THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

HELENE ELLIOTT’S NHL RANKINGS AND COMMENT:

*--* Rk. Team (Rec.) Comment 1 TAMPA BAY 6-0-0-0 Stillman (five goals), Khabibulin keep Lightning riding high. 2 OTTAWA 5-1-0-1 Averaging league-high four goals a game. 3 ATLANTA 5-1-2-1 Against the odds they keep scrapping. 4 BOSTON 5-2-2-0 Rookie Bergeron (seven points) adds offensive punch. 5 VANCOUVER 4-2-2-0 New deal (four years, $27.8 million) should relax Bertuzzi. 6 TORONTO 4-2-2-1 Squandered third-period lead over Atlanta. 7 N.Y. ISLANDERS 4-2-1-0 Czerkawski (seven goals) leads 4-1-1 surge. 8 ST. LOUIS 4-2-0-1 Losing Jackman to shoulder injury will hurt. 9 DETROIT 5-3-0-0 Yzerman (four goals) solid but can’t play consecutive games. 10 CAROLINA 1-2-4-0 Unbeaten in five (1-0-4), last four on road. 11 BUFFALO 5-4-0-0 Wins three straight after 6-1 drubbing at Vancouver. 12 PHILADELPHIA 3-1-3-1 Roenick, Hitchcock settle differences -- for now. 13 COLORADO 4-4-0-0 Merely 2-3 in last five and strangely erratic. 14 KINGS 4-4-0-0 League-worst penalty killing offsets scoring prowess. 15 N.Y. RANGERS 2-2-2-0 Nedved steps up while Lindros (shoulder sprain) heals. 16 CHICAGO 3-4-2-0 Defense improves in 2-0-2 streak. 17 MONTREAL 5-4-0-0 Crushed by Senators, Flyers, 11-2. 18 DALLAS 5-4-0-0 Modano silent in 3-4 slide. Only Guerin shines. 19 NEW JERSEY 2-3-2-0 Flat now but should snap out of it eventually. 20 FLORIDA 3-4-2-0 Jokinen has three-game goal-scoring streak 21 CALGARY 4-3-0-0 Beating Edmonton almost better than winning Cup. 22 DUCKS 2-5-1-1 Signs of life, but no sign of Giguere’s magic. Or team defense. 23 MINNESOTA 2-6-1-0 Dupuis signs, Park heals, but Gaborik leaves town unsigned. 24 PHOENIX 3-3-2-0 Promising 3-0 start sours with 0-3-2 skid. 25 COLUMBUS 3-5-0-0 Denis keeps them respectable, but goals are rare. 26 NASHVILLE 3-4-0-0 Power play one for 18 in losing three straight. 27 PITTSBURGH 1-4-2-0 Rookie Fleury only bright spot in otherwise hopeless season. 28 EDMONTON 3-5-0-0 Can’t give up 16 goals in three games and expect to win. 29 SAN JOSE 1-4-3-0 Treading water in 0-2-3 slide. 30 WASHINGTON 1-6-1-0 Outscored, 22-6, in 0-5 streak. Will Cassidy be first coach fired?

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