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Congratulations to Mike Modano, the all time leading points leader among US born players. Wednesday night, he scored two goals against San Jose to tie and pass Phil Housely’s 1232 career points. Modano is in his 18th season while Housley, a defenseman, took 21 years to amaze that mark.
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Eric Lindros, one of the most concussed men in the NHL, retired after 13 seasons on Thursday. He retired with 372 goals and 865 points in his career. Possessing the size, strength and talent, Lindros was one of the best players in the NHL, if not the world during the mid 90’s. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and Dallas Stars. Based on his career stats compared to Cam Neely’s, he looks to be a future nominee for the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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Saturday Night marks the 3rd time a US born player has ever reached the 500 goal mark. 6:35 into the second period, Roenick dumped the puck into the corner. It took a strange bounce off the board and ricocheted off Auld into the net. The goal ties Roenick for 39th all time in goals scored, and he is just the 40th man in NHL history to hit the goal mark.
The Nashville Predator owners really want to sell the team now, sweetening up the deal for the potential buyers. They are willing to offer in the contract that if the buyers were to lose $20 million in the next three years and have the attendance dipped below 14,000, they would be able to move. The Predators owners also threw in a much more favorable arena lease. Maybe now that the Preds are starting to win, this deal will fall through.
Now onto the rankings...
30. Edmonton Oilers 6-10-1: They ended a four game skid against Calgary, but still boast the leagues worst record.
29. Washington Capitals 6-10-1: Going 1-2-1 this week, the lone win was against the Senators! Maybe they build some confidence going forward?
28. Florida Panthers(-2) 7-10-0: They split a home and home with the struggling Lightning, but another loss slides them down a few spots.
27. Buffalo Sabres(-4) 6-9-1: The loss of Briere and Drury is stating to show, with only 7 goals in the last 5 games. They were shutout twice, and won only one of those games.
26. Atlanta Thrashers(+2) 7-10-0: They’ve won six of the past nine and Kovalchuk has had a big part in it. Hedberg is no longer starting as Pavelec is now.
25. Phoenix Coyotes(+2) 7-8-0: Losing only one game last week drops their record to 5-3 in the past eight. Surprisingly, they are only four points off the division lead.
24. New Jersey Devils(-7) 6-8-2: The Devils went 1-2 this past week. And while Brodeur’s numbers may be up, they rank 26th in the league in goals per game.
23. Calgary Flames(-14) 6-8-3: They’ve lost five in a row. And a team that only lost eleven games at home last year have already lost six at the Saddledome through not even a quarter of a season.
22. Toronto Maple Leafs(+2) 7-7-4: Six losses this year are by one goal, and two more by two goals. If only that power play were a few ticks better.
21. Pittsburgh Penguins(-8) 7-9-1: Seven losses in the last nine. Here’s some advice: quit starting Sabourin, keep playing Fleury, he’s only 22; a young one like the rest of the team.
20. Anaheim Ducks 7-8-3: They show up some nights and completely take others off. It’s amazing how they are leading their division.
19. Tampa Bay Lightning(+3) 8-8-1: Right when we thought the wheels were falling off, they come back on a three game win streak, picking up their first two road wins.
18. Nashville Predators(+7) 8-7-1: The Predators only loss in the last five was in a shootout to Detroit. The good news is four of those were on the road, they return home where they are 4-2.
17. Dallas Stars 7-7-3: They blew a four-goal lead in the third period with 8 min to go on Saturday, losing 6-5 in OT. At least Modano is picking up the scoring.
16. Vancouver Canucks(+3) 8-8-0: Battling back to .500, this team is horrible at home. In the NHL, winning at home is must. They have a chance to improve their 2-6 record this week.
15. Los Angeles Kings(+6) 8-8-0: They played one game last week. But scoring 5 goals in 5:07 min in the third going onto win 6-5 in OT and being at .500 atop the division, they get bumped up six spots.
14. Boston Bruins(+2) 8-6-2: Only three times this year have they out shot an opponent. While the loss of Bergeron has hurt, they need to push on.
13. Chicago Blackhawks(+2) 9-7-0: The Hawks picked up some wins versus divisional opponents this week, moving up spots.
12. St. Louis Blues(-1) 7-7-0: While the penalty kill is keeping them in game, the power play is not connecting. They’ll need it to get going if they want to get past the upcoming schedule.
11. San Jose Sharks(-1) 8-7-2: They went 1-1-1 last week. The sharks are 23rd in goals per game, and it still amazes me how they are 2-4 at home.
10. New York Rangers(+4) 9-7-1: My team to come out of the east has finally figured out how to play, winning 6 of 7. They picked up their first road win as well.
9. Columbus Blue Jackets(-2) 8-5-3: As good as this team is, they need to learn how to win on the road. In the midst of a three game losing streak, they don’t want the wheels to come off now.
8. New York Islanders(+4) 9-4-0: This team looks for real again. However, 9 of 13 have been played at home. They get tested this week on the road.
7. Philadelphia Flyers(-2) 10-6-0: The Flyers went 2-2 this past week, winning two versus Pittsburgh. After a 3-5 road trip, they returned home for a four game home stand, where they are undefeated.
6. Colorado Avalanche(+2) 10-5-1: Went 6-1-1 in their last 8, and took advantage of a 5 game home stand. The real test is the upcoming 4 game road trip, where they are 2-4-1.
5. Minnesota Wild(-1) 9-4-2: The Wild won their only game this past week. But a 4-4-2 record of late has cost them the division lead. Backstrom is back in net; they’ll need him for the upcoming four game divisional road trip.
4. Montreal Canadiens(+3) 9-4-3: In their only loss this week, they were able to Ottawa well for 55 minutes. Then the wheels came off, losing 3-1. Next weeks schedule looks favorable.
3. Carolina Hurricanes 10-4-3: This is a solid hockey team, the most goals in the league and the third best GF to GA ratio.
2. Ottawa Senators 14-2-0: You simply cannot take the night off against anyone, especially the Caps. Ovechkin made the Senators pay as they suffered the second loss of the year.
Who is in your top ten?
Source: (TSN)
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