The Super Bowl was super, but the best game on TV yesterday was Washington vs. Pittsburgh earlier in the day. The Capitals' rousing win over the Penguins only solidified their spot atop the NHL's pecking order. Here are this week's NHL power rankings, courtesy of Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline, with last week's rankings in ( ):

1. Washington (2): A 14-game winning streak has given them a 14-point lead atop the Eastern Conference. Can't wait for a Pens-Caps conference final.

2. San Jose (1): Only one regulation loss in their past 13 games (10-1-2), so they haven't relinquished the top spot easily.

3. Los Angeles (5): Came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Detroit on Saturday -- a momentous way to set a franchise mark with nine straight wins.

4. Chicago (3): Hard to believe this club is sputtering offensively right now. Only 20 goals in its past nine games (4-4-1).

5. Phoenix (7): A six-game winning streak, including four games settled beyond regulation, ended with a 4-0 loss in Dallas on Saturday.

6. Ottawa (6): An 11-game winning streak had to end. The Sens suited up against the emotionally charged Maple Leafs on Saturday, a 4-0 loss.

7. Vancovuer (4): World's largest road trip is four games deep, with four more before the Olympic break and six more on the other side.

8. New Jersey (9): Still sputtering. Can newly acquired Ilya Kovalchuk drag the Devils out of a 6-9-1 funk over the last month?

9. Pittsburgh (11): Cause for concern, or just a regular-season wart? The Penguins have allowed 11 goals in two games vs. rival Washington.

10. Colorado (10): Six Avs players have 10 or more goals, but no Avs player has 20. Do they need a hammer, or is the spread attack enough?

11. Buffalo (8): The Sabres really haven't played well for a month now, leading to a 23-minute meeting after a 4-0 loss in Columbus on Saturday.

12. Detroit (12): After blowing a 3-0 first-period lead in L.A., the Red Wings have 12 wins in 31 road games. And the injuries keep mounting.

13. Anaheim (16): The tables have turned in the SoCal rivalry. The Ducks have lost all three meetings to the Kings this season heading into tonight's matchup.

14. Minnesota (13): There's no place like home for the Wild. They've earned points in nine straight game in Xcel Energy Center, one of the NHL's nicest buildings.

15. Dallas (14): They keep sailing on choppy seas and not getting anywhere. No more than three straight wins or losses all season.

16. Nashville (15): A 2-6-1 run has pretty much sewn up the Central for Chicago. The Preds' penalty kill is just 70.9 percent during that slide.

17. Philadelphia (17): The Flyers hope that Ville Leino -- a disappointment in Detroit -- can spark an offense that has been underwhelming all season.

18. Calgary (22): Since reshaping the roster -- Dion Phaneuf and Olli Jokinen were sent packing -- the Flames have looked just as shaky as before.

19. Tampa Bay (21): It's hard to sneeze at a 7-2-1 run, but look who they've beaten: Carolina, Toronto, Atlanta (twice), Montreal, the N.Y. Islanders and Calgary.

20. Montreal (20): Two years ago, it would have been unthinkable to trade Carey Price. Now he's reportedly on the block, with Jaroslav Halak taking over in net.

21. St. Louis (19): New coach, same results: The Blues are 8-7-3 since interim coach Davis Payne took over for Andy Murray, who was 17-17-6.

22. Florida (18): The Panthers have gone 10 straight games -- since Jan. 16 -- without scoring more than two goals in a game. Sound familiar, Blue Jackets fans?

23. N.Y. Rangers (23): In Glen Sather's 10-year run as GM, the Rangers have had four winning seasons and five different coaches. When does he get the flak?

24. Atlanta (24): The morale can't be good -- in the dressing room or in the stands -- now that franchise winger Ilya Kovalchuk is gone.

25. Columbus (26): A coaching change has Blue Jackets fans singing "Claude To Joy." Interim coach Claude Noel seems to have lifted a dark cloud of confusion.

26. Carolina (25): With goaltender Cam Ward hurting, the Hurricanes turned to rookie Justin Peters. He made 34 saves in his debut on Saturday to keep a 7-3-0 run going.

27. Boston (28): If the Bruins hadn't won 3-0 on Sunday in Montreal, they would have matched an 84-year record with their 11th straight loss. Whew.

28. Toronto (29): J-S Giguere looks reborn since his trade from Anaheim, making 60 saves in back-to-back shutouts over New Jersey and Ottawa.

29. N.Y. Islanders (27): During a seven-game losing streak, the Isles have scored only nine goals. Ugh.

30. Edmonton (30): Former Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock won't jump at the first job offer, he says. But if his hometown club calls, no way he says no.

aportzline@dispatch.com