BIGGEST CLIMB: Philadelphia (17 to 11), N.Y. Isles (20 to 14)
BIGGEST FALL: Carolina (12 to 19)
Note: All statistics and records are through Sunday.
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They continue to roll without two thirds of their top line (Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom). The biggest reason: the play of Valtteri Filppula. The 23-year-old pivot has four goals in his last four games. Not too shabby considering he was goalless in the first 10 games. Let's see how the big boys do this week with a home-and-home against the Stars.
Last Week: 3-0-0
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Two Sens reached milestones on Thursday: Jason Spezza notched his 300th career point and Dany Heatley
had two assists to give him a 50-point season for the fifth time. The team is still clicking, but Ray Emery's tantrums may
come to the forefront if Ottawa starts dropping games. I'm not sure what Emery is ticked about, since Martin
Gerber has deserved the bulk of the starts with his impressive numbers: 19-6-1, 2.50 GAA.
Last Week: 2-1-0
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Wednesday was supposed to be a showdown between two of the better defensive teams in the league. Prognosis negative: The Stars blitzed the Wild 8-3. That's brow-raising considering that Dallas scored nine goals in 255 minutes of regulation and overtime in four meetings with Minnesota last season. This week could go a long way toward determining if Dave Tippett's boys are for real: two games against the Wings and one in Minnesota.
Last Week: 2-0-0
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There are two reasons why they will most likely win the Northwest: their ability to dominate at home and their knack for dousing the Flames. Vancouver is 10-0-2 in its last 11 home games and has taken four of five from Calgary. Yes, I believe the division will come down to the Canucks and Flames (sorry, Wild fans).
Last Week: 2-0-0
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If not for a sputtering start, this popular preseason pick to reach the Cup finals would be snagging a
lot more attention. But the buzz is slowly returning after four straight wins. Of course, San Jose
will only reach the next level if two things happen: Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo start to score
goals and the Sharks figure out a way to win at home.
Last Week: 3-0-0
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They seem to be winning with smoke and mirrors: three of their last four despite scoring just eight goals and going 0 for 14 on the power play. What has to be a troubling sign for the Devils and their fans: the inability to knock off New Yorkers -- 0-5-2 against the Islanders and Rangers.
Last Week: 1-1-0
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Marian Gaborik and Niklas Backstrom get much of the love, and with good reason. But Brent Burns is quietly putting together a stellar season. With 22 points, the 6-foot-4 blueliner is on pace to break the team record for points by a defenseman, set by Lubomir Sekeras in 2000-01. But let's see how Burns & Co. do over the next two weeks with tough matchups against the Stars and Wings.
Last Week: 2-1-0
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I won't label it a full-fledged changing of the guard, but it's getting close. On the same day Joe Sakic opted for surgery that would keep him out 8-12 weeks, Paul Stastny skated on the top line, on his 22nd birthday. "It's something Stastny has got in him," Ian Laperriere told the Denver Post. "He's a lot like Joe. He's a leader who doesn't scream and yell in the locker room."
Last Week: 0-2-0
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The rest of the league had better take notice: A certain No. 68 is warming up. During the Rangers' three-game win streak captain Jaromir Jagr had four goals and three assists. This after he went 10 games without a goal. It'll be interesting to see how the Blueshirts do this week with games against two of the better teams in the West (Calgary and Vancouver).
Last Week: 3-0-0
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In a 5-4 loss to the Stars, Paul Kariya scored a hat trick -- the third goal was also the 900th point of his career. What did the milestone mean? "Stuff like that means you're getting old and you've played a long time," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The veteran winger became the 89th player in NHL history to reach the milestone.
Last Week: 0-2-1
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Read on for teams 11-20 ...
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