NHL TOP TO BOTTOM

1. Colorado (16-4-3-0) Still strong despite injury bug.

2. St. Louis (15-4-3-0) Good, but think they can be great.

3. Dallas (13-5-3-1) Heating up with 5-0-1 streak.

4. Detroit (14-8-1-2) How long will Scotty go?

5. Edmonton (14-9-3-0) Salo underrated goaltender.

6. Toronto (12-7-3-1) Best of weak East.

7. Ottawa (12-7-4-0) Starting to jell with Yashin.

8. Phoenix (12-6-6-0) Team October cracking?

9. Vancouver (12-7-3-2) Went 2-2-0-1 on five-game trip.

10. New Jersey (11-8-3-0) On a five-game winning streak.

11. San Jose (13-5-2-0) Have 6-2-1 mark at Shark tank.

12. Kings (11-7-6-0) Adding to tie collection.

13. Buffalo (12-6-2-1) Sabres and snow both deep.

14. Pittsburgh (11-7-3-1) Jagr still not at peak performance.

15. N.Y. Rangers (12-11-0-0) Better, but hardly inspiring.

16. Philadelphia (10-9-4-0) Surviving without LeClair.

17. Nashville (8-9-5-1) Reality setting in, y’all.

18. Ducks (8-11-4-2) Vishnevski leading NHL hit parade.

19. Boston (7-11-3-2) Give Keenan time for turnaround.

20. Carolina (8-10-3-1) Leading in weak Southeast.

21. Tampa Bay (8-10-2-2) Contending in weak Southeast.

22. Minnesota (7-12-4-1) Wild on a 4-0-1 unbeaten streak.

23. Chicago (8-12-2-2) Amonte all there is for Blackhawks.

24. Washington (6-10-6-1) Bondra still on the block?

25. Calgary (5-11-5-4) Only one home victory.

26. Columbus (7-15-1-1) Tugnutt’s goals-against 2.70.

27. N.Y. Islanders (7-11-2-2) Were .500 only two weeks ago.

28. Atlanta (5-9-6-1) Another concussion sidelines Stefan.

29. Florida (5-9-4-3) Insert your election joke here.

30. Montreal (7-15-2-0) Nice place to visit, but . . .

GAME OF THE WEEK

KINGS at DUCKS

When--Sunday. Time--5 p.m. TV--Channel 9.

* Story line--Playoff races are heating up earlier and earlier and there’s little doubt the Kings must bury the Mighty Ducks to edge out their Southland rivals for a playoff spot come April. By the looks of it, only one will make it to the playoffs. The competition is too tough in the Western Conference. The Ducks are fast approaching must-win territory. As an added plus, it’s always a treat to see King defenseman Rob Blake line up a Duck for a tough check. Duck defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski is becoming quite good at hammering Kings against the boards.