Ranger danger

TEAMS LISTED IN PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

The New Jersey Devils hope history repeats itself on two fronts. They won the Stanley Cup in 1995, after the NHL’s first lockout-shortened, 48-game schedule, and they won the East last season as the No. 6-seeded team. But if Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby is healthy and Rick Nash scores the goals the New York Rangers couldn’t manufacture last season, the Devils might not even make the playoffs. A look at how the conference shapes up:

1. NEW YORK RANGERS

2011-12 finish: 51-24-7 (109 points); 1st in East.

Acquiring burly winger Nash from Columbus should give the Rangers the scoring they lacked last season. He’s a two-time 40-goal scorer and can be a presence physically. The Rangers will need another big season from Henrik Lundqvist (1.97 goals-against average, .930 save percentage), who won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie.

2. WASHINGTON

2011-12 finish: 42-32-8 (92 points); 7th in East.

Alexander Ovechkin hasn’t been the high-scoring Ovie of old, which was widely blamed on clashes with coaches Bruce Boudreau and Dale Hunter. Boudreau was fired, Hunter went back to the junior ranks and Adam Oates was hired to coach this underachieving team. Oates was a generous and smart player. If he carries that over to coaching, the Capitals should be fine.

3. BOSTON

2011-12 finish: 49-29-4 (102 points); 2nd in East.

The Bruins have depth and scoring power up front and size and mobility on defense. Young center Tyler Seguin (29 goals, 67 points) was smart to play in Switzerland during the lockout and stay active. Right wing Nathan Horton, hampered by head injuries the last two seasons, appears ready to play for the first time in nearly a year. His return would improve the balance of their four lines.

4. PITTSBURGH

2011-12 finish: 51-25-6 (108 points); 4th in East.

MVP and scoring champion Evgeni Malkin (50 goals, 109 points) played in Russia during the lockout and should be sharp. Crosby didn’t go to Europe but worked out regularly and has said he feels fine. The Penguins traded Jordan Staal but got some promising defense prospects for him. Signing veteran goalie Tomas Vokoun will allow Coach Dan Bylsma to avoid overworking Marc-Andre Fleury.

5. PHILADELPHIA

2011-12 finish: 47-26-9 (103 points); 5th in East.

Claude Giroux (28 goals, 93 points) and Scott Hartnell (37 goals, 67 points) were the heart of this team and should continue in those roles. The Flyers’ defense is solid enough to withstand the loss of Chris Pronger, who was limited to 13 games last season and might not play again because of concussion-related woes. The key to their success will be goalie Ilya Bryzgalov’s ability to bounce back from a wildly erratic season and show some focus and consistency. Good luck with that.

6. OTTAWA

2011-12 finish: 41-31-10 (92 points); 8th in East.

Coach Paul MacLean did an impressive job last season with a team that wasn’t expected to do much. Veteran forward Daniel Alfredsson is back, and Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson established himself as someone to watch, but their goaltending is underwhelming. Prospect Robin Lehner might eventually emerge over Craig Anderson and Ben Bishop.

7. CAROLINA

2011-12 finish: 33-33-16 (82 points); 12th in East.

The Hurricanes always look better on paper than they turn out to be on the ice, but adding Jordan Staal in a trade with Pittsburgh gives them an exceptional No. 1 center and makes for a happy reunion with his brother, Eric (24 goals, 70 points). General Manager Jim Rutherford took a big gamble by signing winger Alexander Semin to a one-year,

$7-million contract after a 21-goal, 54-point season with Washington. The Hurricanes have a mobile defense and should be able to grab a playoff spot.

8. FLORIDA

2011-12 finish: 38-26-18 (94 points); 3rd in East.

The Panthers were a surprise division winner last season, benefiting to an extent from Washington’s inconsistency. They lost defenseman Jason Garrison (16 goals, 33 points) to free agency but should be able to compensate. Watch for speedy, skillful 19-year-old winger Jonathan Huberdeau, a star in the making.

9. NEW JERSEY

2011-12 finish: 48-28-6 (102 points); 6th in East.

Losing 31-goal scorer Zach Parise to free agency will hurt beyond compensating for his 31 goals and 69 points. He was a clutch player, but the Devils couldn’t match Minnesota’s 13-year, $98-million free-agent deal. They have a solid defense corps and a budding star in center Adam Henrique, a finalist for rookie-of-the-year honors. Winger Ilya Kovalchuk (37 goals, 83 points) did well in Russia during the lockout and should be primed for another big season.

10. BUFFALO

2011-12 finish: 39-32-11 (89 points); 9th in East.

The Sabres missed the playoffs by only a few points last season but another miss could mean dismissal for General Manager Darcy Regier and Coach Lindy Ruff, who have become fixtures in Buffalo. The Sabres have a fine goaltending tandem in Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth, but they need scoring. Trading center Derek Roy to Dallas for pugnacious Steve Ott ups their peskiness quotient but might not do much for their offense.

