2012 NHL Playoff Race: Rangers Must Fight to Maintain Top Spot

The Atlantic Division has been one of the most competitive divisions in the NHL during the 2011-12 season. The New York Rangers have been sitting at the top looking down at their division rivals for the majority of the season, but down the stretch they will have to battle to maintain the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The regular season is winding down and, due to a minor losing streak and their Atlantic Division rivals getting hot at the right time, the Rangers find themselves closer than they would like in the standings.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently the closest. The Penguins have been strong all season without their captain, Sidney Crosby, and have racked up two separate eight-game winning streaks, something they never accomplished with Crosby.

The Penguins are getting Crosby back for the second time this season, with about a dozen games left on the schedule. While they already have a Hart trophy contender on their team in Evgeni Malkin, Crosby will be another valuable piece to help make a run at the top spot.

Aside from the Pens, the Philadelphia Flyers are also not far behind. The Flyers have been the NHL’s top scoring team all season, but they struggled to keep the puck out of their own net. Ilya Bryzgalov has finally started to play like an NHL goaltender and has even posted a three-game shutout streak.

The Flyers have plenty of young, energetic players and crafty veterans, which gives them a solid balance. Claude Giroux leads the team in points and is Philadelphia’s own Hart contender.

If the Flyers can continue to get all of their pieces to perform at the same time, they will be in the mix for the lead in the division.

The New Jersey Devils are currently fourth in the division and have quietly maintained a high point total all season. The Devils are currently 10 points behind the Rangers, so they are likely out of the race for the top spot in the division.

The Devils most likely will not win the division, but stranger things have happened.

The Atlantic Division is clearly the top division in the Eastern Conference and possibly the best division in the NHL. The Rangers have had a stranglehold on the top spot all season and have no intentions on giving it up so close to the end of the season.

While the Rangers will do everything they can to hold their top spot, their divisional rivals are going to do everything they can to knock them off.

Atlantic Division fans might be bitter rivals, but they can all agree that the finish of the regular season will be exciting to watch.