Not much to choose from between first, worst

The Northeast Division was hardly the NHL’s elite last season. The upstart Buffalo Sabres won it with 92 points. No other division champion had fewer than 104. The Pittsburgh Penguins, the second best team in the Northeast had a mere 84 points and no other team had a .500 record. For 1997-98, it’s not likely to be a whole lot better. Eighty-five points could win the Northeast and no team, not even the defending champion Sabres, could be considered an early favorite. The Montreal Canadiens were a team in turmoil last season, but things seem to have taken a turn for the better. There’s a new coach, Alain Vigneault, and he’s likely to impose some discipline and order on a team that was emotionally out of sync all season. The Canadiens added even…

Stars raise playoff bar

It has taken a change of owners, a change of coaches and a major change of attitude to make the Dallas Stars serious Stanley Cup contenders. But as serious contenders go, the Stars have precious little playoff experience. Going just one round last season was a major disappointment and it should keep players humble enough during the regular season. “We said even before last year’s playoffs, that you don’t measure the success of your team in the regular season,” said center Guy Carbonneau. “It’s the same thing this year.” The Stars addressed a few of their problems in the off-season, acquiring free agent Ed Belfour to strengthen their goaltending and adding defense-man Shawn Chambers in the hopes he’ll be a catalyst to a better power I play. They also let go eight players…

Kariya top Duck at left wing

Carey ready for challenge

If patience, determination and self-confidence count for anything, Jim Carey would challenge for the Vezina Trophy again in 1997-98. Those qualities don’t mean a thing around an NHL crease, though, if the guy doesn’t stop the puck. A goalie can essentially be as lazy, selfish or downright bizarre as he wishes, as long as he gets the job done. So the Boston Bruins, who acquired Carey March 1 in a blockbuster seven-player swap, were unmoved when Carey calmly and sincerely explained last spring how certain he was he’d bounce back from his first poor NHL season. After a summer-long search for a dependable veteran backup still capable of filling the No. 1 job if needed, the Bruins traded instead for a young netminder they think will threaten Carey’s status. “The acquisition of Byron…