After a couple of weeks away from No. 1 spot in our rankings, the Washington Capitals are back where they've been for most of the season. With Alex Ovechkin out due to a two-game suspension (and knee injury), the Capitals outscored their opponents a combined 14-4 in two games. Ovi was back on the ice on Monday night; the Capitals shut-out the Lightning and have now won six in a row.
SB Nation’s NHL Power Rankings, Week 10: Explosive Offense Propels Capitals to No. 1
Surprise of the week: After inexplicably being left out of the top ten last week, the Kings are back in the No. 7 spot.
PLEASE READ: Western Conference rankings are determined by votes from Western Conference bloggers, Eastern Conference bloggers for Eastern rankings. The Top 10 Power Rankings are determined by a separate vote of Western and Eastern Conference bloggers.
| NHL Top Ten Power Rankings | |||||
| Rank | Last Wk | Team | Record | Comments | |
 | 1 | 4 | Washington Capitals | 19-5-6 | The Capitals just keep rolling, with or without Alex Ovechkin. |
 | 2 | 1 | San Jose Sharks | 19-7-5 | The Western Conference leaders have won just five of their last ten games. |
 | 3 | 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 18-7-3 | Kris Versteeg put the finishing touches on a defining OT win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions. |
 | 4 | 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 20-10-1 | Sidney Crosby posted a ridiculous 11 points in three games before taking a night off for a nagging injury - a night that cost the Pens an extra point in OT. |
 | 5 | 3 | New Jersey Devils | 20-7-1 | Congratulations, Martin Brodeur. |
 | 6 | 6 | Calgary Flames | 18-8-3 | The Flames scored just four goals last week, as they went 1-2-0 in three straight close games. |
 | 7 | - | Los Angeles Kings | 18-10-1 | The Kings have their sights set on division-leading San Jose, now just four point back from the Sharks. |
 | 8 | 7 | Buffalo Sabres | 16-9-2 | The Sabres have slowed down now, going 4-5-1 in their last ten games. |
 | 9 | 10 | Boston Bruins | 15-9-5 | It was feast of famine for the Bruins this week, with two combined wins by eight goals and a demoralizing 5-1 loss to rival Montreal. |
 | 10 | 9 | Atlanta Thrashers | 15-9-3 | Two losses in the past three games have dampered enthusiasm a bit. |
Eastern Conference
Biggest Winner: None.
Biggest Loser: Philadelphia Flyers (-3)
| Eastern Conference Power Rankings | ||||
| Rk (Prv) | Team | Record | SB Nation Blog | |
| 1 (2) | Washington Capitals | 19-5-6 | Japers' Rink |
| 2 (3) | Pittsburgh Penguins | 20-10-1 | PensBurgh |
| 3 (1) | New Jersey Devils | 20-7-1 | In Lou We Trust |
| 4 (4) | Boston Bruins | 15-9-5 | Stanley Cup of Chowder |
| 5 (6) | Buffalo Sabres | 16-9-2 | Die By The Blade |
| 6 (5) | Atlanta Thrashers | 15-9-3 | Bird Watchers Anonymous |
 | 7 (7) | Ottawa Senators | 14-10-4 | Silver Seven |
 | 8 (8) | Tampa Bay Lightning | 11-10-8 | Raw Charge |
 | 9 (10) | New York Islanders | 11-11-7 | Lighthouse Hockey |
 | 10 (11) | New York Rangers | 14-14-1 | Blueshirt Banter |
 | 11 (13) | Montreal Canadiens | 14-14-2 | Habs Eyes On The Prize |
 | 12 (9) | Philadelphia Flyers | 13-13-1 | Broad Street Hockey |
 | 13 (12) | Florida Panthers | 11-13-6 | Litter Box Cats |
 | 14 (14) | Toronto Maple Leafs | 9-13-7 | Pension Plan Puppets |
 | 15 (15) | Carolina Hurricanes | 7-17-5 | Canes Country |
Western Conference
Biggest Winner: Colorado Avalanche (+4)
Biggest Loser: Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars (-3)
| Western Conference Power Rankings | ||||
| Rk (Prv) | Team | Record | SB Nation Blog | |
| 1 (1) | Chicago Blackhawks | 18-7-3 | Second City Hockey |
| 2 (2) | San Jose Sharks | 19-7-5 | Fear The Fin |
| 3 (3) | Calgary Flames | 18-8-3 | Matchsticks and Gasoline |
| 4 (5) | Los Angeles Kings | 18-10-3 | Battle of California |
 | 5 (9) | Colorado Avalanche | 17-9-6 | Mile High Hockey |
 | 6 (7) | Phoenix Coyotes | 18-11-1 | Five For Howling |
 | 7 (4) | Nashville Predators | 16-11-2 | On the Forecheck |
 | 8 (8) | Detroit Red Wings | 14-10-5 | Winging It In Motown |
 | 9 (6) | Dallas Stars | 13-8-8 | Defending Big D |
 | 10 (10) | Vancouver Canucks | 16-13-0 | Nucks Misconduct |
 | 11 11) | Columbus Blue Jackets | 13-11-5 | The Cannon |
 | 12 (12) | St. Louis Blues | 12-11-5 | St. Louis Game Time |
 | 13 (14) | Minnesota Wild | 13-13-3 | Hockey Wilderness |
 | 14 (15) | Edmonton Oilers | 13-13-4 | The Copper & Blue |
 | 15 (13) | Anaheim Ducks | 10-13-6 | Battle of California |
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