Top to Bottom : CAPSULES AND RANKINGS

1. New Jersey (16-6-0): Stingy defense wins 8 of 9.

2. Detroit (15-6-4): Champions quash Dallas, Montreal.

3. Dallas (15-7-4): Three shutout victories in last five.

4. Washington (13-8-3): Ends slump with 4-1-1 surge.

5. Kings (11-8-4): Goals, victories coming in bunches.

6. Pittsburgh (12-9-5): Jagr keeps 4-0-1 run going.

7. Colorado (11-6-7): Roy hurts shoulder, team aches.

8. Phoenix (11-9-2): Win 3 of 4 from bottom-feeders.

9. Philadelphia (13-8-3): Lethargic in 2-2 stretch.

10. Montreal (14-7-3): Fails big test against Detroit.

11. St. Louis (15-7-2): Offense gone in two shutout losses.

12. NY Rangers (8-9-7): Kovalev, Graves come alive.

13. Boston (11-9-4): Lost last two by shutout.

14. Ducks (9-11-5): Three shutout losses in last five.

15. Carolina (9-11-4): Hurricanes 8-4-2, but who’s watching?

16. Chicago (9-13-2): Power play awakens in 7-3-2 surge.

17. N.Y. Islanders (9-10-4): Blown out by Devils, Sabres.

18. San Jose (9-14-2): Stirring with 3-0-1 streak.

19. Ottawa (9-11-4): Blanked three times in 0-7-1 slump.

20. Buffalo (7-11-4): Can’t put streak together.

21. Edmonton (7-12-5): Back-to-back shutouts for Cujo.

22. Vancouver (6-14-3): Tough road ahead for Keenan.

23. Florida (7-12-4): See ya later, Doug MacLean.

24. Toronto (7-12-3): Only six goals in last five games.

25. Tampa Bay (4-16-2): First consecutive wins.

26. Calgary (4-15-6): Going nowhere, slowly.

GAME OF THE WEEK

VANCOUVER AT NEW YORK RANGERS

* When--Today. * Time--4:30 p.m. * TV--ESPN2.

* Storyline--Mark Messier makes his first visit to Madison Square Garden since he unhappily left as a free agent. It’s the second time back for Canuck Coach Mike Keenan, who coached the Rangers to the Stanley Cup in 1994 and bolted for St. Louis soon after. The Canucks, 2-1-1 since Keenan replaced Tom Renney, regained Martin Gelinas, who had a knee injury, but lost Trevor Linden because of a severe groin pull. The Rangers continue to stumble, none more than two-time Norris Trophy winner Brian Leetch, who has a minus-17 rating. But Pat LaFontaine is making a remarkable comeback from post-concussion syndrome, having collected 13 points in his last five games.