Aside from a loss Thursday, the Colorado Avalanche keep rolling, and their spot atop the NHL standings is equaled by their position in the ESPN NHL Power Rankings.

Beyond the Avalanche, the Washington Capitals , Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers rose up the rankings this week, while the Anaheim Ducks , New Jersey Devils and Utah Mammoth took a tumble.

The month of December includes many games on the schedule, and for this week's edition of the Power Rankings, we've identified the most intriguing matchup on the docket for each club.

How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday.

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Nov. 28 .

See Full Page