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NEWARK Alex Smith Jersey Elite , N.J. (AP) For the first time since spending $340 million to buy the New Jersey Devils in the summer of 2013, Josh Harris and David Blitzer are getting a chance to see the team play some meaningful games in the final months of the NHL season.Following Saturday’s 2-1 comeback win over the New York Islanders, the Devils hold a five-point lead over Columbus in the race for the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and a seven-point edge over the Islanders for the second wild-card spot with 20 games left in the regular season.While it is still too early to start celebrating, the Devils’ five-year playoff drought might be ending.”Yeah, I hope we’re going to the playoffs and long run, we’ve said consistently that we want to be an elite Stanley Cup contender year in, year out and there are no shortcuts to that http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/alex-smith-jersey ,” Harris said Saturday night in a rare interview after taking part in the ceremony to retire the No. 26 jersey of Patrik Elias, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.What makes this turnaround remarkable is that the Devils had their worst season in three decades in 2016-17, finishing last in the conference with 70 points.Their win over the Islanders on Saturday night gave them 72 points this season.”We have always said we were going to do things step by step to build long-run winners,” Harris said. ”Sometimes everyone gets impatient and we get impatient. Last year wasn’t great to be me. It’s very exciting to be in the hunt, but we are not done.”Much of the credit for the turnaround has to go to general manager Ray Shero, who came on board in the offseason in 2015. He has revamped the roster with the latest addition being the acquisition of 25-goal scorer Michael Grabner from the Rangers on Thursday in the first deal between the area rivals since the Devils came to New Jersey in 1982.It was just the latest deal by Shero who has acquired forwards Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson, defensemen Sami Vatanen and Mirco Mueller and goaltender Eddie Lack in trades and signed free agents John Moore Authentic Matt Ioannidis Jersey , Brian Boyle, Ben Lovejoy, Will Butcher, Jimmy Hayes and Drew Stafford.Hall is having a career season with 26 goals and 40 assists. His 66 points are 25 more than any player on the team.The bad season last year also helped earn the Devils the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. They got a winner with 19-year-old Nico Hischier, who is centering the top line.”Look when Ray came in in 2015 I still remember him saying things won’t necessarily change overnight, but we’re going to move this in the right direction and that’s all across the organization,” Blitzer said. ”What he has been able to do over the last 2 years, and I think as we look at the future Matt Ioannidis Jersey Elite , it has been incredible.”New Jersey still faces an immediate obstacle in its playoff push. Nine of its next 12 games are on the road, including eight with teams in playoff positions heading into Sunday’s games.Blitzer believes the Devils are going to finish what they started this season.”Certain things happen that you plan and certain things happen that you don’t necessarily plan,” he said. ”We got some really interesting pieces that you could not predict at the beginning of the summer. Will Butcher; for Nico to come and do what he is doing. Taylor Hall to turn over what he is doing this season and the leadership he is showing.”It’s just been incredible,” he added. ”I just think you see a team really gelling. It’s also a team not just built for today. This is a team that is built for the future and that’s what makes it so exciting.”— OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Once a victory seemed likely, the Washington Capitals put their focus into finishing a memorable night for backup goalie Pheonix Copley.Copley made 35 saves for his first career shutout and the Capitals beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0 on Saturday night.Brett Connolly had a goal and an assist to give Copley all the support he needed.“We talked about (the shutout) between the second and third,” said Connolly. “It’s good to see him get that shutout. It’s obviously a big moment for him and he’s played so well this season.”Matt Niskanen, Jakub Vrana and Michal Kempny also scored for the Capitals (22-10-3). Washington is 7-1-0 in its past eight games and has scored at least four goals in 10 of its past 13.Mike McKenna stopped 29 shots in place of the injured Craig Anderson.Copley is the first rookie goalie to blank the Senators since James Reimer in 2011.“The guys did a great job blocking shots and denying them great chances http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/matthew-ioannidis-jersey ,” said Copley. “It was a real good team win.”The score was hardly flattering to the Senators, but coach Guy Boucher wasn’t too disappointed by the effort.“It wasn’t a 4-0 game, that’s for sure,” Boucher said. “We played really well and had so many scoring chances and their goalie stoned us.”Washington took a 3-0 lead midway through the second when Vrana stole the puck from Mark Stone and beat McKenna with a flashy move. Kempny made it 4-0 at the 13-minute mark when his point shot deflected off Cody Ceci.The Senators trailed 2-0 after the first period, but it could have been more if it wasn’t for McKenna.Connolly opened the scoring at 1:32 when he redirected Jonas Siegenthaler’s point shot.“When we’re ahead in games we’re definitely better,” Connolly said. “We know when we’re behind we have a lot of guys that can hurt you as well, but when we get the first one we settle in and definitely on a back-to-back it makes it easier so it was good to get that first one.”McKenna made impressive glove saves on Andre Burakovsky and Travis Boyd. Bobby Ryan also stopped a sure goal when McKenna was caught out of position.The Capitals took a two-goal lead late in the period when Niskanen got behind Ceci and tipped Nicklas Backstrom’s pass for his fifth of the season.NOTES: With Anderson dealing with an upper-body injury, Marcus Hogberg was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Belleville Senators. … The Senators honored LPGA golfer and Smiths Falls Authentic Adrian Peterson Jersey , Ontario, native Brooke Henderson prior to the game and had her drop the puck. … Ottawa’s Tom Pyatt and Max Lajoie were healthy scratches. … Washington’s Tyler Lewington made his NHL debut Saturday night.UP NEXTCapitals: Host Carolina on Thursday night.Senators: Play at the New York Islanders on Friday night.