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The Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler generally get most of the ink when it comes to the Vancouver Canucks, but a wily veteran is making his presence felt too. Right winger Mikael Samuelsson has been one of the NHL’s hottest scorers of late with six goals and 12 points in his past six games as the Canucks cling to No. 1 overall. The 34-year-old Swede is one of the reasons why the Canucks are considered solid Stanley Cup contenders. |
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| TW | LW | Team | Our Take |
| 1 | 1 | 
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Injuries continue to plague the Canucks blueline, but thankfully Sami Salo has returned and the team has managed to continue its winning ways. |
| 2 | 2 | 
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A lack of scoring chances causes coach Peter Laviolette to change his lines around and the result is a 1-0 loss to the Kings. Back to the drawing board. |
| 3 | 3 | 
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One game after going – gulp! – minus-4 in a 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, defenceman Marc-Andre Bergeron scores the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. He is forgiven. |
| 4 | 7 | 
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The Red Wings are healthy and winning again. After going seven games without scoring, Todd Bertuzzi has back-to-back two-goal efforts. |
| 5 | 4 | 
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Still no signs of a Sidney Crosby return, but the Penguins are keeping their heads above water – barely. |
| 6 | 8 | 
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Wake-up call! The Bruins were coasting along nicely until a two-game series with the Red Wings during which they were outscored 10-3. |
| 7 | 6 | 
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The Caps insist they are concentrating on being better defensively, but it sure didn’t look like it when they allowed three third-period goals in a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Saturday. Perhaps it’s time to open things up. |
| 8 | 5 | 
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The Stars were one of the NHL’s surprise teams leading up to the all-star break, but have been in a bit of a free fall of late with just two wins in their last nine games. |
| 9 | 10 | 
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Jonas Hiller returns from the injured reserve list to record the easiest shutout he’ll ever get, a 4-0 decision with a whopping 12 saves against Edmonton. |
| 10 | 9 | 
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David Desharnais continues to make a name for himself with 11 points in 18 games, including a goal and two points in a 3-0 win against Toronto Saturday night. |
| 11 | 15 | 
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Keith Yandle continues to lead all defencemen in scoring with 46 points in 57 games despite only managing one point in his past five games. The goods news, however, is the fact the Coyotes have won four straight. |
| 12 | 11 | 
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The Predators make a bold statement about their intentions this season, trading away a first-round draft pick for a No. 2 centre in Mike Fisher. |
| 13 | 12 | 
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Just when it looked like the Sharks were hitting their potential, they drop two in a row. Oh well, 7-2-1 in their last 10 is still pretty good. |
| 14 | 16 | 
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Three straight wins and eight in their last 10 games is good enough to shoot the Wild into a playoff spot in the wild, wild Western Conference. |
| 15 | 17 | 
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It is safe to see the Kings are back. A hard-fought 1-0 win over the Flyers gives Los Angeles two straight wins and leaves them 4-0-2 to begin their 10-game road trip. |
| 16 | 18 | 
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The Cinderella Flames were one of the NHL’s hottest teams until they dropped a pair including an eye-opening 4-2 loss to Vancouver. |
| 17 | 13 | 
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With just three wins in their last 10 games, GM Glen Sather has indicated just about everyone on the team – including superstar Marian Gaborik – is available for trade. |
| 18 | 14 | 
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Two losses in a row has the defending champions on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned and potentially the first team since the Carolina Hurricanes to win the Cup and miss the post-season the next year. |
| 19 | 19 | 
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Veteran Erik Cole’s 16th goal of the season allows the Hurricanes to snap a three-game losing streak with a win over Atlanta to put them ahead of the Thrashers and back into the playoffs. |
| 20 | 22 | 
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Just when it looked like the season was a write-off, the Blue Jackets have discovered a winning formula, thanks in a large part top five straight road wins. |
| 21 | 21 | 
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Expect the Thrashers, who have dropped four of their past five games, to be sellers at the trade deadline. One untouchable, though, is captain Andrew Ladd, who is enjoying a career year. |
| 22 | 20 | 
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With no points and a minus-4 rating in two games, Peter Forsberg's return wasn't what he hoped for. |
| 23 | 23 | 
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The Sabres were rolling along nicely until they ran into scoring machine Michael Grabner and the New York islanders. |
| 24 | 25 | 
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A great start to the season is all but forgotten as the Blues lose two straight and six of their past 10, with the playoffs now a long shot. |
| 25 | 24 | 
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The Panthers beat the visiting San Jose Sharks to snap a five-game losing streak at home. |
| 26 | 26 | 
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The impossible has happened. Coach Jacques Lemaire has turned Ilya Kovalchuk into a productive team-first player. |
| 27 | 28 | 
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With nine goals in his past five games, rookie Michael Grabner has thrust himself into the Calder Trophy race. |
| 28 | 27 | 
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Remarkably the Maple Leafs are still talking playoffs despite the fact they reside in 26th place. |
| 29 | 29 | 
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Get ready for a huge garage sale. The trading of popular Mike Fisher is only the beginning of the dismantling of the Senators. |
| 30 | 30 | 
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Hey, the Oilers are a young and growing club, but 12 shots on goal in a game? Come on guys! |
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