| | After handling the Sharks with relative ease (6-3) last Wednesday, the Red Wings -- and their six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) -- are arguably the league's hottest team. But on Wednesday, Colorado comes to town, and memories of Detroit's playoff losses to the Avs remain fresh. Also, few matchups possess more appeal than Pittsburgh and Anaheim, with Jaromir Jagr and Paul Kariya dueling it out over who is the best player in the NHL.
Dallas at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. ET Monday
The defending Cup champs are hurting. Defenseman Richard Matvichuk has been placed on the Injured Reserve with a knee injury.
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Chicago at Detroit, 7 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN --
Gotta love any Original Six matchup. This one has great history. But while Detroit has won two Stanley Cups this decade, the Hawks have gone in the dumper. Chicago played pretty well in a 1-0 loss to the Wings on Saturday, but 17 shots won't get it done. When Detroit holds a team to that kind of total, they are on their game. It'll be interesting if the Hawks try and rough up Detroit and bring their style down a notch. |
But that's just the start. Here's a list of other guys with a varied array and degree of injuries:
Grant Marshall (groin)
Brian Skrudland (chest contusion)
Jere Lehtinen (ankle)
Shawn Chambers (knee)
Darryl Sydor (groin)
Joe Nieuwendyk (back spasms)
Somehow, the team continues to win, and it's scary to think how good the Stars can be if/when they're healthy.
On the other side of the ice is Toronto, which remains without Mats Sundin. To soften that blow, the Maple Leafs signed Dimitri Khristich, who should shore up any scoring deficiences.
Injuries aside, both Toronto and Dallas play superior team games and have excellent goaltending in Ed Belfour and Curtis Joseph.
Colorado at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, ESPN2
This game features the winners of three of the last four Stanley Cups. But the fact is that neither won it last season.
The Avalanche bounced the Wings from the playoffs last season, but may not be as formidable as in past years. Yet there's some serious young talent percolating in Colorado. Chris Drury, Milan Hejduk and Alex Tanguay comprise as talented a trio of youngsters as any NHL team can boast.
Detroit's roster remains intimidating, especially when everyone clicks. Players like Igor Larionov and Steve Yzerman play a smart and skilled game, whereas Darren McCarty and Brendan Shanahan power through the opposition. That contrasting combination could spell trouble for the visiting Avs.
Pittsburgh at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, ESPN2
Possibly, the three best players in the world. Come again? Well, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne and Jaromir Jagr may not be the actual top three if a vote were taken -- Selanne may drop to five or six -- but they may be the three most exciting players in the game today.
Due to some scheduling quirk, the Penguins have only played six games thus far, so they may not be in a regular-season rhythmn.
If Peter Skudra -- filling in for the injured Tom Barrasso -- doesn't play well, all the Jagrs in the world won't help Pittsburgh. His numbers have not been overwhelming (2-1-2, 2.99 GAA, .876 save pct.), but a big game from him on the road would go along way toward establishing a confidence level high enough for the team to go on a roll.
For the Ducks, Kariya's start (3-7-7 in eight games) may be considered slow for his standards, yet his plus-7 -- Selanne is plus-7 as well -- signifies a dominance by his line.
Selanne (4-7-11) has been on fire, so there's every reason to think the Ducks will score a few goals in this one. | |
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