Burnside's Power Rankings: Can league-best Bolts carry momentum into '18?

And so, one of the milestones of the National Hockey League schedule -- the holiday break -- has been reached.
And just as we predicted, New Jersey is setting the pace in the Metropolitan Division and Vegas is leading the charge in the Pacific just hours after being born (okay, we made that up).
But here are some holiday power rankings after a couple of hockey-free days.
Previous rankings: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2| Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

Last week: No. 1
Still the standard bearers in the NHL, the Lightning are the owners of an impressive plus-46 goal differential. They have opened up a six-point lead on their nearest competition for the top spot in the league, and what would be home-ice advantage through what should be, all things considered, a long playoff run in the spring.

2. Vegas Golden Knights

Last week: No. 4
The surpris -- ha, ha, just kidding. Told you we were done with that. The Golden Knights continue to crush visiting teams, regardless of their status and standing, with Marc-Andre Fleury shutting out the previously high-flying Washington Capitals to close out the pre-holiday schedule. The Golden Knights are a gaudy 15-2-1 at home, tied with Tampa Bay for the best home record in the league.

3. Los Angeles Kings

Last week: No. 5
The Kings have been overtaken by the Golden Knights atop the Pacific Division (tied in points, but Vegas has three games in hand) but are 7-3-1 in December and boast a plus-26 goal differential that is tops in the Western Conference.

4. New Jersey Devils

Last week: No. 6
Inspirational leader Brian Boyle is on fire for the Devils, who hit the break somehow holding down the top spot in a tightly-packed Metropolitan Division, thanks to a four-game win streak. The kids show no signs of slowing down for the NHL's most surprising team not based in Las Vegas.

5. Boston Bruins

Last week: NR
Very quietly, the Bruins are making their way up the Atlantic Division standings and currently own the sixth-best point percentage in the league. A win over Detroit before the break was their fourth in a row, and they're 8-2-1 in December. Patrice Bergeron is red-hot and the Bruins look a little bit like the Bruins circa-2011. Remember them?

6. Nashville Predators

Last week: No. 2
The Predators are winless in three (0-2-1) but still have only nine regulation losses on the season, tied for the fewest in the Western Conference. The break came at a good time for Pekka Rinne, et al, especially with the return of star playoff defender Ryan Ellis just around the corner.

7. Washington Capitals

Last week: No. 3
The Capitals suffered a little Vegas stumble (and who doesn'thave a little Vegas stumble in them this season?) before the break, but they are still 8-2-1 in December. A pedestrian 8-8-2 road record is still mildly troubling.

8. Edmonton Oilers

Last week: NR
First appearance of the season for the Oilers in the Terrific 10, and our guess is it won't be the last as Edmonton finally seems to have turned a corner with four straight wins. Left for dead not long ago, the Oil is now four points back of a wild-card spot and Connor McDavid, who avoided a serious foot injury in pre-break finale, is starting to get back to other-worldly status after being just superstar-like through the first third.

9. Columbus Blue Jackets

Last week: NR
The Blue Jackets came up with a nice bounce-back win over Philadelphia in a shootout before the break and still own a top-10 winning percentage. They rank third in the conference in goals allowed per game, but are in the bottom third in goals scored.

10. San Jose Sharks

Last week: No. 9
The Sharks keep hanging around the edge of the Terrific 10 with the second-best goals against per game in the NHL, and tied for first with Los Angeles in penalty-kill efficiency. They're still nestled nicely in the third spot of the Pacific Division, but they'd best watch Anaheim in the rear-view mirror.

Frigid Five

27. New York Islanders

Last week: NR
Yeah, we know the Islanders own a wild-card spot, and they've got fancy new arena plans (congrats on that, by the way) and John Tavares is a rockstar, but the Isles have three wins in their last 10 games and rank dead last in goals allowed per game. There's a zero chance they'll make the playoffs if that continues.

28. Buffalo Sabres

Last week: No. 30
This marks a major leap up the rankings for the Eastern Conference doormats. What's next? Disappearing from the Frigid Five altogether? Say it ain't so.

29. Vancouver Canucks

Last week: NR
The bottom has fallen out on the plucky Canucks, winners of just one of their last nine and now shouldering a minus-23 goal differential -- worse than only Buffalo and Arizona.

30. Ottawa Senators

Last week: No. 28
Ottawa has just two regulation wins in their last 10 games and there is all kinds of talk about potential roster changes before the trade deadline. We don't see Erik Karlsson going anywhere, but the fact it's even in the wind tells you how ugly things have gotten in the Canadian capital.

31. Arizona Coyotes

Last week: No. 31
The hits haven't stopped coming for the worst team in the NHL, which has just eight regulation wins on the season.
This story was not subject to approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club. You can follow Scott on Twitter at @OvertimeScottB, and listen to his Burnside Chats podcast here.