Devilishly Good

The New Jersey Devils are back; well, almost. In spite of starting the season colder than the ice they play on, the Devils are on a streak as torrid as Hell itself.

Under rookie head coach John MacLean, the Devils started the year with an unimpressive 9-22-2. Frustrated, Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello relieved MacLean and brought back former head coach Jacques Lemaire on an interim basis. Since Lemaire's return, the Devils are 21-10-2. Although they are still just 30-32-4, the Devils sit a mere 8 points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. However, time is their worst enemy as just 16 games remain on their schedule.

What can this turn-around be attributed to? Though the Devils have scored the fewest goals in the NHL this season thanks in part to their slow start, the offense has been firing on all cylinders. Ilya Kovalchuk has led the way by tallying 14 goals and 27 points over the recent stretch, a major departure from his early scoring funk. His 9 game-winning goals are tops in the league.

Flashes of "Brodeur's Brilliance" which were few and far in between prior to Jan. 1, are much more common now. Prior to Tuesday night's 2-1 loss against the Ottawa Senators, Brodeur was 12-1-1 with a minuscule 1.70 GAA in his last 14 starts. Backup Johan Hedberg started 8 games in February, winning 7 straight. New Jersey is 11th in the NHL with a 2.54 GAA.

Lamoriello also made a savvy front office move by trading captain Jamie Langenbrunner, supposedly a bad influence in the locker room, to the Dallas Stars for a conditional third-round pick in 2011, clearing some bad air. Recently, veteran power forward Jason Arnott was dealt to the Washington Capitals in exchange for David Steckel and Washington's second-round pick in the 2011 draft. Arnott, an impending unrestricted free agent, was not posting the offensive statistics he is normally capable of and the Devils wanted something in return for the center. Fresh faces have proved beneficial.

However, the Devils winning streak has come at a price. At one point, the Devils held the worst record in the NHL, good (or rather bad enough) for the first-overall pick in the upcoming draft if they maintained their position of mediocrity. As of Mar. 7, the Devils have the sixth-overall pick, but still a decent shot at selecting top prospects such as Drummondville's Sean Courturier and Niagara's Dougie Hamilton. Lemaire and the Devils will almost certainly take a shot at a playoff berth as opposed to an early draft pick.

The Devils schedule, though certainly not as leisurely as spring break for college students, is not overly taxing. Six of their remaining games are against Eastern Conference teams outside of the eight playoff spots. Lately, the Devils have gained a reputation as "dragon-slayers." They have fared well against the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference, especially the Tampa Bay Lightning, whom they have shocked three out of their four meetings this season. On the scale of things, the Devils are fortunate and their playoff dreams are alive indeed.

There is a renewed enthusiasm in the New Jersey Devils organization as the team sets its sights on a playoff berth and what would be a comeback of epic proportions.