Our pick to win the Stanley Cup, the San Jose Sharks, have been perhaps the NHL’s biggest enigma through the season’s first half. Currently ranked third in our Power Rankings, the Sharks have somehow managed to thrive despite getting disappointing performances from all but two of their key players (Joe Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov).

Thornton’s play has been typically excellent (46 points in 39 games, plus-13 rating), and the fact that he’s excelled despite the underwhelming play of his fellow forwards is a great indication of just how far the once-maligned Bruin has taken his game in San Jose.

But it’s been Nabokov who’s been a complete surprise, a dynamic masked marvel covering up for the team’s chronic underachievers with his consistently excellent play. Nabokov has started all 39 of the Sharks’ games, finishing all but three of them, and is one of the league’s leaders in every meaningful goal-tending statistical category.

Most notable among the underachievers are captain Patrick Marleau and former Maurice Richard Trophy winner Jonathan Cheechoo. Marleau tallied 164 points over the course of the past two seasons, but this year he’s been atrocious. Marleau has scored only seven goals (and 18 points) through his first 39 games while compiling a team-worst minus-9 rating, numbers that explain why he’s consistently been the subject of trade rumors.

Meanwhile, Cheechoo scored 56 goals during the 2005–06 season, yet has managed to light the lamp only five times through 32 games this year. And though it would be easy to conclude that Cheechoo’s diminished results are simply a matter of bad luck (a career-low 6.9% shooting percentage), the bigger problem is that he’s simply not shooting the puck often enough. During that 2005–06 campaign, he averaged nearly four shots per game; this year, he’s been firing only a little more than two shots on goal each game.

Trading Marleau or Cheechoo when their value is at its obvious lowest would make little sense for the Sharks. Instead, GM Doug Wilson should pursue a talented forward (or two) who can come in and breathe some life into the team’s second line.

The ideal candidate to target would be Atlanta Thrashers forward Marian Hossa, an unrestricted free agent-to-be. The Thrashers aren’t a legitimate Stanley Cup threat this season, and getting something for Hossa in advance of the trade deadline (rather than losing him for nothing in July) would be a wise move by GM Don Waddell. The Sharks can afford to add Hossa’s $7 million salary without concern ($3.5 million remains for 2007–08, and they have nearly $11 million available), and they have a litany of prospects with which to tempt Waddell.

Nineteen of the league’s 30 teams are currently within five games of NHL .500, yet the Sharks improbably find themselves 10 games over despite the vast underachievement of Marleau and Cheechoo, among others. And given that, they have a good chance to emerge as the cream of the NHL crop in the season’s second half, especially if they’re able to land a difference-maker like Hossa for the stretch run.

Statistically, teams are measured from left to right by won-loss record, 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. DETROIT RED WINGS (1): Swedish sensation Henrik Zetterberg just keeps on rolling. With 50 points (25 goals and 25 assists) in 35 games and a stellar plus-14 rating, he is without question one of the league’s most complete — and underrated — players.

REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%

29–8–3 61 137 85 20.00% 86.98%

2. OTTAWA SENATORS (2): Only 13 of Dany Heatley’s 53 points have come on the power play a key reason why he’s managed compile a ludicrous league-leading plus-30 rating less than halfway through the season.

25–10–4 54 138 107 18.63% 88.83%

3. SAN JOSE SHARKS (9): Sandis Ozolinsh has demonstrated uncharacteristic reliability in the defensive zone (plus-2 rating); unfortunately, he hasn’t been much help on the power play, where the talented Sharks are underachieving badly.

22–12–5 49 98 84 12.57% 89.17%

4. DALLAS STARS (3): Tonight will be a homecoming of sorts for Mike Modano and the Stars they take on the Wild in Minnesota in fact, Modano is the only Star re maining from the franchise’s pre Dallas days in the Twin Cities.

23–13–4 50 118 99 19.62% 91.18%

5. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (7): Last year, Alexander Edler looked lost as an injury substitute, often either out of position or completely overmatched. But this season, he’s taken huge strides forward, and his plus-16 rating is by far the best among all Canucks defensemen.

22–14–4 48 104 89 16.40% 85.11%

6. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (6): The Devils are winning by the thinnest of margins, their goals for and against the same entering last night’s game against the Panthers; without debate, Martin Brodeur remains the most critical element in their continued success.

21–14–3 45 90 90 10.43% 83.54%

7. MINNESOTA WILD (5): Pierre-Marc Bouchard, the eighth overall pick in the 2002 draft, is rapidly becoming one of Minnesota’s most reliable offensive contributors. His 26 assists and plus-seven rating lead the Wild, and he is the playmaker on their power play. 22–15–2 46 103 105 16.11% 82.74%

8. MONTREAL CANADIENS (11): Last season, the Habs’ failure to get a second line center better than Tomas Plekanec was believed to be their undoing. But this year, Plekanec has taken a huge stride forward and is now one of the team’s most consistent scoring threats.

19–13–7 45 114 104 23.33% 82.91%

9. COLORADO AVALANCHE (4): Following successful hernia surgery, captain Joe Sakic will be out of the Avs’ lineup for another eight-to-12 weeks, and so it will be up to super sophomore center Paul Stastny to be the catalyst for the talented Avs’ offense.

21–15–3 45 113 111 13.45% 82.76%

10. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (17): Young defenseman Braydon Coburn has emerged as a stopper on the Flyers’ defense; his plus-9 rating is best among Flyers rearguards, and he’s shown flashes of high-level offensive skill to boot.

