TSN’s hockey expert, Scott Cullen has his latest installment of the power rankings and he has the Chicago Blackhawks as the top ranked team, followed by the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins who round out the top five.

Not surprising that the top five is made up of these teams, but perhaps they are worth looking at again in a different order.

For example, do the Anaheim Ducks deserve to be number one? You could make that argument based on their fine level of consistent play over the course of last week along with the re-signing of Corey Perry that will cement this club as a lock in the top three of the Western Conference barring injuries.

The Blackhawks deserve an incredible amount of respect, I just feel that losing two games in a row last week, including one on home ice to the Edmonton Oilers is reason for them to be knocked off their perch at the top.

The Boston Bruins sitting at number three could also be debated, especially when you’ve got the red hot Penguins who have won nine games in a row.  Granted both the Bruins and Canadiens have only lost five times in regulation versus the eight that the Pens have dropped.  But come on, nine wins in a row?  And a couple of those came against the Bruins which helped propel the Pens to first overall in the Eastern Conference.  Sure they are without Evgeni Malkin and now Kris Letang, but this club is still too good to be at number five.

The bottom five comprise of the Buffalos Sabres at number twenty-six, followed by the Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators and the beat up and lowly Florida Panthers.

It’s no surprise to see the Sabres, Capitals and Panthers at or near the bottom.  All three teams are miserable this season and despite a small rally from the Caps, none of those clubs will be making the playoffs.

The Predators are another team that is falling and doing so in a rapid pace.  Key injuries and bad line changes have led this team to three losses out west and now they face an uphill battle to try and jockey for playoff position.  I wonder if losing Ryan Suter hurt them that much?

As for the Calgary Flames, well it’s rebuild time in cowtown.  Jarome Iginla should be traded along with Jay Bouwmeester and probably Miikka Kiprusoff.  No sense going half way with the fire sale.  It’s all or nothing for Jay Feaster and the Flames.

Biggest mover: St. Louis Blues who climbed twelve spots from twenty to number 8 this week and are starting to again play like the team that so many picked to contend for the Stanley Cup.  A nice surprise from netminder Jake Allen who could become involved in the Calder Trophy conversation.

Biggest drop: Dallas Stars fell nine spots this week from eight to seventeen. A struggling offense that saw the club lose four straight last week has them fighting for their playoff lives.

Just behind the Bruins in third place are the Anaheim Ducks, who like Boston have just three regulation losses.  Nicely nestled in second place in the Western Conference, the Ducks are a surprise to some in the hockey world given they weren’t supposed to compete for a playoff spot this year let alone a top three seed.  With the trade deadline just under one month away, the Ducks will be the center of discussion when Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry‘s names surface on whether or not the club will trade one of their two superstars.

The Montreal Canadiens sit in fourth place on the rankings thanks to a 14-4-4 record and a first place position in the Eastern Conference.  The club is getting good goaltending from Carey Price and balanced scoring from their top two lines, proving that this complete turnaround from last season that saw them wind up in last place in the East is no fluke.

The Pittsburgh Penguins round out the top five with a record of 15-8 and good enough for second in the conference.  Don’t wait for the Pens to fall out of the top five anytime soon, not with Evgeni Malkin returning from a concussion.  The Pens are the real deal and they could even climb higher than number five in the coming weeks.

Rounding out the bottom five in order from 26 to 30 are the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers.  Not much is likely to change with the bottom three teams and Buffalo could be in the running for one of the biggest surprises this season, and not a good surprise.

The Edmonton Oilers narrowly missed out on the bottom five and if they don’t pick up their play the Capitals could pass them in the rankings.  Anytime a team fails to register a shot on goal like the Oilers did the other night in Minnesota is cause for concern.  The addition of Mike Brown will add some grit but the top six forwards need to start playing like it in order for the Oilers to have a chance at the playoffs and climb the power rankings.

Some surprises this week would be the Carolina Hurricanes who jumped from 15 to 6.  The Canes are atop in the Southeast division and have been riding the hot play of Cam Ward…..until now.  As we posted yesterday, Ward will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a knee injury and if backup Dan Ellis can’t shoulder the load, look for the Canes to deal for a veteran, proven goaltender.  I’d look for the Canes to drop slightly in the rankings next week.

