By Nick Obergan Through three months of the season, the top and bottom of the league are starting to separate themselves, while the middle remains as murky as the Western Conference playoff standings. Pittsburgh, thanks to a 9-3-1 month, has jumped into the top spot, barely edging out their division rivals in Philadelphia, who maintained their second spot. Last month?s top team in Detroit ranks third (but first among Western Conference teams), just ahead of scorching hot Vancouver. The Penguins, Flyers, Red Wings and Canucks have separated themselves from the rest of the league, proving to the league?s elite teams so far this season. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the league?s basement has a strictly Canadian and New York feel to it, with Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, the Islanders and New Jersey wishing for the season to end. Biggest jump: Vancouver, Boston +8. Biggest drop: Columbus -10 All stats and information as of December 31, 2010; last month?s rankings in brackets 1. Pittsburgh Penguins ? 85.710 (4) A fantastic month, led by Sidney Crosby?s 25-game point streak, has the 2009 Champs looking for another ring. Jordan Staal is back, which will only make them better. 2. Philadelphia Flyers ? 84.489 (2) Imagine how much better they would be with more success in the faceoff circle (49.1%) or beyond regulation (2-5). 3. Detroit Red Wings ? 83.022 (1) Their very good power play (22.8%) will be tested with Pavel Datsyuk injured, as will their faceoffs (52.1%), goals against, penalty kill?you name it and Datsyuk affects it. 4. Vancouver Canucks ? 82.889 (12) Easily the league?s hottest team, going 11-1-2 in December; they also have the fewest regulation losses in the league (8) and the best home record (13-3-2), to go with the highest goals for per game (3.44). 5. Los Angeles Kings ? 73.518 (11) After a November to forget, L.A. showed everyone why they were a chic pick to make it deep into the playoffs this year, winning 9 of their first 12 December games. 6. Boston Bruins ? 72.384 (14) They still can?t get anything positive from Tuuka Rask, but Tim Thomas is easing their troubles with a Vezina-calibre season. Boston has a league-best 2.03 GAA. 7. Washington Capitals ? 70.793 (3) The fact that they didn?t slip further down the rankings after such a dismal month (5-6-3, including a 7-game winless streak), speaks to their incredible talent level. 8. Colorado Avalanche ? 70.107 (5) It?s time to take the Avs seriously as a legitimate playoff team; they lead the league is 5-on-5 goals with 90, and are the second-highest scoring team overall. 9. New York Rangers ? 68.409 (15) Not many (except me) pegged them as a playoff team before the season, but they are getting solid production from top to bottom, with Marc Staal emerging as a top defenseman in the NHL. 10. Chicago Blackhawks ? 67.977 (7) Injuries are hurting them, as is shaky goaltending by Marty Turco. They are only winning 44.4% of their 1-goal games and their penalty kill sucks (78.5%). 11. San Jose Sharks ? 67.297 (10) Last year?s Cup hero Niemi has been brutal, but the Sharks are starting to round into form after a solid month (9-5-1). Good special teams and faceoffs; struggle after regulation (4-5). 12. Tampa Bay Lightning ? 65.163 (13) The Lightning should enjoy their time with the division lead, because Washington isn?t going to let them have it for very long. They give up more goals (3.13) than they score (3.08). 13. Dallas Stars ? 64.009 (9) Dallas is solely responsible for killing my predictions, as I picked them for the bottom of the West (albeit due to ownership problems). They have given up just as many goals as they have scored though. 14. Montreal Canadiens ? 63.843 (6) Only five teams are averaging less goals scored than Montreal (2.49), and none of them are in the top-15. League?s top penalty kill, though (87.8%). 15. St. Louis Blues ? 60.425 (17) They are starting to get a bit healthier, which is important for their playoff chances. They struggle to score (2.60 per game) in all situations, and would love David Perron and T.J. Oshie back. 16. Atlanta Thrashers ? 59.592 (16) If Atlanta keeps cruising toward a playoff spot while making things difficult for the Caps and Lightning, how long until Dustin Byfuglien starts getting some MVP talk? 17. Florida Panthers ? 55.938 (18) As said many times about this squad, they play better than their record. They have the worst power play in the league, by far (8.9%), but are good in almost all other areas. 18. Columbus Blue Jackets ? 55.483 (8) They can?t score (2.55 per game, 12.4% on the PP), but what else is new? Will Rick Nash ever get a centre? #4 pick Ryan Johansen looks good in the junior tournmanet. 19. Nashville Predators ? 55.469 (22) Had a solid month (8-5-1) that included a 5-game win streak. Their 2.35 goals per game is the lowest among all teams in the top-20; their 85% PK rate is third. 20. Calgary Flames ? 55.294 (21) The official blow-up watch is on, and I will be the first to start the Trade Iggy bandwagon if there isn?t one started ? he deserves better. 21. Buffalo Sabres ? 54.118 (20) Poor Ryan Miller. No, he hasn?t been as spectacular as last season, but the team already had problems scoring before losing leading point-getter Derek Roy for the season. 22. Phoenix Coyotes ? 52.352 (19) I thought they were still a playoff team, but they aren?t as good in goal prevention as a year ago. And they play in arguably the league?s toughest division (DET, CHI, STL, NSH). 23. Anaheim Ducks ? 48.643 (24) Jonas Hiller and Corey Perry have been outstanding, but the team as a whole isn?t scoring enough (2.56), and they allow the most shots on net in the league (34.5 per game). 24. Carolina Hurricanes ? 48.029 (23) They might be the only current non-playoff team to have a chance at catching someone currently in the top-8. But they are poor on special teams and the worst faceoff team (42.6%) 25. Minnesota Wild ? 43.171 (25) One of the better hockey markets boasts one of the most inconsistent teams. They can?t score 5-on-5, but are great on special teams. Too bad they allow nearly 7 more shots than they take per game. 26. Ottawa Senators ? 39.998 (27) The Cory Clouston watch is officially on, as GM Bryan Murray isn?t the most patient man in the world and has coaching experience with this team himself. Something?s gotta give. 27. Toronto Maple Leafs ? 34.332 (25) A team can?t realistically be a playoff team with Tyler Bozak as your top centre; a good player, but Phil Kessel needs to play with someone better to take the attention away from himself all of the time. 28. Edmonton Oilers ? 27.131 (30) Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle are a very exciting combo. You wonder if they try and trade for a hot goalie prospect this season to add to the young nucleus, because I don?t think Dubnyk is the future. 29. New York Islanders ? 26.701 (29) Their lengthy losing streak finally ended, and they put a bit of a hot streak together now. While they won?t be near a playoff spot, they can take solace in the fact that they aren?t the Devils. 30. New Jersey Devils ? 15.013 (28) Their OCTR ranking now matches their NHL ranking; dead last in the league in points (22) and goals per game (1.7) by a long shot. Nick is RealGM?s NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email nick.obergan@realgm.com or on twitter @NickObergan