Injuries Beginning To Take Their Toll Around the NHL

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The New York Sun

NHL Power Rankings

The NHL season is a war of attrition, the victor not only the best team but also the most durable. Last year, the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup largely because their lineup remained healthy for most of the season. They were able to ice their best possible lineup nearly every night, and none of their players was too fatigued to finish the marathon once the playoffs arrived.

This season, some very good teams have been absolutely decimated by injuries, and it’s having a dramatic impact on the standings. Now, it appears that one of the local teams is about to see how well it can handle the loss of the key player.

Alexei Yashin, first line center of the Islanders, suffered a sprained knee during the closing minutes of Saturday night’s victory over the Washington Capitals, and he’ll be out for between two to four weeks and perhaps even longer. This is a crucial stretch for the Isles, who will play three consecutive divisional games this week, starting tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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 are 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): Maxim Afinogenov didn’t miss a beat after returning to the lineup following a two-week absence. He’s tallied eight points in his last six games and should soon re-emerge as the Sabres’ leading scorer.
19–3–2 40 101 70 17.5% 87.5%

2 SAN JOSE SHARKS (2): The 2003 Draft was a boon for the Sharks. Milan Michalek (6th overall), Steve Bernier (16th overall), and Matt Carle (47th overall) are all playing key roles. Michalek is out with a minor arm injury but should return to the lineup soon.
18–7–0 36 80 55 24.0% 90.1%

3 DALLAS STARS (3): The Stars are hosting the 2007 All-Star Game, and their hilarious ad campaign spots for Stars players (viewable at DallasStars.com and hosted by Brett Hull) represent some of the best marketing ever done by an NHL team.
16–7–0 32 65 49 13.3% 89.1%

4 ANAHEIM DUCKS (5): Undrafted left wing Chris Kunitz has emerged as the Ducks’ leading goal scorer, largely because of he demonstrates a fearlessness around the opposition’s goal that belies his small stature.
18–2–6 42 92 60 21.8% 87.4%

5 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (4): The Predators lost goaltender Tomas Vokoun (torn ligaments in his thumb) and first line center Jason Arnott to injuries this week; the good news is that rookie forward Alexander Radulov will now get his chance to shine.
15–5–2 32 76 58 17.8% 86.8%

6 MONTREAL CANADIENS (9): Any questions about whether journeyman goaltender Cristobal Huet’s breakthrough 2005–06 season (2.20 GAA, .929 SV%) was a fluke have been answered with authority; he’s been even better this season (1.93 GAA, .940 SV%).
14–6–3 31 66 58 18.0% 94.9%

7 ATLANTA THRASHERS (12): In his two miserable seasons on Broadway, Bobby Holik never delivered a performance as dominant as the one the other night, when he led the Thrashers to a come-frombehind victory over the Rangers.
15–7–4 34 86 76 15.8% 82.9%

8 DETROIT RED WINGS (6): The Wings’ signing of young defenseman Niklas Kronwall to a five-year, $15 million deal is a clear sign that times have changed dramatically in the NHL. Players are now paid for what they will do, rather than what they have done.
13–6–4 30 60 52 9.6% 85.3%

9 EDMONTON OILERS (10): Ales Hemsky suffered a shoulder injury in the first period of the Oilers’ overtime loss to the Ducks on Tuesday night; if he’s out for an extended period of time, Edmonton’s offense will suffer badly.
13–8–2 28 67 58 14.7% 91.1%

10 MINNESOTA WILD (8): Without Marian Gaborik (groin strain), the Wild’s offense is wholly inadequate. Might GM Doug Risebrough pull off a deal for in-thedoghouse Coyotes forward Ladislav Nagy?
13–9–1 27 65 60 19.8% 93.6%

11 NEW YORK ISLANDERS (19): Dealing with the loss of Yashin will be Ted Nolan’s first huge test in his reign behind the Isles’ bench; how he handles it will have a huge impact on the team’s playoff hopes.
12–8–3 27 63 59 15.1% 82.4%

12 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (7): The Devils lost all four games on their disappointing West Coast road trip; they’ll try to get back on track tomorrow night when they host Sidney Crosby and the highflying Pittsburgh Penguins.
12–9–2 26 50 59 10.5% 86.4%

13 NEW YORK RANGERS (15): Underachieving blueliner Karel Rachunek (minus-3 in Tuesday night’s loss to the Thrashers) is stealing ice time from the far more deserving Thomas Pöck, who has seen action in only six games this season.
13–9–3 29 78 76 18.8% 85.2%

