SB Nation's NHL Power Rankings, Week 9: Newcomers Abound In Top 10

After a week away from the No. 1 spot, the San Jose Sharks are back in their rightful place. The New Jersey Devils have also rebounded from a down week and are back in the top three. Yet the Blackhawks continue to be the NHL's best team over the past few weeks, and apparently losing just one game is enough for voters to knock them off the top.

Surprises of the week: Three newcomers this week, as Nashville, Atlanta and Boston find their way into the top ten.

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	2	San Jose Sharks	18-6-4	4-1-0 in their last five and have rebounded from their slight slump of a few weeks ago.
	2	1	Chicago Blackhawks	16-6-3	At 8-1-1 in their past ten, the Hawks are still the NHL's hottest team.
	3	6	New Jersey Devils	17-6-1	The winning streaks continue as the Devils have once again emerged as the league's best defensive team (2.13 goals allowed per game)
	4	3	Washington Capitals	16-5-6	With another injury to Ovechkin, the Capitals will be put to the test once more.
	5	4	Pittsburgh Penguins	19-9-0	Sidney Crosby (5G, 3A) led the Pens to straight wins over the Rangers.
	6	5	Calgary Flames	17-6-3	The Flames ride a four-game winning streak to 2nd in the West.
	7	8	Buffalo Sabres	15-7-2	The surprising Sabres get past a bump in the road and lead a tight race in the Northeast division.
	8	-	Nashville Predators	15-10-1	With a healthy lineup, good chemistry among the defense pairs, and a strong sophomore season in goal by Pekka Rinne, the Preds are pulling out close-fought games on a regular basis.
	9	-	Atlanta Thrashers	14-7-3	7-1-2 in their last ten? An NHL-best +24 goal differential? Yeah, the Thrashers are surprising.
	10	-	Boston Bruins	13-8-5	Still winning, with just one regulation loss in their past ten games.

Western Conference

Biggest Winner:  Nashville Predators (+5)

Biggest Loser: Detroit Red Wings (-4)

Western Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prv)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (1)	Chicago Blackhawks	16-6-3	Second City Hockey
	2 (2)	San Jose Sharks	18-6-4	Fear The Fin
	3 (3)	Calgary Flames	17-6-3	Matchsticks and Gasoline
	4 (9)	Nashville Predators	15-10-1	On the Forecheck
	5 (8)	Los Angeles Kings	15-10-2	Battle of California
	6 (6)	Dallas Stars	12-8-7	Defending Big D
	7 (10)	Phoenix Coyotes	15-11-1	Five For Howling
	8 (4)	Detroit Red Wings	13-9-4	Winging It In Motown
	9 (7)	Colorado Avalanche	15-8-5	Mile High Hockey
	10 (11)	Vancouver Canucks	14-12-0	Nucks Misconduct
	11 (5)	Columbus Blue Jackets	13-9-4	The Cannon
	12 (12)	St. Louis Blues	10-10-5	St. Louis Game Time
	13 (15)	Anaheim Ducks	10-11-4	Battle of California
	14 (14)	Minnesota Wild	10-12-3	Hockey Wilderness
	15 (13)	Edmonton Oilers	10-13-4	The Copper & Blue

Eastern Conference

Biggest Winner: Atlanta Thrashers (+4)

Biggest Loser: Philadelphia Flyers (-6)

Eastern Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prv)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (4)	New Jersey Devils	17-6-1	In Lou We Trust
	2 (1)	Washington Capitals	16-5-6	Japers' Rink
	3 (2)	Pittsburgh Penguins	19-9-0	PensBurgh
	4 (7)	Boston Bruins	13-8-5	Stanley Cup of Chowder
	5 (9)	Atlanta Thrashers	14-7-3	Bird Watchers Anonymous
	6 (5)	Buffalo Sabres	15-7-2	Die By The Blade
	7 (6)	Ottawa Senators	13-7-4	Silver Seven
	8 (8)	Tampa Bay Lightning	10-7-8	Raw Charge
	9 (3)	Philadelphia Flyers	13-10-1	Broad Street Hockey
	10 (12)	New York Islanders	10-10-7	Lighthouse Hockey
	11 (10)	New York Rangers	13-13-1	Blueshirt Banter
	12 (11)	Florida Panthers	10-12-4	Litter Box Cats
	13 (13)	Montreal Canadiens	12-12-2	Habs Eyes On The Prize
	14 (15)	Toronto Maple Leafs	6-12-7	Pension Plan Puppets
	15 (14)	Carolina Hurricanes	5-17-5	Canes Country