NHL TOP TO BOTTOM

1. Colorado (37-12-9-2) Only two victories in last eight.

2. St. Louis (37-13-7-2) Fine without Pronger, MacInnis.

3. Detroit (35-16-5-4) Looked strong Sunday beating Dallas.

4. Ottawa (33-16-8-2) Will this be a breakthrough season?

5. San Jose (32-16-10-0) Playing well without Nolan.

6. Dallas (33-20-5-1) Belfour 5-1-1 in last seven starts.

7. Philadelphia (32-18-9-1) Dealing Lindros will help Flyers.

8. Vancouver (30-19-5-5) Is Cloutier the answer in net?

9. New Jersey (29-15-12-3) Guess we’re just expecting more.

10. Washington (29-19-10-1) Unbeaten in nine consecutive.

11. Buffalo (31-22-5-1) Hasek reportedly not to be traded.

12. Pittsburgh (29-21-7-2) Closing gap on Eastern leaders.

13. Phoenix (27-18-12-2) Can Gretzky play for Coyotes?

14. Toronto (26-21-10-4) Desperate for Lindros and/or Blake.

15. Edmonton (26-24-9-2) Unimpressive in loss to Islanders.

16. Boston (25-23-6-5) Fighting for last playoff spot in East.

17. Carolina (25-23-7-3) On Bruins’ heels after victory Sunday.

18. Kings (25-25-8-1) Ticking sound is time running out.

19. Nashville (25-27-7-2) Remarkably close at this late stage.

20. Calgary (21-23-11-4) Missed a chance at .500.

21. Chicago (24-28-5-3) Sullivan underrated center.

22. Minnesota (22-25-8-3) Impressive victory over Sharks.

23. N.Y. Rangers (25-29-4-1) Rumors of a salary dump soon.

24. Montreal (20-31-5-4) Injuries wrecked season early.

25. Columbus (18-29-7-5) Attracted 19,000 to see Lemieux.

26. Florida (17-28-8-7) Why is this team so bad?

27. Atlanta (18-30-9-2) Will Audette be traded at deadline?

28. Ducks (17-31-8-5) Finally, home winless streak is over.

29. Tampa Bay (15-37-5-3) Getting Aucoin will help.

30. N.Y. Islanders (15-36-5-3) Should be sent to AHL.

Game of the Week

BOSTON at COLORADO

When--Wednesday. Time--7 p.m. PST. TV--ESPN2.

* Story line--No question, this would be a better matchup if Raymond Bourque were returning to Boston Garden for the first time since the Bruins dealt him to the Avalanche. But the Garden is now a parking lot and the Bruins play in something called the FleetCenter. Anyway, Boston fans will be eager to see Bourque take on the Bruins even if the game starts late on a school night in Denver. The Bruins have responded to Mike Keenan’s unique brand of coaching and have a good shot at reaching the playoffs. Colorado has struggled recently. It’s a good bet both teams will be at their best for this one. The Avalanche won’t want to let down Bourque, who has shored up its power-play unit and added to the team’s strength and experience on defense. Keep an eye on Colorado’s Joe Sakic, who is trying to become the first player other than Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux to win the scoring title in the last 20 years.