PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nothing has come easy this season for the New Jersey Devils. Except Oscar Klefbom Jersey , that is, when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins.Then, the power play clicks. The penalty kill, too. The goals they’ve struggled to score all season come in bunches. Throw in Keith Kinkaid’s steady play in net and the gear New Jersey has been unable to find much of the year suddenly reappears when Pittsburgh is on the other side of the ice.“It’s just one of those things,” Kinkaid said. “I guess we match up well against them. We always have our A game.”Travis Zajac had a goal and three assists, Kinkaid made 37 saves and the Devils had little trouble in a 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday night to improve to 6-0-1 in their last seven meetings with the Penguins. New Jersey has drilled Pittsburgh in each of their three meetings this season, outscoring the Penguins 15-5 in the process.“Everyone looked fresh,” Kinkaid said. “Everyone was moving. Everybody was flying out there and playing good defensively. The PK was solid, our special teams were solid. We just have to be consistent and that starts from me out to consistency the rest of the way.”Pavel Zacha, Damon Severson, Brian Boyle, Blake Coleman and Kyle Palmieri also scored as New Jersey snapped a three-game skid. The NHL’s worst road team improved to 6-17-3 away from home. Two of those wins have come at the expense of Pittsburgh, which has dropped four of five overall and looked a step slow following a nine-day break.Derick Brassard got his ninth goal for Pittsburgh before being ejected in the third period for elbowing. Matt Cullen and Bryan Rust added late goals after the game was decided. Matt Murray allowed six goals on 32 shots and the Penguins gave up their league-leading 11th short-handed goal of the season.“I think they’ve just outworked us, plain and simple,” said Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, held scoreless two days after winning the MVP award at the All-Star Game. “You look at the games, they’ve worked harder http://www.officialoilers.com/authentic-adidas-ryan-nugent-hopkins-jersey , they’ve deserved it. As disappointing as that is and as much as you don’t like saying that, it’s the truth.”Pittsburgh limped into the All-Star break following a 2-3 West Coast trip, each loss coming in a game in which they surrendered at least five goals thanks in large part to sloppy play in front of the net.A chance to reset at home against a team well off the pace in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture didn’t exactly go as planned.The Devils, like the Penguins coming off a week-plus layoff, showed more jump from the outset and it resulted in an early lead when Zajac took a feed from Steven Santini at the top of the left circle and fired a shot past a screened Murray 13:08 into the first period. Severson doubled the advantage less than two minutes later when he cruised uncontested through the neutral zone and beat Murray from high in the slot with a shot that nicked Murray’s glove before settling into the net.Kinkaid withstood power-play opportunities by the Penguins to preserve the lead, and Boyle and Zacha’s aggressive forecheck on the penalty kill set up Boyle’s short-handed goal 3:30 into the second that put the Devils up 3-0.Penguins coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged it might be time to change things up on Pittsburgh’s first power-play unit, a group that includes stars Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang.“They’re all really good players,” Sullivan said. “But we all have to take defensive responsibility when guys are in danger.”Brassard responded less than 90 seconds later to get the Penguins back within two, but Coleman’s rocket from the right circle 12:57 into the second restored the three-goal edge and the Devils cruised from there.Brassard’s night ended 9:12 into the third period when he lined up Sami Vatanen along the end boards behind the New Jersey net. Vatanen tumbled to the ice and officials gave Brassard a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct.NOTES: The Devils went 2 for 5 on the power play. The Penguins were 0 for 5. … New Jersey’s six goals were the most the franchise has scored in Pittsburgh since Oct. 5, 2005. … Zajac has four career four-point games. … The Penguins scratched D Chad Ruhwedel. New Jersey scratched Ds Egor Yakovlev and Cory Schneider, and forward Kurtis Gabriel. … Pittsburgh D Jack Johnson left in the third period and did not return.UP NEXTDevils: Face the rival New York Rangers for the first time this season at home on Thursday.Penguins: Host the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. NEWARK, N.J. (AP) There has been a power shift in the New York City metropolitan area in the NHL.After missing the playoffs for the past five seasons and finishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season, the New Jersey Devils seemingly are back.And that’s not all.Article continues below ...The New York Rangers have waved the white flag after a seven-year postseason run that included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and two other trips to the conference championship round. They will be trading assets for prospects as Monday’s deadline approaches.And the Islanders are being the Islanders. They are talented, inconsistent and just on the edge of a playoff berth heading into the final quarter of a season that might be John Tavares‘ last with the club should he choose free agency.The surprising story is the Devils. They are young, fast and a pain in the neck to play against. Their 70 points with 22 games left in the season matches their total of last year and it has them in the top wild-card position.Taylor Hall Ryan Strome Jersey , the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, has been the catalyst with 25 goals and 38 assists in his bid to