East's best is anyone's guess; In praise of Tortorella

The Devils and the Senators got off to different starts only to see a reversal of fortune. Ottawa is now counting on Martin Gerber (right) for stability in the net. Jeff Zelevansky/Icon SMI

If you've lost sight of the idea that fame is fleeting and even the most powerful among us can fall from spectacular of heights, then you haven't been paying attention to New York politics or the top of the NHL's Eastern Conference.

Now clearly the West is Best in relation to where the really good teams are this season, but in the East, where things change faster than a New York minute --which, by the way, is about the amount of time it took for Governor Eliot "Client--9" Spitzer to lose control of the levers of power -- the race is no less competitive.

Ottawa started the season as the apparent frontrunner, but has since given way. New Jersey, thought to be decimated by injuries and defections, has flirted with the top spot. The Montreal Canadiens, picked by some to not even be a playoff contender, now has a tenuous hold on the top spot, where they cohabitate with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team thought to be too young, too insecure in goal, and too injury-prone to make headway, especially with a throw-away goalie in a prominent role.

Charging hard -- and with a record of 10-0-3 in their last 13 games heading into Thursday evening's action ? are the New York Rangers, a team thought to be marginally mediocre, but is now gunning for No.1 in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.

Pretty? Hardly. Pretty interesting? Well yes, if you consider what's in play here.

Take the Senators, for starters. The owners of the last spring's Eastern Conference Champions and Stanley Cup runner-up started by booting GM John Muckler at the end of last season, a hard-to-comprehend move for anyone outside the limits of Canada's capital city. That seemed to be the solution, but after the Sens' 15-2 run through October and part of November, it all came undone. There was a goaltender controversy, rumors of dissention in the locker room, and a falloff in offensive production and defensive play. It culminated with a slide that resulted in firing of coach John Paddock, a return to the bench by freshly-minted GM Bryan Murray, a triage effort in goaltending -- relegating last season's No.1, Ray Emery, to the bench in favor of the previously demoted Martin Gerber -- and a handful of team meetings.

The result: The Sens have gotten better of late and though they may not be able to regain No.1 status (they were two points out as of this posting) in the Northeast Division or the Eastern Conference, they will easily make the playoffs. They appear to be finishing strong and could mount a run in the postseason.

It's a different scene in Montreal where a team thought to be too young, too small, too inexperienced in goal, and too lacking in offense has steadily and relentlessly climbed through the standings to gain (albeit briefly) stand-alone No.1 status in the conference. The Habs did it while riding the hot goaltending of 20-year old rookie goalie Carey Price -- a highly-regarded prospect who just prior to the trade deadline was struggling to find his game in the minors ? and beating New Jersey in Montreal on Tuesday night.

The Habs were joined at the top when the Penguins, minus-Sidney Crosby and with Ty Conklin, the backup goalie Buffalo let walk last summer, beat the Sabres 7-3 in Pittsburgh. It was the strongest Crosby-less offensive output of the season for the Pens, but it also marked a four-game sweep by Conklin over his former team. Conklin has found his way through more cities than an a Sptizer fund transfer, but he's owned the Sabres, including beating them 2-1 in overtime in the Winter Classic outdoor game. Conklin is 18-6-5 this season and leading the NHL with a .927 save percentage, a ridiculously high number given that the Pens don't commit to defense the way the Devils do. His play has been so good that he's created a goaltending dilemma. The Pens truly expected that former No.1 pick (and highly-paid) Marc-Andre Fleury would lead them into the postseason.

The Habs and Pens are at the top largely because they've exercised a game in hand on the Devils, who fell one point behind simply by not playing. It was expected that New Jersey would stumble this season after losing Scott Gomez and Brian Rafalski to free agency, but in a system that will surely carry GM Lou Lamoriello to the Hall of Fame as a builder of one of the most successful franchises in NHL history, the Devils are right back where they almost always are. Much of their success is due to their defensive-minded system and stellar goaltending by Martin Brodeur. It's a combination that bores some people, but it has produced three Stanley Cups.

"It's been quite a journey," says Brian Gionta, a rising star for the Devils. "We got off to a difficult start, but one of the good things about being here, about being a part of this organization, is that you're always going to have that chance to win, to always be chasing first place. It's why people want to play here."

Now that doesn't exactly explain why Gomez and a handful of other prominent Devils including Rafalski, Scott Niedermayer and even Bobby Holik have left in recent years (try money as client No. 1), but Gomez does not seem to be suffering from his move across the Hudson River.

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