2011–12 New Jersey Devils season

The 2011–12 New Jersey Devils season was the 38th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974,[1] and 30th season since the franchise relocated to New Jersey to start the 1982–83 NHL season. The Devils hoped to return to the playoffs after having their long playoff streak snapped the previous year. While finishing fourth in the strong Atlantic Division, they ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference, thus securing a playoff berth, and faced the Southeast Division-winning Florida Panthers in the Conference Quarterfinals where they won in seven games. In the Conference Semifinals, the Devils played against the Philadelphia Flyers and won in five games. In the Conference Finals, they faced their rivals, the New York Rangers, and won in six games advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since the 2002–03 season. The Devils lost in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals to the Los Angeles Kings in six games.

2011–12 New Jersey Devils
Eastern Conference champions
Division4th Atlantic
Conference6th Eastern
2011–12 record48–28–6
Home record24–13–4
Road record24–15–2
Goals for228
Goals against209
Team information
General managerLou Lamoriello
CoachPeter DeBoer
CaptainZach Parise
Alternate captainsPatrik Elias
Ilya Kovalchuk
ArenaPrudential Center
Average attendance15,396 (87.4%)
Total: 631,258 (41 games)
Team leaders
GoalsIlya Kovalchuk (37)
AssistsPatrik Elias (52)
PointsIlya Kovalchuk (83)
Penalty minutesDavid Clarkson (138)
Plus/minusBryce Salvador (+18)
WinsMartin Brodeur (31)
Goals against averageJohan Hedberg (2.23)

Off-season

The focus of the Devils during the 2011 off-season was on finding a new coach and player signings. The main focus of the team was resigning Zach Parise and signing fourth-overall 2011 pick Adam Larsson to an entry-level contract,[2] although team CEO and General Manager Lou Lamoriello did find the time to sign goaltender Johan Hedberg,[3] as well as defenseman Andy Greene.[4] Additionally, the team chose to suspend operations of the Trenton Devils, which was a minor league ECHL club that the team had used for player development, citing declining fan interest in the team and a desire to bring the organization more in line with other NHL organizations in terms of minor league affiliations.[5]

The Devils announced the hiring of Peter DeBoer as the new head coach of the team on July 19, 2011.[6]

Pre-season

On June 30, 2011, the New Jersey Devils announced that they would play six games during the pre-season. There were three home games at the Prudential Center against the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers. They also played two road games, one against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum and one against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. One neutral site game against the Rangers took place at the Times Union Center, located in Albany, New York.[7]

Regular season

The Devils had a very effective penalty kill during the regular season, allowing the fewest shorthanded goals in the League (27) and having the highest penalty-kill percentage (89.58%). The 89.58% penalty kill is the best penalty kill by any team in a season in NHL history. They also scored the most shorthanded goals in the NHL (15) and allowed the most shorthanded goals in the League (13).[8]

Playoffs

The Devils clinched their 20th playoff berth in 22 seasons with a 5–0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on March 31, 2012. They finished the regular season with 102 points, finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Devils finished the regular season as the 6 seed in the East with 102 points. Returning injured center Travis Zajac led the team's offense as they then proceeded to knock the Florida Panthers out of the playoffs in 7 games, winning game 6 in overtime with a goal from Zajac and another in double overtime in game 7 from Henrique.[9][10] They moved on to play their division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the conference semifinals and were considered heavy underdogs in the series.[11] They faced some early setbacks against the Flyers including a Game 1 overtime loss and the injury of all-star Ilya Kovalchuk.[12] However the Devils rallied in Game 2 without their star forward, winning the game by a score of 4-1.[13] Kovalchuk returned strong for Game 3 and his pass to Ponikarovsky gave the Devils a much needed overtime goal to win Game 3.[14] The streak continued as the Devils would win 4 in a row to eventually defeat the Flyers and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2003.[15] The Devils would play the New York Rangers in the Conference Finals, a rematch of the 1994 series that resulted in a heartbreaking Game 7 overtime loss during Brodeur's rookie season. The series was highly publicized by the New York media and was a tough back-and-forth battle for the first four games, leaving the series split 2-2.[16][17] The Devils' fourth line, which had been very successful throughout the playoffs, came through in Game 5 to help give the Devils a 3-2 lead in the series.[18] The line consisted of players Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta and Steve Bernier, all of which had been dropped from a professional roster at some point during the season. Emerging as playoff heroes, they tallied an impressive 19 points in the first three rounds.[19] Despite constant comparisons to the 1994 series, the Devils and Brodeur rewrote history and claimed victory on May 25, 2012, as Henrique scored another series clinching overtime goal in Game 6 to advance the Devils to the Stanley Cup finals against the Los Angeles Kings.[20][21][22] Facing the Kings in the Finals, the Devils lost two consecutive overtime games at home and then game three in Los Angeles. However, the Devils managed to not be swept after losing the first three games in the series, but still lost the Cup in six games.[23]

