The race for the Presidents' Trophy is normally an anticlimactic affair.
But with two weeks left in the regular season, five teams still have a realistic shot at finishing with the most points. Ottawa is currently four points up on Detroit, but Dallas, New Jersey, and Vancouver all still have an outside shot at it, too.
Last year, the Red Wings clinched the trophy on March 28 and finished with 15 more points than the second-place Bruins. In 2001, the Avalanche finished with seven more points than the Wings and Devils. And in 2000, the Blues ended the year six points ahead of the Wings.
In fact, over the past 10 seasons the average margin for the NHL points leader over the second-place team has been nine points. Not since 1998, when the Stars and Devils went down to the wire, has the race for the Presidents' Trophy gone to the final weekend.
Here is a capsule look at the five teams still in contention to win the Presidents' Trophy, complete with our projected point total.
Points: 104 Games remaining: 6 Opponents: Col., Was., @ Mon., Bos., @ Was. and @ Tor. Home games: 3 Road games: 3 Maximum possible points: 116 Projected point total: 112
Points: 100 Games remaining: 8 Opponents: @ Min., Min., @ S.J., @ Stl., Nas., NYI, @ Clb. and @ Chi. Home games: 3 Road games: 5 Maximum possible points: 116 Projected point total: 111
Points: 98 Games remaining: 7 Opponents: Stl., @ Van., @ Cal., @ S.J., Buf., Ana. and Nas. Home games: 4 Road games: 3 Maximum possible points: 112 Projected point total: 109
Points: 97 Games remaining: 8 Opponents: @ Fla., @ T.B., @ Atl., NYI, Bos., @ NYR and @ Buf. Home games: 3 Road games: 5 Maximum possible points: 113 Projected point total: 108
Points: 97 Games remaining: 7 Opponents: Was., Dal., Pho., @ L.A., @ Ana., @ Pho. and L.A. Home games: 4 Road games: 3 Maximum possible points: 113 Projected point total: 108
With the 16 playoff teams looking pretty much set, it should be a great final two weeks of the regular season as this quintet battles for the best regular-season record.
Pronger's return The St. Louis Blues will have Chris Pronger back in the lineup either Thursday against the Panthers or Saturday against the Red Wings. St. Louis wants Pronger to get a few regular-season games before determining whether he will be able to contribute in the postseason. Pronger could give the Blues the same kind of lift that captains Michael Peca and Steve Yzerman gave to their teams after returning from injury earlier this season.
Southeast showdown The Capitals and Lightning have a tough fight to the finish ahead of them in the Southeast Division, but they will likely will see more of each other this spring. The division winner will be the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, while the runner-up likely will be the sixth seed, barring a late surge by the Bruins. It appears almost certain that Washington and Tampa Bay will be first-round opponents, so the division winner will also have home-ice advantage. The Caps have a tougher schedule, with four games left on their challenging six-game road trip. Meanwhile, the Lightning wrap up their three-game West Coast road trip on Monday and then return home for four of their last six.
Sensational scoring race The duel for the Presidents' Trophy won't be the only bit of hardware decided in the last two weeks. The battle for the Art Ross Trophy has tightened up, too, with Joe Thornton, Markus Naslund and Peter Forsberg separated by just two points. Thornton and Forsberg jumped back in a big way Saturday, with Forsberg's five assists and Thornton's four assists reviving their hopes. Jaromir Jagr and Stan Mikita are the only European-born players to win the NHL scoring title, so the Ornskoldsvik duo of Naslund and Forsberg are looking to become the first Swedes to win the Art Ross.
Dallas @ Vancouver -- Tuesday, 10 p.m. EST The marquee game of the week features the Stars and Canucks jockeying for playoff positioning while still maintaining hope of tracking down the Wings. Vancouver has scored 15 goals in its past three games but has also allowed 11. There is never a dull moment in a Canucks game, so even though the Stars remain banged up, this West Coast tilt is a can't-miss game.
Pittsburgh @ N.Y. Rangers -- Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST The Rangers have a four-point deficit to make up on the eighth-place Islanders, but they have just six games remaining. So points are precious for the Broadway Blues, and they can't afford to lost games against weak teams like the Penguins. The Rangers have 19 points in their past 14 games, including a three-game win streak during which they have outscored their opponents 6-1.
New Jersey @ Tampa Bay -- Thursday, 7 p.m. EST The Lightning can clinch their first playoff berth since 1996 by getting just one point at San Jose on Monday. If they fail against the Sharks, their next chance will be at home against the Devils. If they do get the necessary point at the Shark Tank, Thursday's game at the St. Pete Times Forum should be quite a party for Lightning fans to celebrate their surprising season.
