Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Monday’s games

Rank Team Record (Previous ranking)

1. Philadelphia 32-12-5; Flyers beat Blackhawks on Sunday in Cup rematch but Chicago still has that big silver trophy. Flyers have won eight of their last 10. (1)

2. Vancouver 30-10-9; Canucks’ rout of Dallas on Monday ended a four-game losing streak and tied them for league points lead with 69. (2)

3. Dallas 29-15-5; Stars’ road winning streak ended at a franchise-record eight in Calgary, and they turned it into a losing streak a 7-1 loss at Vancouver on Monday. (4)

4. Detroit 29-13-6; Red Wings had a good idea in signing goaltender Evgeni Nabokov but the Islanders’ waiver claim derailed their effort. (3)

5. Boston 27-15-7; Marc Savard suffered another concussion, worrisome given his history of head injuries. (6)

6. Washington 27-14-9; Before scoring four goals against Toronto last Saturday the Capitals had been held to three or fewer in 12 straight games. They were held to one goal again on Monday. (7)

7. Pittsburgh 30-15-4; Sidney Crosby still feeling concussion symptoms and will miss All-Star game. That sound you hear is Commissioner Gary Bettman weeping. (5)

8. Nashville 27-16-6; Predators have won 10 of their last 13. Dynamic defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are the heart of this competitive, scrappy team. (8)

9. Tampa Bay 30-15-5; Steven Stamkos has regained the NHL scoring lead while Crosby sits out. Stamkos has 67 points, including league-leading 38 goals. (11)

10. Chicago 26-19-4; Blackhawks handle Red Wings but lose Cup final rematch to Flyers. (10)

11. Montreal 27-17-5; Kudos to Canadiens fans for their warm ovation for former captain Saku Koivu’s return on Saturday. Fans are demanding but will reward those who deserve it. (12)

12. Phoenix 24-16-9; Coyotes were down to five defenseman vs. Kings on Saturday because of injuries but nearly won anyway. (9)

13. N.Y. Rangers 29-19-3; Brian Boyle steps up to carry offense through injuries, scoring 17 goals for a team that’s learning how to be gritty. (13)

14. Ducks 27-20-4; They won one for Saku Koivu in classy Finn’s first visit to Montreal since he left as free agent. As a team they’re still inconsistent, but who isn’t? (14)

15. San Jose 25-19-5; Sharks have won four in a row, only the second time this season they’ve won that many in a row. (19)

16. Minnesota 24-19-5; Wild’s three-game losing streak ended in San Jose. Worse: defenseman Nick Schultz apparently suffered his second head injury in a month. (15)

17. Carolina 24-19-6; Hurricanes captain Eric Staal lost family battle to little brother Jordan of the Penguins on Saturday. (16)

18. Colorado 25-18-6; Avalanche lost forward Thomas Fleischmann for the rest of the season because of blood clots in his lungs. But Peter Forsberg started practicing and hopes to come back at 37. (18)

19. Buffalo 22-21-5; Sabres are 8-3-1 in their last 12 but leading scorer Thomas Vanek (18 goals, 39 points) has been getting reduced playing time because of an upper-body injury. (27)

20. Kings 26-22-1; It shouldn’t be a big deal that they’ve won two games in a row, but their recent slump makes any win an occasion to celebrate. (17)

21. Calgary 23-21-6; Flames beat Dallas, Vancouver and Nashville in consecutive games, which isn’t a bad few days. (23)

22. Columbus 23-20-5; Blue Jackets overcame two-goal deficits to beat Florida and St. Louis last week and are 3-0-2 in their last five. (24)

23. Atlanta 23-19-9; Thrashers’ feel-good story is taking an unhappy turn. They’ve won only three of their last 10 and Dustin Byfuglien has no points in his last nine games. (20)

24. St. Louis 22-19-7; The Blues are 1-4-1 in their last six home games after squandering a 2-0 lead in 5-2 loss to Columbus. What happened to home-ice advantage? (22)

25. New Jersey 16-29-3; New Coach Jacques Lemaire is finally getting results. Devils have won four in a row and they’re playing well defensively. But that’s all three months too late. (29)

26. Florida 21-21-5; Welcome to the NHL, Jacob Markstrom: Panthers goalie gives up two goals to New Jersey on the first five shots he sees in 5-2 loss. (21)

27. Toronto 19-24-5; Maple Leafs are carrying three goalies. Makes sense only if they could play all three in net at the same time. (26)

28. N.Y. Islanders 15-25-7; They can’t persuade waiver-claimed Evgeni Nabokov to join them. They insist they’ve called him but he says he never heard a word. Comical. (25)

29. Ottawa 17-25-7; Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said last week he won’t fire GM Bryan Murray or Coach Cory Clouston. But don’t expect either to have same job next season. (28)

30. Edmonton 14-25-8; Oilers have lost five straight. Defenseman Ryan Whitney’s season is done because of ankle surgery but forward Shawn Horcoff returned last week after injuring his knee on Dec. 7. (30)

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