New Jersey Devils (1982-Present)

Historical Moments:
1982/83: After years of flirting with New Jersey, NHL hockey came to the Garden State on October 5th as the Devils took the ice at the Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands playing the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-3 tie. Three nights later the Devils got their first win and bragging rights by beating the New York Rangers, who had tried to block a team from moving to New Jersey, at home 3-2.The Devils would play respectable hockey in their first 7 games losing just 1 game. However, form there it would go down hill as the Devils went on an 18-game winless streak on the way to finishing 5th in the Patrick Division with a 17-49-14 record.

1983/84: In their 2nd season in New Jersey the Devils continued to struggle posting a horrible 2-20-0 record in their first 22 games. Host of that year's All-Star Game, Devils fans booed Wayne Gretzky throughout the game, reacting to earlier comments that the Devils were a Mickey Mouse organization". With the playoff out of reach the Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins seemed to battle for the worst record knowing that QMJHL star Mario Lemieux awaited the team with the worst record. The Devils would play bad enough to earn the worst record but finished 3 points better then the Penguins with an awful 17-56-7 record.

1984/85: Forced to settle on Kirk Muller with 2nd pick in the draft the Devils continued to toil in the depths of 5th place as they posted a horrid 22-48-10 record.

1985/86: The Devils would break out of the gates quickly winning their first 3 games. However, that would quickly become a memory as it took the Devils 17 games to win their next 3 games, by then the Devils were way out of the playoff race and on the way to finishing in last place with a record of 28-49-3.

1986/87: The Devils would play competitive hockey most of the first half of the season standing at 16-14-2 through 32 games. However as winter hit the Devils would slip and slide enduring a 10-game winless streak. The Devils would go on to finish in last place again with a record of 29-45-6. In 5 years in New Jersey the Devils had not been a factor in the playoff race. In fact going back to their years as the Kansas City Scout and Colorado Rockies the franchise had just made the playoffs once in 13 years, clearly something had to be done to turn the franchise around. To try and change the team's fortunes the Devils hired Lou Lamoriello, who had a successful college-coaching career to be the team's new President and General Manager.

1987/88: The Devils would continue to get off to good starts posting a 15-9-4 record through their first 26 games. However, as the cold winds of winter began to blow the Devils would go into hibernation again posting a 6-15-1 record in their next 22 games as Coach Doug Carpenter is fired. Under his replacement Jim Schoenfeld Devils would stay afloat hanging within a few points of the playoffs. However, on March 17th things looked bleak as the Devils held a record of 31-36-5 and appeared as if they needed to win each of their final 10 games to make the playoffs. That is precisely what would happen as the Devils would post an 8-0-1 record in their last 9 games to get into position to make the playoff with a win in their final game. Playing the Blackhawks in Chicago the Devils would rally to send the game into overtime where John MacLean scored to send the Devils to the playoff for the first time ever with a record of 38-36-6. After splitting their first 2 games in the playoffs to Islanders in New York the Devils would shut the Islanders out in the first playoff game in New Jersey 3-0. After dropping Game 4 at home the Devils stole Game 5 on Long Island and completed the upset of the first place Islander with an exciting 6-5 win at home in Game 6. Moving on to the Patrick Division Finals, the Devils continued to fly taking 3 of the first 5 against the Washington Capitals. However, after getting blown out at home 7-2 in Game 6 most thought their run would end as they played Game 7 in Washington. However, the Devils would stun the Capitals 3-2 to reach the Wales Conference Finals. Facing the Boston Bruin for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals the Devils would split the first 2 games in Boston. Upon returning home the Devil would be blown 6-1 in a game that would be best remembered for Devils Coach Jim Schoenfeld laying into referee Don Koharski following the game. The referees would walk out prior to the next game in protest prompting a 66-minute delay while replacement referees were found. The Devils would go on to with game 3-1 to even the series. With Shonefled sitting out a one game suspension to settle the dispute with official the Devils would fall 7-1 in Boston. The Devils would force a 7th game with a 6-3 win at home, but in the end they would run out of steam as they lost 6-2 in Game 7 at Boston. Though falling 1 game short of the Finals the Devils did manage to make fans in New Jersey take notice, and the Devils would go on to get better radio, coverage, while increasing season tickets and fan interest n the team.

1988/89: Coming off their improbable playoff run the Devils would be a disappointment missing the playoffs while finishing in 5th place with a record of 27-41-12.

