The first week of the unofficial second half of the NHL regular season was just completed. OK, everyone's well past the actual halfway point of 41 games, but it's now apparent that the postseason is coming and all points really do matter. In any case, the Atlantic Division certainly was eventful in the last week.

The New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, The New York Rangers all had very good results with no regulation losses. The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their surge with two out of three wins; and even the Philadelphia Flyers held strong in their position by picking up 3 points. While no actual positions have changed within the division, everyone has something to be pleased from this last week of games.

Of course, there won't be much time for celebration. Almost everyone's playing today and with a few intra-division games, there definitely won't be any mutual admiration. Find out what has happened and the upcoming schedule after the jump.

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The NHL is currently near the end of the All Star weekend and the regular season will return on Tuesday. While we're past the halfway mark through the season, it's common to refer to the remaining two months (and one week) as the second half. It comes after a break in action, the mindset going into games changes, and the stakes are more apparent. Going into the break, not much has changed within the Atlantic Division.

The New York Rangers keep making life simple for themselves with a hold on first place and at least one game in hand on everyone else in the division. The Philadelphia Flyers cannot complain too loudly as they're not too far behind the Rangers. They will have to worry about the Pittsburgh Penguins who have shot back up the standings with an extended hot streak. The New Jersey Devils toil in fourth but remain in playoff contention; while the New York Islanders remained in their usual fifth place position, but not necessarily worst in the East.

Let's look ahead at what each team will have to do in the coming week after the jump. From this week onward, I included a snapshot of the teams around the Devils in the Eastern Conference as playoff positioning will become an important issue.

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The final full week of NHL games before the All Star Game just got wrapped up last night. A short week lies ahead, and the only movement within the Atlantic Division involved the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils swapping spots. Nevertheless, four teams are in playoff position prior to the short week and the New York Islanders made a surprising move.

The schedules haven't been fully aligned with respect to games played, but as it stands the games in hand really wouldn't make a difference in terms of positioning. The New York Rangers still have the top spot, the Philadelphia Flyers command second place, and the Islanders have a stranglehold on fifth. Let's find out what they did in this past week and get a look at the short week ahead after the jump.

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There wasn't much movement within the Atlantic Division after this week. Pretty much everyone had positive weeks of results except for the two Pennsylvania teams.

As seen in the above table, the New York Rangers still hold onto the Atlantic Division lead with a four-point hand and the knuckles of a game in hand. The Philadelphia Flyers remain in a competitive spot, not quite on the Rangers' heels and not quite ahead of the New Jersey Devils. The Devils picked up more points than the Pittsburgh Penguins, so their lead actually increased this week. As for the New York Islanders, well, they're getting close to being only single-digits behind fourth.

For more information on what the five teams in the division did and what they'll do in the coming week, please continue on after the jump.

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For the first time since October 23, the New Jersey Devils have moved up to third in the Atlantic Division for this snapshot post. While the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers still occupy the top spots, a poor run of results for the Pittsburgh Penguins saw them slip down into the Eastern Conference playoff bubble. That's the only real movement; the New York Islanders still hold the bottom of the division pretty well, though.

I wouldn't start planning any parades or anything. The Devils are on the wrong end of games played and they could easily move down back to fourth in a short amount of time. Will there be further changes by next week? Maybe. Please continue on after the jump to find out.

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Happy New Year! The Atlantic Division hasn't changed all that much. Four out of the five teams are in playoff positions in the Eastern Conference, the division leading New York Rangers are at the top of the East, and the New York Islanders may be last here but not in the East!

Despite the sameness from last week, the Atlantic Division remains competitive. Can the New Jersey Devils start making up ground on the Pittsburgh Penguins? Can the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers battle for first in the East as well as the division? Can the New York Islanders avoid fifteenth in the division for another week? I don't know, but we can look to see what each team has to do in this coming week after the jump.

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Merry Christmas! Every team in the Atlantic Division got some kind of a gift within the past week of games. The New Jersey Devils remained in playoff position; the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers swept their weeks; the Philadelphia Flyers welcomed Claude Giroux back in the lineup; and the New York Islanders avoided a winless week and last in the Eastern Conference.

With four teams in the top 8 and the Islanders lurking not too far behind 13th place Tampa Bay, it's clear that the Atlantic Division remains the class of the Eastern Conference at this point of the season. Will the division continue to stand tall among it's peers as 2011 ends? Please continue on after the jump to see what lies ahead.

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It certainly wasn't boring in the Atlantic Division last week. The Pittsburgh Penguins faded a bit; the New York Rangers jumped the Penguins on the basis; and the Philadelphia Flyers, despite injuries, continued their winning streak until they hit a brick wall last night. The New York Islanders remain out of the Eastern Conference basement; while the New Jersey Devils are suddenly right behind the Rangers and Penguins.

The Devils are the hottest team in the division with four straight wins and can soon be in a position to make some noise. Will it happen in this coming week? Let's find out after the jump.

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