NHL Power Rankings: Tim Thomas, Bruins reign supreme

Tarik El-Bashir assesses the top teams in the National Hockey League this week (Jan. 20). Records are through Thursday’s games.

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1 (1 last week): Boston Bruins; 30-13-1

Although the defending champs are 2-2-0 in their last four games, they rank second in goals against per game (2.00), first in goals for (3.54) and, thus, still are the team to beat. Tim Thomas and the B’s close out the month against the Rangers, Flyers, Capitals and Senators. Whew.

Chris O'Meara / AP

2 (4 last week): Detroit Red Wings; 31-15-1

They’ve won five in a row, sit atop the NHL standings and Pavel Datsyuk is playing like an MVP. Datsyuk has 13 points in the past nine games and a team-best 51 this season. On Monday, the Red Wings host St. Louis in a potential showdown for first place in the Western Conference at Joe Louis Arena, where they’ve won 15 in a row.

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

3 (3 last week): New York Rangers; 29-12-4

After Thursday’s 4-1 defeat on home ice to the Penguins, they dropped to 2-3-0 in their last five, a stretch that also includes lopsided losses to Ottawa and Montreal. Henrik Lundqvist and Co. need to bounce back Saturday in Boston if they hope to remain atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Graham Hughes / AP

4 (7 last week): St. Louis Blues; 28-12-6

In a span of 10 weeks, Coach Ken Hitchcock has turned the Blues into bona fide contenders. They’re 7-0-1 this month and only a point behind the Red Wings in the Central Division after goalie Jaroslav Halak pitched back-to-back 1-0 victories over Dallas and Edmonton. Halak has three shutouts in four games and is 10-0-3 in his last 13 starts.

Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images

5 (6 last week): Chicago Blackhawks; 28-12-6

After opening 2012 with three consecutive losses, the ’Hawks are 4-0-2 in their last six games. MVP candidate Jonathan Toews scored twice in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over Buffalo, giving him 26 goals (second in the NHL behind Steven Stamkos’s 31) and 41 points in his past 36 games.

Nam Y. Huh / AP

6 (2 last week): Vancouver Canucks; 28-15-4

The Northwest Division leaders opened a six-game homestand this week with losses to Anaheim and Los Angeles (in a shootout). And with San Jose, Chicago and Detroit scheduled to make visits in the coming 13 days, this won’t be a staycation. The Daniel and Henrik Sedin-led power play still leads the NHL at 23.8 percent.

Rich Lam / Getty Images

7 (9 last week) Ottawa Senators; 27-16-6

Joining Ken Hitchcock as a coach of the year candidate has to be Paul MacLean, whose team is 8-1-1 in 2012. Center Kyle Turris has four goals, nine assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-13 since the surging Senators acquired the 22-year-old from Phoenix on Dec. 17. In the 16 games since his arrival, Ottawa is 12-2-2.

Claus Andersen / Getty Images

$After suffering setbacks against Chicago and Ottawa this week, the Sharks find themselves clinging to a one-point lead over Los Angeles in the Pacific Division. With fifth-leading scorer Ryane Clowe (facial fracture) joining Martin Havlat (hamstring surgery) on injured reserve, they’re going to need more from captain Joe Thornton, who has one point in the last five games.$

8 (8 last week): San Jose Sharks; 26-13-5

After suffering setbacks against Chicago and Ottawa this week, the Sharks find themselves clinging to a one-point lead over Los Angeles in the Pacific Division. With fifth-leading scorer Ryane Clowe (facial fracture) joining Martin Havlat (hamstring surgery) on injured reserve, they’re going to need more from captain Joe Thornton, who has one point in the last five games.

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

9 (10 last week): Nashville; 27-16-4

Since Dec. 28, the team with the league’s lowest payroll has defied expectations, winning 11 of 13 games and vaulting into sixth place in the Western Conference. Goalie Pekka Rinne has won his last six starts, yielding a total of eight goals in that span.

Henny Ray Abrams / AP

10 (5 last week): Philadelphia Flyers; 27-14-4

They dropped two of their past three, including Thursday’s unsightly 4-1 loss to the Islanders, New York’s first win on Broad Street in 14 games. Leading scorer Claude Giroux hasn’t scored since the Winter Classic and has two goals in his last 15 games.

Mike Strasinger / AP

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