Six-game win streak puts Philadelphia in the top spot
Updated: Thursday November 07, 2002 3:32 AM
By Jamie MacDonald, CNNSI.com
While the true laws of inverse aren't yet fully governing the NHL standings, some surprise division leaders haven't yet been shaken from the tree. At some point in this edition we claim to be optimists, but allow us to douse that for a moment by pointing out that the Flames last season were flying through another two weeks of the season before eventually failing to make the playoffs. We're not saying the Flames are again most likely to secede from the ranks of the respectable, but we do urge caution if you've purchased miles of green, red and gold streamers for the Wild's Stanley Cup celebration. Speaking of a celebration …
NHL Power Rankings
Rank
LW
Team
1
3
Philadelphia Flyers While the Blues' streak sped across hockey's heaviest headlines, the Flyers quietly -- a departure from some seasons past -- produced a six-game win streak in which they had outscored opponents 24-9. During that span Roman Cechmanek and Robert Esche each earned wins and 11 different players scored goals, including a pair of game-winners each from Keith Primeau and Michal Handzus. That pair's production almost had us forgetting that Simon Gagne and John LeClair hadn't scored since Oct. 19, until LeClair potted his 300th career goal on Tuesday to beat the 'Canes.
2
6
St. Louis Blues After a Tuesday evening win in Montreal, the Blues extended their winning streak to nine games. The streak could very well reach 11, with home dates vs. Columbus and Toronto upcoming this week. This almost had us forgetting that Keith Tkachuk is out six weeks with a fractured foot.
3
1
Colorado Avalanche Tragically hip? We're guessing the hockey headline writers have dipped into this well at least a few times in reference to Patrick Roy's ailing hip, an injury Bob Hartley says could keep his goaltender out anywhere from two to five days. Since there were times last season Colorado was absolutely useless on offense, granted while marching sans Peter Forsberg, it's the worst-case scenario of five days that Avs fans should be worried about.
4
2
Dallas Stars One of the key cogs in the Stars' Cup runs, Ed Belfour, comes to town Nov. 8. We'd rather not say much more here because, well, eventually we'd end up getting around to the fact that last week Dallas went 0-1-1-1 against Florida, Columbus and Detroit. There, happy now?
5
7
Boston Bruins Hello, in Boston. Attention, Bruins fans. The NHL season has started. Repeat, the NHL season has started. How would you explain a 9,491 paid attendance -- the smallest crowd in the team's FleetCenter history? We figure that the season-opening road trip was just the kind of diversion one might create if they expected Paul Kariya to come to town and make everyone look silly.
6
4
New Jersey Devils Still stymied by the Southeast's Hurricanes, the Devils were undefeated against the rest of the league until losing to the Flames 3-2 on Tuesday. Their real problem isn't Carolina, though, it's the fact that power plays have a way of running on momentum. In New Jersey's case, this is sharing roughly the same address as the arena in which they play ... lost in the weeds.
7
11
Minnesota Wild Because we so rarely get anything right around here, pardon this moment of basking in the Northeast's warm wash of late-fall sun. Asked to contribute to the experts (wink, wink) picks section of the site's NHL Preview, we went with Marian Gaborik as breakout player. Certainly aware of his duty to make us feel better about ourselves, Gaborik, thanks to a Nov. 4 hat trick, has 10 goals in 13 games. To whomever took what must have been quite a while to painstakingly craft all of 25 words to complain about the Wild not being in the top 10, thanks for your note. People, please, let's have a little perspective. And, while we're at it, some fun with these, too. Deal?
8
5
Detroit Red Wings Still not quite over the Wild missive, but our mission is team No. 30 or bust, so we mustn't dawdle. Still, with the Wild leapfrogging Detroit, we're worried that if Wild fans are braying, no doubt the Wings' fans from the floor below Power Rankings headquarters are right now sharpening their belt buckles and marshalling troops from the Grosse Pointe suburbs to the vacationlands of Holland to the northern reaches of Cheboygan. If you see any of these fans making their way East, remind them that if they're anything like their favorite team this season, they don't play well on the road. Actually, the Wings aren't playing so hot at home right now, either, falling to 3-2-2 at the Joe after a 2-0 loss on Tuesday to the 'Hawks. A 6-5-2 record looks decidedly un-Cuplike -- Detroit didn't lose its fifth game last season until Dec. 5.
