Power Rankings: Brodeur's return leads Devils back into top spot
![[+]](http://web.archive.org/web/20090306082603im_/http://a.espncdn.com/community/widgets/i/add_widget_bug.jpg)
ESPN.com
It is hockey fans' favorite time of the season, when players are traded faster than our old hockey cards. A season's worth of whining from general managers about the inability to swing a trade is erased by the urgency of the trade deadline.
We'll have to wait to see what impact these moves have on the standings and Power Rankings, but last week's biggest move -- Martin Brodeur's return from injury -- helped the Devils jump back into first on our list.
As usual, voice your opinion here.
-- By Jim Wilkie; posted March 2| 2008-2009 Power Rankings: Week 19 | ||||
| RK (PV) | TEAM | REC. | COMMENT | |
 |
Three games, three victories, two shutouts and two goals against: Martin Brodeur wants to get the career wins and shutouts records wrapped up by season's end. | |||
 |
Alex Ovechkin & Co. get a chance to sweep the Penguins on Sunday, and who can begrudge him a little victory celebration under those circumstances? | |||
 |
Poor St. Louis is next up for the Red Wings, who will have had three days to think about getting hammered 8-0 by the Predators. | |||
 |
Caps forward Alexander Semin's 80-foot blast that beat the Bruins will uncork a barrage of Doubting Thomases. | |||
 |
Can GM Doug Wilson find the missing ingredients for a long playoff run before Wednesday's trade deadline? | |||
 |
Calgary begins a seven-game, 12-day road trip out east on Tuesday. | |||
 |
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has nine goals and four assists in his past eight games. | |||
 |
After Philly lost Glen Metropolit and Ossi Vaananen on waivers and had to send down hot rookie Claude Giroux to squeeze in Daniel Briere's contract, we wonder if Flyers chairman Ed Snider is still a big fan of Gary Bettman's salary cap. | |||
 |
Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo was 9-1-0 in February. | |||
 |
Montreal's power play is 11-for-25 since acquiring defenseman Mathieu Schneider from the Thrashers, and the Canadiens have gone 4-1-1 since then, as well. | |||
 |
The great Jay Bouwmeester debate comes down to the wire. | |||
 |
Somehow Columbus remains in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race despite a horrible 12.5 percent power play. | |||
 |
Thomas Vanek's return from a jaw injury this week comes just in time before the Sabres sink too far down the standings. | |||
 |
Blowing a two-goal, third-period lead to the lowly Thrashers on Saturday could come back to haunt Carolina. | |||
 |
Though they'll be further from Stanley Cup contenders immediately, it's shrewd to deal Chris Pronger now while the Ducks can get maximum value for the defenseman. | |||
 |
The Penguins are 5-1-1 under new coach Dan Bylsma and back in a playoff position. | |||
 |
The Torts and Avery sideshow promises to be more entertaining than the Rangers' on-ice product. | |||
 |
Hopefully, captain Ethan Moreau can recover from his eye injury after getting hit by a stick Saturday night against the Wild. "According to the doctors, you could see where it raked across the eye," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish told The Edmonton Sun. | |||
 |
Whatever will the Wild do without Derek Boogaard while he's serving his five-game suspension? | |||
 |
Dallas is reverting to early-season form, scoring all of six goals during a five-game losing streak. | |||
 |
The surging Predators are 11-5-1 since the All-Star break and goalie Pekka Rinne was 9-2-0 in February. | |||
 |
Blues goalie Chris Mason has allowed just five goals in the past five games (4-0-1) to make St. Louis' trade-deadline decisions even tougher. | |||
 |
It was fun while the Kings' playoff push lasted, but a 2-6-2 stretch drops Los Angeles down among the sellers. | |||
 |
Toronto has played six consecutive games that have gone past regulation and won the past four. | |||
 |
Unless Phoenix can find a taker among the playoff contenders, it looks like Olli Jokinen can keep adding to his career-long streak of never playing in the postseason. | |||
 |
Mark Recchi's five assists against the Flames show the 41-year-old can help a playoff team. And he passed Bryan Trottier to climb to 14th on the NHL's career list with 1,426 points (535 goals, 891 assists). | |||
 |
At least the Senators have a fan in Carrie Underwood, who told The Ottawa Sun, "I'm kinda new to hockey, but I love cheering on my favorite team." | |||
 |
Thrashers GM Don Waddell tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he's content to leave Atlanta's goaltending alone, but that doesn't mean Kari Lehtonen will be safe in the offseason. | |||
 |
So sad that Joe Sakic has to come back to finish out the season on such a poor team. | |||
 |
Good for Bill Guerin that he wised up to get off Long Island, but it doesn't look like such a wise move for whichever team gets him because he wasn't much help for the Sharks two years ago as a rental. | |||
INSIDE NHL
Our experts weigh in on the big moves, including Olli Jokinen, Bill Guerin and Mark Recchi.
Melrose and Hradek debate whether the balance of power has shifted in the NHL after the trade deadline.
What will life be like over the next couple of days for NHL GMs? Here's a behind-the-scenes look into deadline day.
The Devils' week since Martin Brodeur's return: Three wins, two shutouts ... and a new mark on our list.