Detroit @ St. Louis -- Saturday, 1:30 p.m. EST The Red Wings are looking good to win another Central Division title, with a seven-point lead on the Blues heading into the week. This matinee in the Show-Me State could prove to be the end of St. Louis' hopes to upset the defending champs within their own division. The Wings have won three division titles and the Blues one since the NHL realigned the divisions before the 1998-99 season.
Plus: Peter Forsberg The Avs' top line of Alex Tanguay-Forsberg-Milan Hejduk has been passing the magic back and forth recently, but Forsberg's second five-assist game of the season Saturday earns him top honors among this impressive trio. Foppa's 68 assists lead the league and are his highest total since he had 86 in 1995-96, when he scored a career-best 116 points.
Minus: Marian Gaborik The Wild's 21-year-old Slovakian sniper scored 23 goals in the first 38 games, but has hit a major slump since the calendar turned to 2003. He has just six goals in 35 games since New Year's Day and three in the past 24 games. Gaborik ended an eight-game goalless drought in Monday's 3-3 tie with the Lightning.
Plus: Vincent Lecavalier A Saturday hat trick gave Lecavalier his first 30-goal season and moved Tampa Bay within one point of clinching a playoff spot. Lecavalier is second behind Vaclav Prospal (73) on the Lightning in points with 71, and is finally living up to the vast potential he was touted with prior to being the first pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.
Minus: Tyler Arnason The Blackhawks rookie center has just four points in the past 16 games and has seen his Calder Trophy hopes slip away as Henrik Zetterberg and Barret Jackman gained momentum. Arnason doesn't have a multi-point game since he racked up his first career hat trick on Dec. 28.
Plus: Alexei Yashin The enigmatic Isles center tied his career high of five points in Thursday's 6-3 win at Montreal. Yashin was demoted to the fourth line by head coach Peter Laviolette several weeks back for his lackluster play, and he tallied just one point in nine games between Feb. 19 and March 6. He has busted out with 11 points in eight games since.
Minus: Marc Denis The heavy workload appears to have caught up with the Blue Jackets' netminder. Denis has started 71 games and has allowed an NHL-most 211 goals. That shouldn't be a surprise considering how many pucks he sees each game, as Denis has faced 358 more shots than Roberto Luongo.
Plus: Rangers' goaltenders As the Blueshirts enter the realm of the desperate with their playoff hopes on the line, Mike Dunham stepped up his play in a huge way with two shutouts last week. When Dunham pulled a hamstring on Saturday, Dan Blackburn came in for the first time in a month and made 28 saves in the final two periods to help New York earn its third straight win.
"The guy did a great job on the national anthem and the fans here respected not only the sport, but the United States -- it was nice. Guys are getting killed over there on both sides and any time that happens, you just want to support your troops and the people over there. It's a tough situation and I'm glad Montreal responded respectfully."
-- Hurricanes defenseman Bret Hedican after fans in Montreal cheered The Star Spangled Banner on Saturday following their embarrassing booing of the U.S. anthem on Thursday prior to the Isles-Habs game.
"No practice tomorrow -- what we'll do is maybe call a practice and practice our diving. I'm dead serious. [Referee] Chris Rooney calls a penalty on us on an obvious dive from Paul Kariya, so if anything, it should cost Paul Kariya $1,000 [in a fine for diving] to win the hockey game. [The NHL] put out a memo on dives and divers, and he's right at the top of the list for taking dives. ... Plain and simple, that's a dive."
-- Sharks head coach Ron Wilson, angrily reacting to Scott Hannan's hooking call against Kariya with 27 seconds left in regulation of the Ducks' 3-2 OT win on Saturday.
"If I didn't believe in them, if I didn't believe they could do better, I wouldn't have made the change."
-- Bruins head coach and general manager Mike O'Connell recounting what he told his team on the bus after firing Robbie Ftorek on Wednesday.
"I think awful tough was a few games ago. I think it's beyond awful tough. I had my thesaurus out a while ago trying to find different ways to describe it. I guess I need a new thesaurus."
-- Penguins center Kent Manderville on his team's 15-game winless streak.
The trade deadline is a busy time as teams try to help themself for the stretch run by adding needed pieces. But adding new players at the deadline can hurt the stats of players already on your roster. SportsTicker's Craig Rondinone says Roman Hamrlik, Todd White, Jason Woolley, Anson Carter and Brent Johnson are the five players who would have been better off if the trade deadline never came.
Ryan Bayda, LW, Hurricanes Carolina selected Bayda with the 80th overall pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft and he has exceeded the 'Canes' expectations already. After scoring 20 goals in three seasons at North Dakota, Bayda turned pro after the Fight Sioux's 2002 season ended. He scored 12 goals in 56 goals with Lowell in the AHL before getting called up to Carolina on Feb. 13.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound left wing is an excellent skater who is a more accomplished playmaker than scorer. His solid skating allows him to suceed on the forecheck, which he enjoys thanks to his excellent hitting skills.