1989/90: The Devils sign Russians Viacheslav Fetisov and Sergei Starikov, both are among the first Soviet players to sign with an NHL team, it would be a start of a new era with Eastern Europeans playing in the NHL as a result of the crumbling of the iron curtain. Defenseman Fetisov would have an impressive rookie season with 34 assists, as the Devils make the playoffs with a 37-34-9 record as Tom McVie replaces Coach Jim Schoenfeld in the middle of the season. However, there would be no magical playoff run this time as the Devils are beaten by the Washington Capitals in 6 games.

1990/91: Despite playing mediocre hockey all season the Devils slip into the playoffs by finishing in 4th place with a record of 32-33-15. In the playoffs the Devils would battle the Pittsburgh Penguins tooth and nail holding a 3-2 series lead after 5 games. However with a chance to close things out at the Meadowlands in Game 6 the Devils would lose 4-3, as the Penguins forced a 7th game which they won 4-0 in Pittsburgh. For the Penguins it would be the toughest series they played on the way to winning their first Stanley Cup.

1991/92: During the off-season the Devils would lose Brendan Shanahan to Free Agency as he signed a deal with the St. Louis Blue. However, Free Agents of Shanahan's type at the time afforded the Devils to some compensation from the Blues, and an arbitrator would rule that Scott Stevens would be whom the Devils could claim. Stevens helped make the Devils tougher as they made the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row with a record of 38-31-11. Facing their Hudson River Rivals in the playoffs the Devils would frustrate the New York Rangers all series forcing a decisive 7th game with a fight filled 5-3 win in Game 6. However, the Devils would fall in the 7th game 8-4.

1992/93: The Devils would get a new color scheme replacing green with black in their uniforms as Scott Stevens is named the club's new captain. On the ice not much would change as the Devils finish in 4th place for the 3rd straight year making the playoffs with a record of 40-37-7. In the playoffs the Devils would make a quick exit as they are beaten by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 5 games.

1993/94: New Coach Jacque Lemaire a Hall of Fame defenseman with Montreal Canadiens would employ a new defensive strategy known as the Neutral Zone Trap. The trap would help Rookie Goalie Martin Brodeur win the Calder Trophy splitting time with Chris Terreri, a the Devils finished above 100 points for the first time in franchise history finishing in 2nd place in the newly renamed Atlantic Division with a record of 47-25-12. Under a new format the Conference was seeded 1 through 8 and the Devils would Buffalo Sabres in the first round. Both teams featured tough defense and excellent goalies as the series went 7 games highlighted by a 1-0 quadruple overtime win by the Sabres in Game 6. However, the Devils would overcome the draining loss by beating the Sabres 2-1 at home in Game 7. Moving on the 2nd round the appeared tired as they dropped the first 2 games to the Boston Bruins at home. The Devils would keep their hopes alive with a 4-2 win in Game as the series shifted to Boston. In Game 4 the Devils appeared to be heading for certain doom trailing throughout the game. However the Devils would rally to tie the game late. In OT the Devils would win on Stephane Richer's goal to tie the series at 2. The overtime win would provide a spark as the Devils blanked the Bruins behind Martin Brodeur in Game 5. The Devils would go on to win the series in 6 games to set up a match up with New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Right from the start it was obvious the series would be a classic, as Richer became the hero in overtime again as the Devils stole Game 1 at MSG in double overtime 4-3. The Rangers would answer back shutting the Devils out in Game 2 and claiming a double overtime win of their own in Game 3 on a Stephane Matteau goal at the Meadowlands to take a 2-1 series lead. The Devils would bounce back taking the next 2 games in dominant fashion to take a3-2 series lead. With a change to reach the Stanley Cup Finals the Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game 6 at the Meadowlands. However, the Rangers would rally on a 3rd period hat trick by Mark Messier to force a 7th game. The Devils would not go quietly as Martin Brodeur kept them in the game by holding the Rangers to 1 goal. However, the Devils would need a miracle goal by Valeri Zelepukin to send the game into overtime. However, the Devils would fall in double overtime as Stephane Matteau beat Brodeur on a wrap around.