make the playoffs for the first time in his eight-year career.”You don’t know when it is going to come again,” said Hall, who is having a career year. ”I don’t know if injuries are going to plague us next year or we get back to this spot in the playoff race, but you really want to take advantage of it. I am trying to do that and have fun but at the same time. I really value how important each shift is in these games.”New Jersey is not a team of stars. They have contributors, young and old.Nico Hischier, the first overall pick in June, is centering the top line and has 13 goals and 26 assists. The 19-year-old is also an outstanding defensive player.Defenseman Will Butcher (two goals, 28 assists) and fellow rookie Jesper Bratt (12 goals, 21 assists) have been a pleasant surprise. Veteran Brian Boyle has provided the emotional spark coming back from cancer to score 11 goals.Speedy forward Miles Wood has 16 goals in just his second full season, while veteran Kyle Palmieri has added 14 goals and some grit, which is a trademark of the John Hynes-coached team.To be honest, the Devils still need to finish what they started. They have had good streaks and bad ones, including a recent 18-game skid in which they won five games. They followed that with a four-game winning streak to quell the belief that they were freefalling to the finish.”That’s what winning teams do,” veteran Drew Stafford said. ”You have your warts and everyone goes through that in down times. It’s a matter of learning how to handle the losses and how to handle success.”There were a couple of times this season we would get on a little run and maybe the foot came off the gas a bit. That’s something we are trying to correct, and we did.”Unlike last year when they were trading players at the deadline, general manager Ray Shero said the Devils will entertain offers.If they can get someone to help the team Womens Wayne Gretzky Jersey , they will deal, but not at the expense of giving away prospects to win right now.The Rangers, who have seen Chris Kreider (blood clot) and Kevin Shattenkirk (knee) lost to injuries, are another story. They are in last place in the Metropolitan Division, having lost 11 of 14 games.Earlier this month, management announced it will not try to save this season. It will look to rebuild the franchise that went to the playoffs 11 of 12 years.Forwards Rick Nash and Michael Grabner are on the trading block and so might defenseman and captain Ryan McDonagh as well as forward Mats Zuccarello.”Let’s face it – we’ve had a pretty good run for a while,” general manager Jeff Gorton said earlier this month. ”Many years we’ve had a team that, at this time of year, we’re looking to add players and try to win a Stanley Cup.”Right now, as we sit last in our division, it’s becoming increasingly clear that’s not our team right now. That’s not where we want to be.”After making the playoffs the previous two seasons, the Islanders missed the postseason last year.Breaking down their team is simple. They can score with anyone in the league. They also give up goals just as quickly.If they are going to make the playoffs, it will be up to general manager Garth Snow to get some help for his defense by Monday.That may mean parting with a young kid or some draft picks, but making the playoffs might have greater urgency this year if they want to keep Tavares, their All-Star center and leader since being taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft.TRADING DEADLINE: Besides Nash and Grabner, here’s a quick list of some of the well-known players who might be switching teams before Monday:F Evander Kane and G Robin Lehner of Buffalo; F Thomas Vanek of Vancouver; D Mike Green of Detroit; F Max Pacioretty, F Alex Galchenyuk and F Tomas Plekanec of Montreal; F Patrick Maroon and F Mark Letestu of Edmonton; F Derick Brassard and D Erik Karlsson of Ottawa.SCOUTING REPORTThe Five Nations tournament Aaron Ekblad Jersey , which was won by the U.S., drew a crowd last week in suburban Detroit because it featured many of the world’s top players 18 and under.Every NHL team was represented by at least one scout and more than 10 teams had their general managers attend at least one game.When Russia beat the Czech Republic 9-2 on Feb. 15, Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee sat near center ice, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman stood about 10 feet to the right and Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland watched from the stands at the other end of the rink.”It’s a good spot to see all the kids,” Yzerman said. ”This tournament – every year whether it’s here or in Europe – has a majority of the top draft-eligible players from five of the best hockey-producing countries in the world.”The league observers were watching two players in particular: Russian forward Andrei Svechnikov, a candidate to be taken No. 2 this year after Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. American forward Jack Hughes was also there. He may be the No. 1 selection overall in 2019.GAME OF THE WEEKIt’s got to be the Islanders and Devils on Saturday night in New Jersey. Both teams are fighting for a wild-card berth and the Devils have the added incentive of playing when the team retires the jersey of Patrik Elias, who spent his 20-year career in New Jersey. He retired after last season as the franchise’s all-time leader in points, goals and assists, and was a member of the Devils’ Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2000 and 2003.LEADERSThrough Tuesday’s games: Goals: Alex Ovechkin (Washington), 36; Assists: Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia), 55; Points: Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), 78; Wins: Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay), 35; Goals-against average: Carter Hutton (St. Louis), 1.87; Save percentage: Hutton, .938.—AP Hockey Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.—