2005–06 New Jersey Devils season

2005–06 New Jersey Devils
Atlantic Division champions
Division 1st Atlantic
Conference 3rd Eastern
2005–06 record 46–27–9
Goals for 242
Goals against 229
Team information
General Manager Lou Lamoriello
Coach Larry Robinson (Oct–Dec)
Lou Lamoriello (Dec–May) interim
Captain Vacant
Alternate captains Patrik Elias (Jan-Apr)
John Madden
Alexander Mogilny (Oct–Jan)
Colin White
Brian Rafalski
Arena Continental Airlines Arena
Average attendance 14,230
Team leaders
Goals Brian Gionta (48)
Assists Scott Gomez (51)
Points Brian Gionta (89)
Penalties in minutes Cam Janssen (91)
Colin White (91)
Plus/minus Brian Gionta (+18)
Wins Martin Brodeur (43)
Goals against average Martin Brodeur (2.57)

The 2005–06 New Jersey Devils season was the team's 24th in the National Hockey League since the franchise moved to New Jersey. It was the team's first season back after the NHL canceled the previous season, due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. The Devils rallied from a poor first half of the season to win the Atlantic Division title on the last day of the season. For the first time, the Devils defeated the New York Rangers in a playoff series, sweeping their rivals in their opening-round matchup.

Season overview

Many of the Devils' players had played in other leagues while the NHL was inactive due to the lockout. Most notably was Patrik Elias, who missed the first 39 games of the season due to catching Hepatitis A while playing for the Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Superleague (RSL).[1] With many new rule changes for the 2005–06 season, the Devils had to change their style of play. Martin Brodeur, one of the best puck-handling goalies, could no longer use this to his advantage as before, since restrictions were placed on where goalies could handle the puck. The Devils also lost long-time captain Scott Stevens and his physically punishing style of play to retirement, as well as another longtime defenseman, Scott Niedermayer, to free agency.

In July 2005, the team announced that Head Coach Pat Burns would not return for the season after being diagnosed with cancer for the second time in little more than a year.[2] Assistant Coach Larry Robinson, the team's head coach from 2000 to 2002, was promoted to start the season.

The Devils struggled early in the 2005–06 season, ending the 2005 calendar year with a 16–18–5 record.[3] Robinson resigned as head coach on December 19, and Lamoriello moved down to the bench.[4] Once Elias returned from his bout with hepatitis, the team quickly turned around with a nine-game winning streak, finishing 46–27–9 after a season-ending 11-game winning streak capped with a dramatic 4–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. During that final victory, which clinched the Devils' sixth division title, Brian Gionta set a new team record for goals in a season with 48, topping Pat Verbeek's 46.[5] The win streak to close the year was also an NHL record.[6]

On April 29, 2006, the Devils won their first round Stanley Cup playoff series against the New York Rangers four games to none, extending their winning streak to 15 games and marking the first time the Devils defeated their cross-river rival in a playoff series. The team's season ended in the next round with an 4–1 Game 5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, who eventually won the Stanley Cup.

Regular season

The Devils were the most disciplined team in the League, with just 349 power-play opportunities against. They also scored the fewest short-handed goals in the League, with just 3.[7]

Season standings

Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 3 New Jersey Devils 82 46 27 9 242 229 101
2 5 Philadelphia Flyers 82 45 26 11 267 259 101
3 6 New York Rangers 82 44 26 12 257 215 100
4 12 New York Islanders 82 36 40 6 230 278 78
5 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 22 46 14 244 316 58

[8]

Eastern Conference[9]
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 Z- Ottawa Senators NE 82 52 21 9 314 211 113
2 Y- Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 52 22 8 294 260 112
3 Y - New Jersey Devils AT 82 46 27 8 242 229 101
4 X- Buffalo Sabres NE 82 52 24 6 242 239 110
5 X-Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 45 26 11 267 259 101
6 X– New York Rangers AT 82 44 26 12 257 215 100
7 X-Montreal Canadiens NE 82 42 31 9 243 247 93
8 X- Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 43 33 6 252 260 92
8.5
9 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 41 33 8 257 270 90
10 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 41 33 8 281 275 90
11 Florida Panthers SE 82 37 34 11 240 257 85
12 New York Islanders AT 82 36 40 6 230 278 78
13 Boston Bruins NE 82 29 37 16 230 266 74
14 Washington Capitals SE 82 29 41 12 237 306 70
15 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 22 46 14 244 316 58

