It's been a long time since the New Jersey Devils led the local teams in NHL power rankings. But that's the case this week, with the Devils moving up a jaw-dropping six spots to take fourth in the SB Nation.com NHL power rankings. ew Jersey Devils (4th place): The Devils are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, and are now only nine points out of a playoff position. In the beginning of the season where everything seemed to be going wrong for the Devils, they now find themselves in a position in which everything is going right. Ilya Kovalchuk seems to be finding his game, he's notched 21 goals so far this season. The Devils seem to be fine without Martin Brodeur, who's recovering from a knee injury, and have been winning big games against playoff opponents. It's all good for the Devils right now, which is a 180 degree turn from the all bad it was earlier in the season.
New York Rangers (9th place): Not much can be said for the Rangers recent fall-off except that it's come at one of the worst times possible. Sure, the Rangers have won three of their last five, but that hasn't done much to make up for their abysmal play post-All-Star break. The Rangers still have an eight-point cushion, but that's slightly skewed since the Buffalo Sabres have four games in hand. For the Rangers it's all about winning games, and while last night's victory over Carolina was huge, it's not enough as of yet. And the power rankings show that.
New York Islanders (11th place): This season might not be one to remember for the Islanders, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any bright spots. John Tavares is having a great year, posting 23 goals and 29 assists for 52 points in 58 games. Matt Moulson has 27 goals thus far this season. And the Islanders are surviving without oft-injured goaltender Rick Dipietro. And while the playoffs might not be in the Islanders sights this season, they have a good nucleus of young players who are primed to be ready for a playoff run in the next few seasons.
Keep it here for all your Rangers, Islanders and Devils news.
Loading comments...