1994/95: The bitter taste of the playoffs would linger in the Devils mouths for a longtime as the start of the season was delayed by a 4-month lockout. When play resumed in January the Devils would get of to a shaky start posting 12-13-5 record in the first 30 games of shortened 48-game schedule. The Devils would quietly finish the season strong posting a 22-18-8 record to make the playoffs as the 5th seed. In the playoffs the Devils would get off to a fast start shutting the Boston Bruins out in the first 2 games on the road. After dropping Game 3 at home the Devils and Bruins battled into overtime scoreless, where Randy McKay gave the Devils a 3-1 series lead with a goal midway through the first overtime period. The Devils would go on close out the Bruins with a3-2 win in Game 5 that was the last game ever at the Boston Garden. In the 2nd round the Devils would drop Game 1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road. However, the rest of the way the Devils would frustrate the Penguins with Neutral Zone Trap winning the next 4 to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2nd straight season. This time facing their neighbors to the south the Devils, who were unfazed by rumors of a move to Nashville took the first 2 games on the road. However, the Flyers would stun the Devils by winning twice at the Meadowlands to even the series. The Devils would rebound to take Game 5 in Philly 3-2 on a late goal by Claude Lemieux. With a chance to close out the series at home the Devils were not about to make the same mistake taking an early lead and employing the trap to reach the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-2 win. Facing the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings the Devils made the trap the NHL's biggest 4 letter word as they frustrated the heavily favored Wings in Detroit taking a 2-0 series lead. Coming home to New Jersey the Devils would defend their home turf by blowing out the Red Wings twice 5-2 to complete the sweep and claim the Stanley Cup, as Claude Lemieux who scored 13 postseason goals, after scoring just 6 times in the regular season was awarded with Conn Smythe Trophy.

1995/96: Following the Stanley Cup victory the state of New Jersey was forced to give in to the Devils demands of renovations to their arena, which was, renamed Continental Airlines Arena, to avoid the embarrassment of losing the Champions to Nashville. However, the Devils playoff hero Claude Lemieux would not return as he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche after a contract holdout. After the Championship banner was raised to the Devils got off to a solid start winning 6 of their first 7 games. However, the Devils seemed to go into cruise control as they play mediocre hockey the next 4 months hover around .500. On the playoff bubble the Devils started to play a little better, but without the same intensity. As the series wound down the Devils found themselves needing to finish strong just to make the playoffs. However, a devastating 5-2 home loss to the last place Ottawa Senators in the last game left the Devils on the outside looking in missing the playoffs by 2 points with a 37-33-12 record. It would be the first time in 26 years that a defending Cup Champion failed to reach the playoffs.

1996/97: After coasting through the season and missing the playoffs the Devils made certain that would not happen 2 years in a row as they play solid hockey all season claiming their first Division Title with a solid 45-23-14 record. In the playoff the Devils would get off to a quick start dominating the Montreal Canadiens at home while winning the first 2 games by a combined 9-3 score. Among the goal scorers was Goalie Martin Brodeur who hit an empty net late in Game 1 to become just the 2nd Goalie to score in the playoffs. The Devils would go on to win the series in 5 games dropping just Game 4. In the 2nd round the Devils would be matched against the New York Rangers. After exchanging 2-0 wins at the Meadowlands the series shifted across the Hudson where the Rangers took Game 3 in overtime 3-2. In Game 4 the Devils would be dominated by Mike Richter and Wayne Gretzky as the Rangers took a 3-1 series lead. The series would return to the Meadowlands for Game 5 but not even home ice could save the Devils as the Rangers took Game 5 in OT on an Adam Graves goal.

1997/98: The Devils would be the beast of the East again winning their 2nd straight Atlantic Division title with an Eastern Conference best record of 48-23-11. However, in the playoffs the Devils would be stunned by the Ottawa Senators who took 3 of their first 4 games on the way to winning the series in 6 games. Following the season Coach Jacques Lemaire the most successful coach in Devils history would step down.

1998/99: Under new Coach Robbie Ftorek the Devils continued to remain the supreme power in the East winning their 3rd straight Division title with a Conference best 47-24-11 record. However for the 2nd straight year the Devils would be tripped up in the first round losing to the 8th seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games, blowing a late Game 6 lead in a game they would lose in overtime.

