Atlantic Division Preview

2008-09 Atlantic Division Standings

New Jersey – 51-27-4 – 106 pts
Pittsburgh – 45-28-9 – 99 pts
Philadelphia – 44-27-11 – 99 pts
New York Rangers – 43-30-9 – 95 pts
New York Islanders – 26-47-9 – 61 pts

In 2008-09, the Atlantic Division produced four of the Eastern Conference’s playoff participants, and the eventual Stanley Cup champions. Aside from the lowly Islanders, any meeting between these division rivals was an excellent watch. Three of the league’s top goalies and some of the game’s brightest stars play each other 8 times a season, making for some of the best regular competition in the NHL. With the Islanders finally making a concerted effort to get back into contention, the Atlantic Division should be even more entertaining in 2009-10.

All five teams in the Atlantic have their own styles of play, leading to some very different understandings of offense. With the hiring of Jacques Lemaire, the Devils should be even more defensively minded next season. The Rangers had one of the poorest offenses in the league this season, but added speedy winger Marian Gaborik to their roster in an effort to fix that. The best offense in the division, however, is clearly in Pittsburgh, where Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin will be looking to defend their 2009 Stanley Cup title. Don’t count out the Flyers, however, as they have some of the best young two-way players leading their squad. imagesearch: Mike Richards

The Rangers and Devils may not have the offense to match up with Pittsburgh, but they certainly have the defense. The Devils have been among the league’s best defensive teams since they adopted the neutral zone trap in the early nineties, and they haven’t changed much since. The Rangers, however, have been developing a very strong group of talented young blueliners, headlined by Marc Staal. Philadelphia made one of the biggest acquisitions of the offseason when they added Chris Pronger. Pittsburgh’s defense is none too shabby either, as the Pens’ D came up big down the stretch in the Cup Finals.

Trying to decide which team in the Altantic Division has the best goalie is a very difficult task. In New Jersey, Martin Brodeur is wrapping up a Hall of Fame career, but continues to play nearly as good as ever. Henrik Lundqvist has been one of the most successful keepers in the regular season, although he and the Rangers haven’t had quite the same luck in the playoffs. Marc-Andre Fleury showed he could hang with the best of them as he shut down the high-powered Red Wings in the last two games of the Cup Finals. The Flyers are hoping that Ray Emery can be the answer to their goaltending problems, while the Islanders look like they’re beginning to regret signing Rick DiPietro to that 15 year contract, as they signed both Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson this offseason. All in all, there is no shortage of capable goaltending in the Atlantic, and picking one team which stands out above the rest is impossible.

2009-10 Standings Prediction

Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders