I just wanted to drop you guys a quick rundown of the top 8 teams in the NHL right now. So here you go:

Carolina Hurricanes:
Probably the biggest surprise this season (them and the Rangers), the Hurricanes have come flying out of the gates and absolutely dominated play in the first half. Sophmore Eric Staal leads the team with 65 points (7th in the league), a ressurgent Rod Brind'amour with 16 powerplay goals (leads the league with 805 Face Off wins) and stellar goaltending from Martin Gerber with 25 wins. Milbury castoff Peter Laviolette has organized his team into a legitimate cup contender.

Ottawa
See below.

Detroit Red Wings
Manny Legace has transformed from backup to starting goalie and has looked good in the role. He is a big part of the Red Wings continued dominance. Shanahan has adjusted well to the new rules (especially since he helped write them) and leads the Red Wings with 23 goals. Youngster Pavel Datsyuk is ready to take the face of the team from Yzerman, he has 39 assists and leads the team with 58 points. The Red Wings have surprised alot of sceptics thinking that the older players like Chelios, Lidstrom, Yzerman, and Schneider wouldn't be able to cope with new speed of the game, but they were obviosly wrong. The new Red Wings, look like the old Red Wings....damn good. Playoff Beard Alert: Brendan Shanahan, Chris Chelios, Matt Schneider

Dallas Stars
Another day, another shootout victory. Marty Turco is playing the best hockey of his career, and this team looks like the same one that won (stole) the cup from the Buffalo Sabres several years ago. Modano has found his legs again and leads the team with 50 points. Jere Lehtinen, one of the best defensive forwards in the game leads the team with 25 goals. Dallas currently sits 1 point behind the Red Wings in the West. Playoff Beard Alert: Sergei Zubov, Marty Turco

Philadelphia
Sitting 3rd in the East right now, the Flyers are actually on a bit of a slide, coming off a 6-0 beating at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Simon Gagne is having an amazing year with 34 goals, obviously the benefactor of being the linemate of Peter Forsberg. Unfortunately for the Flyers, and everyone expected this was Forsberg's injury history. When healthy he is probably the best player in the league. When healthy. He is currently out with a groin injury (again). Not counting last evening, Antero Nittymaki has provided Philadelphia with tremendous goaltending filling the void left by Robert Esche. Playoff Beard Alert: Peter Forsberg, Robert Esche, Derian Hatcher, Michal Handzus

Buffalo Sabres
Truly a team effort here. Like the Hurricanes, this is a team that has shocked everyone. Why? Rapid adjustment to the new NHL rules, speed, and work ethic. Ales Kotalik leads the team with 19 goals, Tim Connoly with 29 assists, and Chris Drury with 40 points. Stellar goaltending from Martin Biron and Ryan Miller round out the Sabres winning formula. The Buffalo Sabres sit fourth in the East with 65 points, just 3 behind the Flyers.

New York Rangers
Truly the biggest shock in the league has got to be the Rangers. Even as a fan I have kept my fingers crossed for the last 8 years hoping for the best....what has happened has been more than many of us in the blue seats could ever have imagined. The Rangers keys to success are very similiar to the Sabres, and Hurricanes. The most important being hard work. Every night they bring it. The coaching staff which has been exceptionally led by Tom Renney have this team prepared to play every night. Rookie goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has led the Rangers to 21 victories and rookie Petr Pruccha has 25 goals on the year. The return of Jaromir Jagr has been a huge part of this turnaround, leading the league with 75 points. The Rangers are tied with the Sabres with 65 points, and if they continue their inspired play, we could see the first New York Ranger team in the playoffs since 1996. I am holding my breath for this one.

Last nights scores:

Tampa Bay 6 Philadelphia 0 F
Detroit 1 Dallas 2 F (SO)
Pittsburgh 1 NY Rangers 7 F
Anaheim 6 Los Angeles 2 F
NY Islanders 4 Boston 3 F
Montreal 4 Toronto 3 F (OT)
Atlanta 1 Carolina 4 F
Nashville 3 Columbus 4 F
San Jose 2 Phoenix 6 F
Vancouver 4 Colorado 3 F (SO)

Game of the night:

Tampa Bay at Washington 3:00 PM

This one is all about Alexander Ovechkin. Just watch this kid play, he is the future of our sport.

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh