NHL Power Rankings: Blues take top billing; Canadiens rising

1. St. Louis Blues

Not only do the Blues effectively adopt future Hall of Famers to call their own, but they win hockey games. Lots of them. Typically in a row. Sporting a 10-0-1 record in their last eleven games, the Blues have seized the league's best goal differential along with the Devils' dignity. 

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

Bolts cut Evgeni Nabokov, call up Andrei Vasilevskiy and effectively shed nearly a full year off their mean age. Be afraid, Brenden Morrow, be very afraid.

3. Nashville Predators

Predators hockey under head coach Peter Laviolette is stimulating for most, but apparently not enough for someone whose extracurricular activity was heard over the FOX Sports broadcast Thursday night. (NSFW - like, really not safe). 

4. Chicago Blackhawks

When's the last time the Blackhawks played to a losing record over the course of a month? January 2015. 

5. Montreal Canadiens

Montreal can really only go wrong in the absence of its all-world netminder. Carey Price has allowed three goals on his last 139 shots faced and won all four games over that span. 

In addition to running away in the Vezina race, he's a nacho fan and laughs in the face of germs.

6. Anaheim Ducks

A hatchet isn't truly buried until it's selfied.

7. Detroit Red Wings

Players of Tomas Tatar's ilk are indigenous to Detroit. He's this year's Gustav Nyquist, and next season, he'll likely be last year's Tomas Jurco. Ridiculous.

8. New York Islanders

It seems as though we hardly know Jack Capuano - aside from that glorious, glorious head of hair. But the Islanders' bench boss already ranks second in wins and games coached in team history, behind only Al Arbour. 

9. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are the anti-Flames - loaded with top-end talent yet incapable of the comeback. Pittsburgh dropped to 0-9-3 when trailing after two periods in Sunday's loss to Nashville.

10. Boston Bruins

Could the Bruins' season be shaping up like their football-playing brethren? They, too, knocked off the defending champions this past weekend to snare points in 13 of their last 14 games. 

Also, Milan Lucic is doing his job, which means being the NHL equivalent to Rob Gronkowski.

11. Los Angeles Kings

Though the Kings' decision to imprison Mike Richards was a long time coming, the club must have a plan in place. Expect Dean Lombardi, with the trade deadline a month away, to make a splash to justify upsetting Jeff Carter. 

12. San Jose Sharks

After a loss to New Jersey out of the break, the Sharks strung together wins over the Kings, Ducks and Blackhawks, and continue to make very little sense. 

13. New York Rangers

Snoop Dogg revealed the identity of one of Katy Perry's dancing sharks at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Here's an exclusive shot of the other, less enthusiastic shark.

14. Winnipeg Jets

Paul Maurice's bunch will have to show some teeth in order to break their current three-game slide. Oh, they tried that already?

15. Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in scoring and Braden Holtby is having a career season, yet the Capitals can't seem to make up any ground. Other than stapling Justin Peters to the bench, we are without a solution.

16. Calgary Flames

With four more in a comeback win Saturday, Calgary has scored 70 goals in the third period and overtime this season. They have 71 in the first and second periods.

17. Vancouver Canucks 

Ronalds Kenins had never scored in the NHL prior to Sunday, so don't blame him for not knowing how to act. 

We expected more surprise than sheer apathy, considering the Canucks' inability to score on home ice.

18. Minnesota Wild

The Wild have a pulse thanks to Devan Dubnyk, who's 5-1 with a 1.71 goals-against average and .935 save percentage since his trade from Arizona. He also has more wins (14) and shutouts (three) than those wearing Oiler colors. 

19. Dallas Stars

Tyler Seguin has taken a liking to Jason Demers since his trade to Dallas, but we're not convinced the bromance is on a level of sophistication quite like Jacob Trouba and Zach Bogosian. 

20. Philadelphia Flyers 

Steve Mason recorded his 25th shutout Saturday against Toronto. This is amazing, considering Carey Price has 29 and shares a division with the Maple Leafs. 

21. Florida Panthers

Enjoy life on the postseason bubble while you can, Erik Gudbranson, because there's a clear divide shaping up in the Eastern Conference postseason push.

22. Colorado Avalanche

The final score of Sunday's big game didn't really matter at all to Calvin Pickard.

23. Ottawa Senators

Ottawa had seven different goal-scorers find the scoresheet at even strength Saturday versus Arizona. Previously, the Sens had scored more than four goals just five times.

24. New Jersey Devils

And here we were thinking Adam Henrique leading the team with 27 points was a travesty ...

25. Columbus Blue Jackets

Injury updates are an everyday thing in Columbus, but the latest news on Nathan Horton is the best we've heard in a while.

26. Carolina Hurricanes 

Bill Peters for Jack Adams. Not because his players are suddenly playing beyond themselves (or because he too has a pair of first names), but for his penchant for shaming Alexander Semin at literally every opportunity. 

27. Arizona Coyotes

The league's only true unapologetic tankers have met their match in Louis Domingue, whose immediate family just can't even. 

28. Edmonton Oilers

Beating the Flames would count for something, but the Oil can't even do that. Edmonton is winless in the last six Battles of Alberta and has been outscored 27-10 the process. 

29. Toronto Maple Leafs

Remember when statistics indicated that Peter Horachek was fixing the Leafs? Well now the only stat that truly matters indicates Horachek is the worst coach in the history of the franchise.

30. Buffalo Sabres

Just 32 games left. That's it.