5 lucky situations that led to deep New Jersey Devils playoff runs

The New Jersey Devils have a very successful past. They have three Stanley Cups to their name, which doesn’t sound like a ton when considering they have a 40+ year history, but only two franchises have more since 1990: the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils have amazing runs in 1995, 2000, and 2003 to win the ultimate prize in sports. They also had fun, yet ultimately disappointing, runs in 1988, 1994, 2001, and 2012. 

The Devils always seemed to find a way to overachieve once they found their footing in the late 80s, and now we’re seeing a similar glimmer in the eye of the Devils. They are built on young talent, and we’ve seen what can happen when a team lets that young talent prospect. The Devils made all the right moves under the Lou Lamoriello regime (at least it appeared that way then), and it led to more rings since 1990 than every single team in the Philadelphia or New York markets combined. 

However, to get there, the Devils needed a little luck some years and a ton of luck in others. When were the Devils the luckiest?

The times when the New Jersey Devils got lucky in the playoffs.

5. Sean Burke stops Pat LaFontaine
1988 Stanley Cup Playoffs

We start with the Devils very first playoff run ever. We are only taking moments or opportunities that happened within the postseason, so the Devils win in overtime to beat the Chicago Blackhawks on the last game of the season, putting them ahead of the Penguins and Rangers to take the final playoff spot, doesn’t count. However, they went into the playoffs as a massive underdog.

It appeared the Devils built a ton of momentum from that final playoff race to get into the show. They ended up going from a franchise with no series wins or even playoff appearances to its name to taking the Boston Bruins to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. None of it happens if they don’t get past the New York Islanders in the first round.

The Devils ended up fending off the former dynasty, but it came down to the final seconds of the series. With 10 seconds left, the Devils took a faceoff in the offensive zone, thinking the series was all but done. Then, Islanders star Pat LaFontaine tried to do the impossible. 

After already scoring an overtime game-winner in the series, he went coast to coast, beating all five Devils skaters trying to hold onto a one-goal lead, but it was Sean Burke who ultimately stopped LaFontaine as the buzzer sounded. If he scores, the Devils likely can’t recover with a young team in Game 7, and who knows what the future holds.

4. Avoiding Boston
2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 2012 Devils run to the Stanley Cup Final was magic. They beat the Florida Panthers in double overtime to send them home on their home ice in Game 7, which began the legend of then-rookie Adam Henrique. After that, they faced the Philadelphia Flyers, who had all of the momentum after dispatching the favories in the Pittsburgh Penguins. They destroyed them in five games. Their Hudson River Rivals and the number-one seed the New York Rangers were waiting for them in the Eastern Conference Final, and Henrique’s legend grew as “it’s over” began to ring throughout the ears of the Garden State. 

However, the luck of the Devils didn’t involve any game they actually played in. The Devils were AWFUL against the Boston Bruins that season. Despite having more than 100 standings points on the season, the Devils could not beat the Bruins. They went 0-3-0-1 against Boston that year, taking home one lowly overtime loss in four attempts. What’s worse is they gave up 18 goals in those four games and scored just eight. It was a destruction of what was clearly a good hockey team.

The Bruins were the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and nobody thought they would get knocked out in the first round. The Washington Capitals had been known for playoff disappointments, so this should be easy for them.

Luckily for the Devils, it was not easy at all. The Bruins and Capitals scratched and clawed to a Game 7, and the Caps ended up putting the Bruins away in the closest series in history (only seven-game series up to that point where every single game came down to one goal). Joel Ward scored in OT in Game 7, giving the Devils a real path to make a run.

3. When everyone gets hot at once, you win
1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Devils have plenty of insane runs that look strange today. Grant Marshall is a Devils legend today strictly because of what he was able to do in 2003. He had nine goals in the regular season, but he scored six in the playoffs. The fourth line of Steve Bernier, Ryan Carter, and Stephen Gionta (who wasn't even on the roster for most of the season) helped lead the Devils in 2012. Ondrej Palat found the power that earned him $6 million per season in last year's postseason. However, there's nothing like 1995.

Everyone became great all at once. This was the first legendary performance by Martin Brodeur. Yes, we went head-to-head with the Rangers the year before, but he posted a .927 save percentage throughout the postseason. Call it the trap, call it defense, who cares. A .927 save percentage in the playoffs is exactly what the stat proclaims. 

The forwards were phenomenal. Claude Lemieux’s ascension in this postseason is the stuff of legends, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. After scoring six goals in the regular season, Lemieux scored 13 goals in 20 playoff games. Randy McKay had five goals in the regular season. He scored eight in the postseason as part of the Crash Line. He even had an overtime game winner in the first round.

Then, the stars were stars. Stephane Richer was great. John MacLean was great. Scott Niedermayer was great. Scott Stevens was fantastic. Neal Broten was a monster. Bill Guerin was a playmaker. Jacques Lemaire played four-line hockey, and it was the reason the Devils so easily dispatched everyone in their way en route to their first Stanley Cup.

2. The Ottawa Senators forget about Friesen
2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The New Jersey Devils had one of the best series ever against the Ottawa Senators in the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals. It was almost great for all the wrong reasons for the Devils. The Sens went down 3-1 in the series, but they clawed their way back to make it to Game 7, which was in the Canadian capital city.

The Devils lost all of the momentum, and the Senators were ready to take their first berth to the Stanley Cup Final. Both teams were fighting for every inch, and it was 2-2 late in the third period. The puck was in the Devils zone, and the Senators just won the faceoff. Future Devil Martin Havlat lost the puck behind the net, and the Devils quickly got it out of the zone.

Grant Marshall had the puck with just over two minutes left in regulation. As he was already the owner of a series-winning goal, the Senators did not want to give him a chance to do it again. Well, that just gave another unlikely legend a chance to etch their name in steel. 

Jeff Friesen was left all alone. Two players converged on Marshall, with Wade Redden completely losing track of his assignment. Friesen scored, the Devils won, and they eventually beat the Mighty Ducks to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup (which Friesen had some amazing goals in that series, too).