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 Tuesday, October 26
Red Wings maintain flight, Sharks sink
 
 Oct. 25, 1999

Detroit clarified a few things last week. They are the best team in the NHL right now, and the Sharks may not be ready for the big time ... yet. Ottawa, Dallas and Toronto have experienced some bad luck on the injury front, yet continue to win hockey games. And then there was one: Chicago remains the sole winless team in the NHL.

ESPN.com's secret formula has taken it all into account for this week's Power Rankings. To right any wrongs in these rankings, click here and give us a few Rank Comments of your own.

Team PVS W-L-T-RT ESPN.com says
1.   Red Wings 1 6-1-1-0 The Cup isn't won in October, but 13 goals against in eight games is impressive in any month.
2.   Senators 4 6-2-1-0 Is Joe Juneau the answer for Alexei Yashin and Daniel Alfredsson? No. But it doesn't matter with these guys.
3.   Stars 5 6-3-1-0 With so many injuries ... and wins, coach Ken Hitchcock is proving his worth as a coach.
4.   Coyotes 7 5-1-3-0 Coach Bob Francis should learn from last year's start -- and finish. BUT, it's still better to start well than to stink.
5.   Devils 3 4-3-1-1 Brendan Morrison and Patrik Elias signed, adding depth up front. The down side is that neither is happy with their deals, especially Morrison.
6.   Blues 14 6-3-0-0 Without Al MacInnis and Geoff Courtnall, the Blues keep winning. Rumors are circulating that GM Larry Pleau may trade for Bill Guerin.
7.   Kings 6 5-3-2-0 Kings break the ice at Staples Center. Goalie Stephane Fiset remains key to success because L.A. will score.
8.   Maple Leafs 8 6-3-1-0 Dimitri Khristich signing: All they need is another great regular-season player with little production when it counts.
9.   Avalanche 12 5-3-2-0 Joe Sakic (4-8-12) quietly leads the team with Peter Forsberg on the shelf.
10. Sharks 2 7-5-0-0 Up and down. Up and down. This week: Down.
11. Flyers 18 4-5-1-1 Two wins were against the lifeless Rangers, but four in a row is tough to complain about. The Beezer and Mark Recchi key the turnaround.
12. Predators 21 4-3-1-0 The first winning record in franchise history is enough to vault the Preds. It may be short-lived with games vs. Sharks and Canucks this week.
13. Panthers 9 5-3-1-1 Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican and Ray Whitney out with groin injuries. C'mon trainers and coaches. Get guys in shape and keep 'em that way.
14. Canucks 17 5-3-2-1 Mark Messier playing as if ... he's in a contract year. Accusations aside, he's been solid. And where did Peter Schaefer come from?
15. Hurricanes 13 4-2-3-0 Sami Kapanen (plus-11), Ron Francis (plus-11) and Bates Battaglia (plus-10) have been dominant in all phases.
16. Penguins 10 2-2-2-0 Pens have played half as many games (6) as the Rangers (12) but have scored three more goals (24) than the Blueshirts (21).
17. Bruins 28 2-5-4-0 After finishing 2-0-1, perhaps the Bruins should consider staying on the road. Rob Tallas and John Grahame haven't been the problem.
18. Mighty Ducks 16 4-5-1-1 Without balanced scoring, the Ducks won't leave the Pacific basement, which is actually a decent piece of real estate considering how strong a divsion it is.
19. Capitals 19 2-3-2-0 To compete for the playoffs, the Caps must win more (1-2-1) at home.
20.Rangers 11 4-7-1-0 Team hasn't scored in more than 230 minutes. Is Dave Checketts flipping a coin: heads, GM Neil Smith gets the ax ... tails, coach John Muckler gets it?
21. Oilers 15 2-5-2-2 Holdout Bill Guerin rumored to be going everywhere. Meanwhile, Oilers have hit the skids.
22. Sabres 22 1-6-2-0 Despite getting a win last week, witnesses say teammates were bickering with each other in Saturday's 4-0 loss to Ottawa. Not good.
23. Canadiens 20 3-7-0-0 Brian Savage (10-4-14) is about all there is to talk about with this team.
24. Flames 23 2-6-2-0 Grant Fuhr gets win No. 400, but the team has allowed an eye-popping, league-leading 38 goals against.
25. Lightning 24 2-4-1-1 May have found netminder of future in Dan Cloutier (2.67 GAA).
26. Islanders 26 2-4-1-0 A 1-0-1 week wasn't bad, but don't forget these guys lost to Atlanta and Tampa Bay this season.
27. Thrashers 25 1-4-2-1 Scoring 2.29 goals per game won't result in many more wins.
28. Blackhawks 27 0-4-4-0 They may not be the NHL's worst team on paper, but at least everyone else has won a game.
 


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