The All-Star Game will be played in Atlanta on Sunday, and now, just one month from the trade deadline, things might be even murkier than they were when the season began. The third- and 27th-ranked teams were separated by only five wins last week, and they’re now only four wins apart. Put simply, the entire regular season is going to come down to what happens in its final 20-30 games.

Perhaps with an eye toward this very scenario playing itself out, the general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, Brian Burke, orchestrated a brilliant manipulation of the salary cap. Not known as a wallflower, Burke displayed uncommon patience while captain Scott Niedermayer contemplated his future, claiming that Niedermayer had earned as much time as he needed to decide.

When Niedermayer finally announced that he’d be returning to the lineup in mid-December, he’d effectively saved the Ducks nearly half his $6.75 million annual cap cost. Little wonder that Burke was so patient while adding the likes of Mathieu Schneider ($5.625 million) and Todd Bertuzzi ($4 million) to the roster. Now, with Niedermayer added to a defense corps that also includes Schneider and Chris Pronger, the defending Stanley Cup champions are once again looking like the team to beat in the Western Conference.

Yes, the Detroit Red Wings have been tremendous through their first 50 games. But as we saw with the Sabres last spring, regular season dominance does not translate directly to postseason success. And with the Ducks rounding into top form now — their most important player having avoided the wear and tear of training camp, the preseason, and the first 34 regular season games — it’s looking as if they are going to be very tough to top in the playoffs. The Ducks needed only play well enough to stay in the middle of the pack during Niedermayer’s respite, and by posting a 12-3-2 record in the 17 games following his return, they’ve surged all the way to eighth overall in this week’s power rankings.

Please note that the data are up to and including games played Tuesday night, and that our statistics for special teams effectiveness also take shorthanded goals into account. Each team’s ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1. DETROIT RED WINGS (LW: 1): While the stars rightly get the lion’s share of the attention, the Wings’ tremendous success is also due to the consistently excellent performances by role players such as Daniel Cleary (37 points in 50 games, plus-22 rating).
REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%
36–10–4 76 167 105 18.83% 86.04%

2. OTTAWA SENATORS (2): Injuries to captain Daniel Alfredsson and top scorer Dany Heatley have had a predictably disastrous affect; the Sens have lost five of six games and are officially no longer the beast of the East.
30–15–4 64 164 138 17.35% 86.67%

3 SAN JOSE SHARKS (3): A terrible season keeps getting worse for Patrick Marleau, who has scored only eight goals in 48 games (to go with an atrocious, team-worst minus-21 rating). Could he be included in a deal for Maple Leafs star center Mats Sundin?
26–15–7 59 123 113 15.25% 89.42%

4. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (5): Dating back to November 17, the Devils have posted a stupendous 21–5–1 record when John Madden has been in the lineup. Put simply, there is a no more effective checking line center in the NHL today.
28–17–3 59 118 110 12.98% 84.66%

5. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (9): The Flyers’ power play has quickly become one of the NHL’s finest, attributable to both the off-season addition of quarterback Kimmo Timonen and the strong contributions they’re getting from the first and second units.
26–16–5 57 156 132 23.50% 84.75%

6. MONTREAL CANADIENS (6): Perhaps the most improbable storyline in Montreal this season has been the emergence of Alexei Kovalev as not only the Habs’ most talented forward, but also their most defensively responsible (team-leading plus-10 rating).
25–15–8 58 147 128 23.74% 84.04%

7. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (4): Sidney Crosby will be out of the Pens’ lineup for 6–8 weeks with a high ankle sprain, and so it’s up to Evgeni Malkin (15 points in his last nine games) to take the baton as the team’s offensive catalyst.
27–17–4 58 134 126 17.41% 81.90%

8. ANAHEIM DUCKS (13): The Ducks’ signing of Ryan Getzlaf to a five-year, $26.5 million contract extension is looking more and more prescient by the day; the 22-year-old center is far and away the team’s most important offensive player.
27–18–6 60 129 127 14.47% 83.52%

9. DALLAS STARS (11): Defenseman Matt Niskanen, a 2005 first-round pick, has become a key component of the Stars’ defense. He is very steady in his own zone (plus-13), and the talented rookie is also starting to contribute on the offensive end (18 points).
28–19–5 61 149 134 16.59% 89.95%

10. MINNESOTA WILD (8): Assuming he’s able to remain healthy for the remainder of the season — and stay out of Jacques Lemaire’s doghouse for indifferent defensive play — star forward Marian Gaborik should finish with career highs in goals, assists, and points.
27–19–3 57 134 133 15.02% 84.62%

11. CALGARY FLAMES (15): Rumors abound that Alex Tanguay could be on his way out of Calgary. If the Flames packaged him along with future franchise goalie Leland Irving, it might just be enough to entice the Leafs to give up Mats Sundin.
25–17–8 58 144 140 13.57% 81.86%

12. COLORADO AVALANCHE (10) : Forwards Marek Svatos (20 goals), Milan Hejduk (17 goals), and Wojtek Wolski (13 goals) will need to power the Avs’ offense while the star-studded trio of Joe Sakic, Paul Stastny, and Ryan Smyth is out of the lineup.
26–19–4 56 133 133 11.82% 82.78%

13. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (7): No NHL team needs Sundin more than the Canucks, whose goal-starved offense isn’t providing Vezina/Hart trophy candidate Roberto Luongo with ample support. But do the Canucks have the resources it’ll take to land the Super-Swede?
25–19–5 55 125 114 15.70% 85.02%

14. BOSTON BRUINS (19):Bruins netminder Tim Thomas got his deserved nomination to the All-Star Game when Martin Brodeur bowed out. The journeyman netminder has finally found a home in Boston, and he is the main reason the B’s are in the playoff picture.
24–19–5 53 123 129 16.29% 80.69%

15. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (18): The surging Predators are starting to look like a legitimate playoff contender, with revitalized starting netminder Chris Mason (4–1–1, 1.32 GAA, .948 SV% in his last six starts) helping them get off to a strong start in the second half.
25–20–4 54 141 130 13.00% 87.68%

16. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (16): After scoring four shorthanded goals in their first 48 games, the Isles broke through with three in one game on Tuesday night, helping them to a decisive 6–3 win over the Southeast Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
24–19–6 54 121 135 11.76% 88.36%

17. ST. LOUIS BLUES (12): Two recent bad games against the Predators notwithstanding, diminutive netminder Manny Legace (5-feet-9-inches, 162 pounds) has proven that he has what it takes to backstop the goal-starved Blues into the playoffs.
22–18–6 50 119 126 9.69% 85.71%

18. PHOENIX COYOTES (14): After sparking a revival that has the team in striking distance of a playoff spot, the Coyotes rewarded goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov for his efforts by signing him to a three-year contract extension.
25–21–2 52 127 129 15.24% 84.92%

19. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (17): Rick Nash’s dazzling game-winning goal against the Coyotes last Thursday night (scored with only 21.5 seconds remaining in the game) has become a YouTube favorite and is the prohibitive favorite to be “goal of the year.”
24–20–6 54 125 121 15.28% 88.70%

20. NEW YORK RANGERS (20): With only 12 goals through 50 games (and a team-worst minus-13 rating), Chris Drury is rapidly losing the support of the Garden faithful; without question, he must become a much more assertive offensive presence in the second half.
23–21–6 52 119 124 14.34% 84.75%

21. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (26): The Caps have risen quickly from the ashes, and now find themselves only three points behind the division-leading Hurricanes (but with a critical four games in hand). Look for them to be buyers as the trade deadline approaches.
22–21–5 49 141 150 15.71% 80.95%

22. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (24): If stellar rookie center Jonathan Toews (sprained knee) returns to the lineup soon, the ‘Hawks should be able to battle their way into the postseason for the first time since 2002 (and only the second time since 1997).
23–22–4 50 135 141 13.82% 86.08%

23. CAROLINA HURRICANES (23): After getting off to a red-hot start, goaltender Cam Ward’s play has slipped dramatically as the season has progressed. And with John Grahame and Michael Leighton the only alternatives, the ‘Canes are in serious trouble.
24–24–4 52 157 169 14.89% 77.92%

24. BUFFALO SABRES (22): With all but a handful of their starters enduring season-long slumps, it’s no surprise that the Sabres have collapsed. But they still have the talent, speed, and goal-tending needed to battle their way into the postseason.
20–21–6 46 139 133 14.98% 86.70%

25. EDMONTON OILERS (25): Not much went right for the Oilers’ general manager, Kevin Lowe, this past off-season, but getting spurned by 35-year-old Michael Nylander (minus-19 rating, out for the season following shoulder surgery) will turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
22–24–5 49 125 152 13.02% 86.61%

26. ATLANTA THRASHERS (21): Ilya Kovalchuk’s flagrant hit from behind on the Rangers’ Michal Rozsival should have yielded more than a one-game suspension, but he got the superstar treatment and will still be eligible to represent the hometown Thrashers at Sunday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta.
23–25–3 49 135 170 14.56% 82.95%

27. FLORIDA PANTHERS (27): Captain Olli Jokinen is saying all the right things, that he doesn’t want to be traded and wants to be part of a turnaround. But the return they’d get by dealing him in advance of the trade deadline might be too valuable to pass up.
22–24–4 48 123 141 17.93% 81.58%

28. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (28): By failing to name Cliff Fletcher as the team’s official (not interim) GM, the Leafs are foolishly putting a difficult task (getting the right package of players/picks in return for Sundin) in the hands of someone who might not be part of the team’s future.
19–22–8 46 136 157 12.21% 80.93%

29. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (29): If the Lightning can find some team — any team — willing to take Brad Richards (14 goals, minus-23 rating) and his onerous contract off their hands, they should jump at the opportunity.
20–24–5 45 139 159 17.30% 83.77%

30. LOS ANGELES KINGS (30): Though their play has certainly improved of late, it’s clear that the Kings aren’t a playoff team. By failing to take advantage of a seller’s market in which they’re the only certain sellers, the Kings are likely missing a huge opportunity.
19–29–2 40 137 166 17.92% 81.12%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.