1999/00: The Devils would get off to a fast start again quickly taking the lead in the Atlantic Division. Through most of January and February the Devils would hold the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Along the way Ken Daneyko would become the first Devil to appear in 1,000 games for the franchise. However, as March started the Devils would struggle, posting a 5-10-2-1 record from February 17 to March 21st. Despite still hanging on to the top spot the Devils would fire Coach Robbie Ftorek and replace him with assistant Larry Robinson. Under Robinson the Devils would split their final 4 games and would fall out of first place finishing n 2nd with a record of 45-29-8-5. After closing the regular season on the wrong foot the Devils suddenly found themselves in the playoffs as they swept the Florida Panthers in 4 straight games. In the 2nd round the Devils would face the Toronto Maple Leafs splitting the first 4 games. The Devils would go in to Toronto and take Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead as the held off a late Leafs rally to win 4-3. With a chance to reach the Eastern Conference Finals the Devils jumped out early as Petr Sykora scoring 18 seconds into the game. From there the Devils employed the trap allowing just 6 shots in the entire game, to blank the Leafs 3-0. The 6 shots were the lowest in any NHL game since 1967. As they had 5 years earlier the Devils were matched up against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Finals. The Devils would get off to a fast start taking Game 1 in Philly 4-1. However, the Devils would let a 3-1 lead slip away from them in Game 3 as the Flyers evened the series. The Devils appeared to be affected by the missed opportunity as the Flyers took the next 2 games at the Meadowlands to grab 3-1 series lead. Facing elimination the Devils would bring their A game for a 4-1 victory in Game 5 on the road. Still needing a win to even the series the Devils broke open a scoreless tie on a goal by Claude Lemieux who had been reacquired earlier in the season. The Devils would go on to win the game 2-1 to force a decisive 7th game. The Devils and Flyers battled into the 3rd period tied at 1 as Flyers star Eric Lindros was knocked out by a crushing hit from Scott Stevens. Patrick Elias would end up scoring the game-winning goal with 2:32 left in the game, as the Devils became the first teams in the expansion era to rally from a3-1 deficit in the Conference Finals. Facing the defending Champion Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals the Devils would get of to a roaring start taking Game 1 at home 7-2. However the Stars would rally to take Game 2 sending the series even at 1 to Dallas. In Dallas the Devils would once again become kings of the road grabbing both games to take a 3-1 series lead as the Devils defense held the high scoring Stars to 2 goals. Looking to close the series out in Game 5 at home the Devils and Stars would battle late into the night with neither side being able to light the lamp. The Stars would go on to win the game with a Mike Modano goal in triple overtime. In Game 6 back in Dallas the Devils and Stars would battle into overtime again as the Petr Sykora was lost early in the game with a concussion. Tied at 1 the game would go into double overtime when Jason Arnott one time a Patrik Elias pass to clinch the Devils 2nd Stanley Cup. During the celebration Coach Larry Robinson would wear Sykora's jersey as Scott Stevens who set the defensive tone won the Conn Smythe. Following the celebration the Devils would take the cup to the hospital to Petr Sykora's hospital room.

2000/01: Coming off their 2nd Stanley Cup Championship the Devils are sold to Puck Holdings a subsidiary company of Yankee-Nets wit the hopes of moving the team to an arena in downtown Newark. While the Newark Arena went through red tape the Devils continued to be the beast of the East winning their 4th Division title in 5 years while posting a record of 48-19-12-3. In the playoffs the Devils would abuse the Carolina Hurricanes to take a 3-0 series lead. However the Hurricanes would not go down without a fight taking the next 2 games before falling in 6 games. In the 2nd Round the Devils would be pushed to the limit by the Toronto Maple Leafs needing to win Game 6 in Toronto to force a 7th game at the Meadowlands which they won 5-1 to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. In the East Finals the Devils would dominate the Pittsburgh Penguin staking the series sin 5 games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the 2nd straight season. In the Cup Finals the Devils would face the Colorado Avalanche, where they would get off to a shaky start losing Game 1 in Colorado 5-0. After evening the series with a win in Game 2 the Devils dropped Game 3 at home 3-1. The Devils would bounce back to take the next 2 to have a chance to clinch their 2nd straight cup with a home win in Game 6. However, Goalie Patrick Roy would limit the Devils to just 1 goal the rest of the way as the Avalanche forced Game 7 with a shutout win in Game 6 and a 3-1 win in the Mile High City in Game 7.

2001/02: After losing in the Stanley Cup Finals the Devils appeared sluggish at times at the start of the season prompting the team to fire Larry Robinson, and replace him with Kevin Constantine. The Devils would also make changes on the team trading Jason Arnott and Randy McKay to the Dallas Stars for Joe Neiuwendyk and Jamie Lagenbrunner. As the Devils completed the season with a 41-28-9-4 record, Larry Robinson was brought back as an assistant as John Cuniff left the team for Cancer treatments. In the playoffs the Devils would be frustrated by Carolina goalie Kevin Weekes, as the Hurricanes stunned the Devils in 6 games. Sadly Cuniff would die shortly after the Devils were eliminated.