14 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (17): Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier are both producing at a better-than point-per-game pace, but Brad Richards (21 points, minus-4) appears to be caving under the pressure of his big contract.
13–11–1 27 78 78 14.7% 76.4%

15 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (11): The Leafs welcomed captain Mats Sundin back into the lineup on Saturday night, but he wasn’t able to prevent Toronto from dropping two straight games to the plucky Bruins.
13–9–4 30 86 80 16.8% 86.9%

16 CAROLINA HURRICANES (13): The Canes have gone from being one of the best teams to being a .500 team, and the reason is goaltending: Both Cam Ward (3.03 GAA, .894 SV%) and John Grahame (3.17 GAA, .896 SV%) have struggled badly between the pipes.
13–10–3 29 84 82 12.5% 87.8%

17 BOSTON BRUINS (20): Netminder Tim Thomas’s improbable career trajectory took another turn for the better in recent weeks; he has given up only 18 goals during his ongoing 7–2 run, carrying the Bruins back into playoff contention in the process.
11–9–2 24 60 73 18.6% 78.6%

18 OTTAWA SENATORS (22): A 30-save performance against his former team (the Carolina Hurricanes) on Tuesday night might have been just what the doctor ordered for Martin Gerber, who has been startlingly mediocre in his first season with the Sens.
12–12–1 25 84 71 9.6% 85.2%

19 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (18): With only 55 goals in 25 games, the Canucks are not providing star netminder Roberto Luongo with adequate support. And a prime culprit is Brendan Morrison; the purported first line center has tallied only 11 points thus far.
12–12–1 25 55 65 9.6% 86.7%

20 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (14): With Sidney Crosby out of the lineup, the Pens lost three consecutive games; not surprisingly, they got back to their winning ways when he returned on Tuesday night against the Islanders.
11–8–4 26 70 69 14.3% 86.4%

21 CALGARY FLAMES (16): The Flames’ offense finally showed some signs of life on Tuesday night against the division rival Avalanche, exploding for five goals to give star goalie Miikka Kiprusoff some uncommonly generous support.
11–10–2 24 64 55 13.7% 82.1%

22 COLORADO AVALANCHE (21): Second-line rookies Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski have caught fire of late, giving Joe Sakic some valuable support. But on the blue line, the Avs are still awaiting valuable defenseman Jordan Leopold’s (hernia) season debut.
11–11–2 24 71 70 14.2% 81.4%

23 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (23): Olaf Kolzig (.918 SV%) has been dynamite for the Caps this season, providing the young lineup with an invaluable safety net.
9–9–6 24 68 78 14.2% 84.1%

24 PHOENIX COYOTES (27): Midseason free agent signee Yanic Perreault (10 points in 11 games, including a team-leading seven goals) has worked out well for the Coyotes, who are finally showing some signs of life.
8–15–0 16 55 88 8.9% 78.7%

25 LOS ANGELES KINGS (26): Young forwards Anze Kopitar and Alexander Frolov have been absolutely sensational in recent weeks; their shootout goals gave the Kings a 3–2 victory over the Devils on Monday night.
9–13–4 22 70 84 16.6% 83.0%

26 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (24): The Hawks have collapsed in Martin Havlat’s absence, and head coach Trent Yawney took the fall on Monday; he was replaced by former Blackhawks legend Denis Savard.
7–12–2 16 48 65 14.0% 84.3%

27 FLORIDA PANTHERS (25): Alex Auld made 39 saves without giving up a goal to the Canadiens during regulation and overtime on Tuesday night, but the Habs scored twice in the shootout to steal the victory.
8–13–5 21 68 83 20.7% 83.0%

28 ST. LOUIS BLUES (28): When looking for reasons for the Blues’ struggles, one need look no further than defenseman Jay McKee (broken hand), who has played in just one game after signing a four-year, $16 million deal.
7–13–3 17 51 75 7.5% 81.5%

29 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (30): There’s a certain irony to the Flyers rising from the bottom of the Sun’s Power Rankings this week, as former coach Ken Hitchcock’s Blue Jackets have sunk beneath them.
7–14–3 17 59 92 10.1% 87.0%

30 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (29): One of new coach Hitchcock’s first orders of business was to increase rookie forward Gilbert Brule’s ice time, a wise maneuver indeed.
6–15–2 14 49 71 11.3% 84.0%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.


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