NHL Power Rankings - January 12, 2015

Four straight wins, outscoring the opposition by 16 goals, and a healthy roster puts the Blues into top spot for the third time this season. The league's most effective power play (26.2%) led by D Kevin Shattenkirk, who has a league-leading 23 power-play points, augments good-not-great even-strength play. 

Key Injuries: None.

No regulation losses in eight straight for the Predators, but missing a top-six forward and top-four defenceman is enough vulnerability to get overtaken by the Blues this week. The Central is barricading its teams at the top.

Key Injuries: RW James Neal (lower body), D Ryan Ellis (lower body).

3-3 in the past six games, starting with the Winter Classic, Chicago's play has been a little uneven, but they have super depth that allows someone like Bryan Bickell to step in and produce when Kris Versteeg gets hurt, and they can ease in a highly-regarded prospect like Teuvo Teravainen, who has no points in his first four games, but has potential to make a difference later this season (and beyond, of course).

Key Injuries: LW Kris Versteeg (hand).

13-1 in the past 14 games, the Rangers have pushed their way to the top of the Eastern Conference -- no, not in the standings, where they hold several games in hand over teams above them -- but in these rankings and when it comes to per-game goal differential, they are as good as any right now.

Key Injuries: None.

The Lightning have outshot opponents in seven straight, six of which were wins, including last week's pair of wins over Montreal and Buffalo, in which the Lightning outshot their victims 83-43. That kind of territorial dominance results in a score-adjusted Corsi that is second-best in the league.

Key Injuries: None.  

The Habs are making changes to a power play that is 1-for-21 (4.8%) in the past seven games. Given their subpar possession at even strength, the Canadiens can ill-afford to try and get by with a shaky power play too.

Key Injuries: RW P.A. Parenteau (upper body).

The Islanders have allowed 26 or fewer shots in 11 straight games, dropping their average shots allowed per game to 26.9, which is second behind Tampa Bay. Last year, they allowed 30.0 shots on goal per game. The top shot suppressor? D Thomas Hickey, who allows 24.8 shots per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play.

Key Injuries: C Mikhail Grabovski (lower body).

Two regulation wins in the past nine (or one regulation loss in the past five) for a Penguins team still trying to find the right combinations up front. Newcomer David Perron has managed one goal in his first three games but, with 16 shots on goal, he's getting a lot more opportunities.

Key Injuries: RW Pascal Dupuis (blood clot), D Olli Maatta (upper body), LW Blake Comeau (upper body), RW Patric Hornqvist (lower body).

One regulation win in the past nine for a Ducks team that continues to grind out points, sitting second in the standings with 60 points in 43 games, despite scoring one more goal than they have allowed to this point in the season.

Key Injuries: None.

Pressure falls on G Petr Mrazek, who will start for at least a couple of weeks while Jimmy Howard deals with a groin injury. Mrazek has a .921 save percentage in 20 career NHL games, but that's a small sample, with usage spread out over years.

Key Injuries: LW Johan Franzen (upper body), RW Tomas Jurco (back), G Jimmy Howard (groin).

Kinda quietly, the Captials have one regulation loss in the past 17 games. It could be a test for G Braden Holtby, who ranks third in minutes played, but the results are good and Holtby's .921 save percentage remains slighly ahead of his career mark.

Key Injuries: None.

One regulation win in the past eight games isn't great, but the Jets managed to survive their brutal run of injuries on the blueline. Now that Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian and Mark Stuart are back, and Dustin Byfuglien is staying put on the blueline, the Jets have enviable depth on the blueline.

Key Injuries: D Jacob Trouba (upper body).

Admittedly, the Bruins haven't been as consistent as in previous seasons, but this isn't quite the disaster it's being made out to be. They have two regulation losses in the past 14 games, and none in the past seven, so they could be emerging from hibernation. 

Key Injuries: None.

C Joe Thornton returns to a team that has two regulation wins in the past 10 games. Somehow, rookie LW Melker Karlsson has turned into an offensive threat, with six goals and 10 points in 14 games; this from a player with 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in 20 AHL games this season and 53 points (22 G, 31 A) in 92 Swedish League game over the previous two seasons.

