THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

Lonnie White’s NHL rankings and comments:

No. Team (Rec.) Comment

1 DETROIT

(17-3-0-1) Fedorov may skip the Olympics and not play for Russia.

2 CALGARY

(13-2-2-2) Making a huge commitment to Turek after only two months.

3 EDMONTON

(13-5-3-1) Grier line will have to pick up scoring with Smyth sidelined.

4 N.Y. RANGERS

(13-7-1-1) Richter’s strong play being overshadowed by Lindros drama.

5 TORONTO

(12-4-2-3) Playing well after brutal back-to-back battles with New Jersey

6 CHICAGO

(12-6-4-0) Sutter not happy with team’s slip after torrid start.

7 N.Y. ISLANDERS

(12-5-2-1) Peca frustrated with team’s inability to close out games.

8 CAROLINA

(11-8-3-2) Biggest problem is that team isn’t any good on the road.

9 PHILADELPHIA

(10-6-3-0) Goaltenders Cechmanek and Boucher keep rolling along.

10 BOSTON

(10-5-3-2) Guerin has improved, playing on line centered by Stumpel.

11 OTTAWA

(11-6-2-0) Impressive home overtime victory over Maple Leafs on Saturday.

12 SAN JOSE

(9-5-4-3) Damphousse’s scoring continues to spark offense.

13 PHOENIX

(8-6-3-3) Getting solid numbers from Kolanos and Langkow.

14 ST. LOUIS

(9-6-3-1) Goaltending has suddenly become a strong point.

15 NEW JERSEY

(8-7-1-2) Robinson’s team just cannot find the groove.

16 DALLAS

(7-7-4-3) An injury-free Modano makes a huge difference.

17 COLORADO

(10-10-1-0) Roy, his hip no longer sore, wins games.

18 PITTSBURGH

(8-7-3-2) Hedberg giving team a chance to win every night.

19 VANCOUVER

(9-11-2-0) Maybe bringing back Linden was the answer.

20 MINNESOTA

(7-8-4-1) May have a good player to keep around in Gaborik.

21 NASHVILLE

(7-10-3-0) Ronning is quietly having an outstanding season.

22 MONTREAL

(8-8-2-1) Therrien doing well enough to be given one-year extension.

23 BUFFALO

(8-12-1-1) Biron and Satan are providing good production.

24 MIGHTY DUCKS

(6-11-3-0) Going to struggle without Carney and Rucchin in the lineup.

25 WASHINGTON

(7-11-2-0) Wilson’s job may be in trouble if team keeps losing.

26 KINGS

(5-11-2-2) Losing Deadmarsh to injury is a major blow offensively.

27 TAMPA BAY

(6-10-1-1) Reports have franchise looking for new ownership.

28 FLORIDA

(5-11-2-3) Forget what I said about Kidd; Luongo is the man.

29 COLUMBUS

(5-12-4-0) Team celebrating like Stanley Cup champs after recent win.

30 ATLANTA

(4-12-2-2) Not a whole lot to get excited about in the Peach State.