The Hurricanes remain atop the rankings this week, and head coach Peter Laviolette will certainly head off on a high note to Torino, where he will coach Team USA in the Olympics. Laviolette’s NHL club quickly began reaping the benefits of new acquisition Doug Weight’s presence on Sunday, as he scored the shootout-winning goal against Boston.

At the other end of the spectrum are the St. Louis Blues, who rose from the cellar thanks to the return of power forward Keith Tkachuk. Tkachuk’s name is featured prominently in virtually every rumor mill, but the (relatively) paltry $3.5 million team option for next season should give the Blues serious cause for pause before dealing him away. Still one of the league’s best power forwards, Tkachuk would be a bargain at that price, especially playing in a contract year.

Here’s how the teams line up in this week’s power rankings. Statistically, teams are measured from left to right in record, standings points, goals scored, goals allowed, power play success, and penalty killing success (as of start of play yesterday). Note that our statistics for special teams effectiveness also take shorthanded goals into account. Each team’s ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1 CAROLINA HURRICANES (1) Two more Hurricanes were named to USA’s Olympic team this week – forward Matt Cullen and defenseman Bret Hedican – another example of how steadily this team’s status has risen. 38-12-4 77 205 164 17.3% 85.1%

2 OTTAWA SENATORS (2) It will be interesting to see how goaltender Dominik Hasek responds to the competition he’ll face from Vezina Trophy candidate Tomas Vokoun for the Czech Republic’s starting job in Torino. 36-12-5 77 218 128 19.5% 90.3%

3 DETROIT RED WINGS (3) Rookie defenseman Niklas Kronwall has re turned to the lineup and registered a +3 rating in his first two games. Could he be the second coming of Wings star Nicklas Lidstrom? 36-13-5 77 193 137 22.4% 88.8%

4 DALLAS STARS (4) Perennial Selke Trophy candidate Jere Lehtinen is known for his defensive skills, but he’s emerged a scorer this season, and is on pace to finish with a career-high 39 goals. 37-15-3 77 179 143 14.7% 86.1%

5 BUFFALO SABRES (6) It’s taken longer than expected, but young winger nogenov up his advance billing. He’s one of the NHL’s fastest skaters, and his hands are finally catching up to his feet. 35-15-3 73 176 148 17.7% 88.2%

6 NEW YORK RANGERS (8) Ever so quietly, defenseman Michal Rozsival is rising up to the top of the NHL’s plus/minus rankings. At +25, only four Ottawa Senators are ahead of the hard-working blueliner. 32-15-8 72 176 137 14.8% 85.4%

7 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (7) Injuries have plagued power forward Scott Walker this season. If he doesn’t get healthy soon, it’s possible that QMJHL star Alexander Radulov could be a candidate for a promotion when the junior league season ends. 33-16-6 72 176 158 15.3% 87.4%

8 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (5) Will Peter Forsberg rest his aching groin, or will he represent Team Sweden in Torino? Bet on him using the time to rest. 31-15-9 71 184 177 16.1% 82.9%

9 CALGARY FLAMES (9) It’s been a tale of two season for Kristian Huselius, who escaped Mike Keenan’s dog house in Florida to emerge as a point-per-game scorer for the Flames. 31-17-7 69 147 141 17.0% 83.8%

10 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (10) Goaltender Alex Auld has given the Canucks surprising stability between the pipes, so they will likely focus their attentions on fortifying the blue line before the trade deadline. 32-19-5 69 192 171 17.7% 82.3%

11 EDMONTON OILERS (11) The youngsters have gotten the lion’s share of the attention, but veteran Ryan Smyth is quietly on pace for a career season. Unfortunately, recent acquisition Dick Tarnstrom is already sidelined with an injury. 30-19-7 67 185 175 17.2% 86.7%

12 COLORADO AVALANCHE (12) Rookie Marek Svatos has scored 30 goals already, and could make a surprise showing as a Calder Trophy finalist. 30-20-6 66 204 179 17.7% 87.7%

