NHL Team Ranking: Jan. 15, 2003
January 15, 2003
The Ottawa Senators remain first overall on thehockeynews.com's weekly NHL Team Rankings.
Rankings are for games played up to Jan. 14, 2003.
1. Ottawa (1)
Good: Three shutouts in a row for Patrick Lalime.
Bad: Lalime was pulled for the second time this year, in a 6-4 loss in Vancouver. In his next three games, however, he had shutouts.
Curious: The Senators beat the Oilers after going winless against them in their previous 13 games (0-10-3). Their last win against them was in 1994.
2. Dallas (2)
Good: 5-0-1 in January, the only undefeated team in 2003.
Bad: A broken bone in his leg will put Richard Matvichuk out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks.
Curious: Mike Modano was the player of the week after scoring nine points (3-6-9) in four games.
3. Detroit (4)
Good: The Red Wings have still not lost two games in a row. They are 9-0-2 in games following a loss.
Bad: Luc Robitaille went 12 games without a point, before getting an assist in 5-4 win over Chicago. He has one goal in his last 23 games.
Curious: Detroit is 7-1 in overtime decisions, the seven wins the most in the league. Last year, Detroit won 10 overtime games, also most in the league.
4. New Jersey (5)
Good: The Devils have yet to go consecutive games without earning a point.
Bad: Despite being among the league leaders in shots on net, they have one of the lowest shooting percentages at 8.0.
Curious: Mike Rupp scored two goals in his NHL debut on January 13 in a 6-2 victory over Florida, which happened to also be his birthday.
5. Philadelphia (6)
Good: A six-game winning streak, four of them on the road, before it ended against Atlanta.
Bad: 7-4 loss to Atlanta, at home?
Curious: The Flyers outshot Atlanta 42-22 in their 7-4 loss. The previous time they outshot an opponent by 20 or more shots, against Pittsburgh Nov. 27, they lost 7-2.