Standings
Atlantic Division
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 z – New York Rangers 82 51 24 7 47 226 187 +39 109
2 x – Pittsburgh Penguins 82 51 25 6 42 282 221 +61 108
3 x – Philadelphia Flyers 82 47 26 9 43 264 232 +32 103
4 x – New Jersey Devils 82 48 28 6 36 228 209 +19 102
5 New York Islanders 82 34 37 11 27 203 255 −52 79
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; z – Clinched conference.
Eastern Conference
Pos Div Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 AT z – New York Rangers 82 51 24 7 47 226 187 +39 109
2 NE y – Boston Bruins 82 49 29 4 40 269 202 +67 102
3 SE y – Florida Panthers 82 38 26 18 32 203 227 −24 94
4 AT x – Pittsburgh Penguins 82 51 25 6 42 282 221 +61 108
5 AT x – Philadelphia Flyers 82 47 26 9 43 264 232 +32 103
6 AT x – New Jersey Devils 82 48 28 6 36 228 209 +19 102
7 SE x – Washington Capitals 82 42 32 8 38 222 230 −8 92
8 NE x – Ottawa Senators 82 41 31 10 35 249 240 +9 92
9 NE Buffalo Sabres 82 39 32 11 32 218 230 −12 89
10 SE Tampa Bay Lightning 82 38 36 8 35 235 281 −46 84
11 SE Winnipeg Jets 82 37 35 10 33 225 246 −21 84
12 SE Carolina Hurricanes 82 33 33 16 32 213 243 −30 82
13 NE Toronto Maple Leafs 82 35 37 10 31 231 264 −33 80
14 AT New York Islanders 82 34 37 11 27 203 255 −52 79
15 NE Montreal Canadiens 82 31 35 16 26 212 226 −14 78
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division; z – Clinched conference.

Schedule and results

Preseason
Preseason: 3–3–0 (Home: 2–1–0; Road: 1–2–0)

  Win   Loss   Overtime/Shootout Loss

Regular season
2011–12 Regular season game log: 48–28–6 (Home: 24–13–4 ; Road: 24–15–2)
October (Games: 9; Home: 4; Road: 5) (Record: 4–4–1; Home: 2–1–1; Road: 2–3–0)
November (Games: 14; Home: 6; Road: 8) (Record: 8–6–0; Home: 3–3–0; Road: 5–3–0)
December (Games: 14; Home: 7; Road: 7) (Record: 9–5–0; Home: 5–2–0; Road: 4–3–0)
January (Games: 12; Home: 7; Road: 5) (Record: 6–4–2; Home: 3–3–1; Road: 3–1–1)
February (Games: 13; Home: 7; Road: 6) (Record: 8–4–1; Home: 3–2–1; Road: 5–2–0)
March (Games: 17; Home: 8; Road: 9) (Record: 10–5–2; Home: 6–1–1; Road: 4–4–1)
April (Games: 3; Home: 2; Road: 1) (Record: 3–0–0; Home: 2–0–0; Road: 1–0–0)

Playoffs
Main articles: 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs and 2012 Stanley Cup Finals
2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

  Win   Loss   Win Playoff Series

Media

This season would be Steve Cangialosi's first season as a regular television play-by-play announcer for the Devils. Deb Placey and Ken Daneyko did color and studio analysis commentating. Radio coverage was still on WFAN (AM) 660 with Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross as usual.

