The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the NHL’s strongest teams this season, surging up in the standings and putting surprising heat on the defending Eastern Conference champion Ottawa Senators. After losing defenseman Sheldon Souray and checking-line center Radek Bonk to unrestricted free agency, it was expected that the Habs would take a step backward in 2007–08. But instead, they’ve managed to improve.

One key reason has been the consistently excellent play of Alexei Kovalev, who has matured into a reliable veteran presence both on and off the ice. Kovalev has steered clear of controversy this year, and on the ice has demonstrated newfound defensive responsibility. He leads Montreal with a plus-12 rating, is the team’s leading scorer (46 points in 50 games), and is the focal point of the Habs’ league-best power play. Needless to say, he’s come a long way from his underachieving days with the Rangers.

Another critical element in the Habs’ success has been young defenseman Mike Komisarek. A native of West Islip, N.Y., the hard-hitting rearguard has proven to be the perfect complement alongside offensive defenseman Andrei Markov. An absolute rock in the Habs’ zone, Komisarek’s emergence has enabled Markov to take more chances offensively. Markov is on pace to set career highs in all offensive categories, while Komisarek leads all Habs backliners with a plus-11 rating. It’s a match made in heaven, and it’s the primary reason why Souray’s departure hasn’t had much impact.

Last, but not least, is goaltender Cristobal Huet. A throw-in in the trade that sent Mathieu Garon to Los Angeles (in exchange for Bonk) back in 2004, Huet has been sensational since he took over the Habs’ starting job. He’s stopped over 92% of the shots he’s faced in goal as a member of the Canadiens, and is third in the league with a .925 save percentage this season. Without a doubt, top prospect Carey Price is the Habs’ future franchise netminder, but the unheralded Huet gives them their best chance to win in the present.

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. DETROIT RED WINGS (1): Late-blooming Swedish sensation Fabian Brunnstrom is reportedly on the verge of signing with the Wings; the presence of seven star Swedes has no doubt helped make Motown the skilled forward’s preferred destination.

G REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%
51 37–10–4 78 169 106 18.78% 85.90%

2. OTTAWA SENATORS (2): It’s been a season to forget for goaltender Ray Emery, who was fined a day’s pay for showing up late to practice on Monday, and speculation continues to mount that he’ll be dealt in advance of the February 26 trade deadline.

51 32–15–4 68 177 144 17.82% 86.96%

3. SAN JOSE SHARKS (3): The Sharks entered last night’s game against on a three-game winning streak; Tuesday night’s 3–0 win over the Oilers, in which Evgeni Nabokov needed to make only 13 saves, was likely their easiest victory of the season.

50 28–15–7 63 130 114 15.45%89.39%

4. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (5): The Flyers took sole possession of first place with their win over the Kings on Tuesday; tonight, they host the Rangers, whose woeful road record of late (and generally spotty play) makes them a very welcome guest.

49 28–16–5 61 163 137 22.86%84.65%

5. MONTREAL CANADIENS (6): The red-hot Canadiens have

a – – their last 14 games. After missing the playoffs last year, they’ve really stepped up their efforts in the defensive zone (plus-24 goal differential versus minus-11 in 2006–07).

50 27–15–8 62 155 131 23.71% 84.10%

6. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (7): The banged-up Pens have done a fine job battling through injuries, not only to captain Sidney Crosby but also to six other regulars. If they can get healthy in time for the playoffs, they will be a serious Cup contender.

50 28–18–4 60 141 132 17.83% 82.27%

7. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (4): Just two losses have knocked the Devils all the way back to third place in the Atlantic Division; they’ll look to get back on track against the Rangers tomorrow night, in what should be a very entertaining battle at the Prudential Center.

50 28–19–3 59 123 118 13.89%84.50%

8. MINNESOTA WILD (10): The Wild are again getting by on the strength of their stingy defense and goaltending, but they’ll need more consistent offensive production from the likes of Pavol Demitra (29 points in 37 games) if they’re to go deep in the playoffs.

50 28–19–3 59 137 135 15.28% 84.76%

9. DALLAS STARS (9): Stars co-GM Les Jackson shot down rumors that he was considering swapping goaltender Marty Turco to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Martin St. Louis. While the trade would save the Lightning, it makes absolutely no sense for Dallas.

5429–20–5 63 154 139 16.44%90.83%

10. CALGARY FLAMES (11): Flames prospect Eric Nystrom (son of Islanders legend Bobby) was recently demoted to Quad City of the AHL. With only one goal in 34 games, Nystrom is another season or two away from emerging as a key contributor in Calgary.

50 25–17–8 58 144 140 13.57% 81.86%

11. BOSTON BRUINS (14): Training camp invitee Glen Metropolit has made the most of his opportunity, quickly becoming one of the Bruins’ most important forwards. On Tuesday night, his two third-period goals paced Boston to an important 3–1 win over Nashville.

50 26–19–5 57 130 131 17.39% 81.16%

12. ANAHEIM DUCKS ( 8 ) : Teemu Selanne has returned to the Ducks, and now the 2007 Cup champions are a good bet to successfully defend their title. The Detroit Red Wings (1997 and 1998) were the last team to win two consecutive Cup championships.

