5. 2005-06 Brian Gionta: 48 goals, 41 assists, 89 points
Brian Gionta was a fan favorite for a long time, but he took the next step in his Devils lore when he broke the goals record in 2006. He was an every man. His small stature didn’t stop him from doing amazing things on the ice. He was a scorer going into the 2005-06 season. He had 21 goals in his previous season, so many thought he could hit 30 goals as he progressed. He surpassed those expectations in a huge way.
Gionta was one of the best goal-scorers of the 2005-06 season. He might have ridden a wave during a really crazy season. There were five 50-goal scorers that year, including Jonathan Cheechoo, Dany Heatley, and Alex Ovechkin’s rookie season. Still, Gionta deserves credit for going on this crazy run. Despite the great goal scoring, Gionta still had 41 assists. He did this despite the Devils only having one other 20-goal scorer on the team.
Gionta fell off a cliff after this season. Not only did he never hit 40 goals again, he never even hit 30 goals. This was a completely outlier, but it doesn’t make it any less impressive.
At one point, it looked like Jack Hughes could break that record. He came close, but he’s going to fall short. The goals record is safe… for now.