2002/03: After the Devils fell in the first round the team retooled allowing Bobby Holik to sign with the rival New York Rangers, and trading Petr Sykora to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Jeff Friesen. In addition the Devils would make another change behind the bench hiring Pat Burn who had the reputation of a taskmaster. Once again the Devils relied heavily on defense as Martin Brodeur finally won the Vezina Trophy with a solid 2.02 GAA, and a league best 41 wins, becoming the first goalie to win 30 or games in 8 straight seasons, as the Devils won their 5th Division Title in 7 years with a record of 46-20-10-6.Along the way Joe Nieuwendyk scored his 500th career goal on January 17th on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes. In the playoffs the Devils had that Championship look again as they jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over the Boston Bruins in the first round, as Jamie Langenbrunner established himself as the team's go to goal scorer. After playing a sloppy Game 4 the Devils closed out the series with a 3-0 win in Game 5 as Martin Brodeur got his second shutout of the playoffs. In the second round the Devils continued to play impressive defensive hockey as they advanced to the Conference Finals by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in 5 games. Facing the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Finals the Devils overcame an overtime loss in Game 1 to win the next 3 to take a 3-1 series lead. After the Senators won Game 5 in Ottawa the Devils let a chance to close out the President's Trophy Champions at home losing Game 6 in overtime 2-1 forcing the Devils to play a decisive 7th game in Ottawa. After falling behind early Jamie Lagenbrunner lit the lamp twice in the 2nd period to give the Devils a 2-1 lead heading into the final period. However, the Senators tied the game early in the 3rd period, and threatened to take the lead. However Martin Brodeur kept the game tied until Jeff Friesen set up perfectly by Grant Marshall put the Devils up for good with 2:14 left.

2002/03: Facing the Cinderella Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Stanley Cup Finals loaded with subplots including a battle between Petr Sykora and Jeff Friesen who were traded for each other in the off season while Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer was matched up against his brother Rob in the first headed to head match up of Stanley Cup siblings since in 59 years. The Devils would get the first laugh as Friesen scored twice in a 3-0 win in Game 1 as the Devils limited the Mighty Ducks to 16 shots. Game 2 would be a carbon copy as the Devils again won 3-0 while allowing just 16 shots on goal. However, as the series shifted to Anaheim the Ducks would bounce back winning the next 2 games in overtime to even the series at 2 games a piece. After 4 tight defensive games Game 5 back at Meadowlands would be shoot out as the Devils regained the series edge with a 6-3 win, gaining their record tying 11th home playoff win. However, with a chance to close things out in Game 6 in Anaheim the Devils showed up flat as they were beaten 5-2 forcing a 7th game for the Stanley Cup at the Meadowlands. Thinking the Devils need a mental pick me up for Game 7 Coach Pat Burns activated Ken Daneyko for the finale. Daneyko who was relegated to a backup roll would provide an emotional lift to the Devils who got back to their tough defensive mind set holding the Ducks to 5 shots in a scoreless first period. In the second period rookie Mike Rupp would break the deadlock. The Devils would get some insurance as Jeff Friesen haunted his old team again to give the Devils a 2-0 lead heading into the final period. Form there Martin Brodeur too over blanking the Ducks for a third time in the finals as Friesen added a 3rd goal, late in the final minutes. As time ticked down on the Devils 3rd Stanley Cup Championship Ken Daneyko was on the ice ending his 20-year career with the Devils in style, as Martin Brodeur set a NHL record with 7 shutouts in the playoffs. However, Brodeur would lose out in the voting for the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP.

2003/04: Coming off their 3rd Stanley Cup Championship the Devils were once again one of the top teams in the NHL thanks to the play of goalie Martin Brodeur who continued to be the leagues premier goalie winning the Vezina Trophy for the 2nd straight season with 38 wins a 2.03 GAA and 11 shutouts, along the way he also became the youngest goalie to reach 400 career wins. Also passing a milestone was Scott Stevens who established the all time record for games played by a defenseman. However shortly after passing the record Stevens suffered a concussion that would end his season on January 7th. In Stevens absence Scott Niedermayer assumed Stevens role as captain and as defensive warrior with 54 points and a +/- of +20, winning the Norris Trophy as the Devils battled the Philadelphia Flyers all season for the Atlantic Division Championship. However the Devils would fall point short with a record of 43-25-12-2. In the playoffs the Devils would meet the Flyers. However, without Stevens the Devils postseason toughness was not the same as they clearly missed his presence losing to the Flyers in 5 games.

