Power Rankings - A Devilish injury

Goaltender Scott Clemmensen of the New Jersey Devils is congratulated by Colin White after defeating the New York Islanders on Jan. 17, 2009. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

Ryan Dixon
2009-01-19 15:49:00

It looks as though we’ll finally find out if the critics are right about the New Jersey Devils.

The first thing we’ve heard on the heels of recent early playoff exits by the Devils goes something to the effect of, “If Marty Brodeur wasn’t too tired to lift his arms, New Jersey would still be playing.”

It took an injury to finally force Brodeur out of the Devils crease and everybody assumed the team would collectively throw in the towel after that happened.

But thanks to the strong play of Scott Clemmensen and a deep forward group, the Devils could very conceivably win the Atlantic Division.

Brodeur should return from elbow surgery before March, giving him just enough time to shake the rust before the post-season begins.

There will still be nobody like Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer or Ken Daneyko on the blueline, but another out-of-the-blue Jersey run to the final is not beyond comprehension.

THE HOCKEY NEWS POWER RANKINGS
RK.	TEAM	LW	OVERALL	L10	THE SCOOP
1		3	33-6-5	6-2-2	Sharks made a statement with their thrilling 6-5 win over the Wings
2		1	31-8-6	8-1-1	Ty Conklin's GAA is 2.21; Chris Osgood's is 3.23
3		2	33-8-4	7-3-0	Tremendous depth showing as Bruins continue to win despite a slew of key injuries
4		8	29-14-3	7-3-0	Nicklas Backstrom quietly putting together what could be a 90-point sophomore campaign
5		4	27-14-4	7-3-0	Jarome Iginla is on pace for just 32 goals, but could still top 90 points
6		5	27-11-6	8-2-0	Getting the results, but need to be tighter when holding third-period leads
7		10	27-16-4	5-4-1	Blueshirts are a very healthy team right now
8		6	25-10-8	5-4-1	Seem to be hitting a bit of a mid-season lull
9		11	27-15-3	6-4-0	It's been an NHL-record 6,502 days between regular season games for Brendan Shanahan with the Devils, but he's back where it all started
10		7	24-12-9	5-3-2	With Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in the middle, any chance Daniel Briere becomes a winger upon his return to the lineup?
11		13	22-19-4	7-3-0	One year after asserting himself in the Columbus crease, it appears Pascal Leclaire's season could end with ankle surgery. And the way Steve Mason looks, getting back in the Jackets goal won't be an easy task down the road.
12		12	23-19-5	6-4-0	After earning his first-ever NHL goal earlier this year, defenseman David Hale got crazy and added his second marker in 244 career games Saturday night in Calgary
13		15	23-17-5	7-3-0	Have to feel for Teppo Numminen; the 40-year-old returns from major heart surgery this year only to be struck in the face by a puck on Sunday. He'll be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his jaw
14		14	21-16-7	5-3-2	Gregory Campbell riding high with three goals and seven points over his past five contests
15		9	23-19-5	4-5-1	Ryan Getzlaf is becoming a monster up the middle; he's got points in 14 of his past 15 games and 19 in total over that stretch
16		18	23-20-4	4-6-0	Can a 33-save shutout against the Rangers help Marc-Andre Fleury turn things around?
17		22	19-17-7	5-3-2	Through the mess that is this season, the Stars are still just four points back of the playoffs and have played fewer games than any team in the West
18		21	23-19-3	6-4-0	Great to see big-game scorer Glenn Anderson get in the Hall of Fame and then have his No. 9 retired by the Oilers on Sunday
19		20	22-19-3	5-4-1	Andrew Brunette doesn't want to let a hurt knee end his streak of 497 consecutive games played. The Wild play Chicago Monday night.
20		16	21-20-5	4-6-0	Need to put the brakes on a five-game skid
21		19	23-22-1	4-6-0	Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk each got their 300th career goal in the same game
22		23	14-21-10	4-5-1	Maybe too much was expected of Steven Stamkos simply because recent No. 1 picks like Crosby, Ovechkin and Kane are all truly special offensive players
23		17	22-19-6	2-5-3	My guess is this is the lowest Vancouver will appear on this list; Roberto Luongo has shaken the rust and will help his team get things turned around
24		25	20-22-3	3-7-0	Steve Sullivan still as shifty as ever after his long hiatus from hockey
25		29	15-21-7	3-5-2	Showing signs of a death rattle, but it's going to take way more than that to get this team near the playoffs
26		26	17-23-4	4-5-1	Injury bug has a full on blood vendetta against the Blues this season
27		24	17-20-7	3-6-1	Even if you live in the east, make an effort to stay up and watch some Kings games; seeing Drew Doughty is worth blurry eyes in the morning
28		28	16-25-5	4-5-1	Is Ilya Kovalchuk accepting the captaincy a sign he wants to stick it out in Atlanta? My guess is no, but stay tuned.
29		27	17-21-7	3-6-1	One year after establishing himself as a true No. 1, Vesa Toskala's .833 save percentage is tied for last overall in the league
30		30	12-29-4	1-8-1	How bad are things going when you try to bring in newly signed goalie Wade Dubielewicz and he gets claimed on waivers by Columbus? Garth Snow must have hung up the phone after getting that call and thought: "Really? Like, really?"