11. TAMPA BAY

2011-12 finish: 38-36-8 (84 points); 10th in East.

The Lightning had the NHL’s worst team goals-against average last season -- a bloated 3.34 -- and tried to address that over the summer by trading for Nashville backup Anders Lindback. He’s considered promising, but there’s no telling how he will hold up as a No. 1 goalie. Center Steven Stamkos led the NHL with 60 goals and was runner-up in the scoring race with 97 points, and he’s only getting better. Winger Martin St. Louis (25 goals, 74 points) seems ageless at 37. There’s some potential if the Lightning can keep the puck out of its own net.

12. NEW YORK ISLANDERS

2011-12 finish: 34-37-11 (79 points); 14th in East.

Center John Tavares (31 goals, 81 points) is a legitimate star, and Matt Moulson (36 goals, 69 points) has shown a great nose for the net in scoring 30 or more goals in three straight seasons. But this team doesn’t have much depth up the middle. In addition, defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky has said he wants to stay with Bratislava of the Kontinental Hockey League this season rather than join the Islanders, who acquired him from the Ducks in a trade he unsuccessfully tried to negate. He could help the Islanders, who ranked 28th in goals scored last season.

13. MONTREAL

2011-12 finish: 31-35-16 (78 points); 15th in East.

New General Manager Marc Bergevin made a bold statement by telling underproductive forward Scott Gomez to stay home and wait to be bought out next summer. Bergevin, who brought in Michel Therrien to coach, must restore some pride to this once-glorious franchise and re-sign restricted free agent P.K. Subban, a dynamic defenseman. Goaltender Carey Price (2.43 goals-against, .916 save percentage) has a decent defense corps in front of him and youngsters like forward Alex Galchenyuk should upgrade their energy and skill.

14. WINNIPEG

2011-12 finish: 37-35-10 (84 points); 11th in East.

The Jets were a huge box-office success last season, their first in Winnipeg after moving north from Atlanta. They had a good start but faded from playoff contention and their fate doesn’t appear much brighter this season. Realignment that would have moved them to the West was delayed by the lockout, so they will have a tough travel schedule again. In this short but all-intraconference schedule they’ll travel many miles. Defenseman Zach Bogosian is likely to miss the first month while recovering from wrist surgery, and he will be missed.

15. TORONTO

2011-12 finish: 35-37-10 (80 points); 13th in East.

Firing Brian Burke as their general manager days before the season was to start emphasized how inept the Maple Leafs’ organization is. Burke’s no saint, but why not make the change in time to give new GM David Nonis time to build something and fix the problems behind their second-half slide last season? Phil Kessel (37 goals, 82 points) has proved himself, and they should be decent up front, but their defense and goaltending have too many holes for the Leafs to contend for a playoff spot.

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helene.elliott@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Five questions

1 - How is Sidney Crosby’s head? The Penguins’ superstar center played only 22 games last season because of concussion-related problems, and every time he takes a hit to the head it’s impossible to avoid holding your breath for a half-second to see if he’s OK. Crosby came back for the second time in mid-March and played in Pittsburgh’s no-defense, first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. During the lockout he participated in some collective bargaining sessions and worked out and said he was ready to go.

2 - Where is Ilya Bryzgalov’s head? This is tougher to answer than question No. 1. The Flyers’ flaky goaltender had a nightmarish start to his nine-year, $51-million contract last season. Bryzgalov’s playoff numbers (3.46 goals-against, .887 save percentage) were horrible. Unless he pulls off a dramatic turnaround, the Flyers could buy out his contract after the season as one of the two compliance buyouts allowed in the new collective bargaining agreement. Did Ron Hextall curse them when he left?

3 - Will Tuukka Rask be able to thrive as the No. 1 goalie in Boston? Goaltender Tim Thomas’ decision to retire despite a year left on his contract created a golden opportunity for Rask, who played only 23 games last season after suffering a groin/abdomen injury in early March. Rask has been a starter before, but this time there’s no experienced backup as an alternative. No. 2 goalie Anton Khudboin has seven games on his resume over the last three seasons, leaving Rask to sink or swim.

4 - How will the New York Islanders draw as lame ducks at the Nassau Coliseum? The Islanders announced in October they will leave Long Island for Brooklyn’s Barclays Center starting with the 2015-16 season. That’s one very long goodbye. And they’ll probably still be paying goalie Rick DiPietro when the Barclays Center is condemned for being ancient. The Islanders have some exceptional young players, but teams with one foot out the door don’t usually attract huge crowds.

5 - Will the Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs in our lifetime? An ownership change led to the surprise dismissal of General Manager Brian Burke a week before opening night. He made some progress, but his bombastic style made the buttoned-up corporate suits unhappy. The Leafs will sell out no matter how bad the team is, but it’s about time for a turnaround for the NHL’s most valuable but least efficient franchise. Dave Nonis, Burke’s protege in Vancouver and now his successor in Toronto, gets the unenviable task of engineering the rebirth.

-- Helene Elliott