Devils climb into top 10; Avalanche, Penguins tumble

Note: All statistics are through Sunday.

BIGGEST CLIMB: Tampa Bay (20 to 14)
BIGGEST FALL: Colorado (12 to 19)

NHL Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Buffalo Sabres (14-1-1) Any way you cut it, the Sabres are already having an amazing season. In addition to coming back to win six times after falling behind by two goals, Buffalo has won three straight in overtime and nine consecutive road games. Now let's see how the Sabres will manage without No. 1 netminder Ryan Miller, who is day-to-day with a lower body muscle strain. At least three of their next four games are against foundering clubs: two against Ottawa and one versus Pittsburgh. Last Week: 2-0-0 2 2 Anaheim Ducks (13-1-4) One night after setting an NHL record of 16 games without a regulation loss, the Ducks fell to a determined Calgary club. But it was good to see they were able to bounce back from loss No. 1, knocking off a solid Minnesota team on Sunday. Anaheim got back to its winning ways by not allowing the Wild's fifth-ranked power play any opportunities. Last Week: 3-1-0 3 7 San Jose Sharks (13-5-0) Patrick Marleau leads the team with 11 goals and 20 points. But do you know who's tied with Joe Thornton for second, with 19? Try 21-year-old Milan Michalek, who with an assist on Sunday night tied his career-best five-game point streak and is on pace for an 80-point season. The second-year winger, who had 35 points in 81 games last season, is just one reason why the Sharks have the top-ranked power play unit. Last Week: 3-0-0 4 3 Dallas Stars (12-4-0) Despite a tough week that included back-to-back losses to the Canucks and Flames -- the Stats' first two-game losing streak -- the first month has been good. Big D is 7-2 in one-goal games and unbeaten when leading after the first two periods. But a troubling trend has to be the PP, which is just 2-for-19 in the last three games. The last time the Stars managed more than one PP tally was Oct. 27. Last Week: 1-2-0 5 8 Detroit Red Wings (11-4-1) Is there a team hotter than the Wings, who have won eight straight and gotten two consecutive shutouts from Dom Hasek? Their special teams have been miserable (28th on PP, 23rd on PK), so how are they winning? Maybe it's motherly love. Dan Cleary's current streak (four goals in three games) coincided with a visit from his mother. "We're going to keep his mom here in town, and I think we're bringing her on the road because the boys tell me he only scores when he's got that love from his mom," coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit Free Press. Last Week: 2-0-0 6 4 Atlanta Thrashers (12-5-3) The Thrashers may have a question for the schedule makers: How 'bout a break? Saturday's game against the Bolts was Atlanta's eighth in 13 days and 12th in the past 18. As a result, the team has gotten to the quarter mark (20 games) before the rest of the league. The Thrashers lead the Southeast by six points, but they have grabbed just four of 12 points against the Lightning and Hurricanes. Relief is on the way, as Atlanta plays just two games this week -- and not until Friday. Last Week: 2-2-0 7 5 Nashville Predators (10-4-1) So this is what home feels like. After a five-game road stretch, the Preds returned Saturday for their first game in Nashville since Oct. 26 -- and fifth of the season. "It sounds ironic a little bit that you come back home and it doesn't feel like home," coach Barry Trotz told the Tennessean. In addition to their success on the road, the Preds have been winning the close games. Seven of their victories have been by a single goal. Last Week: 1-1-0 8 10 Toronto Maple Leafs (11-5-3) I realize two of their wins last week were against weak opponents (Philly and Boston), but the Leafs had to manage without leading scorer Mats Sundin. The captain will be out 3-4 weeks with a torn ligament in his elbow. One of the biggest reasons Toronto is just four points behind Buffalo in the Northeast has been the play of Andrew Raycroft. The 26-year-old backstop, who at 9-4-2 already has more wins than he posted all of last season, has allowed just eight goals in his last five starts. Is this the same goalie who gave up seven goals on Oct. 26? Last Week: 3-0-0 9 6 Minnesota Wild (11-5-0) Stop the presses and alert family members! Niklas Backstrom started between the pipes on Sunday, ending Manny Fernandez's team-record streak of 15 consecutive starts. Poor guy. He finally gets a start and it's against the Ducks, who were coming off their first regulation loss. The Wild's special teams remain strong (5th PP, 1st PK), but the offense has been MIA, notching more than three goals in a game just once since Oct. 18. Hurry up and return, Marian Gaborik. Last Week: 1-2-0 10 13 New Jersey Devils (10-5-1) Who needs offense? Certainly not the Devils, who despite scoring just 14 goals, have won six of their last seven. Of course, it always helps when you have future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur in net. The 34-year-old has turned away 100 of 106 shots in his last four games -- all wins. Another positive sign is the PP. After going 0-for-8 on Thursday against Chicago, the Devils figured things out with three PP strikes in a win over Florida. Last Week: 3-0-0

Read on for teams 11-20 ...