Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Monday’s games

Rank; Team; Record; (previous ranking)

1. Kings; 10-3-0; They’ve won four straight and five of six and are 6-0-0 at home. Smyth-Stoll-Williams line has 34 points in last 11 games. (1)

2. St. Louis; 9-1-2; Blues have seven-game win streak and league-leading +14 goal differential after shutting out Rangers for first time in franchise history. Really. (4)

3. Washington; 10-4-0; Capitals have four-game winning streak. Goal differential of +13 is tied for second-best. (6)

4. Philadelphia; 9-4-2; Overtime loss to Capitals on Sunday ended Flyers’ six-game win streak. For longtime fans: Hard to believe Thursday is 25th anniversary of Pelle Lindbergh’s death. (5)

5. Detroit; 9-3-1; Red Wings’ three-game win streak ends in Vancouver, but they beat Phoenix in overtime. (3)

6. Vancouver; 8-3-2; Canucks have won six straight and expect defenseman Dan Hamhuis (bruised foot) back this week. (14)

7. Boston; 7-3-1; Goalie Tim Thomas continues to shine with 1.05 goals-against average, .967 save percentage. (9)

8. Minnesota; 7-4-2; Wild wins three in a row, with defenseman Brent Burns leading the way with five goals. That’s two more than he scored last season. (21)

9. Chicago; 8-8-1; Marian Hossa’s return from upper-body injury doesn’t help Hawks end skid that’s now 2-4. (7)

10. Montreal; 8-5-1; Canadiens have lost three of four, scoring only five goals in that span. (8)

11. Tampa Bay; 7-4-2; Lightning led East before heading west. Result: 1-2-1 trip and only seven goals scored. (2)

12. Dallas; 8-5-0; Stars’ three-game winning streak ends with 5-0 loss at Colorado. Still more good than bad lately. (16)

13. San Jose; 6-5-1; Logan Couture centers top line while Joe Thornton serves two-game suspension for head shot on Blues’ David Perron. (13)

14. Carolina; 7-7-0; Center Jeff Skinner leads all rookies with five goals and 12 points. He looks as if he’s going to be a good one. (19)

15. Ottawa; 7-6-1; Senators have won three straight, five of six.(27)

16. Columbus; 8-5-0; Blue Jackets are only NHL team that hasn’t scored more than three goals in any game this season. (17)

17. Colorado; 7-5-1; Goalie Peter Budaj is keeping the Avalanche in it while Craig Anderson recovers from knee injury. (12)

18. Pittsburgh; 7-7-1; Marc-Andre Fleury’s struggles continue: he’s 1-6 with 3.55 goals-against average and .853 save percentage. (10)

19. N.Y. Rangers; 7-6-1; Marian Gaborik (shoulder injury) expected to return during upcoming four-game homestand. They need him after scoring only eight goals in their last five games. (15)

20. Atlanta; 6-5-3; Thrashers’ contingent of ex-Blackhawks lose shootout to former team. Announced crowd of 16,022 leaned toward Hawks. (18)

21. Ducks; 7-7-1; Three-game win streak brings them back from brink of oblivion. Teemu Selanne, 40, tied for fifth in scoring with seven goals, 17 points. (28)

22. Edmonton; 4-6-2; Oilers have beaten Blackhawks twice in nine days but lost forward Shawn Horcoff to apparent leg injury. (24)

23. Nashville; 5-5-3; Predators’ lifelessness goes beyond losing Ryan Suter to injury. Their losing streak has hit five. (11)

24. Calgary; 6-7-0; Flames hoping Jarome Iginla will break out after scoring only two goals this season. (22)

25. Toronto; 5-5-3; Maple Leafs fall back to earth with a thud after fast start. They’ve lost eight of their last 10. (20)

26. Phoenix; 4-5-5; Coyotes lose captain Shane Doan to lower-body injury. He’s week to week. So are they. (26)

27. Florida; 5-7-0; Cory Stillman will be out several weeks because of a shoulder injury. (23)

28. N.Y. Islanders; 4-8-2; Seven isn’t their lucky number — it’s the length of their losing streak. (25)

29. Buffalo; 4-9-2; Sabres are 0-6-1 at home. Can longtime Coach Lindy Ruff withstand this? (29)

30. New Jersey; 4-10-1; Devils have goal differential of -23. When was the last time that happened? (30)

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