19–14–4 42 115 102 20.88% 84.24%

11. ST. LOUIS BLUES (8): West Seneca, N.Y.-native Lee Stempniak has been one of the keys behind the Blues’ impressive turnaround; already the team’s fourthleading scorer, look for him and new arrival Andy McDonald to form the nucleus of a potent second line.

19–14–4 42 93 94 10.69% 87.06%

12. NEW YORK RANGERS (19): The Rangers’ resurgence is directly attributable to the newfound chemistry between Scott Gomez and Jaromir Jagr; as with Alexander Mogilny and Patrik Elias, for Gomez it seems that the second time is the charm.

20–15–4 44 94 92 16.32% 85.98%

13. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (20): No matter how big

stage, Sidney Crosby always rises to the occasion; his unbridled enthusiasm and unflappable nature (even more than his gaudy scoring statistics) have made him the new face of the NHL, and deservedly so.

21–16–2 44 105 111 16.94% 81.92%

14. CALGARY FLAMES (14): In perhaps the biggest surprise of the season’s first half, Kristian Huselius has thrived under head coach Mike Keenan; putting aside their heated Florida feud, Huselius has produced at a point-per-game pace for Keenan in Calgary.

19–14–7 45 115 115 12.78% 80.00%

15. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (18): He doesn’t get much attention outside of Uniondale, N.Y., but puck-moving defenseman Chris Campoli has developed into one of the Isles’ most important players and is on pace for a solid 40-point season.

20–16–2 42 93 103 11.73% 88.04%

16. BUFFALO SABRES (10): The “Winter Classic” held at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year’s Day was a huge success, thrilling 71,217 fans in attendance while generating the NHL’s the best overnight regular season television rating in more than a decade.

19–16–3 41 114 105 16.86% 87.50%

17. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (15): A sprained knee is expected to keep phenomenal rookie center Jonathan Toews out of action for 2–4 weeks, but the severity of the injury won’t be known for certain until he takes an MRI in Chicago later this week.

19–16–3 41 113 112 16.07% 88.83%

18. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (22): Former Hart Trophy winner Sergei Fedorov’s precipitous decline (18 points in 39 games, minus-6 rating) makes it highly unlikely that the Blue Jackets will receive much value in return if they make him available via trade.

18–15–6 42 97 89 13.76% 89.13%

19. BOSTON BRUINS (12): The injury-riddled Bruins acquired Hnidy and a sixth round pick from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Brandon Bochenski, a move that should shore up their blue line and help them get back on track.

19–16–4 42 101 103 16.78% 80.00%

20. CAROLINA HURRICANES (13): That the ‘Canes are 20th in our Power Rankings while also first in their division finely illustrates just how far the Southeast — home of two of the last three Stanley Cup winners — has fallen.

20–18–3 43 125 131 15.89% 76.96%

21. ANAHEIM DUCKS (16): The addition of Bochenski (a natural goal-scorer) from the Bruins was a shrewd move. With Scott Niedermayer back in the flock, Shane Hnidy was expendable, while Bochenski could give the Ducks’ offense a nice boost at little cost.

19–17–5 43 97 108 13.33% 83.04%

22. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS ( 2 3 ) : Former Devils backup goaltender Scott Clemmensen stepped to the forefront in his first start for the Maple Leafs on New Year’s day, helping Toronto to a 4–3 shootout victory over the Lightning.

16–16–8 40 115 124 11.11% 82.51%

23. PHOENIX COYOTES (21): Defenseman Ed Jo’s season was an enormous disappointment, but he’s picked things up nicely this year, tallying 23 points in 36 games (12 of them coming on the power play).

18–18–1 37 91 100 12.03% 83.75%

24. F LO R I DA PA N T H E RS (24): The Panthers have surged into second place in the Southeast, riding the hot goaltending of Tomas Vokoun (.920 SV%) and the leadership of rugged Finnish center Olli Jokinen (39 points in 39 games).

18–18–3 39 95 105 17.33% 82.39%

25. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (26): Yet another example of a talented player slipping through the cracks on draft day, winger Martin Erat (the 191st overall pick in the 1999 draft) is one of the Predators’ most reliable scoring threats (26 points in 34 games).

18–18–2 38 101 112 9.50% 86.47%

26 . ATLANTA THRASHERS (25): With 32 goals in 40 games, Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk is on pace to top the 60-goal mark; if he does, he’ll be the first NHLer to accomplish that feat since Mario Lemieux scored 69 times in 1995–96.

19–20–1 39 107 131 14.29% 81.82%

27. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (29): Alexander Ovechkin, like Kovalchuk, is on pace to score 60-plus goals. Unfortunately, the Caps’ supporting cast — with the notable exception of emergent defenseman Mike Green — has been maddeningly inconsistent.

16–19–5 37 112 123 14.45% 82.95% \

28. EDMONTON OILERS (27): His arrival at the trade deadline in 2006 was a boon for the Oilers, but it seems as though netminder Dwayne Roloson’s best days have passed; at this point, back-up Mathieu Garon (.912 SV%) is a much steadier option between the pipes.

16–20–4 36 93 120 10.59% 86.78%

29. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (28): With 58 points in 40 games, Vincent Lecavalier is leading the NHL in scoring, but the Lightning’s porous defense (league-worst 3.29 GAA) renders his offensive exploits irrelevant where the standings are concerned.

15–21–4 34 113 133 17.61% 85.00%

30. LOS ANGELES KINGS (30): Dustin Brown has made huge strides forward, leading the Kings in goals (19), leading the entire NHL in hits (172), and surpassing many of the organization’s more highly touted prospects on the strength of his hard-nosed play.

15–24–2 32 114 131 19.80% 81.76%

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