NHL Power Rankings This Week — The Lightning & Leafs Dominate

The Tampa Bay Lightning maintained their dominance across the NHL this week, but the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs are also making their cases as the the team to beat.

There were a handful of big-time risers and fallers in this week's power rankings. See where your team stands heading into the Christmas break.

31. Los Angeles Kings (13-20-3)

The Kings beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 at home on Tuesday, and they pulled out an overtime road victory against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Not quite enough to move them out of 31st, though.

30. New Jersey Devils (12-15-7)

Remember when they went 4-0-0? GM Ray Shero better start making some calls and see if he can get much for his veteran players.

29. Chicago Blackhawks (13-19-6)

Can't believe the front office thought Joel Quenneville was the problem. What a wretched and embarrassing season in Chicago.

28. Arizona Coyotes (15-18-2)

That promising start to the season has gone to waste. Arizona has now lost three games in a row now. Clayton Keller is the only guy producing offensively. It looks to be another frustrating season for the Coyotes.

27. St. Louis Blues (14-16-4)

The Blues have been slightly better under interim bench boss Craig Berube, but this is still a very flawed team. Alex Pietrangelo's a good bet to get traded at the deadline. On the bright side, the Blues did sweep the province of Alberta this week.

26. Carolina (14-15-5)

Remember when they started out 6-3-1? Me neither. The Hurricanes just continue to unravel more and more. The offseason changes haven't paid any major dividends. The league's longest NHL playoff drought is surely going to reach 10 years...

25. Philadelphia Flyers (14-16-5)

Well, things are looking up again. Top goalie prospect Carter Hart has won two of his first three NHL games.The Metropolitan Division is weak this year, so Philly is far from done in the playoff race.

24. Ottawa Senators (15-18-4)

The Senators can score in bunches, but they're awful defensively and aren't getting much help from the crease. The only bright side here is that the Sens aren't far and away the league's worst team, which everybody expected them to be.

23. Florida Panthers (14-14-6)

A 6-1 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday was just another debacle in this disappointing season. The Panthers are getting lots of scoring from their top stars, but the goaltending and defense has under-performed this season.

22. Detroit Red Wings (15-17-4)

The Red Wings are falling back to earth quite a bit after a great month of November. They've gone a mere 3-5-2 over their last 10, but at least Dylan Larkin keeps getting betetr with every passing game.

21. Minnesota Wild (17-15-3)

The Wild have lost four straight games now, and top scoring blueliner Matt Dumba is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. Up to head coach Bruce Boudreau to find some way in turning this group around.

20. Vancouver Canucks (17-18-4)

They're falling back to earth a bit after enduring a nice 5-0-1 run. But with Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat doing all the scoring, it's hard to see Vancouver sustaining this solid level of play much longer.

19. New York Rangers (15-14-5)

The Rangers have dropped seven of their last 10 now, the latest being a close 5-3 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Remember, this is a rebuilding year, and theyr'e still in the playoff hunt. No doubt that Rangers fans are happy where this team is at the moment.

18. Edmonton Oilers (18-15-3)

So after catching fire again, the Oilers have reverted to their old habits. They can't clean it up defensively, and the secondary scoring is non-existent. Three straight losses for Ken Hitchcock's team. Good luck figuring this group out.

17. New York Islanders (17-13-4)

The Isles have to be happy where they are, considering the struggles of Matthew Barzal. How much longer can the Islanders hang on and stick in the playoff race, though? They'll need every single player to step up in the new year.

16. Anaheim Ducks (19-14-5)

Their hot run had to come to an end eventually. The Ducks have played lackluster hockey over their last three games (all losses). With the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks catching fire, the pressure is on for Anaheim to avoid another lengthy slump.

15. Dallas Stars (18-15-3)

That was a big road victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. The Stars can beat anybody on any given night. They're right back in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

14. Montreal Canadiens (19-13-5)

The Habs have been hot and cold lately, but they've picked up two straight wins and are comfortably holding onto the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Max Domi continues to roll, with 33 points in 36 games.

13. Pittsburgh Penguins (18-12-6)

The Penguins have racked up three straight victories now, easing the tension a bit in the Steel City. You do wonder if highly-occupied GM Jim Rutherford has more trades up his sleeve.

12. Vegas Golden Knights (20-15-3)

They won't be happy about that overtime loss to the Habs, but the Golden Knights are still one of the hottest teams right now. They're 6-2-2 over their last 10, and within striking distance of the top spot in the Pacific Division.

11. San Jose Sharks (19-12-6)

Erik Karlsson has finally discovered his scoring touch in San Jose, and the Sharks are in the running for the Pacific Division title. So much for Joe Pavelski declining. He has 23 goals on the season now.

10. Columbus Blue Jackets (20-12-3)

Three straight wins for the Jackets, who handed the aforementioned Carter Hart his first loss in the NHL. The Jackets haven't been a flashy team by any means, but they're winning. It's all that matters.

9. Colorado Avalanche (19-12-6)

Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon are first and third in league scoring, respectively. The Avalanche have all the makings to be a true Stanley Cup contender, too. It'll be interesting to see what the front office leading up to the trade deadline.

8. Boston Bruins (20-12-4)

Three straight wins for the Bruins, who should only get better with Patrice Bergeron returning. But can they catch the other three powerhouses in the Atlantic Division right now?

7. Buffalo Sabres (21-11-5)

They've been hot and cold in recent weeks, but Jack Eichel and co. are slowly finding their groove again. The 22-year-old captain is in the race for the scoring title, with 48 points in 37 games.

6. Nashville Predators (22-13-2)

That's four straight losses from the Preds now, who suddenly don't look like the team to beat in the West. Filip Forsberg (22 points), and Kyle Turris (18 points), need to produce more offensively, or this Predators team won't catch the surging Jets.

5. Calgary Flames (22-12-3)

The Flames have lost three games in a row, but they've still asserted themselves as one of the top dogs in the Western Conference. David Rittich has provided stability in this crease, which is key for a playoff run.

4. Washington Capitals (22-10-3)

The defending Stanley Cup champions just keep on rolling. They've won their last 20 contests, and Alexander Ovechkin continues to distance himself from the field in the 'Rocket' Richard Trophy race.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (24-10-2)

After losing both games in the Sunshine State last week, the Leafs rebounded nicely with three straight wins.. Auston Matthews is on pace for over 60 goals, even though he's missed four games. That's kind of ridiculous.

2. Winnipeg Jets (24-10-2)

Say hello to your new "team to beat" in the Western Conference. Winnipeg is 8-2 over its last 10 games, coming off a convincing 5-3 road victory over the San Jose Sharks. The Jets escaped with a narrow 1-0 road victory against Vancouver on Saturday.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (28-7-2)

The Lightning continue to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. They're eight points up on the Leafs and Jets - who have the second-most points in the NHL at 48 apiece. The Bolts have gone 9-0-1 in their last 10, successfully sweeping the Western Canadian road trip.

NEXT: BIGGEST RUMORS IN THE NHL THIS WEEK - DECEMBER 22, 2018