Maybe it's me, but every NHL season seems like a marathon where the finish line doesn't come into view until the final stride. Relief is now in sight: the 2006-07 regular season ends on Sunday, April 8. That means the real season is just around the corner. With only a sprinkling of games left, it's time to look back on six months of hockey fun and see how good/bad the 30 teams made me look this season.
Notes: PR denotes team's preseason ranking. All rankings, records and statistics are through Sunday.
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What has amazed me about this team from Day 1 is its ability to stay on track despite injuries. Coach Lindy Ruff has pushed the right buttons this season more times than not. It should get easier as Ales Kotalik, who has been out since Feb. 17, most likely will be back in the lineup this week.
Last Week: 2-1-0
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4 |
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The Preds are similar to Buffalo in ability to stay afloat (huge understatement) despite an ever-growing sick bay. "Once we get all our people healthy, we'll be a lot different team," coach Barry Trotz said. "We've got a lot of pieces we can still add." Good news is right around the corner as Scott Hartnell (out since Feb. 22, broken foot) skated last Friday.
Last Week: 1-1-1
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The good continue to get better. With a two-point performance on Friday, Scott Niedermayer set career-highs of 64 points and 51 assists. Think he'll be walking away with another Norris Trophy? Behind his stellar season, the Ducks have set club records for wins and points. The Stars and Sharks may be nipping at them in the Pacific, but there's no reason to think this veteran-laden squad won't hang on for its first division crown.
Last Week: 1-1-0
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What's going on in Hockeytown? The Wings have suddenly dropped four straight and two consecutive by shootout. Pavel Datsyuk saw his 12-game point streak come to a screeching halt on Saturday. But Detroit is still in solid shape to win the Central, thanks to a favorable schedule. After a hellish three-game slate against Anaheim, Nashville and Dallas, the Wings close out with two games apiece against also-rans Columbus and Chicago.
Last Week: 0-1-2
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Talk about a tale of two seasons. Vancouver went into the holiday break one game under .500, but is 27-5-6 since. One big reason for the second-half surge is 26-year-old pivot Henrik Sedin (eight points in his past five games), who has 63 assists -- breaking the franchise's single-season mark set by Andre Boudrias in 1974-75. But if this team is to make any ripples in the playoffs, it'll be up to Roberto Luongo.
Last Week: 2-0-1
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As they head down the stretch, the Sharks should be encouraged by the play of Milan Michalek and Patrick Marleau. The 22-year-old Michalek has four goals and 14 points in the last seven games. Marleau on Saturday notched his first multi-point game since he sustained an upper-body injury on Feb. 14. But the eighth-year center, who has 30 goals, has gone nine games without finding the net.
Last Week: 2-1-0
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Is Dave Tippett changing his philosophy? On Saturday, he started Marty Turco on back-to-back nights for just the fourth time this season -- and first since Dec. 26-27. The Stars rallied from a three-goal hole to upend Phoenix and pull within four points of Anaheim. But if Dallas has thoughts of winning the Pacific, it won't be easy: After playing Phoenix on Tuesday, the Stars have tough back-to-back games in Detroit and Nashville.
Last Week: 2-0-1
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They snapped a season-long three-game losing streak on Saturday, but the bigger news is the return of winger Patrik Elias to a team that remains a solid contender year in and year out. But Devils fans better hope the Maple Leafs don't sneak into the playoffs. Marty Brodeur is 12-14-1 with seven ties against them in his career. Toronto and Vancouver are the only teams he doesn't have a winning record against.
Last Week: 1-2-0
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There may not be a hotter squad -- at least in the East. The Sens rolled off three wins last week and have collected seven of eight points on their recent four-game road trip. More impressive: Ottawa has earned at least one point in 20 of its past 21 games (15-1-5). Everyone is contributing: the fourth line had three goals and four assists in Saturday's 7-2 win over Tampa Bay. Now let's see if the Sens can keep it going in the playoffs where flame-outs have been the norm.
Last Week: 3-0-0
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The highly-touted combo of Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik has produced 67 points in the last 25 games as the Wild caught fire after weathering an injury-hampered mid-season stretch. And have you noticed Josh Harding? The third-string netminder has allowed just three goals in 225 minutes. He made 32 saves Saturday to help stretch Minny's franchise-best win streak to nine. Of course, any goalie would be helped by a second-ranked PK unit that has allowed just three goals in the past six games.
Last Week: 3-0-0
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Read on for teams 11-20 ...
