BIGGEST CLIMB: Boston (17 to 12), Columbus (27 to 22)
BIGGEST FALL: Philadelphia (11 to 17) Note: All statistics and records are through Sunday. Have issues with my Power Rankings or want to pat me on the back? Send me an E-mail
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Down goes Frazier, er, Detroit. One huge reason for the Stars' second-half surge: Jere Lehtinen. The veteran winger, who missed 33 games from Nov. 23-Jan. 29 (Dallas went just 19-13-1 in that span), has four goals and six assists in the 12 games since his return. And to think they've played the majority of their best hockey without all-world blueliner Sergei Zubov (foot surgery), who'll miss another 3-4 weeks.
Last Week: 2-1-0
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Thanks, Colorado. If not for a 4-0 win over the Avs on Monday, the Wings would be in the midst of a nine-game winless streak. In fact, Detroit managed to sweep the four-game series with Colorado for only the second time since the former Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995-96. Sure, Darren McCarty is back, but this team will continue to struggle until Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski return, although newly-acquired Brad Stuart should help at least hold the fort.
Last Week: 1-2-0
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It didn't take long, 10 games to be exact, for Teemu Selanne to find his A-plus game. The Finnish Flash pocketed his 10th career hat trick on Sunday to surpass Maurice "Rocket" Richard for 25th on the all-time goals list. Selanne will continue to do his thing, but the biggest reason the Ducks will be a true force come playoff time is J-S Giguere. Is Jiggy the most underrated goalie in the league, or what?
Last Week: 3-0-0
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They are playing better than any team in the East. Period. Heck, they've climbed to the top of the conference for the first time since 2001, which is very hard to believe. They have 19 games left -- and should win at least 14 of them, for a minimum of 51 victories for the season, which would be a new franchise record. Maybe reader Scott Fisher will find this week's Rankings a bit more to his liking.
Last Week: 4-0-0
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They got four points out of a difficult stretch of three games in four days against contenders (Habs, Sens and Sharks). But bad news is coming. Evgeni Malkin's parents are returning to Russia after a two-week visit. During their stay, Malkin gave it to the league: seven goals and 16 points in nine games. He must know the visit is coming to an end since he went pointless in his last two games. Maybe new hired gun Marian Hossa can pick up the slack.
Last Week: 2-0-2
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Their remarkable 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Rangers must have taken a lot out of the Habs, who ended the week with two losses. But what has to be a troubling sign is the defense, or lack thereof. In it's past four games, Montreal has allowed 16 goals. "We know we can put on a show, but it's not the time now to impress our fans," Alexei Kovalev told the The Gazette. "It's time to really play well defensively and try to win 1-0."
Last Week: 1-2-0
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I'll probably hear from Habs fans for this, but that's the nature of the Rankings beast: the top seed in the East will come down to the Devils and Senators. I also realize that Ottawa hasn't been playing good hockey over the past two weeks, but it has earned at least a point in four of its last five. After Monday's loss to Toronto, the Sens have 19 games left -- 12 of which they should win. That would put them at 48 victories.
Last Week: 2-0-1
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There may not be a team in more need of a big jolt than the Sharks, and perhaps Brian Campbell will be the man to supply it. The biggest problem recently with San Jose is its lack of intensity and desire to play 60 minutes. They look like Cup faves for two periods and then resemble a team right out of Slap Shot for the final frame. That may be harsh, but maybe not. Let's see what sort of intensity they bring to Joe Louis on Friday night.
Last Week: 2-2-0
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Just when it looked like they were floating downstream, they rally with their first four-game win streak of the season. It included quality wins against the Wild, Predators and Wings. Of course, main horse, Roberto Luongo was leading the way; Bobby Lu hasn't allowed more than two goals during the streak and is now just two wins from his third straight 30-win campaign.
Last Week: 3-0-0
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You won't come across many better weeks than the one the Flames turned in. Not only did they win four games in six days, they did it against the likes of the surging Coyotes, Stars, Wings and Wild. Wow. In just a seven-day span, Calgary went from trailing Minnesota by six points in the Northwest to leading by a point. "It's crazy," Miikka Kiprusoff said. "Every game is huge, and I think that's how it's going to be the rest of the year."
Last Week: 4-0-0
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Read on for teams 11-20 ... 
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