NHL Power Rankings, Week 4: Caps Climb Back Towards Top

Behind the scoring prowess and wonder that is Anze Kopitar, the Los Angeles Kings are riding a four game winning streak right into our top 10 NHL rankings. Voters weren't as enthused with Columbus and Atlanta however, who fell out of the top 10 with some shaky play the last week. Atlanta, after enjoying a hot start to the season, has now lost three in a row and its leading scorer for a month.

Surprise of the week: The Washington Capitals are back in the two spot after being relegated to the back of the class for a week.

PLEASE READ: Western Conference rankings are determined by votes from Western Conference bloggers, Eastern Conference bloggers for Eastern rankings. The Top 10 Power Rankings are determined by a separate vote of Western and Eastern Conference bloggers.

NHL Top Ten Power Rankings
	Rank	Last Wk	Team	Record	Comments
	1	1	Pittsburgh Penguins	9-2-0	One win-streak down and more to come. The Pens can still go 80-2.
	2	7	Washington Capitals	6-2-2	Two road wins (for a 2-0-0 record) in a week in which Alex Ovechkin didn't score a goal is a sign that things are starting to come together, but there's plenty of work to be done.
	3	3	Colorado Avalanche	8-1-2	Two words: Craig. Anderson.
	4	5	Calgary Flames	7-2-1	A three game winning streak has put Calgary in good position to chase down the surprising Avs.
	5	9	Buffalo Sabres	6-1-1	Allowing just two goals a game is an easy way to win.
	6	2	New York Rangers	8-3-1	The large gasp you heard came from New York when Marian Gaborik announced he'd been 'slightly' injured.
	7	-	Los Angeles Kings	8-4-0	KOPITAR!!!!!!!
	8	4	Chicago Blackhawks	7-3-1	Isn't it nice not have the Red Wings leading the Central Division for once?
	9	-	San Jose Sharks	7-4-1	With the blueline still an uncertainty, San Jose nonetheless managed to post a 4-2-0 record on their six game road trip to the East.
	10	8	Phoenix Coyotes	6-4-0	Two straight losses hurt, but hey! They've been sold to the NHL.

Eastern Conference

Biggest Winner: New Jersey Devils (+3)

Biggest Loser: Atlanta Thrashers (-4)

Eastern Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prev)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (1)	Pittsburgh	9-2-0	PensBurgh
	2 (3)	Washington Capitals	6-2-2	Japers' Rink
	3 (5)	Buffalo Sabres	6-1-1	Die By The Blade
	4 (2)	New York Rangers	8-3-1	Blueshirt Banter
	5 (8)	New Jersey Devils	6-3-0	In Lou We Trust
	6 (7)	Philadelphia Flyers	5-3-1	Broad Street Hockey
	7 (6)	Ottawa Senators	5-2-2	Silver Seven
	8 (4)	Atlanta Thrashers	4-3-1	Bird Watchers Anonymous
	9 (9)	Boston Bruins	5-4-1	Stanley Cup of Chowder
	10 (12)	Montreal Canadiens	6-5-0	Habs Eyes On The Prize
	11 (13)	Tampa Bay Lightning	3-3-3	Raw Charge
	12 (10)	Carolina Hurricanes	2-5-3	Canes Country
	13 (14)	New York Islanders	1-4-5	Lighthouse Hockey
	14 (11)	Florida Panthers	2-6-1	Litter Box Cats
	15 (15)	Toronto Maple Leafs	1-7-1	Pension Plan Puppets

Western Conference

Biggest Winner: Los Angeles Kings(+7)

Biggest Loser: Columbus Blue Jackets (-6)

Western Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prev)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (2)	Colorado Avalanche	8-1-2	Mile High Hockey
	2 (4)	Calgary Flames	7-2-1	Matchsticks and Gasoline
	3 (1)	Chicago Blackhawks	7-3-1	Second City Hockey
	4 (11)	Los Angeles Kings	8-4-0	Battle of California
	5 (6)	San Jose Sharks	7-4-1	Fear The Fin
	6 (5)	Phoenix Coyotes	6-4-0	Five For Howling
	7 (8)	Dallas Stars	5-2-4	Defending Big D
	8 (7)	Edmonton Oilers	6-4-1	The Copper & Blue
	9 (3)	Columbus Blue Jackets	6-4-0	The Cannon
	10 (12)	Vancouver Canucks	6-5-0	Nucks Misconduct
	11 (9)	St. Louis Blues	4-4-1	St. Louis Game Time
	12 (10)	Detroit Red Wings	3-4-2	Winging It In Motown
	13 (13)	Anaheim Ducks	3-6-1	Anaheim Calling
	14 (14)	Nashville Predators	3-6-1	On the Forecheck
	15 (15)	Minnesota Wild	3-8-0	Hockey Wilderness