Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Through Sunday’s games

1. Pittsburgh 24-11-2 Sidney Crosby has points in 24 straight games, with 24 goals and 46 points in that span. Not even halfway to Wayne Gretzky’s 51-game streak, but this is a different era. (2)

2. Philadelphia 22-8-5 Flyers will begin West Coast swing Tuesday, and they’re only 2-2-3 against Western Conference teams. (1)

3. Vancouver 21-8-5 Canucks haven’t lost in regulation since Dec. 5. Jeff Tambellini’s goal Sunday helped defeat the Oilers — whose general manager is his father. (4)

4. Dallas 21-11-4 Stars had recorded at least a point in 13 straight home games before being blanked Sunday by Phoenix. (3)

5. Tampa Bay 21-10-5 Dan Ellis seems to be stabilizing their goaltending and has won three of his last four, but the Lightning might still need an upgrade. (13)

6. Detroit 23-9-4 Chris Osgood earned his 400th career victory, one of only 10 goalies to reach the mark. But Red Wings lost leading scorer Dan Cleary (fractured ankle) for a month soon after they had lost Pavel Datsyuk to an injured hand. (8)

7. Kings 22-12-1 They’ve won five out of their last six and their home penalty killing remains superb, at 52 for 55. Their 13-2-1 home record matches best in franchise history, set in 1992-92. (11)

8. San Jose 19-12-5 The Sharks had won four straight, until they were overrun by the Kings on Monday. (16)

9. Chicago 20-14-3 Blackhawks have won four in a row, and Patrick Kane might return from ankle injury as soon as Tuesday. (10)

10. Colorado 19-12-5 Avalanche got veteran winger Milan Hejduk and youngster Cody McLeod back from groin injuries Monday. (5)

11. Atlanta 19-13-6 The Thrashers would be fine if they didn’t have to play Tampa Bay so much. They’ve lost nine straight to the Lightning, including four this season. (6)

12. N.Y. Rangers 21-14-2 Remember this name: Mats Zuccarello. The Norwegian winger was impressive in his debut last week. Small but skillful. (9)

13. Boston 19-11-4 Bruins are lucky Milan Lucic was only fined and not suspended for fight and obscene gesture against Atlanta. (14)

14. Montreal 20-14-2 Blame it on the blizzard: Canadiens lost to the lowly Islanders on Sunday despite a contingent of Montreal fans. They’ve lost six of their last eight. (7)

15. Washington 21-12-5 Alexander Ovechkin ended an eight-game famine by scoring Sunday in win over Carolina. HBO is very relieved. (17)

16. St. Louis 18-12-5 A 32-save shutout by Jaroslav Halak on Sunday improved the Blues’ record to 2-0 on a five-game homestand. They’ve won three straight overall. (20)

17. Phoenix 16-11-7 Coyotes have scored only one goal in each of last three, but Jason LaBarbera made it one and done in shutout of Dallas on Sunday. (15)

18. Nashville 17-12-6 The Predators have lost four in a row and scored only three goals in those games. Goalie Pekka Rinne is playing well but he can’t perform miracles. (12)

19. Minnesota 16-14-5 The Wild had a three-game winning streak before facing the Red Wings on Sunday. Bye-bye, winning streak. (21)

20. Ducks 18-17-4 Their loss to the Kings Sunday was their fourth in their last five games. They’ve played more games than any other team. (19)

21. Carolina 15-15-4 How quickly things can turn: Hurricanes have lost three straight after looking good during a four-game winning streak. (18)

22. Florida 16-17-1 Panthers started a stretch of playing 11 of 13 games at home. If they fall out of playoff contention, General Manager Dale Tallon might start wheeling and dealing. (23)

23. Ottawa 16-17-4 Beating the Penguins at home on Sunday might be the highlight of their season. They’ve won two games in a row for the first time since early November. (26)

24. Calgary 16-18-3 The axe seems to have moved away from the heads of General Manager Darryl Sutter and his brother, Coach Brent Sutter. For the moment, anyway. (27)

25. Edmonton 12-15-6 Some nights their youngsters look like budding superstars. Others, they look like kids who are still learning how to compete every game. (22)

26. Columbus 18-15-3 Blue Jackets won at home Monday, but are 0-5-2 in last seven road games. Not a pretty sight. (24)

27. Buffalo 14-18-4 Derek Roy, their leading scorer, is out for season because of torn quadriceps muscle. They don’t have depth to compensate. (25)

28. N.Y. Islanders 9-19-6 They asked the NHL to postpone their game Sunday because of a blizzard, but the league said no. Isles are glad they played — they beat Montreal for a 4-0-1 surge. (29)

29. Toronto 13-17-4 They beat up on the Devils. Big deal. Do wins over the Devils still count for two points? (28)

30. New Jersey 9-24-2 The coaching change really turned things around. Jacques Lemaire can lose as badly as John MacLean did: Devils outscored, 9-2, in losses to Maple Leafs, Islanders. (30)

helene.elliott@latimes.com

twitter.com/helenenothelen