NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE.(Brief Article)

WHO'S HOT

Bet you can't name the NHL's leading goal scorer. Mario Lemieux is not a fair guess, and you know it (but he is gaining). No, the answer" is Markus Naslund, the best Naslund to lace 'em up since Mats. Through Saturday he had 31 goals and had scored seven in his last seven games, although his Canucks won just three of those. And you thought the Sedins were the best Swedes on that team.

WHO'S NOT

With Paul Kariya out, German Titov had a chance to show he was worth the $4.6 million the Ducks are paying him over the next three years. Looks like he's an overpaid bust. Playing wing instead of center, Titov had less than mighty stats in the 16 games Kariya was injured. It left little doubt that Kariya and Teemu Selanne will be the biggest ducks on the pond until further notice.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME

With defensive leaders Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger out, the Blues will be in trouble. Foremost is how to kill penalties. Pronger pressured power-play units with his massive wingspan, and coach Joel Quenneville spelled him with cagey veteran MacInnis. Now Bryce Salvador and Jeff Finley are the go-to guys. Roman Turek will see a lot more rubber, ...