Let's hope the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs unfold like this week's NHL power rankings. How great would Washington vs. Pittsburgh and San Jose vs. Chicago be in the conference finals? Here are this week's rankings from Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline, with previous rankings in ( ):

1. Washington (1): With a 12-point lead atop the East, the Caps are most likely looking ahead to Sunday's showdown in Chicago.

2. San Jose (3): Big relief for the Sharks -- goaltender Evgeni Nabokov shows no lingering effects from a dreadful Olympics.

3. Chicago (2): It's too late to fix the Blackhawks' goaltending issues now, so get ready for a nervous run into the postseason.

4. Pittsburgh (9): Four wins coming out of the Olympic break, but here comes a tester -- the Pens play five straight on the road.

5. Phoenix (6): Wojtek Wolski might spark the Coyotes, but don't expect him to salvage the power play. He had only two man-up goals with the Avs this season.

6. Vancouver (7): The NHL-record 14-game road trip will end this week for the Canucks. They're 7-5-0, with two wins in Columbus.

7. Colorado (8): Like riding a bike. Milan Hejduk, out since mid-January with hand and back injuries, scored two goals in his first game back, a 7-3 rout of St. Louis.

8. Los Angeles (4): The Olympics were Drew Doughty's coming-out party. Barely 20 years old, he's already emerged as one of the elite blue-liners in the NHL.

9. New Jersey (10): Followed an impressive win in San Jose with sobering losses in Calgary and (especially) Edmonton. The Devils are 1-7-1 on the road since Jan. 23.

10. Buffalo (11): OT wins over Philadelphia and the N.Y. Rangers put the brakes on a 3-9-3 skid that nearly cost them the division lead.

11. Ottawa (5): Three straight losses coming out of the Olympic break, and now they face a three-game swing through Western Canada.

12. Detroit (16): The Winged Wheel is warming, with a five-goal second period in Chicago on Sunday and eight power-play goals in their past six games.

13. Nashville (15): Betcha can't name the Predators' leading goal-scorer. Not Erat. Not Arnott. Not Dumont. It's Patric Hornqvist, with 23.

14. Philadelphia (13): Yes, journeyman goaltender Michael Leighton has played well. But the Flyers can't feel too great with their fate in his hands.

15. Boston (19): It's unclear how long center Marc Savard will be out with a concussion. But the Bruins desperately need him in the lineup.

16. Montreal (22): A galvanizing win? The Habs came back from a 3-0 first-period deficit to win a shootout in Anaheim on Saturday.

17. Anaheim (12): Not the playoff push many expected. The Ducks came out of the break with three straight losses as they wait for Columbus on Tuesday.

18. Calgary (20): A showdown game set for Tuesday in Detroit: the ninth-place Flames play the eighth-place Red Wings.

19. St. Louis (18): With a 5-1-0 run, the Blues appear poised for another late-season run. Do they have the juice to get through Calgary and Detroit?

20. Minnesota (17): In 232 games with Montreal, Guillaume Latendresse had 48 goals. In 39 games with the Wild, he has 21 goals.

21. N.Y. Rangers (21): Marian Gaborik is hurting -- shocker, it's his groin -- and so, suddenly, are the Rangers playoff chances.

22. Carolina (23): On Jan. 1, the Hurricanes were 10-23-7, the worst club in the NHL. Since then, they're 17-8-0, one of the hottest clubs in the league.

23. Dallas (14): Somebody get word to Big D that the Olympic break is over. The Stars have lost three straight by a combined score of 17-5.

24. Atlanta (26): The Thrashers are 7-11-2 within the lowly Southeast Division, a big reason they won't make the playoffs again this season.

25. Florida (29): After going 14 games with two or fewer goals, the Panthers score 11 in back-to-back wins over Philadelphia (7-4) and red-hot Carolina (4-1).

26. Tampa Bay (25): Quietly, 20-year-old center Steven Stamkos (40-36-76) has blossomed into one of the NHL's top offensive players.

27. Columbus (24): After a 3-0 start, the joy is gone under interim coach Claude Noel. The Blue Jackets have dropped four straight heading into Los Angeles tonight.

28. N.Y. Islanders (28): What's worse? That the Isles are paying $7.9 million for goaltending this season, or that they still owe Alexei Yashin $16 million through 2013-14?

29. Toronto (27): The Leafs will need a massive infusion of offense this summer. In past five games, they've scored five goals and are 0-for-25 on power play.

30. Edmonton (30): On Tuesday vs. Ottawa, the warming Oilers will go for three straight wins for the first time since Dec. 11.

aportzline@dispatch.com