THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

1 DETROIT (37-10-6-2) Getting through the Olympics will be a major challenge.

2 COLORADO (30-19-6-1) Closing the gap but needs to stay healthy to catch Detroit.

3 CHICAGO (30-17-9-0) Another top team that went into All-Star break struggling.

4 PHILADELPHIA (32-14-6-2) Roenick was a one-man show throughout the All-Star break.

5 ST. LOUIS (29-15-6-3) Media may not like Johnson in goal but his teammates do.

6 BOSTON (30-15-3-7) Murray continues to score and play with heart since joining Bruins.

7 TORONTO (28-17-5-4) Sundin has developed into a strong leader for the Leafs.

8 OTTAWA (27-17-7-3) In a tight battle with Toronto to be called Canada’s top NHL team.

9 SAN JOSE (25-17-7-3) Still a difficult team to judge but talent is definitely there.

10 EDMONTON (25-20-9-2) MacTavish can only hope team gets act together again after Olympics.

11 CAROLINA (23-1910-5) Kapanen impressed veterans with his skills over weekend.

12 KINGS (25-20-7-4) Playing with plenty of confidence and still not playing great

13 N.Y. ISLANDERS (26-18-6-3) Yashin seemed very relaxed and happy at All-Star weekend.

14 N.Y. RANGERS (25-23-4-3) Blackburn has to rebound after poor back-to-back outings.

15 VANCOUVER (27-24-5-1) A big, strong and fast team that could be dangerous.

16 DALLAS (24-18-6-4) With Modano, the Stars could still make things interesting.

17 NEW JERSEY (23-20-7-3) Elias said players know they have to make things work now.

18 MONTREAL (22-21-8-3) Zednik and Gilmour are not getting the job done on defense.

19 PHOENIX (23-20-7-4) Briere and Handzus are playing well up front for Francis.

20 PITTSBURGH (22-23-5-3) Penguin fans have to be encouraged with Lemieux back.

21 BUFFALO (22-25-5-1) Connolly has a remarkable plus-15 rating for Sabres.

22 CALGARY (22-21-8-2) Now if only Vernon began to step up and earn his paycheck.

23 WASHINGTON (20-26-8-1) Wilson may not make it to the end of the season as coach.

24 DUCKS (19-29-6-3) Selanne didn’t have many great things to say about former team.

25 NASHVILLE (20-25-9-0) Ronning and Hartnell could help a team fighting for playoffs.

26 MINNESOTA (17-23-9-5) Even in low-scoring NHL, you have to score to win.

27 TAMPA BAY (19-27-6-2) Offense is not the same with St. Louis out of lineup.

28 FLORIDA (16-30-5-3) Expect Keenan to make some changes soon.

29 COLUMBUS (14-32-7-1) Sillinger has 27 points but has a minus-21 rating.

30 ATLANTA (13-29-6-4) Kovalchuk opened eyes by dominating YoungStars game.