2)   San Jose Sharks – Jumbo Joe Thornton is day-to-day with a lower body injury, but this could be good news for a Sharks team that is starting to get back on the horse after a shaky March. If they can prove to themselves that they can win without their big center, it'll be that much easier for them when he disappears in the playoffs.

3)   Detroit Red Wings – Detroit's healthy again and has clawed its way up to sixth in the West, just one point behind Nashville. So much for these guys sneaking in with one of the final playoff seeds –a first-round series win won’t be much of an upset for these guys.

 4)   Washington Capitals – It's tough to stay at the top of the rankings when teams are gearing up into playoff mode. The Caps can take solace, though, in the fact that they're closing in on the Presidents Trophy for the league's best regular-season record. The team has also started on charity work, deciding to donate one goal per game to the less fortunate (read: Boston Bruins).

5)   Pittsburgh Penguins – The Crosby/Ovechkin drama is even starting to seep into the Power Rankings. Ovie is in the lead right now, but his Canadian counterpart is nipping at his heels. The only problem is that, should Pittsburgh overtake Washington this week, Jimmy Howard is waiting for Crosby with a facewash at the ready.

6)   Nashville Predators – Those pesky Predators just refuse to go away and continue to defy logic with their strong play. Every game that the Preds win makes a Blackberry cry, as they are the third team in the top six to have been courted at one point or another by Jim Balsillie.

7)   Chicago Blackhawks – The Blackhawks have continued their slide in the standings, winning just three of 10. Of course, by slide we mean that they now are just seven points ahead of their closest contender in the Central. It's a rough life.

8)   Buffalo Sabres – Ryan “Olympic MVP” Miller has continued to impress in net as the Sabres have won five of their last six, giving up more than three goals just once in that span. Also, rookie Tyler Ennis was brought back up and made an immediate impact, assisting on two goals by distracting the opposing goalie with an Oompa Loompa dance.

9)   Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks have dropped four of their last six, but Henrik Sedin is leading the way with his first 100-plus point season. Since they share the same DNA, we’re assuming Daniel would have too, were it not for the foot injury that cost him 18 games.

10) New Jersey Devils – One world-class goaltender, plus one world-class coach equals one successful season. Now if they could only convince Ilya Kovalchuk that Jacques Lemaire won't yell at him if he scores a goal every now and then.

11) Ottawa Senators – The Senators’ season has been comparable to a Six Flags roller coaster. They won 11 straight, then dropped eight of ten and now have won four straight. At this rate, they might want to host "Free Dramamine Night" before their fans start throwing up in the aisles.

12) Calgary Flames – Calgary was able to breathe a sigh of relief when they realized that they were no longer chasing Detroit for the final playoff spot. That is, until they realized it was because Detroit jumped up in the standings. The good news? They have one game remaining against the Avalanche, which could be their biggest game of the season.

13) Montreal Canadiens – Montreal has gotten points in eight of its last 10 games, but have won just once in their last five. Still, there’s hope for the bleu, blanc et rouge, as they have just two games remaining against teams in playoff contention. Mid-season acquisition Benoit Pouliot is still being required to address Scott Gomez as “your eminence” and kiss his Stanley Cup ring prior to every game.

14) Los Angeles Kings – The Kings seem to be backing into the playoffs, with just four wins in their last 10 games. After splitting a back-to-back with Colorado, the Kings dropped their next two to St. Louis and Dallas. The encouraging news however is that...

15) Colorado Avalanche – ... Colorado seems to be playing a game of, "anything you can do, we can do worse." Following the big back-to-back set between the two teams, the Avs also dropped their next two, allowing 10 goals while scoring just five. So much for playoff momentum.

16) St. Louis Blues – Someone forgot to inform the Blues that they're supposed to be out of contention. They continue to defy odds and won't fade easily, having dropped just five games since the Olympic break. The Blues certainly have a lot to play for, as forward Keith Tkachuk is reportedly considering retirement this off season. He's rumored to be retiring to Boston solely to continue to perpetuate those silly Tkachuk-to-the-Bruins rumors.

