Was Cooke decision a surprise...

The Flyers used a balanced attack over their four-game winning streak that included a big win to end Pittsburgh's 12-game winning streak on Tuesday. Philly got some bad news on Friday when they learned that Chris Pronger will be out for at least a month with a foot injury. This Year: 21-7-5

The Pens' streak ended last week after 12 games. The Pens then lost to the Rangers, but Sidney Crosby's consecutive point scoring streak stretched to 20 by week's end. This Year: 21-10-2

The Red Wings are creating space for themselves atop the Central division after picking up three wins last week. Nicklas Lidstrom became the oldest player in NHL history to score a hat trick on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. Year: 20-7-3

The Rangers are quietly finding ways to win despite some injuries to key players. The Rangers are on a three-game streak, but they lost Ryan Callahan after the winger broke his hand blocking a shot. Chris Drury returned to the lineup after missing 29 games. This Year: 20-13-1

Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban were added to the Canadiens lineup last week, and the team ended their three-game slide against the rival Bruins on Thursday. The Habs ran into penalty trouble last week, but the team continues to lead the league in P.K. percentage. The Canadiens will be tested this week when they begin a challenging seven-game road trip to end 2010. This Year: 19-11-2

The Capitals can't wait for December to end. The team had one win all month, and are only one point ahead of Atlanta for first place in their division. With just two goals since November 14th, Alex Ovechkin is again displaying a difficulty to perform in difficult situations. This Year: 18-11-4

The Dallas Stars are not leading the league in any major categories, and don't have any players that are burning up the stat sheets, but the team is managing to win games. Marc Crawford should get a lot of credit for his job behind the bench. Players are buying into his system. This Year: 18-10-3

Despite brutal ticket sales, the Thrashers are starting to look like they're for real. Dustin Byfuglien has 16 points in his last 13 games. This Year: 17-11-5

Reporters raved about Ryan Kesler last week, and rightly so, after the centre recorded a hat trick against the Blue Jackets. Coach Alain Vignault says Kesler has grown up in the past year, and isn't wasting his energy chirping after the whistle. This Year: 17-8-4

The Predators are hot - finishing the week on a four-game win streak. Rookie Goalie Anders Lindback continues to steal show posting back-to-back shut outs. This Year: 16-8-6

Good news: The Avalanche bolted up the rankings last week thanks to winning four in a row. Bad news: The team's leading scorer, Paul Stastny, is listed as day-to-day after a scary hit from behind. This Year: 17-10-4

Two positive surprises greeted the Lightning last week: the team received a solid game from goalie Mike Smith in his first game since his nightmare performance on Dec. 2, and the return of Vincent Lecavalier to the lineup. This Year: 17-10-4

The Ducks picked up three wins in four games last week. Jonas Hiller kept his team in contention despite some sloppy play by has mates. This Year: 17-14-4

The Sharks are having trouble hanging on to leads this season. "You always want to get stronger in games so it tells the tale of a lot of things," forward Joe Pavelski said. "If we were plus-7 right now, I think we'd have another three or four wins." This Year: 13-10-3

The Bruins took a tumble in rankings after losing three in a row. Defensive breakdowns have led to the Bruins giving up too many shots against. This Year: 16-10-4

After a prolonged cold streak, Kings defenceman Drew Doughty found his scoring touch. Doughty has four points in two games. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock might have had something to do with Doughty seeing the light when the two teams met on Monday. "He's just better and smarter than everybody else," Babcock said. "He's just been touched by God and he's been given a gift and he seems to like hockey." This Year: 17-11-1

Losses are starting to pile up for the Blues as they head into the final weeks of 2010. The Blues have six players in sick bay, but the team says they are now used to playing with a depleted lineup. This Year: 15-10-5

The Coyotes have been inconsistent all month, and have been struggling to put back-to-back wins together. The team started a six-game road trip with two straight losses. This Year: 14-9-7

Things didn't get any better for the Blue Jackets last week. Columbus lost three in a row on their western Canadian road trip. Rick Nash has been a bright spot for the team. Nash has eight points in six games. Year: 16-12-3

It's safe to say the Blackhawks are missing Patrick Kane. Reports on Kane's injury said the winger wasn't healing as fast as doctors thought he might. The Hawks were winless in three games and face four games against Central Division teams before the New Year. This Year: 16-14-3

Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice was pleased with his team's effort against division rivals on Wednesday and Thursday. "On the road, to come back, down two in the third, back-to-back nights ... You can always find faults and find mistakes, but I'm pretty proud of what they were able to do." This Year: 11-11-2

The Flames won back-to-back games for the first time since October on Thursday. "We're not in a position where we can relax," said forward Olli Jokinen. "We haven't had a two-game winning streak for over a month. I can't even remember when that happened last. Our goal is to put ourselves in a striking position before Christmas." This Year 14-15-3

Senators goalie Pascal Leclaire won two in a row for the first time since December of last year. This Year: 14-16-3

Martin Havlat is finding his groove with the Wild lately. Havlat has 18 points in his last 15 games but the team is not responding. The Wild went 0-3 on the power-play against the Sens on Thursday. This Year: 10-13-2

The Sabres have nine points in their last six games, and are now within striking distance of Bruins for second place in the division. Defenceman Jordan Leopold thinks pumping Michael Jackson music might have something to do with it. "Normally, whenever you get on a streak you find something that works and you stick with it. There's no method to the madness. It's just something that kind of evolved." This Year: 13-14-4

The Oilers finished the week with a big win at home against the Blue Jackets. A well-rested team (the Oilers have the weekend off) will have a chance to reach the .500 mark when they begin their California road trip on Tuesday. This Year: 12-14-5

Dion Phaneuf was the centre of attention when he made his return to Calgary on Thursday, but the Leafs' captain play an uninspired game in front of a sold-out crowd at the Saddledome. Phaneuf's return was a nightmare. The team gave up three goals in under a minute in the loss and goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere apparently reinjured his groin muscle. This Year: 12-15-4

The Panthers were back to their losing ways last week, dropping both games. Another bad sign was the drop in David Booth's game. This Year: 13-16-0

The Devils have one win since December 2, but Ilya Kovalchuk almost put up Ilya Kovalchuk numbers last week when he notched five points in his last three games. This Year: 9-19-2

Rumours circulated last week that Islanders' GM Garth Snow was doing some Christmas shopping before the holiday roster freeze. Snow was looking for a veteran winger for his slumping sophomore John Tavares. You have to feel for Tavares, as some are wondering what impact all this losing will have on him? This Year: 6-18-5