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1. New
Jersey Devils |
Season
: 95 points |
| New king atop the standings as the Devils keep winning in impressive fashion. There is also a new king in the record book as Martin Brodeur beat the 551 career victory mark last tuesday against the Blackhawks. |
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2. Detroit
Red Wings |
Season
: 103 points |
| After multiple months chasing the Sharks in the Western conference, the Red Wings passed them this weekend and seem to have found their form just at the right time. |
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3. San
Jose Sharks |
Season
: 100 points |
| Who would have thought that this team would be struggling that much at this point of the season? Four wins in the last ten and they lost their top spot in the overall standings. They sure hope that the injured will come back soon. |
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4. Washington
Capitals |
Season
: 94 points |
| Alex Ovechkin is scoreless in the last two... That's too bad, his next one will put him at 50 goals for the season. Still, the Caps find ways of winning but they need more consistency from Jose Theodore in net if they hope to go far in the playoffs. |
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5. Boston
Bruins |
Season
: 99 points |
| Talking about struggling teams, what is going on with the Bruins? They still score some goals (237, second most in the NHL) but they can't find ways to win. As with the Sharks, they have only won four of their last ten. |
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6. Pittsburgh
Pengouins |
Season
: 84 points |
| This team is scary... As in scary good. The acquisition of Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz combined with the return of Sergei Gonchar sure seems to have ignited the team who hasn't lost in regulation in their last 11. |
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7. Vancouver
Canucks |
Season
: 83 points |
| They have set their sight on the Flames and first place in the division. They are now only three points off and could give us quite a finish. |
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8. Calgary
Flames |
Season
: 86 points |
| Olli Jokinen is giving the Flames their money's worth. He's got two hat trick since he joined the team and seems to gel well with Jarome Iginla. Problem is, they just can't keep the puck out of their own net lately. |
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9. Philadelphia
Flyers |
Season
: 84 points |
| Wow... 2-0 in the Motor City with a chance to win there for the first time in more then two decades. What do they do next? They get scored on three times and lose again. |
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10. Chicago
Blackhawks |
Season
: 83 points |
| They almost ruined Martin Brodeur's night Tuesday by scoring two goals in the third and almost scoring the equalizer with a couple seconds left. This team needs to find it's game back because they lost three straight and won only three in the last ten. |
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11. Carolina
Hurricanes |
Season
: 79 points |
| They cooled off a bit lately, loosing three straight but they are still are eight in the East, with one little point on the Panthers. The Southeast, for a long time the laughing stock of the league, is now giving us a nice finish. |
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12. New
York Rangers |
Season
: 82 points |
| Sean Avery sure makes a difference when he is playing hockey. He scored twice against the Flyers Sunday and the Flyers just wanted to take is head off at the end of the game. |
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13. Columbus
Blue Jackets |
Season
: 78 points |
| Antoine Vermette is really playing well since his trade, scoring twice this weekend and bringing a good offensive and defensive presence on the ice. |
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14. Nashville
Predators |
Season
: 75 points |
| The Preds are really pushing for a playoff spot, winning two straight and seven of the last ten. Pekka Rinne is quietly building great stats and keeping it's team on the winning side. |
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15. Florida
Panthers |
Season
: 78 points |
| The loss of Nathan Horton sure hurts but losing four straight at that point in the season? This team needs to get the puck in the net or else, they will try to put golf balls in holes sooner then later. |
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16. Edmonton
Oilers |
Season
: 75 points |
| Craig McTavish as his team playing hard every night but they just can't find a way to win games even if they dominate. They went four straight times in OT and lost the first three times before finally getting the two points on Tuesday. |
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17. Montreal
Canadiens |
Season
: 81 points |
| This team is really in deep trouble. They are getting badly outshot in every games this month and isn't showing the emotion needed to win games at this time of the season. |
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18. Buffalo
Sabres |
Season
: 76 points |
| The injuries really hurt this team. Tomas Vanek is back but they hope that Ryan Miller can come back sooner then expected as he started skating on his own on Monday. |
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19. Toronto
Maple Leafs |
Season
: 71 points |
| They may not make the playoffs this year but watch out for this team. Ron Wilson as them playing hard each night and they could break some hearts before the end of the season. |
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20. Ottawa
Senators |
Season
: 68 points |
| Another team that makes it interesting. For most teams playing for a playoff spot, going against both Toronto and Ottawa will be a tough task and they better bring their A game if they want to get the two points. |
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21. Minnesota
Wild |
Season
: 74 points |
| The fight for a playoff spot is on! Between the 11th spot and the 7th, only two points. The Wild are in the mix and they love the fact that they have the best goaler of the bunch in Backstrom. |
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22. St-Louis
Blues |
Season
: 73 points |
| This young team impresses a lot. They are making a real playoff push without two of their best players in Paul Kariya and Eric Johnson. They have a good chance to make it if they can take two out of three from the Blue Jackets and can beat inferior opponents in the last week (Phoenix and Colorado). |
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23. Dallas
Stars |
Season
: 74 points |
| Marty Turco is so inconsistent this year, it's baffling. He better get is game together for the last stretch if the Stars want to even sniff the playoffs. |
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24. Atlanta
Trashers |
Season
: 68 points |
| They are hot but they fell back to earth on Tuesday as the Pengouins pummeled them. |
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25. Anaheim
Ducks |
Season
: 70 points |
| I don't think they will make the playoffs this year. They just don't have secondary scoring. Maybe they should have traded Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer too, bringing young blood for next year. |
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26. Los
Angeles Kings |
Season
: 68 points |
| Losing three straight really didn't help their playoff chances. Still, the future looks bright and they could suprise some teams in the final stretch. |
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27. New
York Islanders |
Season
: 56 points |
| I pulled them out of the basement just to give them a high five for the effort they brought to the ice in the last week. The finally won on the road against the Habs (a first in over two months) and they won six of their last ten. |
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28. Phoenix
Coyotes |
Season
: 64 points |
| They finally won one against the Sharks, no less. Kyle Turris, a disapointment this year, had four points (2-2-4) and is showing improvment. That's a good sign for next year. |
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29. Tampa
Bay Lightning |
Season
: 61 points |
| The game against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday resumes the season : a 3-0 lead at the midway point of the second period but they have defensive breakdowns after defensive breakdowns that lead to three straight goals and an overtime loss. |
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30. Colorado
Avalanche |
Season
: 64 points |
| They can't wait for this season to be over. They have some young talent but the lower they get, the better draft pick they will get... Hourray! |