Red Wings rise with scoring burst; Caps tumble

Note: All statistics are through Sunday.

BIGGEST CLIMB: Ottawa (22 to 14), Vancouver (24 to 16)
BIGGEST FALL: Washington (16 to 22)

NHL Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 2 Buffalo Sabres (28-7-3) Thursday's 4-1 win over the Hurricanes had to taste that much sweeter. Why? Buffalo extracted some revenge on the team that knocked them out of last season's Eastern Conference final -- by sweeping their four-game season series. "Every time we play them we think about it," said Jason Pominville. "We still have that in the back of our minds, but this year is a different year. Hopefully we can make it to that next step." Last Week: 3-0-0 2 1 Anaheim Ducks (28-7-6) It didn't happen until the final day of 2006, but the Ducks are officially in scramble mode. Already without No. 1 goalie Jean-Sebastian Giguere, backup netminder Ilya Bryzgalov, top-four blueliner Francois Beauchemin, and center Todd Marchant, Anaheim lost All-Star defenseman Chris Pronger to a broken foot during Sunday's loss to the Wild. It'll be nearly impossible to replace the production of the 32-year-old, who leads all blueliners in points (40). Last Week: 1-2-0 3 3 Nashville Predators (26-10-3) Even before Saturday's 38-save shutout against the Bruins, Chris Mason ranked second in save percentage and ninth in GAA. The victory over Boston was his 18th straight start -- the second longest streak in the league. But if the Preds want to ensure a victory, just make sure Paul Kariya gets involved. Nashville has won all 12 games this season in which Kariya has posted two or more points. Last Week: 2-1-0 4 8 Detroit Red Wings (24-9-5) The Red Wings have found the octane. Sunday's 6-2 win over the Kings gave them 13 goals in their last two games, and four or more goals for the sixth time in their last 13. And it wasn't a case of one player doing the damage. Six Wings scored a goal against the Kings. Another positive sign has been the 25th-ranked power-play unit. The Wings have notched an extra-man score in two consecutive games after scoring just two in their previous five games combined. Last Week: 3-0-0 5 6 Atlanta Thrashers (23-11-6) Marian Hossa and Kari Lehtonen have been the biggest reasons for the Thrashers winning five of their last six. But have you noticed the lack of production from Ilya Kovalchuk? The 23-year-old winger, who has 20 goals and 42 points in 40 games, notched just four December goals -- three were empty-netters. In addition to Kovy, the PP has been nearly invisible (2-for-18 in the last four games). Maybe that's why there have been whispers about signing Brian Leetch. Last Week: 2-1-0 6 4 San Jose Sharks (26-14-0) Evgeni Nabokov hadn't allowed more than one goal to any opponent except the Ducks since Nov. 15. Oops -- scratch that. He allowed three on just six shots in Saturday's 8-0 thrashing by the lowly Coyotes. But if you're a Sharks fan, you have to love the way they bounced back Sunday in Dallas with a huge 4-2 win over the Stars to snap a season-high three-game losing streak. But San Jose still has some work to do with its 8th-ranked PK, which has allowed at least one goal in three straight games. Last Week: 1-3-0 7 7 Dallas Stars (25-15-0) Win two, lose one. That's been the Stars' pattern the past two weeks. Despite winning four of their last six games, thet haven't been firing on all cylinders because of a plethora of injuries. Dallas played without Mike Modano, Eric Lindros, Brenden Morrow and Steve Ott in Sunday's game against the Sharks. In addition, Marty Turco, who had consecutive shutouts against San Jose, was chased after allowing three goals on 10 shots. Last Week: 2-2-0 8 5 Montreal Canadiens (22-11-5) After winning five straight, the Canadiens have slipped -- dropping three of their last four. Despite the stumble, the Habs finished 2006 ahead of last season's pace. Their 22-11-5 record is good for 49 points. After 38 games last season, they had 42. But Montreal needs to be aware of its sliding special teams, which have looked sloppy in the last four games. The top-ranked PP has gone just 1-for-13 over that span, while the second-ranked PK has allowed four scores. Last Week: 1-2-0 9 11 New Jersey Devils (22-13-3) The Devils, riding Martin Brodeur, have been nearly flawless during their three-game winning streak. They've outscored opponents 9-3, their all-world goalie has earned two shutouts, and their top-ranked PK unit has killed off 19 of 20 opportunities. Brodeur stopped 29 shots on Saturday for his league-leading sixth shutout of the season and 86th of his career. "Brodeur is one of the best ever," said Sidney Crosby following the Pens' 3-0 loss to N.J. No kiddin', Sid. Last Week: 3-0-0 10 9 Carolina Hurricanes (21-16-4) Last week was a rollercoaster ride for the Hurricanes, who on Tuesday won their fifth straight. During they streak, they made franchise history by not allowing more than two goals in any game. After the streak was snapped with a 4-1 loss to Buffalo, the 'Canes bounced back in a big way with an impressive win over the league-leading Ducks. How did the defending champs follow up? With an ugly 5-2 loss to the league's worst team: Philadelphia. Last Week: 2-2-0

Read on for teams 11-20 ...