NHL Weekly Fives From the Sports Mac: November 3, 2010

Five Stories Making News The Past Week

1. The struggling Devils suffer another big blow with the loss of Zach Parise for three months following knee surgery.

2. The Los Angeles Kings are the new surprise team of the NHL as they top the league in points and have won seven of their last 10 contests.

3. The Penguins Jordan Staal fractures his hand and will miss six weeks for Pittsburgh.

4. Daniel Briere of the Flyers is suspended for three games for a late game cross check on the Islanders’ Frans Nielsen.

5. The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to lead the Southeast Division on the strength of Steven Stamkos and Guy Boucher’s new coaching style.

Best Five Teams Right Now

1. Los Angeles Kings (8-3-0, 16 points): The young Kings have won 8 of their first 11 games this season and are a surprise team at the top of the standings.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-2-1, 15 points): Coach Guy Boucher and his unique playing system have worked very well so far in central Florida.

3. Philadelphia Flyers (7-4-1, 15 points): Philadelphia has been red hot, winning four in a row which includes three straight wins on home ice.

4. Montreal Canadiens (7-4-1, 15 points): They were rolling, but have lost two in a row to put a damper on the Northeast Division leaders.

5. Chicago Blackhawks (7-6-1, 15 points): The defending champions have already played 14 games before the first full week of November and are the first team over 40 goals this year.

Worst Five Teams Right Now

1. New Jersey Devils (3-9-1, 7 points): The defensive nightmare continues as they are still giving up more than 3 goals a game and they lost one of their offensive weapons in Zach Parise.

2. Buffalo Sabres (3-7-2, 8 points): Ryan Miller is having a rough start to the season as he has given up 27 goals in only 10 starts so far this season.

3. Edmonton Oilers (3-5-2, 8 points): The young Oilers are experiencing some early growing pains as their creeping toward four goals against per game.

4. Florida Panthers (4-5-0, 8 points): Here’s the funny thing: Despite being under .500 and last in their division, they’ve actually outscored their opponents so far this season (24 to 21).

5. Anaheim Ducks (4-7-1, 9 points): The defensive woes continue for the Ducks who have been outscored by over a goal a game this year.

Five League Leaders To Keep Track Of

1. Steven Stamkos, Lightning C: He continues to be the lead horse in the Tampa Bay stable with his 19 points to lead the league.

2. Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks LW: He has been on a tear of late and has jumped to the top of the goal list with 10 scored in Chicago’s first 14 games.

3. Henrik Sedin, Canucks C: Still being a fine distributor on Vancouver’s top line as his 12 assists is tops in all of hockey.

4. Tim Thomas, Bruins G: Definitely still the hottest player in the league as he’s allowed just 3 goals in 6 starts to sit on top with just a 0.50 GAA.

5. Jonathan Quick, Kings G: One of the main reasons Los Angeles is the best team in the league right now as he has seven of the eight wins for the club this season.

Five Games To Watch Over The Next Week

1. Rangers at Flyers, 7:00 PM, Thursday: The first meeting of the season between the longtime rivals has both teams at the top of the Atlantic Division.

2. Bruins at Capitals, 7:00 PM, NHL, Network, Friday: The Bruins, and hot goalie Tim Thomas, get a test from Ovechkin and the rest of the Capitals.

3. Red Wings at Canucks, 10:00 PM, Saturday: Detroit travels to the Pacific Northwest in a matchup of teams that have lost just five times in regulation combined this season.

4. Flyers at Capitals, 5:00 PM, NHL Network, Sunday: Even though they’re in separate divisions, there are plenty of bad feelings between these regional rivals.

5. Canucks at Canadiens, 7:30 PM, Tuesday: Two of the six Canadian franchises renew acquaintances in Quebec.