Red Wings' Defense Is Dominating the Competition

When the Detroit Red Wings signed Dominik Hasek to be their starting netminder this season, it was clear what they'd be getting: an elite-level goalie with a worrisome injury history and a checkered past with regard to his impact on team chemistry.

But thus far this season, injuries have been a non-issue for Hasek, who has started 13 of the Wings' 17 games. He is right now on an incredible hot streak, winning seven consecutive starts while giving up only nine goals.

Hasek's impressive run is of course due in no small part to his fine play, but the performance of the Wings' defense is also a huge factor. Hasek has not faced more than 23 shots in a single game during his winning streak and has only faced more than 25 shots (31) once in his 13 appearances thus far.

When looking for a back to pat on the Wings' blue line, one need look no further than perennial Norris Trophy candidate Nicklas Lidstrom, who is scoring nearly a point a game (15 points in 17 games) while compiling a gaudy plus-18.

So here's how the teams line up this week. Statistically, teams are measured from left to right by W–L–OTL, standings points, goals scored, goals allowed, power play success, and penalty-killing success. Please note that the data is up to and including games played on Tuesday night, and that our statistics for special teams effectiveness also take shorthanded goals into account. Each team's ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1 BUFFALO SABRES (1): The Sabres just keep on rolling, getting balanced scoring throughout their lineup. When Maxim Afinogenov went down with a shoulder injury, Daniel Briere (25 points) and Thomas Vanek (22 points) took over.
15–1–1 31 76 50 19.2% 86.0%

2 DALLAS STARS (3): Marty Turco and Mike Smith give the Stars the league's stingiest goaltending, but if Dallas is to contend for the Cup, their offense (fewer than three goals a game) will need to pick things up a notch.
12–4–0 24 44 29 13.5% 92.1%

3 ANAHEIM DUCKS (2): Teemu Selanne leads the Ducks in scoring despite connecting on only four of his 58 shots. Look for his production to rise dramatically as his accuracy inevitably improves.
13–1–4 30 60 37 19.8% 90.4%

4 DETROIT RED WINGS (8): New arrival Danny Markov has proven to be a prescient acquisition by GM Ken Holland. The hard-hitting Russian has compiled a +11 rating thus far.
12–4–1 25 47 32 8.7% 85.1%

5 SAN JOSE SHARKS (6): Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Thornton have slumped a bit this season, but Patrick Marleau and Milan Michalek have more than picked up the slack.
13–6–0 26 60 43 23.1% 87.5%

6 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (5): Young defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter have been key contributors on the Preds' talented blue line, helping alleviate some of the pressure on Kimmo Timonen and Marek Zidlicky.
10–4–1 21 46 42 14.7% 83.6%

7 MINNESOTA WILD (4): That the Wild have done so well in the absence of top forward Marian Gaborik is a testament to the coaching of Jacques Lemaire and Manny Fernandez's excellent work between the pipes.
11–6–0 22 46 39 17.9% 93.9%

8 ATLANTA THRASHERS (7): The NHL's most exciting offense features two incredibly dynamic snipers in Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. But playmaker Slava Kozlov is the glue that binds the Thrashers' power play together.
12–5–3 27 70 59 18.3% 85.5%

9 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (11): Tuesday night's loss to the Rangers notwithstanding, the Devils have turned things around nicely following a rough start and remain atop the Atlantic Division.
10–6–1 21 40 45 12.1% 83.6%

10 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (12): Despite losing captain Mats Sundin (elbow) and starting goaltender Andrew Raycroft (groin strain) to injuries, the Leafs keep on rolling (7–1 in their last eight games).
11–5–3 25 67 59 15.2% 88.7%

11 MONTREAL CANADIENS (10): Without a doubt the Habs' best player, Andrei Markov (14 points in 16 games), has evolved into an elite-level NHL blueliner who can play in virtually every game situation.
9–4–3 21 51 44 19.0% 95.1%

12 NEW YORK RANGERS (14): With Jaromir Jagr (13 power play assists) and Brendan Shanahan (seven power play goals) leading the way, the Blueshirts are amongst the NHL's best with the man advantage.
10–7–1 21 60 61 19.2% 84.3%

