It hasn’t been all that pretty, but the New York Rangers have reemerged as playoff contenders by posting a stellar 10–0–3 record in their last 13 games, the biggest factor being the play of their forwards. After a seemingly endless effort to find the right chemistry, the head coach, Tom Renney, has found a working formula that makes it virtually impossible to effectively shut the Rangers down.

The top line of Jaromir Jagr, Sean Avery, and Brandon Dubinsky has generated the lion’s share of the attention, and Avery’s contentious contract negotiations and surprising on-ice chemistry with Jagr provide two very interesting story lines for the stretch run. But it’s the depth of the Rangers’ forward chemistry that has been the key.

The second line (Scott Gomez, Brendan Shanahan, and Nigel Dawes) and third line (Chris Drury, Martin Straka, and Ryan Callahan) provide nice mixes of experience and youth, with both trios capable of generating substantial offensive contributions. And the underrated fourth unit, with Blair Betts and Colton Orr now joined by trade deadline acquisition Fredrik Sjostrom, is a possible shutdown line for the playoffs. This week, the hard-charging Rangers have risen to 10th place in our Power Rankings. Teams are measured from left to right by games played, won-loss record, standings points, goals scored, goals allowed, power play success, and penalty-killing success. Each team’s ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1 Detroit Red Wings (1): Journeyman Dan Cleary has found a permanent home in Detroit; he was rewarded with a five-year, $14 million contract extension on Tuesday.
G REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%
70 46–18–6 98 215 150 18.69% 85.00%

2 San Jose Sharks (3): The NHL’s hottest team, the Sharks have won 10 consecutive games since their ill-fated road trip through the New York City area.
70 41–21–8 90 182 161 15.53% 88.52%

3 Dallas Stars (2): Steve Ott wasn’t penalized during Sunday’s game for his hit on Jordan Leopold, but the league meted out an appropriate three-game suspension yesterday.
72 42–25–5 89 207 174 15.84% 90.23%

4 Montreal Canadiens (7): Netminder Carey Price’s strong play has Habs fans dreaming that he’ll follow in the footsteps of Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy in leading the Habs to the Stanley Cup as a rookie.
71 39–23–9 87 223 192 23.78% 83.39%

5 New Jersey Devils (4): The Devils have scored more than two goals only once in their last eight games; without better support for Martin Brodeur, they will surely fizzle in the playoffs.
70 40–24–6 86 176 160 14.18% 84.76%

6 Pittsburgh Penguins (5): Sidney Crosby was forced out of the lineup for last night’s game with residual soreness from the high ankle sprain that he suffered earlier this season.
70 39–24–7 85 199 188 18.18% 81.55%

7 Ottawa Senators (8): Martin Gerber now appears to be the de facto starter in goal for the Sens; it’ll be intriguing to see how hotheaded backup Ray Emery responds.
71 39–25–7 85 224 206 17.33% 86.02%

8 Anaheim Ducks (6): Winger Corey Perry suffered a lacerated tendon above his right knee and will be out for at least five more weeks.
72 39–25–8 86 173 166 14.33% 84.74%

9 Calgary Flames (9): On Monday night, captain Jarome Iginla scored his 365th career goal to pass Theo Fleury for the most in Flames franchise history.
69 36–23–10 82 192 187 13.40% 83.49%

10 New York Rangers (12): Netminder Henrik Lundqvist is heating up just in time for the stretch run and playoffs: He’s surrendered only three goals in his last three games.
70 37–24–9 83 179 165 15.00% 84.80%

11 Vancouver Canucks (15): With four points, seven penalty minutes, and a plus-three rating in his last two games, young center Ryan Kesler is emerging as a difference maker.
69 35–24–10 80 179 165 15.96% 85.53%

12 Colorado Avalanche (13): Jose Theodore’s reemergence has been nothing short of sensational, and he’s a key reason why the Avs appear to be playoff-bound.
71 38–27–6 82 189 184 11.56% 82.31%

