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SB Nation's NHL Power Rankings, Week 8: Chicago Blackhawks Take Top Spot

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1 Total Update since November 24, 2009
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SB Nation's NHL Power Rankings, Week 8:

Our first decent shake up of the season in the NHL rankings, as the Chicago Blackhawks are riding a seven-game winning streak all the way to the No. 1 spot in our Top Ten rankings. The New Jersey Devils, who were threatening the San Jose Sharks for the top spot last week, had a down week and have fallen back to No. 6.

Surprise of the week: The Detroit Red Wings pop back into the Top Ten rankings, despite only winning one of their past four games.

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 4 Chicago Blackhawks 15-5-2 Seven straight wins have propelled Chicago to the top led by the two Patricks, Kane and Sharp.
2 1 San Jose Sharks 16-5-4 Still unbeaten in regulation at home, and have a NHL-best +23 goal differential.
3 3 Washington Capitals 13-5-6 Capitals fans are reeling after four losses in five games, although they did get points in two of those. Hey, it's the important things.
4 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 16-8-0 Fours wins in five games is a good sign for an injured team. As guys keep returning - Letang, Goligoski, Kunitz, Kennedy, McKee - it can only get better
5 5 Calgary Flames 13-6-3 A great road record (7-1-3) has helped Calgary overcome shaky play on home ice (6-5-0).
6 2 New Jersey Devils 14-6-1 After an eight-game winning streak, the Devils have slowed a bit with three road losses.
7 7 Philadelphia Flyers 12-8-1 Voters still feeling good about Philly, despite a three-game losing streak.
8 6 Buffalo Sabres 12-6-2 One of the strongest defensive teams in the NHL has struggled lately, allowing 13 goals in the past three games (all losses).
9 9 Colorado Avalanche 14-7-3 The incredible goaltending to start the season has caught up with the Avs a bit, who are 4-5-1 in the past ten games and are now 18th in the NHL in goals allowed.
10 - Detroit Red Wings 11-7-4 1-2-1 in the past week and are suddenly having some struggles scoring.

Eastern Conference

Biggest Winner: Ottawa Senators (+5)

Biggest Loser: New York Islanders (-4)

Eastern Conference Power Rankings
Rk (Prv) Team Record SB Nation Blog
1 (2) Washington Capitals 13-5-6 Japers' Rink
2 (5) Pittsburgh Penguins 16-8-0 PensBurgh
3 (4) Philadelphia Flyers 12-8-1 Broad Street Hockey
4 (1) New Jersey Devils 14-6-1 In Lou We Trust
5 (3) Buffalo Sabres 12-6-2 Die By The Blade
6 (11) Ottawa Senators 12-6-3 Silver Seven
7 (9) Boston Bruins 11-8-4 Stanley Cup of Chowder
8 (10) Tampa Bay Lightning 9-5-7 Raw Charge
9 (6) Atlanta Thrashers 10-7-3 Bird Watchers Anonymous
10 (7) New York Rangers 12-10-1 Blueshirt Banter
11 (13) Florida Panthers 10-9-3 Litter Box Cats
12 (8) New York Islanders 9-8-7 Lighthouse Hockey
13 (12) Montreal Canadiens 11-11-1 Habs Eyes On The Prize
14 (15) Carolina Hurricanes 5-13-5 Canes Country
15 (14) Toronto Maple Leafs 4-11-7 Pension Plan Puppets

Western Conference

Biggest Winner: Columbus Blue Jackets (+4)

Biggest Loser: Phoenix Coyotes (-3)

Western Conference Power Rankings
Rk (Prv) Team Record SB Nation Blog
1 (2) Chicago Blackhawks 15-5-2 Second City Hockey
2 (1) San Jose Sharks 16-5-4 Fear The Fin
3 (3) Calgary Flames 13-6-3 Matchsticks and Gasoline
4 (4) Detroit Red Wings 11-7-4 Winging It In Motown
5 (9) Columbus Blue Jackets 12-7-3 The Cannon
6 (8) Dallas Stars 11-6-6 Defending Big D
7 (6) Colorado Avalanche 14-7-3 Mile High Hockey
8 (5) Los Angeles Kings 13-9-2 Battle of California
9 (11) Nashville Predators 13-8-1 On the Forecheck
10 (7) Phoenix Coyotes 13-10-1 Five For Howling
11 (10) Vancouver Canucks 12-11-0 Nucks Misconduct
12 (12) St. Louis Blues 8-9-4 St. Louis Game Time
13 (13) Edmonton Oilers 10-11-3 The Copper & Blue
14 (14) Minnesota Wild 8-12-2 Hockey Wilderness
15 (15) Anaheim Ducks 8-11-3 Battle of California
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