NHL: Highs and Woes of The Atlantic Division

The Atlantic Division has been known around the league to be the most competitive and heated rivalries have been established. This season is no different, however, there are some interesting shifts in position for the teams within this division. Perennial playoff teams in the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers have both struggled mightily, the New Jersey Devils have soared above the rest and the New York Islanders have impressed by hovering around a .500 record all season. The only constant is the defending champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, who somehow continue to win.

Let's start with the Devils: The Devils seem to impress more and more as this season goes along, despite the amount of injuries that have piled up. Before the season started, there were alot of questions surrounding this team, such as whether Martin Brodeur could continue to provide good goaltending at the ripe age of 37; can this team score enough goals to win games and whether a lack of depth could be costly down the stretch if injuries occur.

Well it looks like all three of those questions have been answered with a resounding yes. Brodeur has played like the Hall of Fame caliber goalie he has always been, and is just one shutout away from breaking the all-time record for shutouts by a goaltender. He currently sits 1st in the NHL in wins and his 2.10 goals against average is best for 5th in the league.

In terms of goal scoring ability, the Devils are slighty lower in goals per game from last season but have improved in the goals against category. When you look at the Devils lineup, you see that there are only a few pure goal scorers (Parise, Rolston, Elias), however this year has had its suprises such as the emergence of Niclas Bergfors and the resurrection of Jamie Langenbrunner. It also helps when more than just the top line can produced, as evidenced by the combined 58 points by the team's second line.

There was also the notion that the Devils lack depth that would keep them as a contender in the East. Well, those allegations have been snuffed out by the many players who have filled in for regulars. Defenseman Andy Greene has established himself as a nice addition after getting called up from Lowell to replace Paul Martin. Greene has been a shutdown force, teaming up with Bryce Salvador and his skills on the offensive end have improved. Other players such as Matt Halischuk, Mark Fraser, Ilkka Pikkarainen and Vladimir Zharkov are examples of impacting fill-ins.

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