Top to Bottom: NHL

Team (Record): Comment

1. Philadelphia (28-10-12): Remarkable 16-1-7 stretch.

2. Colorado (29-19-4): Ozolinsh, Roy lead revival.

3. Ottawa (28-15-7): Speed, defense keys in surge.

4. Pittsburgh (26-15-7):Jagr gets help in win streak.

5. Toronto (30-18-3): On the move--literally.

6. Phoenix (27-13-10): Can still catch Dallas.

7. Dallas (30-10-8): Picked apart by Colorado.

8. New Jersey (29-16-6): Sykora scores four in last four.

9. Florida (19-19-13): Knee injury keeps Bure out a week.

10. Detroit (25-23-4): Cracks show in champs’ offense.

11. Carolina (23-20-9): Offense stalls in 0-2-2 skid.

12. Mighty Ducks (20-22-9): Good balance in last 3 wins.

13. Edmonton (20-22-8): Beranek, Guerin get hot.

14. Buffalo (24-18-8): Team turmoil shows in 0-4 streak.

15. St. Louis (20-20-9): Turgeon, MacInnis need support.

16. Boston (21-21-9): Samsonov awakens from slump.

17. Montreal (20-25-8): Hackett finds rhythm in goal.

18. Kings (19-28-4): Nah, they didn’t need Bure.

19. Washington (20-26-4): Win streak is too late.

20. Calgary (17-28-8): Braithwaite keeps them close.

21. N.Y. Rangers (20-24-7): Graves’ streak not enough.

22. San Jose (17-22-12): Trip can make or break them.

23. Nashville (18-28-5): A scorer away from being serious.

24. N.Y. Islanders (16-31-5): Potvin trade looks worse.

25. Vancouver (16-28-7): Crawford 1-4-1 as coach.

26. Chicago (14-30-8): Amonte, Chelios deserve better.

27. Tampa Bay (11-36-4): Still at bottom of the barrel.

GAME OF THE WEEK

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS AT TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

When--Saturday. Time--3:30 PST

TV--ESPN2.

* Story line--Forget the matchup: This the last game at Maple Leaf Gardens, a shrine for many Canadians and the last of the great arenas that housed the Original Six teams. In its last years, it was less glorious than notorious, as the home of a team that hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967 and the site of a scandal in which two Gardens workers lured dozens of boys into sex with offers of free tickets and other bribes. But anyone who attended a game there--or saw one on TV--got a taste of what the NHL was like in the days when teams traveled by train and fans wore hats and suits to games. At least the Maple Leafs are leaving in style. With 63 points, they’re only six points short of their 1997-98 total.

THE NUMBERS GAME

Colorado’s Patrick Roy is the youngest--and quickest--goaltender to have reached 400 victories.

*--*

Goalie, Age (Yrs.-Mo.-Days) Game No. Date Patrick Roy, 33-4-0 753 Feb. 5, 1999 Terry Sawchuk, 35-1-7 844 Feb. 4, 1965 Glenn Hall, 39-2-30 889 Feb. 2, 1971 Tony Esposito, 39-6-21 837 Nov. 11, 1982 Jacques Plante, 42-1-3 757 Feb. 20, 1971

*--*

With 401 victories and an NHL-record 99 playoff victories, Roy also is the third goalie to record 500 total victories. Plante, with 505, and Sawchuk, with 501, are the others.