Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Monday’s games

Rank Team Record (previous week)

1. Washington 37-12-6. The Capitals have won 10 in a row and shouldn’t be slowed by Mike Green’s three-game suspension for his elbow to the head of Florida’s Michael Frolik. (1)

2. San Jose 36-10-9. Sharks were first to 80 points. Patrick Marleau increased his league-leading goal total to 37 with two against Minnesota on Saturday. (2)

3. Chicago 37-14-4. After beating San Jose, the Blackhawks’ letdown at Carolina in the finale of eight-game trip was understandable. They were 5-3. (3)

4. Vancouver 34-18-2. The Canucks started their marathon Olympic trip with a comeback win at Toronto. They’ve won seven in a row. (5).

5. Kings 33-19-3. Impressive 5-0 trip showed a lot of perseverance and ingenuity as they found ways to win against strong teams. (9)

6. Colorado 30-18-6. Avalanche has five forwards out of the lineup because of injuries and has lost three straight, its longest losing streak this season. (4)

7. Pittsburgh 35-21-1. Penguins’ shootout victory over Detroit on Sunday left them seven for seven in the tiebreaker. (7)

8. Phoenix 33-18-5. Coyotes win one for Coach Dave Tippett in his first game at Dallas since the Stars fired him. They’ve won four straight. (11)

9. Ottawa 31-21-4. The Senators set a franchise record by winning nine straight. Goalie Brian Elliott (no relation) has given up eight goals in winning seven straight. (10)

10. New Jersey 35-17-2. Blown lead over the Kings on Sunday was their first loss in a game they had led after two periods. Devils are only 3-6-1 in their last 10. (6)

11. Buffalo 32-15-7. Sabres’ leading scorer Tim Connolly (13 goals, 50 points) is headed for career highs. (8)

12. Philadelphia 28-23-3. The Flyers have won 14 in a row against the Islanders. Unfortunately, they have to play 28 other teams too. (13)

13. Detroit 26-19-10. They’re getting players back from injuries, but they’re not getting any more consistency. With 142 goals they’re the second-lowest scoring team in the West. (14)

14. Nashville 30-21-3. The Predators ended a five-game losing streak by beating the Thrashers, but they’re still in danger of falling out of the top eight in the West. (12)

15. Minnesota 27-24-4. Giving up a club-record four power-play goals in a loss to San Jose led to the end of the Wild’s three-game winning streak. (22)

16. Calgary 27-21-8. Trading defenseman Dion Phaneuf to Toronto sent a clear message: Play hard and smart or you’re gone. Oh, and score some goals -- which Flames didn’t do on Monday in loss to Flyers. (15)

17. Dallas 24-20-11. Stars aren’t far off the West pace, but it’s tough to picture them making a real playoff push. (21)

18. Ducks 26-23-7. Au revoir, Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Your goaltending touch deserted you, but you never lost your class. (16)

19. Florida 24-23-9. Tomas Voukon goes from shutting out the Islanders to being on the other end when Ducks shut out the Panthers. (23)

20. St. Louis 24-22-9. If their 9-14-5 home record were even a little better they might contend for a playoff spot. (25)

21. Atlanta 24-22-8. General Manager Don Waddell was at the Kings-Devils game Sunday, sparking new Ilya Kovalchuk trade rumors. (26)

22. Montreal 25-25-6. Canadiens have won only three of their last 10. The Carey Price-Jaroslav Halak goaltending duel rages on. (17)

23. N.Y. Rangers 25-24-7. Marian Gaborik’s hat trick helps Rangers beat Colorado without flu-ridden goalie Henrik Lundqvist. (18)

24. Tampa Bay 22-21-11. Investor Jeffrey Vinik reportedly will buy the Lightning and the land around the arena. Off-ice stability will help a lot. (24)

25. N.Y. Islanders 23-25-8. A five-game losing streak has kept them out of the top eight in the East. (19)

26. Boston 23-21-9. The punchless Bruins are winless in seven and have scored a league-low 130 goals. (20)

27. Columbus 22-26-9. Has the novelty worn off for Blue Jackets fans? They had a small crowd for the Kings last week and little buzz. (27)

28. Carolina 19-29-7. Hurricanes had won four in a row before losing to Edmonton, but that’s only making players like Matt Cullen and Ray Whitney better trade bait. (28)

29. Toronto 17-28-11. General Manager Brian Burke shakes up the Maple Leafs by adding Phaneuf from Calgary and Giguere from the Ducks. Truculence doesn’t equal success if you don’t have a great defense. (29).

30. Edmonton 17-31-6. Oilers end 0-11-2 skid by beating the Hurricanes. But that was only second win in their last 22 (2-18-2). (30)

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