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

Z- Clinched Conference; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results

No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1WOctober 5, 20055–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 1–0–0
2LOctober 7, 20052–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 1–1–0
3WOctober 8, 20053–2 OT New York Rangers (2005–06) 2–1–0
4LOctober 13, 20051–4 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 2–2–0
5LOctober 15, 20051–6 Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 2–3–0
6WOctober 18, 20054–3 Florida Panthers (2005–06) 3–3–0
7WOctober 20, 20056–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 4–3–0
8LOctober 22, 20053–4 @ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 4–4–0
9LOctober 26, 20053–6 Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 4–5–0
10WOctober 28, 20053–2 Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 5–5–0
11WOctober 29, 20055–4 SO @ Boston Bruins (2005–06) 6–5–0
12LNovember 1, 20053–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 6–5–1
13LNovember 3, 20052–4 New York Rangers (2005–06) 6–6–1
14LNovember 5, 20052–3 SO @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 6–6–2
15LNovember 8, 20051–4 New York Islanders (2005–06) 6–7–2
16WNovember 11, 20054–3 @ Washington Capitals (2005–06) 7–7–2
17WNovember 12, 20053–2 Washington Capitals (2005–06) 8–7–2
18LNovember 15, 20051–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 8–8–2
19WNovember 18, 20055–3 Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 9–8–2
20LNovember 19, 20054–5 @ Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 9–9–2
21WNovember 23, 20055–1 @ Florida Panthers (2005–06) 10–9–2
22WNovember 25, 20058–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 11–9–2
23WNovember 29, 20053–2 Boston Bruins (2005–06) 12–9–2
24LNovember 30, 20051–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 12–10–2
25WDecember 3, 20053–2 SO Minnesota Wild (2005–06) 13–10–2
26LDecember 6, 20052–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (2005–06) 13–11–2
27LDecember 7, 20051–4 Calgary Flames (2005–06) 13–12–2
28LDecember 9, 20053–4 SO Colorado Avalanche (2005–06) 13–12–3
29LDecember 11, 20052–3 OT @ Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06) 13–12–4
30WDecember 13, 20052–1 SO Edmonton Oilers (2005–06) 14–12–4
31LDecember 15, 20052–3 OT Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 14–12–5
32LDecember 17, 20051–4 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 14–13–5
33WDecember 20, 20053–1 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 15–13–5
34LDecember 21, 20052–4 @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 15–14–5
35LDecember 23, 20050–1 Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 15–15–5
36LDecember 26, 20051–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 15–16–5
37WDecember 28, 20057–2 Washington Capitals (2005–06) 16–16–5
38LDecember 29, 20052–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 16–17–5
39LDecember 31, 20053–6 Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 16–18–5
40WJanuary 3, 20063–0 Florida Panthers (2005–06) 17–18–5
41WJanuary 5, 20065–4 Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 18–18–5
42WJanuary 7, 20063–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 19–18–5
43WJanuary 9, 20063–0 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 20–18–5
44WJanuary 13, 20063–0 Vancouver Canucks (2005–06) 21–18–5
45WJanuary 15, 20063–2 SO @ Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06) 22–18–5
46WJanuary 17, 20065–3 @ St. Louis Blues (2005–06) 23–18–5
47WJanuary 19, 20064–3 SO @ Nashville Predators (2005–06) 24–18–5
48WJanuary 21, 20063–2 SO New York Islanders (2005–06) 25–18–5
49LJanuary 22, 20061–3 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 25–19–5
50WJanuary 24, 20064–0 @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 26–19–5
51LJanuary 26, 20060–1 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 26–19–6
52LJanuary 27, 20060–4 @ Florida Panthers (2005–06) 26–20–6
53WFebruary 1, 20065–3 Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 27–20–6
54WFebruary 3, 20063–0 Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 28–20–6
55LFebruary 4, 20062–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 28–21–6
56WFebruary 7, 20067–4 Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 29–21–6
57WFebruary 9, 20063–2 OT @ Boston Bruins (2005–06) 30–21–6
58LFebruary 11, 20061–2 New York Islanders (2005–06) 30–22–6
59WMarch 1, 20062–1 SO Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 31–22–6
60LMarch 2, 20062–3 SO @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 31–22–7
61WMarch 4, 20062–1 New York Rangers (2005–06) 32–22–7
62LMarch 7, 20061–2 SO @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 32–22–8
63WMarch 10, 20064–3 SO @ Washington Capitals (2005–06) 33–22–8
64LMarch 11, 20063–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 33–23–8
65LMarch 14, 20061–6 New York Islanders (2005–06) 33–24–8
66WMarch 16, 20062–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 34–24–8
67LMarch 19, 20060–4 Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 34–25–8
68LMarch 21, 20061–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 34–26–8
69LMarch 23, 20065–6 OT @ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 34–26–9
70WMarch 24, 20064–2 Boston Bruins (2005–06) 35–26–9
71LMarch 26, 20063–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 35–27–9
72WMarch 28, 20063–2 SO @ Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 36–27–9
73WMarch 30, 20063–1 Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 37–27–9
74WApril 1, 20064–1 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 38–27–9
75WApril 2, 20063–2 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 39–27–9
76WApril 5, 20066–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 40–27–9
77WApril 8, 20063–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 41–27–9
78WApril 9, 20063–2 New York Rangers (2005–06) 42–27–9
79WApril 11, 20064–3 OT @ Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 43–27–9
80WApril 13, 20064–1 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 44–27–9
81WApril 16, 20065–1 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 45–27–9
82WApril 18, 20064–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 46–27–9

Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

(E3) New Jersey Devils vs. (E6) New York Rangers

The first two games of the series were held at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey. The Devils took commanding victories in Games 1 and 2, 6–1 and 4–1, respectively. Games 3 and 4 were held at Madison Square Garden. The Devils won Game 3 (3–0) and swept the series in Game 4 by a score of 4–2.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(E3) New Jersey Devils vs. (E2) Carolina Hurricanes

The series opened at RBC Center in Raleigh. The Hurricanes won Game 1, 6–0, and Game 2, 3–2, in overtime. Games 3 and 4 shifted to Continental Airlines Arena. The Hurricanes took a 3–2 win in Game 3, but the Devils won 5–1 in Game 4. Game 5 shifted back to Raleigh and Carolina beat New Jersey 4–1, winning the series 4–1.

Media

Television broadcasts were now under the Fox Sports Networks (aka FSN) with Mike Emrick and Chico Resch commentating the play-by-play and Matt Loughlin serving as color commentator. Radio broadcasts were now on WFAN (AM) 660 still called John Hennessy as play-by-play commentator with Randy Velischek as color commentator. This was Hennessy's final season as a radio play-by-play commentator for the Devils, as Loughlin took his place the following season in 2006-07. This was also Velischek's final season as a radio color commentator as Sherry Ross would return the following year.

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Gionta, BrianBrian Gionta RW 82 48 41 89 461824110
Gomez, ScottScott Gomez C 82 33 51 84 428905
Langenbrunner, JamieJamie Langenbrunner RW 80 19 34 53 74−1811
Rafalski, BrianBrian Rafalski D 82 6 43 49 360302
Elias, PatrikPatrik Elias LW 38 16 29 45 2011603
Brylin, SergeiSergei Brylin LW 82 15 22 37 46−4403
Martin, PaulPaul Martin D 80 5 32 37 321300
Madden, JohnJohn Madden C 82 16 20 36 36−7010
Parise, ZachZach Parise LW 81 14 18 32 28−1205
Kozlov, ViktorViktor Kozlov C 69 12 13 25 160201
Mogilny, AlexanderAlexander Mogilny RW 34 12 13 25 6−7703
Marshall, GrantGrant Marshall RW 76 8 17 25 70−18403
Pandolfo, JayJay Pandolfo LW 82 10 10 20 162000
White, ColinColin White D 73 3 14 17 91−2101
Brown, SeanSean Brown D 35 1 11 12 27−14000
Matvichuk, RichardRichard Matvichuk D 62 1 10 11 402000
Rasmussen, ErikErik Rasmussen LW/C 67 5 5 10 32−4100
Malakhov, VladimirVladimir Malakhov D 29 4 5 9 26−9300
Lukowich, BradBrad Lukowich D 18 1 7 8 83000
Albelin, TommyTommy Albelin D 36 0 6 6 24000
McGillis, DanDan McGillis D 27 0 6 6 36−5000
Hale, DavidDavid Hale D 38 0 4 4 215000
Brodeur, MartinMartin Brodeur G 73 0 3 3 40000
Pihlman, TuomasTuomas Pihlman LW 11 1 1 2 10−1000
Tallackson, BarryBarry Tallackson RW 10 1 1 2 2−2000
Suglobov, AlexanderAlexander Suglobov RW 1 1 0 1 0−2100
Wiemer, JasonJason Wiemer C 16 1 0 1 38−1000
Langdon, DarrenDarren Langdon LW 14 0 1 1 22−3000
Clemmensen, ScottScott Clemmensen G 13 0 0 0 00000
Janssen, CamCam Janssen RW 47 0 0 0 91−3000
Klee, KenKen Klee D 18 0 0 0 14−3000
Oliwa, KrzysztofKrzysztof Oliwa LW 3 0 0 0 0−2000
Rheaume, PascalPascal Rheaume C 12 0 0 0 4−6000
Ryznar, JasonJason Ryznar LW 8 0 0 0 2−1000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Brodeur, MartinMartin Brodeur 4365 73 43 23 7 187 2.57 521051918.911
Clemmensen, ScottScott Clemmensen 627 13 3 4 2 35 3.35 0295260.881
Team: 4992 82 46 27 9 222 2.67 524002178.908

