2014-15 NHL Power Rankings

1. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 2; 36-12-6, 78 points) – James Neal's overtime goal gave Nashville a win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday in a matchup pitting the top team in each conference, or, as NBC likely called it, the worst-case-scenario Stanley Cup Final preview.

2. St. Louis Blues (LW: 1; 35-15-4, 74 points) – After winning 12 of 13, the Blues cooled over the weekend. They suffered a six-goal loss in Columbus before losing to the rival Blackhawks on Sunday.

3. Detroit Red Wings (LW: 5; 31-13-9, 71 points) – Jimmy Howard was ready to return Wednesday night, but the Wings decided to ride Petr Mrazek, who had led Detroit to wins in nine of its previous 10 games. That didn't exactly work out, though, as Mrazek was shelled for four goals in two periods in a loss in Pittsburgh.

4. Anaheim Ducks (LW: 3; 34-14-7, 75 points) – The Ducks have lost three straight, and goalie Frederik Andersen went on IR after a crossbar fell on his head. Anaheim started Ilya Bryzgalov on Tuesday, and it pretty much went as most Flyers fans would expect. He was chased by the offensively feeble Panthers, and now John Gibson will likely be between the pipes until Andersen gets back.

5. New York Islanders (LW: 7; 35-18-1, 71 points) – The Islanders won three of four and lead the Metropolitan Division, but one cause of concern is their league-worst penalty kill, which has struggled throughout the season.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning (LW 4; 34-16-6, 74 points) – Andrei Vasilenskiy has appeared in three of Tampa's last four games, including the showdown with Nashville. The former first-round pick who stole the backup job from Evgeni Nabokov has a .929 save percentage this year in seven games and could make the Lightning's goalie situation interesting if Ben Bishop continues treading water (.912 save percentage).

7. Chicago Blackhawks (LW: 6; 33-18-4, 70 points) – The good news is that Marian Hossa has six goals in his last three games and Patrick Kane leads the league with 62 points. The bad news is that Chicago has lost four of six and still isn't dominating like usual.

8. Montreal Canadiens (LW: 10; 35-15-3, 73 points) – The Habs have won three straight, and Carey Price's save percentage is a league-best .933. Montreal trails the Lightning by a point in the Atlantic, but has three games in hand.

9. New York Rangers (LW: 8; 31-16-5, 67 points) – Goalie Henrik Lundqvist will be out at least three weeks with a vascular injury after taking a puck to the throat, but only after he finished the game and played again two nights later. Not sure if he topped teammate Kevin Klein, who came back in a game after losing a piece of his ear earlier in the season, but the Rangers have cornered the market on fictitious-sounding hockey toughness.

10. Pittsburgh Penguins (LW: 9; 31-15-8, 70 points) – The Penguins beat Detroit on Wednesday behind Blake Comeau's goal and assist in his first game in seven weeks. Pittsburgh has won three of four, and Marc-Andre Fleury has given up one goal over his last three starts.

11. Washington Capitals (LW: 12; 29-16-10, 68 points) – The Capitals received some unexpected help in their win over San Jose on Wednesday night. No, not Jay Beagle's two goals and assist. Linesman Lonnie Cameron threw a mean pick on Beagle's game-tying goal in the third. Add in a questionable no-call that helped lead to Joel Ward's overtime winner, and the Sharks weren't getting much of a home-ice advantage.

12. Boston Bruins (LW: 11; 28-19-7, 63 points) – The Bruins have lost three of four, including a 3-1 game against rival Montreal on Sunday night. Despite playing two more games, the B's lead the Panthers by only four points for the second wild card in the East.

13. San Jose Sharks (LW: 13; 28-20-8, 64 points) – The Sharks have lost five of six, but the focus is on goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who was traded to San Jose so he could retire as a Shark on Wednesday. Nabokov played 10 of his 14 years in San Jose. In 2007-08, he started an absurd 76 games and played in 77.

14. Minnesota Wild (LW: 17; 26-20-7, 59 points) – Devan Dubnyk has four shutouts and a .941 save percentage in 11 games since he was traded to Minnesota, his fourth team in two seasons. Not coincidentally, the Wild are 8-1-2 and four points from the last playoff spot in the West.

15. Vancouver Canucks (LW: 14; 30-20-3, 63 points) – Ryan Miller has a .881 save percentage in six starts since the All-Star break. Daniel Sedin scored a pair of goals, including an overtime winner in the Canucks' 5-4 win in Chicago.

16. Winnipeg Jets (LW: 15; 28-18-10, 66 points) – Not sure I can fit the Jets' last week into a couple of sentences, but here goes: After Evander Kane clashed with teammates, then had surgery to take care of a shoulder injury he had played through for much of the season, it was a foregone conclusion his complicated career in Winnipeg was over. The situation was so toxic, Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff actually made a trade, his first NHL player-for-player deal since taking over in 2011. Kane is going to Buffalo as the centerpiece of a seven-player blockbuster. Stay tuned for the Sabres' blurb in which we'll have details on the trade. That's what they call a teaser, kids.