Key Injuries: Raffi Torres (knee), RW Tyler Kennedy (upper body).

Winless in four, though two of the losses came in overtime, on the road, at Nashville and Chicago, so there were some mitigating factors there, but defensive improvement is still necessary for the Stars to become a playoff team.

Key Injuries: RW Valeri Nichushkin (groin).

An underrated defence tandem this year - Alex Edler and Chris Tanev, who play tough opponents and generate favourable possession with more starts in the defensive zone.

Key Injuries: D Dan Hamhuis (lower body).

Made hay in Western Canada, winning three straight in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, and part of the reason for the Panthers' relative success is that they defend. They have allowed the fewest scoring chances (21.2) per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play. 

Key Injuries: None.

One win in the past six games and two young forwards out with injuries makes for tough times. The Kings still have the strong underlying numbers, but there have been obstacles to earning consistent wins.

Key Injuries: D Slava Voynov (suspension), RW Tyler Toffoli (mono), LW Tanner Pearson (fibula).

Had one regulation win in Randy Carlyle's last nine games behind the bench and while, looking at this roster, a simple coaching change isn't going to make the Leafs world-beaters, it will be interesting to see if their personnel fare better under Peter Horachek. At the very least, it's an opportunity for evaluation away from Carlyle's apparent drag on puck possession.

Key Injuries: LW Joffrey Lupul (lower body), C Peter Holland (upper body).

Two regulation wins in the past 15 games have turned up the Heat on Wild head coach Mike Yeo. Goaltending has been an issue, but so too has goal-scoring, as the Wild surely expected more than seven goals in 41 games from Thomas Vanek.

Key Injuries: C Mikael Granlund (upper body).

Two regulation wins in the past nine games and the Senators are still making noise about acquiring players if they can get into the playoff picture. Eight points behind Boston, that seems like a hard sell right about now.

Key Injuries: None.

Winners of three straight, the Avalanche only needed G Semyon Varlamov to stop 127 of 132 shots faced (.962 SV%) in order to get on that streak. Tough to maintain that level of goaltending while getting outshot night after night and still find success.

Key Injuries: LW Jamie McGinn (back).

The first order of business for the Devils' braintrust is to figure out how they can generate more shots. At 25.0 shots on goal per game, the Devils are more than 2.0 shots per game worse than the 28th-ranked team (of course, still ahead of Buffalo).

Key Injuries: LW Ryane Clowe (concussion), D Bryce Salvador (lower body), D Damon Severson (ankle).

Had lost three straight before getting bailed out by rookie goaltender Joni Ortio Saturday night, as Ortio stopped all 36 shots faced in a 1-0 win over Vancouver.

Key Injuries: C Josh Jooris (wrist).

It seems like it's been happening under the radar, but C Ryan Johansen is nearly a point-per-game player (39 points in 40 games) in the midst of a 10-game point streak. Given the depleted supporting cast, his continued ascent has been impressive.

Key Injuries: RW Nathan Horton (back), D Ryan Murray (knee), C Artem Anisimov (triceps), C Boone Jenner (back).

No regulation wins and losing G Steve Mason to injury is an actual loss that the Flyers will feel (as opposed to an opportunity to thrive with the backup in net).

Key Injuries: D Kimmo Timonen (blood clots), G Steve Mason (knee), D Nicklas Grossmann (upper body) 

The Coyotes are trying to make a go of it with G Mike Smith, but it's one good start, one bad. Since the start of December, he's had one instance of back-to-back games without allowing at least four goals in one game. 

Key Injuries: C Martin Hanzal (upper body).

One regulation loss in the past five has to count as progress, right? Particularly for a team with better-than-break-even possession.

Key Injuries: None.

A respectable 3-2-2 record in the past seven games is enough to escape the basement and getting production out of C Derek Roy (2 G, 4 A in 7 GP since trade with Nashville) has helped.

Key Injuries: None.

14 straight without a regulation win, scoring a total of six goals in the last six, puts the Sabres back in familiar territory.

Key Injuries: RW Brian Gionta (head), LW Marcus Foligno (hand).