Power rankings do not mean anything to me.  I don't care for them at all.  They're useless and full of inaccuracies.  But, when TSN.ca decided to rank Ottawa ahead of Montreal and New Jersey yesterday, I maddened and screamed.  What have the Senators accomplished recently to justify the fourth spot?  I can easily justify the Devils recent road success, recording four wins on the road, including two consecutive at western conference foes.  In fact, the Devils maintain the second best record (7-3-0) for an eastern conference

It was quite a homecoming for several Devils players this past weekend when they visited the Minnesota Wild.  Jamie Langenbrunner, Paul Martin and Zach Parise all returned home, surrounded by dozens of family members and friends.  You had the captain, the No. 1 defenseman and team scoring leader all originate from what’s now known as Hockeytown USA.  Just unbelievable.  Paul Martin returned home this past weekend to Minneapolis, where he first starred in high school and then in the University

Last night, Zach Parise's goal with 48.3 seconds left in regulation secured the Devils 2-1 win over the Maple Leafs. However, Leafs fans are angry as hell.  They wanted to know why Jamie Langenbrunner can barge into Toronto's goaltender Vesa Toskala without an interference penalty called.  In fact, Langs' collision with Toskala happened seconds before Parise found the loose puck and pushed it by the Leafs netminder. Let's review the play and determine if Langs committed a minor infraction. 

Zach Parise assured the Devils that first place in the Eastern Conference belonged to them for at least a second consecutive night.  Parise scored the decisive tally with 48.3 seconds left in regulation, lifting the Devils to a 2-1 win over the Leafs.  In fact, he also scored New Jersey’s first goal, giving him five in the last three games, while Martin Brodeur backstopped the Devils to victory, making 41 saves.

The Devils have rebounded in a hurry, winning two straight after dropping three consecutive games due to inefficient and unbalanced scoring. Zach Parise's three goals in the last two games and Patrik Elias' "Mr. Overtime" status have carried the Devils into the Eastern Conference lead with a matchup in Toronto tonight. In fact, the Devils visited the Leafs this past week, earning a 4-1

Throughout his career, the Devils have relied upon Patrik Elias's experience and ability to perform down the stretch.  He carried the team yet again last night.  Elias’s goal with 58 seconds left in overtime boosted New Jersey (26-35-7) to a 2-1 decision over visiting Tampa Bay (39-23-6) at the Prudential Center and, more importantly, sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.

Competing in front of an announced attendance of 15,670, the Devils outshot the Lightning 33-22, dominating many aspects of their fourth and

In a surprising move, Devils head coach Brent Sutter shifted sophomore Travis Zajac from center to right wing for tonight's home contest versus Tampa Bay.  Devils beat writer Tom Gulitti broke the story yesterday, reporting that Dainius Zubrus will move into the center slot and Mike Rupp the left wing.  Gulitti added that Sutter might revert to Zajac at center and that his plan is definitely not final.

Meanwhile, the Devils welcome the Lightning for a 7:00 p.m.

With the clock ticking, I reveal my predictions for the regular season's most valuable player, rookie, defenseman and goaltender. Then, not in any order particular order, I offer my "two cents" on the Eastern and Western Conference representatives fighting in the Stanley Cup Finals. Warning Sign: Detroit and Pittsburgh WILL NOT compete in the championship round despite their best efforts this season, due to their goaltender issues. Although Ty Conklin has successfully taken over the goaltender reins in Fleury's absence, Conblock cannot dominate a seven-game series.

The Devils quickly ended a two-game losing drought with an important 4-1 decision over the Maple Leafs last night.  Zach Parise tallied twice, snapping a 4-game pointless streak, David Clarkson scored for the first time in 11 games, and goaltender Martin Brodeur stopped 41 shots in front 19,507 at the Air Canada Centre. “We played pretty well outside of a few minutes in the second period,” head coach Brent Sutter said afterwards.  “Marty made some huge saves.”

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that captain and reigning MVP Sidney Crosby will return to the lineup tonight against Tampa Bay. Crosby missed 21 games due to a high ankle sprain he suffered on Jan. 18. The team originally expected Crosby to return mid-March, so this is a surprise. Whether Crosby can make a successful comeback will arguably determine the Penguins regular season and postseason hopes.

During his absence, the Penguins registered a 11-6-4 record, utilizing Evgeni Malkin’s dominance (36

Globe and Mail writer and blogger James Mirtle lists the top performers in the month of February, which you can also find on Sportsnet.ca. With 15 points, Devils offenseman Patrik Elias just made the list. However, one should note his disparity in goals scored (3) and assists produced (12), tied with four others for third place overall. The Devils also dominated the plus minus rating. They maintained four of the five top ratings, including Elias' league-leading plus 13,  Paul Martin's

The previous game, a 4-0 loss Washington, I described as unintelligent. Head coach Brent Sutter ensured a more competitive match in the second half of a back-to-back stretch, yet the Devils fell for the third straight game, 2-1 to Montreal, in front of a soldout raucous crowd of 21,273 at the Bell Centre.

Both teams worked hard in the first period, with the Devils leading 13-8 in shots on goal. However, after 20 minutes of action, the game remained scoreless.

Marian Hossa suffered a sprained MCL in his Pittsburgh Penguins debut and the team expects him to miss about one week with the injury. The Pittsburgh Union-Tribune reported the injury after the Penguins 5-1 loss to Boston on Thursday night. In my opinion, this news will not only hurt the Penguins on the ice, especially since Sidney Crosby is also on the sidelines, but off the ice as well. The team traded awa several of its young players and a first round draft choice for Hossa, an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and now has to overcome his loss with a group of minor leaguers.