17. Calgary Flames (LW: 16; 30-21-3, 63 points) – The Flames have won four of five, including a pair of wins over the Sharks, and now lead in the Pacific Division in goal differential (plus-19).

18. Florida Panthers (LW: 21; 24-17-11, 59 points) – The Panthers won three of four and have been hanging with the league's elite. They beat the Isles, Kings, and Ducks and lost in a shootout against Nashville after blowing a two-goal lead.

19. Los Angeles Kings (LW: 19; 23-18-12, 58 points) – Just as many started to question whether the Kings could turn it around after three straight losses last week, LA won in Tampa and then Columbus to pull within five points of the second wild card. Jeff Carter, who scored and had an assist in Columbus on Tuesday, has four goals and nine points in eight games against the Blue Jackets since Columbus traded him to Los Angeles.

20. Dallas Stars (LW: 18; 25-21-8, 58 points) – Kari Lehtonen has been uncharacteristically terrible this year. His save percentage of .906 is well below his career total (.914), and he's part of the reason Dallas has been outside the playoff picture. Tuesday, the Stars got him some help and rescued Jhonas Enroth from Buffalo. Enroth hasn't been any better (.903 save percentage), but could provide some starts and rest for Lehtonen, as Dallas will need more production from its goalies if it's going to make a run.

21. Flyers (LW: 22; 23-22-9, 55 points) – The Flyers have points in seven straight games, but they'll have to make up eight points over the next two months to catch Boston for a playoff spot, an especially tough task with Steve Mason on the shelf for two to three weeks. Despite the recent success, it's worth noting the Flyers have been outshot four times and have the fifth-worst Corsi in the NHL in that span, according to war-on-ice.com.

22. Colorado Avalanche (LW: 20; 22-21-11, 55 points) – With three straight losses, the Avs are eight points out of a playoff spot and need to leapfrog four teams. With 28 games left, it doesn't look promising.

23. New Jersey Devils (LW: 23; 21-24-9, 51 points) – The Devils lost to the Canadiens and Oilers, and now the team's biggest question is where Jaromir Jagr will end up. Jagr has 11 goals and 29 points in 50 games this year.

24. Columbus Blue Jackets (LW: 25; 23-26-3, 49 points) – Ryan Murray is out four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain. The second pick of the 2012 draft has been healthy for only 73 games in the last two seasons and missed significant time in the WHL in 2012-13 because of shoulder surgery. Scott Hartnell reached 1,000 career games Tuesday and celebrated by scoring for the third straight game. He has 13 goals and 34 points in 47 games this year.

25. Ottawa Senators (LW: 24; 21-22-9, 51 points) – Since Jan. 3, the Sens have only one win over a team remotely close to .500 (Montreal). On the bright side, they might be the best team in Ontario thanks to …

26. Toronto Maple Leafs (LW: 26; 23-28-4, 50 points) – … the Leafs. Toronto is 4-19-1 in its last 24 games and has won one of its last 13. Phil Kessel has only six points in 17 games since New Year's and practiced with the fourth line Wednesday. On the bright side, he's still a magazine cover boy! Oh … never mind.

27. Carolina Hurricanes (LW: 28; 19-26-7, 45 points) – Since New Year's, the Canes are 9-3-3 and have picked up points against Boston, St. Louis (twice), Tampa Bay, Anaheim, and San Jose. Defenseman Justin Faulk has 12 points in that span and 32 this season.

28. Arizona Coyotes (LW: 27; 20-28-7, 47 points) – The Coyotes are 4-3-1 in their last eight, including wins against Montreal and Chicago and a one-goal loss in St. Louis. Mike Smith have a .934 save percentage since the All-Star break, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson has five goals and eight points in his last 11. It's almost a shame, considering the crows have been circling this team for weeks in the form of scouts preparing for the trade deadline.

29. Edmonton Oilers (LW: 29; 15-31-9, 39 points) – Taylor Hall is out six weeks with a fractured ankle, but the only thing Edmonton is competing for at this point is the guaranteed top-two pick that comes with the worst record. Five wins in their last 10 games won't help the Oilers "catch" Buffalo.

30. Buffalo Sabres (LW: 30; 16-36-3, 35 points) – So, Buffalo received Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, and a goaltending prospect who's a longshot to make the NHL for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford (who will be a free agent this summer), Joel Armia (the 16th pick of the 2011 draft), Brendan Lemieux (Claude's son and the 31st pick of the 2014 draft), and the lowest of Buffalo's three first-round picks this year (either the Islanders' or Blues' pick). Bogosian and Myers are both young, somewhat disappointing defensemen right now. The 6-foot-8, smooth-skating Myers might have more upside, and Bogosian might be better now. With Kane out the rest of the year, this helps Buffalo ensure it drafts Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.