2004/05: Season Cancelled Due to Lock Out

2005/06: Coming off the Lock Out the Devils found themselves squeezed by the new salary cap as they were unable to sign free agent defenseman Scott Niedermayer, while longtime Captain Scott Stevens announced he was not coming back. The Devils would later honor Stevens as he became the first player to get his number hung in the rafters. The Devils began the season with Coach Larry Robinson, as Pat Burns still feeling the effects of a battle witch cancer also decided not to return. Also hurting the Devils early were new rules designed to increase offense that no longer allowed the Devils to do some of the holding they did when they had 3rd Period leads. The new rules would hurt the Devils as they struggled early posting a 16-18-5 record at the end of December, as Robinson resigned in December with GM Lou Lamoriello coaching the team the remainder of the season. Like magic the calendar change to 2006, seemed to wake the sleeping Devils as they won their first nine games in January and got themselves back in the playoff picture. In March the Devils would hit another bump in the road as they won just 4 games over a 13 game stretch, as even Martin Brodeur was struggling allowing 6 goals at one point in back-to-back games. However, as the season came to an end the Devils suddenly caught fire winning their last 11 games to leap from 3rd place in the Atlantic Division all the way past the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers as they won their 6th Division Title in franchise history with a record of 46-27-9, as the diminutive Brian Gionta set a team record with 48 goals. In the playoffs the Devils would face those very same Rangers and would remain red ho, as they simply dominated their rivals from across the Hudson, winning their first game 6-1, as they extended their end of the season winning streak to 15 games by sweeping the Rangers in four straight, while outscoring them 17-4. Sweeping the Rangers did have one drawback in that they were off a week before their second round series against the Carolina Hurricanes began, and the rust was clear in Game 1 as they lost 6-0. In Game 2 it appeared as if the Devils rebounded as they took a 2-1 lead with 21 seconds left on a goal by Scott Gomez. However, the Hurricanes would tie the game just 18 seconds later, and would win the game in overtime. As the series shifted to New Jersey the Devils remained down losing Game 3 by a score of 3-2. They would avoid the sweep with a 5-1 win in Game 4, but Hurricanes could not be stopped as they won the series in five, and would go on to win the Stanley Cup.

2006/07: The Devils celebrated their 25th Anniversary by saying good bye to the Meadowlands as their new arena in Newark was nearing completion. With new Coach Claude Julien the Devils would once again get off to a slow start as they held a 12-11-2 record at the end of a rough November road trip that saw they lose all four games on the Pacific Division. Coming off the road trip the Devils would quickly rebound winning five in a row, as Martin Brodeur started stealing games with a career high 12 shutouts that included four 1-0 victories. In fact one goal victories would be a trend all season as the Devils offense misfired, while Martin Brodeur had an MVP type season, setting a new single season record with 48 wins to capture his third Vezina Trophy. The Devils would once again win the Atlantic Division, but GM Lou Lamoriello was not satisfied as he fired Julien with just three games to go. Lamoriello himself would coach the remainder of the season and the playoffs as the Devils finished with 49-33-9 record. In the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning the Devils would have to rely on their offense as Brodeur perhaps fatigued from a season in which he played 78 games struggled allowing three goals in the first four games. However, the Devils managed a split winning Game 4 on the road in overtime 4-3 on a goal by Scott Gomez. In Game 5 Brodeur would take over stopping all 31 shots in a 3-0 win. The Devils would go on to win the series in 6 games, with a 3-2 win on the road. The second round would not be as easy as the Ottawa Senators took Game 1 at the Meadowlands 5-4. The Devils would overcome the shock of a late tying goal to win Game 2 in double overtime on a goal by Jamie Langenbrunner 3-2. However, the Devils would struggle in Ottawa losing both games to fall behind 3-1 in the series. Needing a win just to save alive in Game 5 the Devils would allow three goals in the 2nd period as they fell behind 3-1 entering the final period. The Devils would manage to score with 40 seconds left on a goal by Scott Gomez, but it would not be enough as the Senators won the game 3-2 to take the series in five games. The second round elimination would mark the end of an era at the Meadowlands and on the team itself as Gomez left for a Free Agent deal with the rival New York Ranges, while Brian Rafalski signed with the Detroit Red Wings.

2007/08: With work on the new Prudential Center in Newark being completed the Devils were forced to play their first nine games on the road under new Coach Brent Sutter. Making matters worse the Devils were short handed as Jamie Langenbrunner and Colin White on the injured list. After winning just three of their nine road games the Devils made their debut at the Prudential Center on October 27th, suffering another letdown at the hands of the Ottawa Senators losing 4-1.