Biggest mover: Dallas Stars – thanks to Kari Lehtonen returning in goal, the Stars went 3-1-1 last week and vaulted up the rankings from 24 to 9, a difference of +15.  Jaromir Jagr continues to amaze at the ripe old age of 40 and a balanced attack is helping the Stars win tight games.

Biggest fall: St. Louis Blues – considered the favorite by many to win the Central division this season, the Blues have been marred with injury of late and it’s starting to show.  Rookie sensation Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Steen and Andy McDonald are all out and are one reason the club has four of their last six games and sit in seventh in the West.  They’ve dropped 11 spots this week and need to get healthy and start winning games to maintain their playoff position.  They can likely forget about winning the division, the Blackhawks have a solid grip on that, so for the Blues, it’s about playing consistent hockey and picking up two points on a nightly basis.

The top four remains unchanged with the San Jose Sharks comfortably at number one, followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues.  Again, do the Hawks deserve to be ahead of the Bolts?  Probably, but it’s petty at this point arguing over number 2 and number 3 so we’ll move on to bigger and badder issues.

The Montreal Canadiens surprisingly hopped up into the top five this week based on the signing of P.K. Subban and the unexpected return of Max Pacioretty.  Petty reasons?  Perhaps, but given they are 6-2 to start the year and beat the Ottawa Senators on the weekend, we’ll let it slide this time.

The Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers round out the top ten.  The Ducks are soaring thanks to Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry who have helped propel the Orange County club to a nice 5-1-1 start.

The Oilers at number 10 is surprising given their record of 4-3-1.  They haven’t scored a lot of even strength goals, rather relying on the power play which leaves many questions if this club is top ten worthy.

The bottom of the pack is relatively unchanged with the Carolina Hurricanes holding steady at number 25.  The biggest drop of the week belongs to the Winnipeg Jets who were railroaded on their trip to Florida over the weekend that led to their three game losing streak in which they were outscored 18-9. Their blueline is suddenly thin with the absence of Zach Bogosian and now Dustin Byfuglien, meaning this team does not have a lot left to rely on offensively.  Don’t be surprised to see if the Jets linger around the bottom of the rankings all season long.

Sitting at 27 are the Nashville Predators, down three spots from 24.  The loss of Patric Hornqvist and Martin Erat is devastating but this club continues to grab at least a point via the shootout, making their ranking a surprise.

The Calgary Flames slid down another two spots this week from 26 to 28 and while the sit in last place in the league, they have played the fewest amount of games. Injuries and absences haven’t given the Flames a full roster yet this season and Jarome Iginla is slow out of the gate.  Miikka Kiprusoff has been hot and cold to start the year, looking great one night and terrible the next.  Many experts have picked the Flames to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference and so far the Flames are making them look like….well….experts.

The Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals flip flopped spots this week as the Caps continue to surprise everyone and lose more games than they’re winning.  Their goaltending has been bad and Ovechkin isn’t scoring.  Two things that are surely adding grey hairs to Adam Oates.

Meanwhile, back-to-back wins for the Panthers have them out of the basement in the rankings.  Throw in a healthy Stephen Weiss and a return from Kris Versteeg and suddenly the cats have a decent lineup, now they just have to start winning consistently.

It’s worth noting that the Dallas Stars fell twelve spots this week from 12 to 24.  A strong start has been replaced by a 3-5-1 record and too often they’re giving up more shots on goal then they’re generating.

Movers and Shakers: The Phoenix Coyotes were the biggest mover this week, jumping nine spots from 22 to 13 that saw them go 2-0-2 over the last seven days.

Free Fall: as already discussed, the Jets are in a nasty free fall, tumbling down seventeen spots from number 9 to 26.  And there aren’t a lot of reassuring points or perspectives for fans to grasp to, aside from pulling the rip cord.  But they signed up for five years, which could turn into five years of misery if management doesn’t get creative with this roster.