13 Minnesota Wild (10): An underwhelming supporting cast makes it highly unlikely that the Wild will get past the playoffs’ first round — assuming they reach the postseason.
70 37–26–7 81 184 185 15.17% 85.21%

14 Boston Bruins (11): Kudos to rearguard Andrew Ference, whose efforts have convinced an astonishing 523 fellow NHLers to purchase Gold Standard carbon credits to offset the travel emissions associated with playing professional hockey.
70 36–26–8 80 178 191 15.94% 81.00%

15 Philadelphia Flyers (16): The Flyers have bounced back from their 10-game losing streak, opening up a four-point lead over the ninth-place Sabres.
70 35–26–9 79 214 196 20.94% 86.53%

16 Carolina Hurricanes (19): The red-hot ‘Canes were 7–1 in the eight games preceding last night’s battle with the Blackhawks, and they now hold a seemingly insurmountable lead over the Capitals in the Southeast Division race.
71 37–29–5 79 215 219 14.69% 77.97%

17 Nashville Predators (14): Dan Ellis has taken over the starting job in goal after going 12–4–2 in his last 18 decisions.
71 35–28–8 78 204 199 13.21% 86.71%

18 Buffalo Sabres (17): With four blueliners out with injuries (and Brian Campbell playing for the Sharks), the severely depleted Sabres face a very steep uphill battle.
70 32–27–11 75 209 195 16.77% 86.15%

19 Phoenix Coyotes (18): The Coyotes face two must-win situations this week (tonight’s and Monday’s games against the Canucks) that will likely determine their fate.
70 35–30–5 75 180 183 15.15% 85.26%

20 Chicago Blackhawks (20): Three consecutive losses have effectively knocked the ‘Hawks out of the playoff hunt.
70 33–30–7 73 198 199 13.38% 86.40%

21 Columbus Blue Jackets (24): 23-year-old forward Rick Nash will make his debut as the Blue Jackets’ new captain on Friday night, replacing recently-traded Adam Foote.
70 31–28–11 73 167 175 14.52% 87.65%

22 Edmonton Oilers (26): With seven goals in his last eight games, Andrew Cogliano is one of the NHL’s hottest snipers.
70 34–31–5 73 181 211 13.61% 86.92%

23 Washington Capitals (21): Alexander Ovechkin will likely be the first NHLer to score 60- plus goals since 1995–96 — but frustration over the team’s fading playoff hopes is the prevailing sentiment.
70 32–30–8 72 201 205 16.72% 81.79%

24 Florida Panthers (27): The Panthers always finish strong, but their indifferent play through the first three-quarters of the season doomed them to yet another playoff miss.
71 32–31–8 72 185 195 18.59% 82.15%

25 Toronto Maple Leafs (25): The Leafs have battled gamely, but their inability to put together a winning streak has prevented them from gaining any ground in the standings.
71 31–30–10 72 197 216 14.85% 79.80%

26 New York Islanders (22): After winning only twice in their last nine tries (entering last night’s game against Florida), the Isles’ playoff hopes have been all but crushed.
71 32–32–7 71 170 210 10.42% 84.57%

27 St. Louis Blues (23): The Blues have lost four in a row, but the bright side is that their rebuilding effort will get another shot in the arm with a lottery pick in this June’s draft.
70 29–30–11 69 171 196 10.14% 84.31%

28 Atlanta Thrashers (28): A healthy scratch in two straight games, Alexei Zhitnik — for whom the Thrashers surrendered Braydon Coburn last spring — will likely be waived.
71 30–33–8 68 179 229 15.00% 82.84%

29 Tamp a Bay Lightning (29): Newcomer Mike Smith has posted a 1–5 record, making it clear that the team’s porous defense is as much of a concern as their spotty goaltending.
70 27–35–8 62 195 228 16.73% 83.40%

30 Los Angeles Kings (30): The Kings have shown flashes of brilliance, and the addition of a top-tier ready-to-play prospect at the draft should make them a playoff contender in 2008–09.
71 27–38–6 60 196 232 16.77% 82.26%

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