Unless you are the Detroit Red Wings, there is plenty of work to be done just to get into the National Hockey League playoffs before thoughts drift to making a run for the Stanley Cup.
After the league's return yesterday from its four-day All-Star Game break, teams will be gearing up for the stretch drive that has a little more than 30 games left per club. Parity is prevailing, and virtually no one is out of the running.
The only team that is truly safe is Detroit, which has a 22-point lead in the Central Division, a 17-point edge in the Western Conference, and a 12-point cushion in the chase for the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
Finishing on top doesn't ensure postseason success, however. Just ask the Buffalo Sabres, who stormed through the Eastern Conference a year ago but were knocked out in the semi-finals by the Ottawa Senators.
"Being first in your conference and playing the eighth seed, you have nothing to win really," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said.
"If you lose in the first round, you're a dog. That's probably the toughest round. Detroit is running away with their conference, for sure, and probably the Presidents' Trophy. Do they have much to play for down the stretch? You can find pros and cons with pretty much everything," he said.
The Red Wings were eliminated a step away from the finals last year by the eventual champions Anaheim after finishing tied with Buffalo for first in the NHL's overall standings.
The Presidents' Trophy winner hasn't captured the Cup since 2002 when Detroit did it. The Red Wings flamed out twice in the previous three seasons after finishing with the best record in the NHL.
"Yeah, there's no guarantees -- having a good regular season to then play well in the playoffs," Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.
The next-biggest division lead is in the Northeast, where Ottawa is six points ahead of surprising Montreal. There are two tied divisional races, and another where first and second place are separated by one skinny point. New York's Islanders and Rangers are tied for eighth -- the postseason cutoff -- in the Eastern Conference, 12 points below Ottawa but only nine in front of last-place Tampa Bay.
"It is hectic," Philadelphia forward Mike Richards said. "Every game counts. I looked at our schedule and we play our last five or six games against our division opponents. Coming down the stretch here, every game is going to be so important."
The Hurricanes, two years removed from their only Stanley Cup championship, come out of the break in first place. The Southeast is one of the NHL's most balanced -- some say weak -- divisions where seven points separate first place and fifth.
Carolina is one point ahead of Washington, with player of the year contender Alex Ovechkin, two in front of the Atlanta Thrashers, three above Florida, and seven ahead of Tampa Bay, which at 20 wins is tied for the fewest in the NHL.
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take
Australia yesterday won two of four races on the first day of the SailGP Sydney event on Sydney Harbour to finish the day atop the points table ahead of Britain and a French team who made an outstanding return after missing the first two events of the season. Australia also had a third and a second placing, finishing the day with 37 points, ahead of Britain with 32 points and France with 27. Britain won the second race of the day and Switzerland, who won the first race, were in fourth place overall. Australia’s prowess in the start box was again the