NHL TOP TO BOTTOM

1. Colorado (3-0-2) Roy passes Sawchuk tonight?

2. Ottawa (3-0-1) Lalime knee injury could hurt.

3. St. Louis (3-1-1) Pronger back from suspension.

4. Phoenix (4-1) Scored 12 goals in last two games.

5. Pittsburgh (3-1) Jagr four goals against Rangers.

6. New Jersey (2-1) Rebounded from loss by beating Ducks.

7. Edmonton (4-1-1) Are the Oilers for real?

8. Nashville (3-1) Stingy, with only six goals given up.

9. Kings (3-2-1) Score a lot, but give up a lot.

10. Dallas (3-2-1) If can’t say anything nice, say nothing.

11. Boston (3-2-1) Off to strong start, will they maintain it?

12. Vancouver (4-2) Canucks don’t miss Messier yet.

13. Buffalo (2-2) Sabres don’t miss unsigned Peca yet.

14. Toronto (2-3) Desperately seeking Rob Blake?

15. N.Y. Rangers (2-2) Messier: three goals in four games.

16. Detroit (2-3) Loss to Calgary doesn’t help fading image.

17. Chicago (2-2-0-1) Amonte leads the way offensively.

18. San Jose (2-1) Surviving without healthy Nolan.

19. Ducks (2-2-0-1) Leclerc top scorer a bad sign?

20. Calgary (2-3) Two-game winning streak.

21. Montreal (2-3) Koivu has knee surgery; out three months.

22. Philadelphia (1-3-1) LeClair to have back surgery.

23. Carolina (1-1-2) Best in a bad division.

24. Tampa Bay (1-2-1) So this is improvement?

25. Columbus (1-4) Go you Buckeyes, er, Blue Jackets.

26. Florida (0-1-1-1) Bure can’t do it all.

27. N.Y. Islanders (0-2-1) New owners, same old story.

28. Washington (0-3-2) New deal for Ron Wilson.

29. Atlanta (0-2-1) Bad team, man.

30. Minnesota (0-4-1) Still winless, defenseless.

GAME OF THE WEEK

ST. LOUIS at DETROIT

When--Tonight. Time--4:30 PDT. TV--None.

* Story line--The Blues can take another significant stride toward proving they, and not the Red Wings, are the team to beat in the Western Conference. The Blues are a young team on the rise, learning from their first-round playoff knockout against San Jose last spring. The Red Wings hope to prove they are not too old and stale to contend for another Stanley Cup title. There’s no truth to the rumor that several Red Wing defensemen are card-carrying members of AARP. St. Louis defenseman Chris Pronger, the NHL’s MVP last season, is back in the lineup after a one-game suspension for tangling with Kelly Buchberger of the Kings.