9
14
Vancouver Canucks With apologies to Axl Rose, who plays GM Place on Nov. 7, there appears to be no November Rain for the Canucks. With 4-2 wins in Minnesota and Colorado (Nov. 2 and 4, respectively), the road dogs are 4-0-2-0 while folks like Axl keep the Place warm. In those two games, the line we know by heart -- Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison -- picked up 13 points (five goals, eight assists).
10
9
Tampa Bay Lightning The wheels are coming off in Tampa Bay, where the Lightning took one step forward and two steps back last week. Still, no one's longing for the days when this was a positive sign in Tampa.
11
8
Los Angeles Kings There comes a time in every hockey player's life when he has a split second to ease away from a knee-to-knee hit. It's more difficult, and an entirely different instinct has to be used, not to mention the fact it can all look very tucked into the flow of the game as "one of those things," but it's possible, if not noble. Because Atlanta's Andy Sutton either didn't see or didn't heed that mental stop sign, Jason Allison is out for what might be two months. And lookee here, that's just in time for an eight-game road trip that includes such Western Conference foes as San Jose, Vancouver, Edmonton, Minnesota and St. Louis.
12
12
Pittsburgh Penguins When he takes to the ice for the first time this season, Martin Straka, who denies reports he'll star in the Broadway debut of Pure Luck, but will certainly be carrying in his right glove a penny he found heads-up on the way to the rink, a rabbit's foot sent from a fan and all four horseshoes worn by a recent stakes-race winner. Thankfully, his right hand is his top hand, so it shouldn't hinder his shooting. Word out of Pittsburgh (and this much is true) is that he'll take to the ice on the second line. Welcome back, Marty.
13
10
Ottawa Senators Is it too early to write that 2002-03 is a tale of two or three seasons in Ottawa? After four games, the Senators were 3-1-0-0. After eight they were 3-4-1-0. Seems as if they're starting anew, however, with a 5-2 win over Red Wings (stand down, Wings fans in Cheboygan) on Nov. 2.
14
16
San Jose Sharks Close over the past few weeks, but without an embarrassment of riches on a six-game road trip. Between Oct. 24 and Nov. 3, spanning said trip, the Sharks played in nothing but one-goal games, going 3-2-0-1. They're home for the next four before embarking on a marathon, eight-game road effort.
15
20
Calgary Flames Think Colorado wouldn't mind an occasional clutch goal from Chris Drury? Drury netted his 16th career game-winner in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Devils, extending Calgary's points streak to seven games and its unbeaten streak to four.
16
22
Columbus Blue Jackets Despite our railing (perhaps railing is strong, we're just bitter, that's all, but we understand the need to generate capital in hard economic times) against the Columbus Dispatch for keeping us from the local angle, we're intrigued by the Blue Jackets. As of Nov. 6, they are a point-a-game team and for the first time in franchise history at .500 after 12 games.
17
13
Washington Capitals File this under appetite for self-destruction: period shot totals against Philadelphia of three, four and three. Eleven shots for in that Nov. 2 game, 45 against. Sebastien Charpentier made 43 saves in the 2-1 loss, but Washington slipped behind Carolina in the division.
18
17
Montreal Canadiens Smoke, mirrors and a weak division keep Montreal No. 2 in Northeast Division. Jose Theodore's throwback performance (circa 2001-02) against the Hurricanes on Nov. 1 temporarily kept him from relegation to doghouse No. 2 in goal, though five goals against by St. Louis on Tuesday won't help his cause. All of it has Jeff Hackett looking out for No. 1, wondering about retirement if things don't work out if/when he's traded by the Canadiens.
19
15
New York Rangers The nice thing about playing and living in New York is that the news here really is so much more important than it is anywhere else. Maybe you've heard, Eric Lindros was benched. Surprisingly, no press conference was held by the team or the Lindros camp. The team was struggling badly until beating Edmonton 5-2 on Tuesday, where Lindros bounced back and played 20:58 and chipped in with one assist.
