As a young coach, the Islanders’ bench boss, Ted Nolan, was a sponge for knowledge, trying to do anything possible to improve his methods. As part of that process, he reached out to the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ray Shero, to ask about the coaching methods of Mr. Shero’s legendary father, Fred. Atop one of Fred’s notes was a simple yet resonant message: “You have to learn to win with what you got, or you don’t win at all.” Perhaps as well as any coach in the NHL today, Nolan has absorbed that message, a key reason why the Islanders have managed to exceed all reasonable expectations thus far this season.

In today’s salary cap-driven NHL, it has become mission critical for NHL coaches to maximize the efficiency of the lineup they’re provided. Last season’s Anaheim Ducks got critical performances throughout their lineup, as did the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

On Monday night, the ‘Canes visited Madison Square Garden, and Peter Laviolette’s hardworking squad put on a clinic in cohesive team play. Every member of the Hurricanes put the team’s success ahead of his own safety, diving in front of shots even when they had amassed a seemingly insurmountable 4–0 lead.

Meanwhile, the Rangers were far less than the sum of their parts, their star-studded offense sputtering for much of the ugly loss. With Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Gomez, and Chris Drury all effectively reduced to perimeter players, the Rangers failed to mount much of an offensive attack. In all, the Blueshirts were credited with 28 shots, but the Hurricanes’ fearless defenders blocked 14 more attempts.

When all was said and done, it was clear that the current Rangers do not have what it takes to compete for the Cup. And if that is to change, it is up to head coach Tom Renney to figure out how to get more out of his stars. The team’s leading goal-scorer, Shanahan, is only on pace to light the lamp a paltry 28 times. And Jagr is on a 64-point pace, frighteningly consistent with his drop-off from 2005–06 (123 points) to 2006–07 (96 points).

Meanwhile, the newly signed Gomez (58-point pace) and Drury (52-point pace) aren’t far off from the standards they set previously. With the Devils, Gomez consistently scored between 55 and 70 points, and the 84 points he scored in 2005–06 was an aberration rather than the norm. It came as no surprise when the speedy Gomez was a poor fit alongside Jagr, whose days of dominant high-speed play are clearly behind him.

Drury has been more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer thus far for the Rangers, largely because a surprising number of his shots have clanked off opposing goalposts. But before expecting him to be the team’s savior, it’s worth noting that he has averaged only 30 goals per season despite playing the lion’s share of his career alongside some of the game’s most prolific offensive players, including Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Instead, if the Rangers are to step beyond what they are today, Renney must “learn to win with what he’s got,” and there is plenty that Renney can do to get his team back on track.

For one, it’s made for a heartwarming story that rookie Brandon Dubinsky has demonstrated confidence and poise while skating alongside Jagr. But by putting Dubinsky with Jagr, Renney has effectively turned his most talented forward into nothing more than a checking winger. On Monday, two successive Dubinsky giveaways led to a Scott Walker goal. Moreover, the lackadaisical approach Jagr takes to the game when the puck isn’t in the offensive zone doesn’t make him the ideal candidate to play that role. The Hurricanes’ victory was sealed when Jagr slowly skated back to the bench after his stick broke; it enabled David Tanabe to race from the penalty box to the loose puck and put the game away with a breakaway goal.

One possible key for Renney will be to get Jagr to start using his considerable size more effectively. At 6 feet, 3 inches, and 240 pounds, Jagr should be able to outmuscle all but most burly NHL defensemen. Historically, he uses that size only to protect the puck. But if he’s no longer willing to play an up-tempo game, it’s critical that Jagr begin imposing himself in front of opposing goaltenders.

Pushing Jagr to change his game will be no easy feat, but if his history with Matt Cullen is any indication, Renney needs to decide whether or not he wants to be the kind of coach who maximizes his team’s potential. During his one season on Broadway, Cullen was effectively a non-factor on the power play, averaging the 11thmost power play time (in minutes-per-game) on the team.

But with Carolina (both when they won the Cup in 2006 and this season), Cullen mans the point and averages the second-most power play time on the team. With 27 points in 28 games, Cullen is making it clear that Renney should have utilized him far more effectively.

Looking across the Hudson River, it appears that first-year Devils head coach Brent Sutter has gotten his team over the hump. After a rough first six weeks, Sutter’s squad is firing on nearly all cylinders. And more than anything, it’s because the team has gotten back to what made them so very successful over the past decade.

“I still believe that defense wins hockey games,” Sutter said yesterday in a conference call. “If we have to score the goals to win 5–4, we’ve got the capability to do that. I think there was a misconception to some degree with the players, in that we were more aggressive on our forecheck and led us to be too aggressive in our defensive play. We’ve adjusted back to how you need to play in your own zone, not giving up too much space and time, and I know it’s made a huge difference in our defensive play.”

The Devils have run off seven consecutive victories, and though Sutter may not have made too many changes, one thing is clear: John Madden is being used against the opposition’s top forwards more often today than at the start of the season. In using the game’s best checking center as the great equalizer, Sutter is “learning to win with what he’s got,” and what he’s got is a team with the tenacity and experience needed to make some serious noise in the postseason.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.