Games of the week

Thursday, January 29: New Jersey at Detroit—Martin Brodeur and the suffocating Devils take on upstart Pavel Datsyuk and the explosive Red Wings in Hockeytown. These two teams have combined to win six of the last nine Stanley Cups.

Monday, February 2: Tampa Bay at Philadelphia—It’s a battle of Eastern Conference division leaders when Vincent Lecavalier and company travel to the City of Brotherly Love.

Rollin’

San Jose Sharks—The Sharks have taken 13 of their last 18 games, including wins over Vancouver, Colorado, and Detroit. Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has three shutouts in that span. The Sharks have struggled under high expectations the last few years, but are finally starting to live up to the hype, with a comfortable lead in the Pacific Division.

Colorado Avalanche—Winning 11 of their last 14 games, Colorado is starting to fire on all cylinders, which is bound to scare the entire Western Conference. Now, if they could only get Peter Forsberg back to 100 percent health.

Tampa Bay Lightning—Tampa Bay is averaging nearly four goals per game in their last 10, riding the red-hot play of diminutive winger Martin St. Louis to the top of the Southeast Division.

Stumblin’

Chicago Blackhawks—Not only are the Blackhawks among the saddest teams in the league, but they’re plagued with injuries. Bryan Berard and Alexei Zhamnov have been frequently hurt, and the team has four goalies who have played at least seven games.

Pittsburgh Penguins—The Penguins make the Blackhawks look like the 1980s Edmonton Oilers. They have a roster full of AHL talent, and all their hopes are pinned on 18-year-old goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

Mario Lemieux is out for the season, and has proven that he is another in a long line of star players-turned-bungling executives, such as Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, and Matt Millen.

Forward

Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers—The Thrashers forward has become a more complete player this season, but is still third in the league in scoring with 26-30-56 in 51 games.

Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning—St. Louis is tied for eighth in the league in scoring, with 49 points in 47 games.

Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins—The former No. 1 draft pick is fourth in the league in assists, and is a fan favorite.

Defense

Scott Niedermayer—New Jersey Devils—The smooth-skating and intelligent Niedermayer is among the scoring leaders for defensemen, and is a Norris Trophy candidate again this year. Look for him to finish near the top of the fastest-skater contest.

Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils—The mainstay of the Devils’ blueline is making his 14th All-Star game appearance, but may miss the game due to postconcussion syndrome.

Goalie

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils—Brodeur is the “goal standard” between the pipes in the NHL today, Brodeur has a league-leading 10 shutouts with a 1.86 goals against average.

Forward

Todd Bertuzzi, Vancouver Canucks—The gritty winger has 44 points in 50 games, and is third in the league with a plus 24 rating.

Bill Guerin, Dallas Stars—Tied for ninth in the league with 21 goals, Guerin makes his third All-Star appearance.

Mike Modano, Dallas Stars—Despite struggling with only 28 points in 45 games and being a minus 18, Modano has proven that he is still a fan favorite.

Defense

Rob Blake, Colorado Avalanche—Blake is second in defensemen scoring, and is a mid-season Norris Trophy favorite. His big shot and imposing presence on the blue line have made him a feared player.

Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings—Lidstrom, last year’s Norris Trophy winner, is a solid and reliable defenseman, with 25 points in 51 games.

Goalie

Marty Turco, Dallas Stars—It’s only fitting that three Stars are starting the All-Star game. Turco is first in the league in wins, and has a 2.07 goals against average for Dallas in the first half of the season and has been vital to their success thus far in the 2003-2004 campaign.

The Ex-Files

Adam Oates ’85 has seven assists in 28 games since signing with the Edmonton Oilers.

Joe Juneau ’91 is 4-10-14 and +1 in 44 games with the Montreal Canadiens.

Brad Tapper ’01 was traded to the Ottawa Senators organization, and was assigned to their AHL affiliate in Binghamton, where he has seven points (3-4) in nine games.

Marc Cavosie ’03 is 5-14-19 in 42 games with the Houston Aeros, the AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild.

Matt Murley ’02 has split time between the Pittsburgh Penguins and their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre. He has one goal in ten games for Pittsburgh, and is 7-19-26 in 35 games in the minors.

Eric Healey ’98 has 17 goals and 14 assists with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, the AHL affilate of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Neil Little ’94 was called up by the Philadelphia Flyers on January 23, but saw no action and was sent back down to the Philadelphia Phantoms the next day. He has a 2.02 goals against average in 22 games for the Phantoms.

Nolan Graham ’03 was acquired by the Long Beach Ice Dogs from the Alaska Aces. Both are ECHL teams. Graham only had four points in 20 games for Alaska, but already has eight points in nine games for Long Beach.