53 27–20–6 60 131 132 14.29%83.45%

13. PHOENIX COYOTES (18): With 13 points in his last nine games, rookie Peter Mueller has emerged as the Coyotes’ top scoring threat, and Phoenix now looks likely to reach the postseason for the first time under head coach Wayne Gretzky.

50 27–21–2 56 135 134 15.35%85.29%

14. COLORADO AVALANCHE (12): Entering last night’s game against the Blackhawks, the Avs had lost three of their last four games. Will they try to make a deal with the Kings, a frequent trade partner, to reacquire star defenseman Rob Blake?

5026–20–4 56 135 136 11.71% 82.51%

15. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (13): Super-tough defenseman Willie Mitchell played nine games with a broken vertebra in his back before he couldn’t take the pain any longer; the Canucks’ icetime leader is out of the lineup indefinitely, a huge blow.

51 26–20–5 57 130 120 15.45%84.68%

16. ST. LOUIS BLUES (17): Visiting Toronto was the magic elixir for the Blues; paced by two goals from power forward Keith Tkachuk, they snapped a sevengame losing streak and defeated the hapless Maple Leafs 3–2 on Tuesday night.

49 23–19–7 53 125 134 10.10% 84.72%

17. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (15): Talented young winger Alexander Radulov is on a fourgame goal-scoring streak during which he’s lit the lamp six times, and the formula is simple: The more often he shoots the puck, the more goals he scores.

51 25–21–5 55 145 137 12.72% 87.50%

18. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (19): Pascal Leclaire’s emergence (league-leading eight shutouts) has been sensational, but GM Scott Howson should still solicit offers for veteran UFAs-to-be Sergei Fedorov and Adam Foote; Columbus is a year or two away from contending.

52 25–21–6 56 128 125 14.83% 88.66%

19. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (16): Miroslav Satan’s career is on the wrong side of the bell curve; after scoring 25-plus goals in eight consecutive seasons, the underachieving Slovakian sniper is on pace to finish with only 18 goals this year.

51 24–21–6 54 124 144 11.96% 87.45%

20. NEW YORK RANGERS (20): It’s clear that the spark isn’t coming from within for the rudderless Rangers, so it’s up to GM Glen Sather to pull off a trade that energizes the team, as he did last spring in acquiring agitator Sean Avery.

52 24–22–6 54 121 128 14.23%84.65%

21. BUFFALO SABRES (24): With both Tim Connolly (bone spurs) and Maxim Afinogenov (groin) out of the lineup, the Sabres have gamely battled to hold ground in the East; the good news is that defenseman Teppo Numminen (heart surgery) may soon return.

49 22–21–6 50 145 136 14.49% 86.38%

22. CAROLINA HURRICANES (23): The ‘Canes won a gut-check game against the Rangers on Tuesday, demonstrating tremendous team toughness in a fight-filled 3–1 victory. If they can improve their atrocious penalty killing, Carolina will win their division.

53 25–24–4 54 160 170 14.66% 77.87%

23. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 22): Injuries have been the only thing holding back the Blackhawks’ resurgence. Jonathan Toews (sprained knee) is at least two weeks away from returning, and Jason Williams (hernia surgery) will be out for another month.

5023–23–4 50 135 142 13.45%86.36%

24. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (21): The Caps have done a nice job closing the gap on the division-leading Hurricanes, but without secondary scoring to support Alexander Ovechkin (involved in 45% of their goals), it’s unlikely that they’ll overtake Carolina.

51 23–23–5 51 145 158 15.14% 81.25%

25. EDMONTON OILERS (25): Goaltender Mathieu Garon has been a pleasant surprise, and forwards Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky have met all reasonable expectations, but the rest of the illconstructed Oilers roster has been mediocre.

53 23–25–5 51 128 158 12.44% 87.23%

26. ATLANTA THRASHERS (26): Though they still have a reasonable shot at winning the atrocious Southeast Division, it would behoove GM/coach Don Waddell to strengthen his team for the long term by dealing UFA-to-be Marian Hossa.

52 23–25–4 50 136 171 14.98% 83.33%

27. FLORIDA PANTHERS (27): The wayward Panthers aren’t going anywhere under GM/ coach Jacques Martin, and it would be wise for owner Alan Cohen to bring in new management before deciding whether or not to trade captain Olli Jokinen.

51 22–24–5 49 126 144 17.37% 81.97%

28. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (28): The Mats Sundin trade rumors will be the juiciest, but look for interim GM Cliff Fletcher to solicit offers for every Leaf — from defenseman Tomas Kaberle to forward Jason Blake — as he initiates a long-overdue rebuilding effort.

52 20–24–8 48 142 164 11.56% 81.25%

29. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (29): Vincent Lecavalier is due to become a UFA in 2009, and he will certainly command an enormous payday. If GM Jay Feaster fails to trade Martin St. Louis or Brad Richards before then, retaining Lecavalier will likely be impossible.

51 20–26–5 45 145 171 17.19% 83.67%

30. LOS ANGELES KINGS (30): The Kings have plenty of young talent up front, so look for them to pursue defensemen (and perhaps a goalie to supplement top prospect Jonathan Bernier) during their expected fire sale in advance of the February 26th trade deadline.

52 20–29–3 43 142 170 17.74% 81.46%

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