worst when giving up the first goal (3-11-4).
23. New York Islanders… LW: 24
Jack Capuano’s crew has won eight of their last 12 games with three different goaltenders.
24. Calgary Flames… LW: 23
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding Tom Kostopolous’ six-game suspension. For the record, I think he deserved it.
25. Florida Panthers… LW: 25
The ‘Cats inched closer to eighth seed early last week, only to lose three straight close games in regulation thereafter.
26. Toronto Maple Leafs… LW: 29
What the hell has gotten into the Leafs?! Scoring 14 goals in the last two games probably means they’ll have trouble scoring on their upcoming west coast trip.
27. Columbus Blue Jackets… LW: 26
The Jackets seem to be in disarray right now, after losing four straight in which they surrendered 20 goals. Is a trade coming?
28. Ottawa Senators… LW: 27
The Sens are 29th in the league when it comes to goal-scoring, averaging 2.21 goals per game. They have definitely been a disappointment this year.
29. Edmonton Oilers… LW: 28
Youngsters Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle have combined for three points in the last seven games.
30. New Jersey Devils… LW: 30
With Captain Jamie Langenbrunner shown the door, who’s next? There is a premium on depth at center around the league, so look for Jason Arnott to be dealt eventually.

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