SB Nation's NHL Power Rankings, Week 10: Explosive Offense Propels Capitals to No. 1

After a couple of weeks away from No. 1 spot in our rankings, the Washington Capitals are back where they've been for most of the season. With Alex Ovechkin out due to a two-game suspension (and knee injury), the Capitals outscored their opponents a combined 14-4 in two games. Ovi was back on the ice on Monday night; the Capitals shut-out the Lightning and have now won six in a row.

Surprise of the week: After inexplicably being left out of the top ten last week, the Kings are back in the No. 7 spot.

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	Washington Capitals	19-5-6	The Capitals just keep rolling, with or without Alex Ovechkin.
	2	1	San Jose Sharks	19-7-5	The Western Conference leaders have won just five of their last ten games.
	3	2	Chicago Blackhawks	18-7-3	Kris Versteeg put the finishing touches on a defining OT win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
	4	5	Pittsburgh Penguins	20-10-1	Sidney Crosby posted a ridiculous 11 points in three games before taking a night off for a nagging injury - a night that cost the Pens an extra point in OT.
	5	3	New Jersey Devils	20-7-1	Congratulations, Martin Brodeur.
	6	6	Calgary Flames	18-8-3	The Flames scored just four goals last week, as they went 1-2-0 in three straight close games.
	7	-	Los Angeles Kings	18-10-1	The Kings have their sights set on division-leading San Jose, now just four point back from the Sharks.
	8	7	Buffalo Sabres	16-9-2	The Sabres have slowed down now, going 4-5-1 in their last ten games.
	9	10	Boston Bruins	15-9-5	It was feast of famine for the Bruins this week, with two combined wins by eight goals and a demoralizing 5-1 loss to rival Montreal.
	10	9	Atlanta Thrashers	15-9-3	Two losses in the past three games have dampered enthusiasm a bit.

Eastern Conference

Biggest Winner: None.

Biggest Loser: Philadelphia Flyers (-3)

Eastern Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prv)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (2)	Washington Capitals	19-5-6	Japers' Rink
	2 (3)	Pittsburgh Penguins	20-10-1	PensBurgh
	3 (1)	New Jersey Devils	20-7-1	In Lou We Trust
	4 (4)	Boston Bruins	15-9-5	Stanley Cup of Chowder
	5 (6)	Buffalo Sabres	16-9-2	Die By The Blade
	6 (5)	Atlanta Thrashers	15-9-3	Bird Watchers Anonymous
	7 (7)	Ottawa Senators	14-10-4	Silver Seven
	8 (8)	Tampa Bay Lightning	11-10-8	Raw Charge
	9 (10)	New York Islanders	11-11-7	Lighthouse Hockey
	10 (11)	New York Rangers	14-14-1	Blueshirt Banter
	11 (13)	Montreal Canadiens	14-14-2	Habs Eyes On The Prize
	12 (9)	Philadelphia Flyers	13-13-1	Broad Street Hockey
	13 (12)	Florida Panthers	11-13-6	Litter Box Cats
	14 (14)	Toronto Maple Leafs	9-13-7	Pension Plan Puppets
	15 (15)	Carolina Hurricanes	7-17-5	Canes Country

Western Conference

Biggest Winner:  Colorado Avalanche (+4)

Biggest Loser:  Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars (-3)

Western Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prv)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (1)	Chicago Blackhawks	18-7-3	Second City Hockey
	2 (2)	San Jose Sharks	19-7-5	Fear The Fin
	3 (3)	Calgary Flames	18-8-3	Matchsticks and Gasoline
	4 (5)	Los Angeles Kings	18-10-3	Battle of California
	5 (9)	Colorado Avalanche	17-9-6	Mile High Hockey
	6 (7)	Phoenix Coyotes	18-11-1	Five For Howling
	7 (4)	Nashville Predators	16-11-2	On the Forecheck
	8 (8)	Detroit Red Wings	14-10-5	Winging It In Motown
	9 (6)	Dallas Stars	13-8-8	Defending Big D
	10 (10)	Vancouver Canucks	16-13-0	Nucks Misconduct
	11 11)	Columbus Blue Jackets	13-11-5	The Cannon
	12 (12)	St. Louis Blues	12-11-5	St. Louis Game Time
	13 (14)	Minnesota Wild	13-13-3	Hockey Wilderness
	14 (15)	Edmonton Oilers	13-13-4	The Copper & Blue
	15 (13)	Anaheim Ducks	10-13-6	Battle of California