20
18
Chicago Blackhawks Reports out of Chicago (and New York and Phoenix) have it that Theo Fleury has been practicing and may return to the team this week. The Blackhawks, with only 27 goals after 12 games, sure could use the scoring help.
21
26
Carolina Hurricanes Between 1999-00 and 2000-01, Artus Irbe averaged 76 games. In 2001-02, that number slipped to 51 games. Does this mean he's looking at 26 this season? Well, 20.5, actually -- based on having played three of the team's first dozen this season. If you're looking for coincidences, Kevin Weekes stopped 34 of 35 against New Jersey (during a game in which Carolina took all of 11 shots, zero -- zilch, nada, nil -- in the third period), 31 of 33 against the Islanders and 23 of 25 against the Canadiens to finish a three-game week at 2-0-1.
22
21
Buffalo Sabres Going 0-3-1 alltime against an expansion team, in this case the Blue Jackets, is not good for Sabres franchise history. (Even as Buffalo was going to the Stanley Cup finals, we knew going away from the blue and gold unis would adversely affect the karma eventually.) Scoring seven goals and going winless in six games between Oct. 25 and Nov. 3 of this season is not for Sabres franchise hopes in 2002-03. A six-game road trip mercifully ends this week before Buffalo hosts Atlanta, in a game that just might mean something to these standings.
23
19
New York Islanders Where have you gone, Michael Peca. Islanders fans turn their lonely eyes (are Islanders fans ever not lonely?) to you. Wait a second. Is it December already? Peca returned on Nov. 2, a month early, just in time to step in front of the locomotive that is St. Louis.
24
23
Toronto Maple Leafs Finally, fans in Toronto can almost bet on a decent ice show at Air Canada Centre. Elvis Stojko comes to town Nov. 11. Show time: 7:30 p.m.
25
24
Phoenix Coyotes Phoenix, which scored 14 goals in seven games between Oct. 22 and Nov. 3 (3-3-0-1), isn't doing any favors for goaltender Brian Boucher. Because payback is, well, best served cold (or something like that), Boucher, playing No. 1 while Sean Burke is out with a sprained ankle, has twice allowed six goals and has a .899 save percentage over that span.
26
25
Edmonton Oilers Thanks to the Edmonton Sun for pointing out that last season's blueline pariah, Tom Poti, on the eve of Edmonton's first engagement with Poti's new team in New York, has, with the exception of Janne Niinimaa, outscored the entire fleet of Edmonton defenseman. Poti also had scored more points than all individual players on the Oilers' roster after Anson Carter.
27
28
Anaheim Mighty Ducks The Ducks are 1-0-0-0 this season when Paul Kariya picks up a hat trick, an assist, a double-minor for hooking and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, as he did against the Bruins on Oct. 31. Not playing on Halloween, the Ducks are 2-6-3-0 and have scored only two goals in seven of 12 games.
28
27
Florida Panthers Let's say the Panthers had won games last week over Dallas (which they did, 3-2 on Oct. 30), Philadelphia (now we're getting hypothetical), the '76-77 Canadiens and the '27 Yankees, and yet lost to the Thrashers 3-1, as Florida did on Nov. 2, we couldn't in good conscience raise the Panthers. As it is, they also lost to Tampa Bay 6-1.
29
29
Nashville Predators The Predators' results aren't great in regulation, where they're 1-5, but at least they've sent five games to OT. Unfortunately, though they are getting the OT point for hanging around, they've been outscored 4-0 in the extra frame this season, including consecutive overtime losses on the heels of a 7-0 loss to the Blues. Not a great week as we check in with them, three games into a seven-game road trip.
30
30
Atlanta Thrashers And on the seventh day, the Thrashers rested, even if Ilya Kovalchuk was well-enough rested after a Halloween benching. Fresh from Saturday's (Nov. 2) win to end a 19-game winless streak dating back to last season, Curt Fraser's boys took a day off. And since the glass is always half full around here, we should point out that Atlanta, thanks to a 3-3 tie with Toronto on Oct. 31 is .500 over its last three games.
