Note: All statistics are through Sunday. BIGGEST CLIMB: Atlanta (16 to 13)
BIGGEST FALL: Edmonton (20 to 24)
| NHL Power Rankings |
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Daniel Briere, Thomas Vanek, Maxim Afinogenov and Chris Drury have led the offensive charge all season, but the Sabres got a surprising contribution last Saturday: Toni Lydman, who went into the game with more fights than goals since Christmas, notched a second-period score to snap a 30-game goal-less slump.
Last Week: 3-0-0
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When is a shootout loss nearly as good as a win? When you're missing five key players. That was the case Sunday when the Preds played without Jason Arnott, Peter Forsberg, David Legwand, Scott Hartnell and Steve Sullivan, who have combined for 242 points (99 goals, 143 assists). "It almost feels like a win, knowing we've pretty much got an all-star team sitting out," coach Barry Trotz told the Tennessean.
Last Week: 2-0-1
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4 |
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The Wings resemble the Sabres. How? Their sick bay is quickly filling up. Already without Henrik Zetterberg (back), Dan Cleary (knee), Mikael Samuelsson (foot), Dominik Hasek (thigh) and Todd Bertuzzi (back), Tomas Holmstrom will miss the next few games with an upper-body injury. Chris Chelios, who became the third-oldest (45 years, 38 days) to play in a NHL game, will wear Zetterberg's "A" while the winger recovers.
Last Week: 2-0-1
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5 |
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Just when it looked like this team was ready to crumble, they pulled it together, knocking off Nashville and San Jose twice. One reason is the play of Dustin Penner. The 24-year-old has scored a goal in four straight -- the longest streak ever by a Ducks rookie. With Sunday's victory, J-S Giguere reached 30 wins for the third time and is just five away from setting a career high.
Last Week: 3-0-1
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3 |
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With his 31-save performance last week vs. Pittsburgh, Martin Brodeur earned his 12th shutout of the season. "Some games you have a feeling that there's not going to be many goals scored, just by the way the game is played," said Brodeur, who has twice as many SOs as anyone else (Dom Hasek and Miikka Kiprusoff each have six). Despite Brodeur's heroics, the Devils have lost three straight at home, falling to 22-8-5 at the Continental Airlines Arena.
Last Week: 1-1-1
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8 |
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Roberto Luongo set a career high with his 36th win, but he should thank tough guy Jeff Cowan. Cowan, more used for his role as a deterrent than being a difference, has scored three goals in his last two matches. That comes after going 52 games without a goal. The Canucks are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, but this week will be tough with contests against Tampa Bay, San Jose and Anaheim.
Last Week: 2-1-0
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6 |
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After shining two weeks ago with wins over Anaheim and Tampa Bay, the Stars took two giant steps back in their race to catch the Ducks in the Pacific. That'll happen when you can't beat also-rans Florida and Columbus. Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Sharks was simply ugly. With no true sniper and just one player with more than 20 goals, it's hard to picture this defensive-minded team making a deep postseason run. Of course Marty Turco could come up big. Eh, better not hold your breath.
Last Week: 1-1-2
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7 |
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They again know what it feels like to win -- finally. Behind Evgeni Nabokov's 32nd career shutout, the Sharks hammered the Stars to snap a season-long four-game losing streak. San Jose had dropped its past six games to the top eight teams in the Western Conference and was in a 2-6-1 slump before dumping Dallas in the teams' final regular-season meeting. If the playoffs started today, the Sharks would face Vancouver in the first round, a team they play twice more.
Last Week: 1-2-1
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10 |
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Talk about an up-and-down week. After blanking Carolina 2-0 on Wednesday to complete a home-and-home sweep of the defending Cup champs, Ottawa lost two straight to Atlanta and Chicago. But you can't point the finger at Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, who have each notched points in 11 straight games. Heater, who has lit the lamp eight times in his past seven, is on pace for a 50-goal campaign.
Last Week: 2-1-1
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12 |
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There have been two surprises of late. Wayne Primeau, acquired from Boston on Feb. 10, has notched two goals and four points in 10 games with Calgary. Not a big deal? Well, it's solid production when you consider the veteran had just five goals and 11 points in 41 games with the Bruins. The other surprise? Thanks to Miikka Kiprusoff, who stopped all three shooters, the Flames on Wednesday earned their first shootout win of the season.
Last Week: 3-0-0
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Read on for teams 11-20 ...  |
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