in NHL Articles

1. Detroit Red Wings (3) –Mathieu Schneider is in the process of setting career highs in virtually every key stat; he benefits greatly from the presence of the ever-steady Nicklas Lidstrom, particularly on the power play.

2. Carolina Hurricanes (1) – Two of goaltender Martin Gerber’s last five starts have come against the Rangers, and he has been absolutely fabulous, stopping 78 of 82 shots in the Hurricanes' victories.

3. Ottawa Senators (2) – The top line of Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, and Daniel Alfredsson is the NHL's most fearsome forward combination. And goaltender Ray Emery has done quite well in Dominik Hasek's absence, posting a 7-2 record since the Olympic break.

4. Buffalo Sabres (4) – With the dynamic duo of veteran Martin Biron and rookie Ryan Miller manning the pipes, the Sabres have the NHL's best goaltending tandem, but look for Miller to ultimately take over. Last night, he delivered a stellar performance in the Sabres' victory over Toronto.

5. Dallas Stars (5) – Trade deadline acquisition Willie Mitchell is a very dependable stay-at-home defenseman, and he will prove invaluable to the Stars come playoff-time, making life far easier for netminder Marty Turco. Look for Turco to enjoy a strong finish; he's been on a roll of late.

6. Nashville Predators (7) – After missing 32 games due to torn knee cartilage, David Legwand returned to the lineup last week; look for the talented center to finally start realizing his enormous potential.

7. Calgary Flames (8) – With only 50 points in 65 games, team captain Jarome Iginla is on pace to score only 63 points; it would be his lowest single-season total since 1999-00. The Flames will need more production from their captain if they're to go deep in the playoffs this season.

8. New York Rangers (6) – The Rangers came away with an ugly win over Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals last night to snap their six-game losing streak. Tomorrow night, the Blueshirts host the Maple Leafs, as they look to get back on track and expand their Atlantic Division lead over the Flyers.

9. Philadelphia Flyers (9) – Injuries have been a huge problem for the Flyers this season, who will definitely be without captain Keith Primeau—and possibly defenseman Kim Johnsson—come playoff-time. Tonight, they head to Tampa to do battle with the Lightning, who are fighting for their playoff lives.

10. Colorado Avalanche (12) – It was a controversial trade, but GM Pierre Lacroix made the safe bet that the Avs will be a better playoff team with the proven Théodore than with David Aebischer. The loss of Marek Svatos (shoulder injury) for the season could prove very costly for the Avs, however.

11. Anaheim Mighty Ducks (15) – The Ducks' season has made little sense; each time they've dumped a top-tier player – Sergei Fedorov, Petr Sykora, and Sandis Ozolinsh – they've risen in the standings.

12. Edmonton Oilers (13) – His tenure in Edmonton got off to a rough start, but goaltender Dwayne Roloson got back on track with a very solid performance against his former team, the Wild, on Tuesday night. He followed that up with a big win over the Flames last night.

13. Los Angeles Kings (10) – Star center Pavol Demitra returned the lineup on Tuesday after missing six games with an eye injury, but a hit late in that game by the Coyotes' Keith Ballard left him with a concussion and more eye problems. The news just keeps getting worse for the freefalling Kings.

14. New Jersey Devils (14) – The Devils lost three times to the Islanders in the space of 13 days, but last night's 2-1 win over the Penguins allowed them to maintain a five-point lead over the hard-charging Thrashers.

15. San Jose Sharks (18) – Three points behind the eighth-place Canucks with three games in hand, the Sharks are riding the hot hand of Jonathan Cheechoo, who has scored a team-leading 41 goals. No player has benefit more from the presence of Joe Thornton than has "Chattanooga" Cheechoo.

Kevin Greenstein is the Editor-in-Chief ofwww.InsideHockey.com. You can hear him on www.BetUSradio.com every Wednesday at 2:30pm EST.

16. Vancouver Canucks (11) – Canucks GM Dave Nonis was hoping trade deadline acquisition Mika Noronen would battle for the starting job, but Tuesday night's 5-0 loss to Nashville was an ugly start. The reeling Canucks are in serious trouble right now.

17. Montreal Canadiens (17) – The Avalanche may have gotten the better goaltender, but for the Habs, trading hometown favorite Theodore was a case of addition by subtraction; his off-ice woes made him an on-ice distraction.

18. Tampa Bay Lightning (16) – Sean Burke played well in Monday night's win over the Habs, but a broken finger will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely. Now the Lightning's fate is in the hands of John Grahame, and that's not good news.

19. Atlanta Thrashers (19) – The Thrashers defeated the Isles 4-2 last night, and now they set their sights on the eighth place Habs, who hold a one-point lead and a game in hand.

20. New York Islanders (23) – The Islanders fell four points back of the ninth-place Thrashers with last night's loss. Can Rick DiPietro backstop the Isles back into playoff contention?

21. Toronto Maple Leafs (21) – On Tuesday, the Leafs earned a hard-fought shootout victory over the Bruins, but they fell last night to the Sabres in Buffalo. Next, they head to Madison Square Garden for a Saturday night encounter the Rangers.

22. Minnesota Wild (20) – The highly profitable Wild have fallen out of the Western Conference, but some important building blocks are in place for what should be a much better 2006-07 campaign.

23. Phoenix Coyotes (22) – The Coyotes kept their core together at the deadline, and the early returns have been fairly good, last night's 2-0 loss to the Predators notwithstanding. Captain Shane Doan has scored 11 points in eight games since the Olympic break.

24. Florida Panthers (25) – Like the Coyotes, the Panthers have stuck with their talented core; winners of three straight, the Panthers are unlikely to reach the playoffs, but can play the role of spoilers with a strong finish.

25. Boston Bruins (24) – Now that the Bruins have fallen out of playoff contention, look for Andrew Raycroft to be given the majority of the playing time as he tries to break out of a season-long slumber.

26. Columbus Blue Jackets (26) – Sergei Fedorov is developing greatchemistry with Rick Nash and Nikolai Zherdev, as they form what should be one of the NHL's best lines next season.

27. St. Louis Blues (29) – Young defenseman Christian Bäckman gained valuable experience in Turin with Sweden's gold medal-winning hockey club, and is emerging as the Blues' best blueliner.

28. Washington Capitals (28) – Jeff Halpern is gaining valuable experience this season, but with only five goals in 53 games, the Caps need more offensive production from their young captain.

29. Chicago Blackhawks (27) – Eliminating the underachieving Tyler Arnason at the deadline was a good move, and it'll look even better if Brandon Bochenski emerges as a top-flight scorer.

30. Pittsburgh Penguins (30) – One more team that benefited from the exit of a high-profile veteran, the Pens have played substantially better since Mark Recchi departed for Raleigh.