Top to Bottom: NHL

Team (Record): Comment

1. Dallas (32-10-8): Class comes to the top.

2. Pittsburgh (29-15-7): Three OT wins in row a record.

3. Detroit (29-23-4): Scotty cracks the whip.

4. Ottawa (29-16-8): Yashin (24 goals) a leader.

5. Philadelphia (28-12-13): Defense so-so on 0-2-1 trip.

6. Colorado (29-21-5): Still looking strong.

7. Carolina (25-21-9): Francis’ surge a real tonic.

8. Phoenix (29-14-10): Discipline could improve.

9. Buffalo (25-18-10): Listing but still afloat.

10. Toronto (30-20-3): Defense sags in 1-3 slump.

11. New Jersey (30-18-6): Back to basics after 1-3 slide.

12. Mighty Ducks (21-23-9): Olausson key in 5-1 surge.

13. San Jose (20-22-12): Road warriors win four straight.

14. Edmonton (21-24-8): Baffling offensive slowdown.

15. Calgary (19-28-8): Hanging in with 4-1-4 push.

16. St. Louis (21-22-9): Demitra, Turgeon carry load.

17. Boston (22-23-9): Goals getting scarcer.

18. Washington (22-27-4): Faint pulse after 6-1 run.

19. Kings (20-30-4): Flyer win erased by Star loss.

20. Florida (20-20-13): Buried without Bure.

21. Montreal (21-27-8): Damphousse, Koivu must lead.

22. Nashville (19-30-5): Can’t score in 1-4-1 slide.

23. N.Y. Rangers (20-26-7): Bad time for 1-4 skid.

24. Chicago (15-32-8): Garden-party poopers.

25. Vancouver (18-29-7): Burke’s boys undermanned.

26. N.Y. Islanders (16-33-6): What a mess.

27. Tampa Bay (11-38-4): Still in the league?

GAME OF THE WEEK

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS AT PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

When--Sunday. Time--5 p.m. TV--ESPN.

* Story line--Despite the club’s bankruptcy and injuries to goalie Tom Barrasso, the Penguins have a nine-game winning streak and are pushing the Flyers for the Atlantic Division lead and a better playoff seeding. The line of scoring leader Jaromir Jagr (26 goals, 81 points), Jan Hrdina and Kip Miller is hot. So is winger Alexei Kovalev, who has 15 goals in 32 games since arriving from the Rangers. For the Flyers, Eric Lindros has a 16-game scoring streak, with 13 goals and 33 points in that span. John LeClair is third in scoring and tops in goals, with 35.

THE NUMBERS GAME

Brett Hull is playing a more defensive role with Dallas than he did with St. Louis, where he was the NHL’s top goal scorer over the last 10 years. Here are players with most goals scored from 1988-89 through 1997-98 (through Sunday):

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Gls Player Teams Gms 521 Brett Hull St. Louis 731 399 Steve Yzerman Detroit 743 398 Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 453 380 Luc Robitaille Kings, Pittsburgh, 730 N.Y. Rangers, Kings 356 Brendan Shanahan New Jersey, St. Louis, 723 Hartford, Detroit 352 Pierre Turgeon Buffalo, N.Y. Islanders, 734 Montreal, St. Louis 343 Dave Andreychuk Buffalo, Toronto, New Jersey 736 341 Joe Nieuwendyk Calgary, Dallas 684 337 Mike Gartner Washington, Minnesota, N.Y. 730 Rangers, Toronto, Phoenix 334 Theo Fleury Calgary 731 334 Joe Sakic Quebec/Colorado 719

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