17) Boston Bruins – Boston continues to hang on to the eighth spot in the playoffs despite having scored a paltry 188 goals, good for dead last in the league. The reason the Bruins are still in the playoff race? They've given up just 186 goals, good for second in the league.

18) Philadelphia Flyers – Despite being in the sixth spot in the East, injuries are leaving the Flyers in danger of being bounced. On the plus side, one more really good game from Mike Richards provides a reprieve from the tired-yet-convenient “their leading scorer is hurt” mantra.

19) Anaheim Ducks – While their playoff hopes are essentially dashed, Anaheim continues to look forward to next season with strong play from rookie center Nick Bonino, currently filling in for Ryan Getzlaf. Can the Ducks harness the power of the mustache for a playoff run?

20) Dallas Stars – Kari Lehtonen is acing his audition for next season, playing admirably in a platoon role with Marty Turco. He's lost just once in his last five games and appears to be pushing the most likeable guy in the NHL out of a job. Word has it that Lehtonen has kept with the Eastwood theme on his mask, and has started bringing an orangutan to every game for good luck.

21) Atlanta Thrashers – The Thrashers continue to tease fans by pushing toward the playoffs. You wouldn't think it, but this ragtag bunch has really pulled together. Nik Antropov has turned into a star player, Maxim Afinogenov has re-discovered his talent, and Niclas Bergfors has been impressive since coming over from New Jersey. They’re no Ilya Kovalchuk, but at least Atlanta seems to have gotten some value back.
 

22) Columbus Blue Jackets – Anyone who doesn't think that this season was a deviation from what will become the norm in Columbus hasn't been paying attention. With Claude Noel behind the bench, their youngsters are starting to blossom. Derrick Brassard has 12 points in 18 games under Noel, and Jakub Voracek has 21 points in 18 games. Even Steve Mason is looking more like his Calder-winning self.

23) Toronto Maple Leafs – The mantra in the Leafs’ locker room right now has got to be, "Don't make Burkie look stupid." They’re 9-4-2 since the Olympic break, and Phil Kessel has nine goals and 13 points in that time. With five of their remaining six games against playoff bubble teams, the Leafs are looking to ruin a lot of aspirations.

24) New York Islanders – We keep wanting to be critical of this Islanders team, which quickly fell out of playoff contention, until we remember that they have an average age of about 13 years old. So far, Garth Snow has been very successful in his rebuild and the Islanders haven’t been as easy a win as they were last season. Just like the Leafs, they have the unique opportunity of providing some early summer vacation plans.

25) New York Rangers – Four points out of the playoffs, the Rangers haven't given up hope yet. It's always a tenuous situation, however, when your playoff life rests on the groin of Marian Gaborik. Speaking of which, groin explosion in 3...2...

26) Minnesota Wild – One night, it looks like there's no team the Wild can't beat. The next, there's no one they can. The good news is that general manager Chuck Fletcher seems dead-set on improving the team in a hurry – and the talent gap between Minnesota and the playoff-contending teams isn’t that big.

27) Carolina Hurricanes – The ‘Canes have started slipping down the standings, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The season has been full of bright spots for a team that will get significantly younger in the off-season. A healthy Cam Ward will only add to that. Now if they could only convince Eric Staal that he can perform without Erik Cole on his line, they'd be set.

28) Florida Panthers – The Panthers are stuck in a strange purgatory-like place in the NHL – think “the island” from Lost. They can't seem to go forward, but they can't seem to go backward either. Confused? Management probably is.

29) Tampa Bay Lightning – A new owner has rolled into Hockey Bay and seems to be bringing more continuity than the previous pair. But can Jeff Vinik keep the Montreal media from linking Vincent Lecavalier to the Canadiens in trade rumors?

30) Edmonton Oilers – Well, it was a nice one-week reprieve for the Oilers. Maybe it's time for the team to start a "How's Hall?" campaign heading toward the end of the season, because there's not much else to look forward to.

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