THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

Lonnie White’s NHL rankings and comments:

1 DETROIT

(24-4-1-1) Russia now says that Fedorov will play in the Olympics.

2 N.Y. RANGERS

(17-9-2-1) Leetch, Rangers both having a rebound season.

3 CALGARY

(14-6-5-2) Iginla is the real deal, skating, scoring and fighting.

4 N.Y. ISLANDERS

(15-6-4-1) Still getting the points, even though play has slipped.

5 EDMONTON

(16-8-3-1) Not dominating at home as it did at season’s start.

6 TORONTO

(15-7-2-3) Leading the Northeast and playing like true contender.

7 ST. LOUIS

(13-8-4-1) Talented team is playing well again ... and winning.

8 DALLAS

(11-7-6-3) Turgeon’s back, team is on a roll--no coincidence there.

9 NEW JERSEY

(10-10-2-2) Played with plenty of grit in home-away series against Detroit.

10 BOSTON

(13-7-3-3) Thornton making strong push for Canadian Olympic roster.

11 PHILADELPHIA

(11-7-5-1) Think Clarke might be missing Ranger leader Lindros now?

12 COLORADO

(14-12-2-0) Never count out a team with Sakic, Roy and Drury.

13 SAN JOSE

(12-7-4-3) Pacific leaders hard to figure out, but they’re on a hot streak.

14 OTTAWA

(13-9-3-0) Has to work hard every night to win, and does.

15 MINNESOTA

(11-9-5-2) Power play keeps producing and team keeps winning.

16 CHICAGO

(13-9-7-0) Quick start barely a memory; slipping faster than tech stocks.

17 MONTREAL

(12-10-3-1) Losing Audette will hurt team’s recent upturn on offense.

18 CAROLINA

(12-11-4-3) Six points ahead of Capitals, who are making a run.

19 WASHINGTON

(11-13-3-0) Wilson’s squad beginning to translate talent into victories.

20 PHOENIX

(11-9-3-3) Young team gains confidence with each victory.

21 BUFFALO

(12-13-2-1) Kozlov finally is stepping up to become a force on offense.

22 PITTSBURGH

(10-11-3-2) It doesn’t help that Hlinka may sue for breach of contract.

23 VANCOUVER

(11-16-3-0) So much for the winning streak; team is struggling again.

24 KINGS

(8-13-3-2) Defenseman Modry quietly having solid season on offense.

25 TAMPA BAY

(10-14-1-1) Khabibulin great, but he needs help from the offense.

26 NASHVILLE

(9-15-3-0) Definitely not a good West Coast trip for struggling team.

27 FLORIDA

(6-15-2-3) Keenan will make team play more responsible hockey.

28 DUCKS

(8-16-3-0) Having McInnis on point during power play may help.

29 COLUMBUS

(7-14-5-1) Wishes it had Chris Pronger instead of his brother.

30 ATLANTA

(6-15-2-2) Big victory over Florida opened the door for Keenan.