13 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (16) Two solid defensive pairs have emerged for the Devils. Richard Matvichuk has fit well alongside Brian Rafalski, while Colin White and Paul Martin have been even better. 29-21-6 64 166 162 16.5% 82.3%

14 LOS ANGELES KINGS (13) Brash forward Jeremy Roenick used the he missed with a broken finger to return to tip-top physical condition. Look for him to break out in the final third of the season. 30-22-5 65 188 184 12.9% 81.5%

15 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (15) The Lightning’s biggest problems are mediocre goaltending and an extended Cup hangover. 30-22-4 64 169 160 12.8% 86.0%

16 ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS (14) Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere has melted down in recent weeks, leading to speculation that he’ll be traded. 25-18-11 61 160 154 13.4% 86.2%

17 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (18) Playmaking center Jason Allison has proven to be quite durable this year, tallying 38 assists in 51 games. 27-23-5 59 174 183 17.8% 84.5%

18 MINNESOTA WILD (20) Marian Gaborik and Brian Rolston are developing serious chemistry together, registering points nearly every night. 28-24-4 60 167 145 17.0% 90.7%

19 MONTREAL CANADIENS (19) With Frenchman Cristobal Huet taking over between the pipes, could fan favorite Jose Theodore be on his way out? 25-22-7 57 156 176 17.5% 82.5%

20 SAN JOSE SHARKS (17) The Sharks have slipped a bit of late, but the recent signing of goaltender Evgeni Nabokov should provide some muchneeded stability. 24-21-8 56 161 163 14.3% 81.8%

21 BOSTON BRUINS (22) Given up for dead just one month ago, the Bruins have bounced back, and now find themselves in the thick of the East’s playoff hunt. 23-23-9 55 158 170 13.1% 85.8%

22 PHOENIX COYOTES (21) It’s been a difficult year for the Coyotes who now must deal with the brunt of the gambling scandal facing assistant coach Rick Tocchet. 27-27-3 57 166 182 15.3% 82.8%

23 ATLANTA THRASHERS (23) The Thrashers have slipped dramatically in recent weeks, and a franchise-first playoff appearance is looking more unlikely by the day. 24-26-6 54 190 201 17.8% 80.8%

24 NEW YORK ISLANDERS (24) Miroslav Satan’s inspired play of late probably won’t be enough to revive the Isles, but he could yield a nice return at the trade deadline. 24-26-4 52 161 194 16.1% 79.6%

25 FLORIDA PANTHERS (25) He hasn’t scored a goal yet, but Jay Bouwmeester’s emergence is a great sign for the Panthers’ future. 22-26-8 52 151 173 13.3% 83.3%

26 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (26) Young defenseman Rostislav Klesla has suffered through a litany of injuries, but may be on the verge of breaking out. 22-31-2 46 137 196 13.1% 83.2%

27 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (27) Alexander Ovechkin is putting together the NHL’s best rookie season by a forward since Teemu Selanne scored 76 goals in 1992-93. Of course, this is the only good news in Washington. 19-30-5 43 149 206 10.0% 81.3%

28 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (28) At a combined -33, defensemen Adrian Aucoin and Jassen Cullimore were anything but the blue line anchors the Hawks were eagerly expecting. Now Aucoin will miss the rest of the season following shoulder surgery. 18-29-7 43 139 188 9.7% 84.9%

29 ST. LOUIS BLUES (30) The return of Keith Tkachuk gave the Blues a much needed shot in the arm. Will he last the season in St. Louis? 14-31-8 36 142 201 14.5% 82.6%

30 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (29) It’s “wait ’till next year” again for the Pen guins, who will likely be completing their final season in Pittsburgh. 12-33-11 35 154 227 15.0% 78.9%

Mr. Greenstein, the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com, ranks the NHL’s best and worst each week in The New York Sun.