So much for the notion that the NHL’s Western Conference would be well-balanced and highly competitive this season.

The Sharks (27-4-3) and Red Wings (23-7-4) have separated from the pack. The streaking Blackhawks (19-6-7) are threatening to do the same; they are in the midst of their first eight-game winning streak since 1981.

After the top three, the teams are bunching up. Back in the pack, the injury-riddled Avalanche (35 points in 34 games) and once-mighty Stars (33 points in 33 games) are playing .500 hockey. The Ducks (39 points in 35 games) and Wild (35 points in 33 games) are also battling that gravitational pull, along with almost every other team.

Colorado took another hit when center Paul Stastny suffered a broken forearm. He had scored 14 points in 11 games, shouldering a bigger load after Joe Sakic was sidelined by back and hand injuries.

“We’ve had our share of injuries the last couple years,” Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote told the Denver Post. “It’s no fun, but it’s part of the game. You don’t want to lose any guy from your team, but obviously it’s tough being without Paul and Joe.”

Only the Blues (29 points in 34 games) are threatening to fall out of the Western Conference race. This team can’t get Paul Kariya, T.J. Oshie and Andy McDonald back fast enough.

MAKING THE MOST OF THE WJC

Over on the NHL Network you can follow the World Junior Championships, which feature several Blues prospects. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo scored Team Canada’s final goal in an 8-1 rout of the Czech Republic Friday night.

Here is a primer on players to watch during this event. Note the high number of Blues draft picks on that list.

This tourney holds extra importance to Blues fans. With their injury-riddled team heading toward another lottery pick, they can watch top draft prospects like Team Canada center John Tavares and Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman show off their skills.

Tavares is off to a flying start. Check out his dexterity on this goal:

STEMPNIAK’S STRUGGLE

Demoted to the fourth line by Leafs coach Ron Wilson, old friend Lee Stempniak has been pressing lately. So he was relieved to finally score another goal for his new team.

He had scored just one during a 10-game span. “It was a bit of a relief,” Stempniak told the Toronto Globe and Mail.

What about Wilson’s line shuffling?

“I don’t know, as a player you’ve just got to prepare yourself for each shift,” Stempniak said. “What I’ve learned in my time in the league is you have to do what you do the best you can.”

AROUND THE RINKS: Winger Jonathan Filewich hit a rut in the Penguins farm system, but he is finding his old offensive game as a Riverman. He scored a goal and added two assists in a 4-3 victory at Grand Rapids. That was his first multi-point game in 24 outings . . . The Islanders finally got goaltender Rick DiPietro back from his knee injury . . . Old friend Doug Weight could be on the move again. He is flying for the Islanders, but that team could listen to trade offers from Columbus – a team that just lost rookie center Derick Brassard for the year . . .  Old friend Bill Guerin is also flourishing with the Islanders this season. He just netted his 400th career goal . . . The latest Sutter to play in the league is Brent, Darryl Suttter’s on. He joins one cousin (Brandon), his dad and uncles Brian, Ron, Rich, Duane and Brent . . . The Senators are touring North America with the WJCs underway in Ottawa. They are 0-1 on thier epic eight-game transcontinental road trip . . . The torrid Bruins may be without forwards Marco Sturm (sprained knee) and Patrice Bergeron (post-concussion syndrome) for some time . . . The Penguins are glad to have Ryan Whitney back on the defense, since Sergei Gonchar’s return is still months away. This has been a tough year for offensive defensemen league-wide . . .  Salavat Yulaev Ufa, the top team in Russian’s KHL, rolls along with former NHLers like Alexander Radulov, Alexander Perezhogin and Oleg Tversovsky piling up points . . . Blues prospect Nikolay Lemtyugov, who walked on the Rivermen earlier this month, is skating for Cherepovets Severstal.