Bayda has proven that he is a future mainstay with the 'Canes by scoring three goals and 10 assists in 18 games. He has points in eight of his past nine games and has been a bright spot in a disastrous season in Raleigh.
.921
Red Wings' winning percentage (17-1-0-1) since Feb. 10.
44
Power-play goals by Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund, who have 22 each.
312
NHL-leading number of shots on goal by Glen Murray, who had never taken more than 212 previously in any one season.
397
Number of times the Maple Leafs have been shorthanded this season, 19 more than the Phoenix Coyotes.
Our latest best guess at what the postseason seeding will look like.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings
New Jersey Devils
Dallas Stars
Tampa Bay Lightning
Vancouver Canucks
Philadelphia Flyers
Colorado Avalanche
Toronto Maple Leafs
St. Louis Blues
Washington Capitals
Minnesota Wild
Boston Bruins
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
New York Islanders
Edmonton Oilers
Each week during the season, this space will be devoted to your comments on a particular issue.
Last week's topic: Which team will have the most success over the next five years?
The Minnesota Wild has the best front office in hockey locked up under long-term contracts. Jacques Lemaire and Doug Risebrough preach discipline. The Wild play a team game on the ice under Lemaire, while GM Risebrough has clearly laid out his plan to build a consistent winner, and showed his discipline and commitment to that plan by his restraint at this year's trade deadline. And, hey, it doesn't hurt we also have the best arena and most loyal fans here in "The State of Hockey". If success is defined by slow, steady improvement, the Wild will be the most successful team over the next five years. Bill Hunt, St. Paul, Minn.
The Vancouver Canucks will have the best team in the next five years.
They are one of the youngest teams in the league, and yet already one of the best. With the core under contract for the next two to three years, the hoped implementation of a salary cap to permit them to keep those players, and one of the brightest head coach/GM tandems in the league, this team will have much success the next five years. Vasilis Pappas, New York
The Atlanta Thrashers are going to be one of the best up-and-coming teams in the next five years. They already have a ton of young guns, plus Bob Hartley behind the bench who is a proven winner. Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley will be a dominant force for years to come. All the other top teams now have aging players, i.e. Detroit and Dallas. The Thrashers are primed for the future. Andrew Kauffman, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Carolina. In the next five years, there will be a new CBA which will
help the small-market teams, and the 'Canes are showing the young talent
now that will be seasoned in five years. Jeff O'Neill, Erik Cole, Radim Vrbata, Pavel Brendl, Josef Vasicek, Jaroslav Svoboda, Jeff Heerema, Kevin Weekes and veteran Rod Brind'Amour to captain them all. Oh yeah, they also get a top-five pick this year. It's a stable franchise, and they are getting more consistent -- aside from this season. Al Hood, Morrisville, N.C.
What do you get when you combine a Rangers payroll with Senators drafting and Wild managing? The Detroit Red Wings. They will always be in the top five. Always. Adam, Montreal, Quebec
If Gary Bettman is true to his word that the last decade was to promote the new teams and the next decade will be to support the existing teams, then those teams with the best chemestry and proper financial management will be the ones the will prevail. No longer will Detroit, Colorado, Dallas and Toronto be able to coast through a season only to suck players off other teams at the deadline. Look for the best GMs to carry the teams into the next five years. Watch out for Vancouver, Phoenix, Anaheim, Boston and Ottawa to dominate. John Trottier, Vancouver, British Columbia
The Montreal Canadiens will be very good. Behind all those aging vets, you have up and coming youngsters like Mike Komisarek, Ron Hainsey and Andrei Markov on defense, and some nice young forwards like Mike Ribiero
and Marcel Hossa coming up. There is no Kovalchuk or no Heatley here, but
Montréal is a big market, so they can take on salary if needed. Oh, they do have Jose Théodore, too, and Mathieu Garon isn't bad either. Olivier Bouchard, Montreal, Quebec
The Detroit Red Wings have experienced role players, deep pockets and young talent. The Wings have Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Dmitri Bykov, Jiri Fischer, Igor Grigorenko, Niklas Kronvall and Tomas Kopecky coming up in their system. Additiontally, their scouting is among the best in the league at finding castoffs which other teams look over. Erick Maks, Detroit
Since next week's Glance is the last of the year, we ask an obvious, but important question: Which team will win the Stanley Cup?
Click here to send us your choice, with a short (75 words or less) explanation. Brevity and humor are good; naughty words and personal attacks are not so good. And don't forget to include your name, hometown and home state/province.
Jon A. Dolezar covers the NHL for SI.com. "Week at a Glance" appears each Sunday during the regular season.
Got a comment, question or scoop for Jon? Click
here.
Points: 104
Points: 100
Points: 98
Points: 97
Points: 97
Ryan Bayda, LW, Hurricanes