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Goaltenders
Regular season
Player GP Min W L OT GA GAA SA Sv% SO G A PIM
Martin Brodeur593392312141362.411472.9083042
Johan Hedberg2715911772592.23718.9184002
Playoffs
Player GP Min W L GA GAA SA Sv% SO G A PIM
Martin Brodeur241471149522.12629.9171040
Johan Hedberg1360111.6714.9290000

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Devils. Stats reflect time with Devils only.
‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Devils only.

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Awards
Regular Season
PlayerAwardAwarded
Ilya KovalchukNHL First All-Star Team - Left WingEnd of regular season
Adam HenriqueNHL All-Rookie Team - ForwardEnd of regular season
Adam Henrique[24]NHL Rookie of the MonthDecember 2011
Ilya Kovalchuk[25]NHL Second Star of the WeekFebruary 6, 2012
Ilya Kovalchuk[26]NHL Second Star of the WeekMarch 12, 2012

Nominations
Regular Season
PlayerAwardPlace
Adam HenriqueCalder Memorial TrophyFinalist

Records
Player Record (Amount) Achieved

Milestones
Regular season
PlayerMilestoneDate
Adam Larsson1st career NHL gameOctober 8, 2011
David Clarkson300th career NHL gameOctober 10, 2011
Henrik Tallinder100th career NHL assistOctober 15, 2011
Adam Henrique1st career NHL assist
1st career NHL point		October 27, 2011
Andy Greene300th career NHL gameOctober 29, 2011
Brad Mills1st career NHL assistNovember 2, 2011
Adam Larsson1st career NHL assist
1st career NHL point		November 2, 2011
Adam Henrique1st career NHL goalNovember 3, 2011
Dainius Zubrus500th career NHL pointNovember 8, 2011
Adam Larsson1st career NHL goalNovember 11, 2011
Anton Volchenkov500th career NHL gameNovember 12, 2011
Dainius Zubrus1,000th career NHL gameNovember 16, 2011
Ryan Carter200th career NHL gameNovember 19, 2011
Patrik Elias500th career NHL assistDecember 28, 2011
Dainius Zubrus200th career NHL goalJanuary 2, 2012
Patrik Elias1,000th career NHL gameJanuary 6, 2012
Zach Parise200th career NHL assistJanuary 10, 2012
Mark Fayne100th career NHL gameJanuary 11, 2012
Petr Sykora700th career NHL pointJanuary 14, 2012
Mattias Tedenby100th career NHL gameJanuary 14, 2012
Alexei Ponikarovsky300th career NHL pointFebruary 4, 2012
Cam Janssen300th career NHL gameFebruary 14, 2012
Steve Bernier400th career NHL gameMarch 1, 2012
Petr Sykora1,000th career NHL gameMarch 4, 2012
Bryce Salvador100th career NHL pointMarch 6, 2012
Zach Parise400th career NHL pointMarch 8, 2012
Marek Zidlicky300th career NHL pointMarch 8, 2012
Andy Greene100th career NHL pointMarch 17, 2012
Ilya Kovalchuk400th career NHL goalMarch 20, 2012
Zach Parise500th career NHL gameApril 3, 2012
Eric Boulton600th career NHL gameApril 5, 2012
Stephen Gionta1st career NHL goal
1st career NHL point		April 7, 2012

Transactions

The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season.

Draft picks

The New Jersey Devils participated in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, located at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on June 24, 2011. Devils CEO, president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, described as being "thrilled" at the chance to draft him,[53] selected Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson fourth overall.[54] This was the Devils' highest pick in the draft since selecting Scott Neidermayer third overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.[54]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 4 Adam Larsson[54] D Sweden Skelleftea AIK (Elitserien)
3 69[Note 1][55] Forfeited pick
3 75[Note 2][56] Blake Coleman[57] C United States Indiana Ice (USHL)
4 99 Reid Boucher[58] C United States U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
5 129 Blake Pietila[59] LW United States U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
6 159 Reece Scarlett[60] D Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
7 189 Patrick Daly[61] D United States Benilde-St. Margaret's High School
Notes
  1. The New Jersey Devils' third-round pick was forfeited as a result of a penalty sanction due to cap circumvention when signing Ilya Kovalchuk. The penalty includes a fine of US$3 million, a forfeiture of one first-round pick between 2011 and 2014 as determined by the Devils, and this pick.
  2. The Dallas Stars' third-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on January 7, 2011 that sent Jamie Langenbrunner to Dallas in exchange for a conditional pick in 2012 NHL Entry Draft and this pick (conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Dallas Stars does not win a round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs and does not re-sign Langenbrunner prior to the 2011 Draft – was converted on June 24, 2011.