13 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (17): After years of teasing the league with his enormous potential, it appears as though Vincent Lecavalier (22 points in 17 games) is finally ready to join the ranks of the NHL's elite forwards.
9–7–1 19 58 50 15.7% 79.0%

14 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (9): Despite Monday night's victory over the hapless Flyers, the Pens' work ethic has slipped, a key reason why they lost their five previous games.
8–6–2 18 52 51 15.9% 88.6%

15 EDMONTON OILERS (13): Tied for fourth in the NHL with 12 goals, Ryan Smyth a charley - fered after a knee-on-knee hit from Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles on Monday.
9–8–1 19 49 48 12.4% 90.6%

16 CAROLINA HURRICANES (18): After a slow start, the Canes offense has taken off in recent weeks, with the indomitable Rod Brind'Amour (25 points in 19 games) leading the charge.
9–7–3 21 65 63 12.4% 88.7%

17 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (19): Winger Chris Clark has developed nice chemistry alongside Alexander Ovechkin and Dainius Zubrus, tallying 16 points to go along with an impressive +8 rating.
8–5–4 20 54 52 14.8% 84.0%

18 CALGARY FLAMES (23): Alex Tanguay has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence of late, but it appears as though the goal-starved Flames will once again go only as far as netminder Miikka Kiprusoff carries them.
8–7–2 18 46 41 9.7% 84.1%

19 NEW YORK ISLANDERS (20): Blueliner Tom Poti is producing offensively in his first season with the Isles, but his team-worst minus-six rating is a concise reminder why he was booed from Madison Square Garden.
7–6–2 16 39 45 16.5% 78.0%

20 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (15): Plagued by an injury-riddled defense and inconsistent offensive production, Roberto Luongo's first season in Vancouver has gotten off to a rocky start.
8–10–1 17 43 49 10.1% 87.5%

21 COLORADO AVALANCHE (16): José Théodore has been spectacularly inconsistent this season, stringing together a couple of solid starts before absolutely collapsing in the next.
7–8–2 16 52 52 13.9% 84.3%

22 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (27): Winger Radim Vrbata (15 points in 16 games) has stepped up his performance in Martin Havlat's absence and finally appears to be making good on his enormous potential.
6–9–1 13 40 49 16.5% 86.4%

23 BOSTON BRUINS (24): Playmaking center Marc Savard (18 points in 14 games) has been everything the Bruins hoped for when they inked him to a long-term deal, but the rest of the team has been a tremendous disappointment.
5–7–2 12 40 55 20.5% 76.5%

24 OTTAWA SENATORS (22): Wade Redden (groin strain) has been shut down indefinitely, which means that Joe Corvo, Andrej Meszaros, and the rest of the Sens' blueliners have a lot of slack to pick up.
6–10–1 13 55 52 4.0% 84.9%

25 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (25): The firing of head coach Gerard Gallant was a foregone conclusion after yet another atrocious start. To get the most out of this underachieving club, the Blue Jackets should look no further than "Iron Mike" Keenan.
5–9–1 11 32 46 13.1% 85.4%

26 FLORIDA PANTHERS (21): Power forward Nathan Horton has improved dramatically in recent weeks, but the Panthers' sub-par defensive play and goaltending have dragged them down.
6–9–4 16 51 63 20.5% 81.5%

27 LOS ANGELES KINGS (28): The Rob Blake homecoming this offseason had great feel-good potential, but his greatest value to the Kings right now would be in trade; would the talent-laden Sharks bite?
6–10–4 16 51 63 13.8% 85.0%

28 ST. LOUIS BLUES (26): If you haven't heard of Lee Stempniak, you're not alone. But the West Seneca, N.Y., native (and Dartmouth grad) has quietly emerged as a top-line scorer for the Blues this season.
5–9–3 13 41 56 8.0% 82.5%

29 PHOENIX COYOTES (29): When the Wayne Gretzky era comes to a painful and inevitable end, the lackadaisical Coyotes will only have themselves to blame.
5–12–0 10 41 69 8.8% 77.7%

30 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (30): With three points in 17 games and an abysmal minus-14 rating, off-season acquisition Kyle Calder wins the prize for "most disappointing Flyer"… at least so far.
3–12–2 8 35 67 5.2% 89.9%