50 Greatest New Jersey Devils Players of All Time: Numbers 40-31

Greatest New Jersey Devils player of all time: 37. Jay Pandolfo

Jay Pandolfo is one of those players where the score sheet wasn’t exactly where he made his biggest impact. This is also where we get to players who greatly impacted the Devils. Think of everyone on this list prior to Pandolfo as significant contributors, and allow these players to be the winning players. Pandolfo was drafted after playing one year at Boston University. He was phenomenal for the Terriers. The Devils thought they might have a scorer on their hands when he joined them in 1995. Scoring never really became Pandolfo’s game.

In 13 seasons with the Devils, Pandolfo had more than 10 goals four times. He scored more than one goal in the playoffs once. This Devils team always made the playoffs and made two runs to the Stanley Cup with Pandolfo on the roster. (He was a member of the Devils in 2000 but did not play in the playoffs.)

Pandolfo’s real impact was stopping the other team from scoring. He was always on the Devils penalty kill, a well-known unit around the league. He was also incredibly clutch. In 2002-03, he had six goals all season. Four of them were game-winners. Then in the playoffs, he matched his season total with six goals. The Devils needed literally every goal in 2003 to win the Stanley Cup, so Pandolfo found his scoring touch at the right time.

Pandolfo was a fan favorite for how he played the game. He had the skill to score more, but that’s not what the team needed for most of his tenure. He put team needs ahead of his own, and that’s why Lou Lamoriello loved him. Pandolfo was a big reason for the Devils record during his time in New Jersey.