See also

References

  1. National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
  2. Chere, Rich (July 1, 2011). "Devils GM Lou Lamoriello turns attention to signing Adam Larsson, making a trade". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  3. Chere, Rich (July 1, 2011). "Devils sign backup goalie Johan Hedberg to one-year deal". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  4. Chere, Rich (July 1, 2011). "NHL free agency: Devils sign Andy Greene to four-year deal". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  5. Chere, Rich (July 6, 2011). "ECHL's Trenton Devils suspend operations". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  6. Chere, Rich (July 19, 2011). "Devils' new coach: Peter DeBoer to be introduced today". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  7. "Devils' 2011–12 Preseason Schedule Set" (Press release). New Jersey Devils. June 30, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  8. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2012.html
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2015-01-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. Lozo, Dave (June 12, 2012). "Devils disappointed, but proud". NHL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  24. "Devils' Henrique named NHL Rookie of the Month". Nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  25. "NHL's Three Stars: Gagner, Kovalchuk, Reimer". Nhl.com. 1988-12-31. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  26. "Bryzgalov, Kovalchuk, Halak named Three Stars". Nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  27. "Wild Acquires McIntyre From New Jersey". Wild.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
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  29. "Devils deal for Trent Hunter". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  30. "Fourth-round pick acquired for Steckel". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  31. "Devils acquire D Kurtis Foster from Anaheim". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  32. "Devils acquire Alexei Ponikarovsky". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  33. "Devils acquire D Marek Zidlicky". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  34. "Devils sign Cam Janssen". NHL.com. July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  35. "Devils sign forward Eric Boulton". NHL.com. July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  36. "New Jersey Devils Sign 12 Players". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  37. "Sykora signs with Devils". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  38. "Greene back at practice; Henrique "still sore"; Bernier joins Devils; Zajac not skating yet". Blogs.northjersey.com. 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  39. "Coyotes Sign Defenseman Tyler Eckford to One-Year Contract". Coyotes.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  40. "Bulletin: Senators sign goaltender Mike McKenna to a one-year contract". Senators.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  41. "Colin White Signs With San Jose". Sharks.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  42. "Kigns Sign F Trent Hunter to One-Year Contract". Kings.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  43. "Devils claim F Ryan Carter off waivers". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  44. "Devils sign Michigan's Brandon Burlon". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  45. Saed Hindash. "Devils re-sign defenseman Jay Leach to one-year contract". Nj.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  46. "Devils re-sign D Andy Greene". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  47. "Devils re-sign G Johan Hedberg". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  48. Saed Hindash. "Devils trade Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond to Flames for fifth-round pick". Nj.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  49. "Devils sign first-round pick Adam Larsson". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  50. "Defencemen Taormina, Fraser Re-Sign With Devils". Tsn.ca. 2011-07-27. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  51. "Parise signed to one-year deal". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  52. "Devils sign goalie prospect Wedgewood". Devils.nhl.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  53. Chere, Rich (June 24, 2011). "NHL Draft 2011: Devils are ecstatic at getting Adam Larsson". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
  54. Chere, Rich (June 24, 2011). "Devils pick Adam Larsson fourth overall in 2011 NHL Draft". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
  55. "NHL fines Devils, take away draft picks for cap circumvention". TSN. September 13, 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  56. Rosen, Dan (January 7, 2011). "Devils trade Langenbrunner to Dallas". NHL. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  57. Chere, Rich (June 25, 2011). "NHL Draft 2011: Devils pick Blake Coleman 75th overall in third round". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  58. Chere, Rich (June 25, 2011). "NHL Draft 2011: Devils pick Reid Boucher 99th overall in fourth round". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  59. Chere, Rich (June 25, 2011). "NHL Draft 2011: Devils pick Blake Pietila 129th overall in fifth round". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  60. Chere, Rich (June 25, 2011). "NHL Draft 2011: Devils pick defenseman Reece Scarlett in sixth round". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  61. Chere, Rich (June 25, 2011). "NHL Draft 2011: Devils take defenseman Patrick Daly in seventh round". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
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