Playoffs

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Elias, PatrikPatrik Elias LW 9 6 10 16 4400
Langenbrunner, JamieJamie Langenbrunner RW 9 3 10 13 16101
Gomez, ScottScott Gomez C 9 5 4 9 6401
Rafalski, BrianBrian Rafalski D 9 1 8 9 2100
Gionta, BrianBrian Gionta RW 9 3 4 7 2112
Madden, JohnJohn Madden C 9 4 1 5 8020
Pandolfo, JayJay Pandolfo LW 9 1 4 5 0011
Parise, ZachZach Parise LW 9 1 2 3 2000
Martin, PaulPaul Martin D 9 0 3 3 4000
Brylin, SergeiSergei Brylin LW 9 2 0 2 2000
Hale, DavidDavid Hale D 8 0 2 2 12000
Klee, KenKen Klee D 6 1 0 1 6000
Marshall, GrantGrant Marshall RW 7 0 1 1 8000
Albelin, TommyTommy Albelin D 2 0 0 0 2000
Brodeur, MartinMartin Brodeur G 9 0 0 0 2000
Clemmensen, ScottScott Clemmensen G 1 0 0 0 0000
Janssen, CamCam Janssen RW 9 0 0 0 26000
Kozlov, ViktorViktor Kozlov C 3 0 0 0 0000
Lukowich, BradBrad Lukowich D 9 0 0 0 4000
Matvichuk, RichardRichard Matvichuk D 7 0 0 0 4000
Rasmussen, ErikErik Rasmussen LW/C 9 0 0 0 8000
White, ColinColin White D 4 0 0 0 4000
Wiemer, JasonJason Wiemer C 8 0 0 0 16000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Brodeur, MartinMartin Brodeur 533 9 5 4 20 2.25 1261241.923
Clemmensen, ScottScott Clemmensen 7 1 0 0 0 0.00 0331.000
Team: 540 9 5 4 20 2.22 1264244.924

[10]

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

Draft picks

New Jersey's picks at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft at The Westin Ottawa in Ottawa, Ottawa.

Rd # Pick # Player Nat Pos Team (League) Notes
1 23 Nicklas Bergfors  Sweden RW Södertälje SK (Elitserien)
2 38 Jeff Frazee  United States G US National Team Development Program
3 84 Mark Fraser  Canada D Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
4 99 Patrick Davis  United States LW Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
5 155 Mark Fayne  United States D Noble and Greenough School (USHS–MA)
6 170 Sean Zimmerman  United States D Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
7 218 Alexander Sundstrom  Sweden C IF Björklöven (Allsvenskan)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2005–06: Rallying Back". NewJerseyDevils. Archived from the original on June 6, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Devils' Burns battling cancer again, won't coach next year". CBC Sports. July 8, 2006. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
  3. ↑ "The Contenders: Eastern Conference". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2006. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Lamoriello to finish season behind bench". Canadian Press. February 22, 2006. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
  5. ↑ "Devils snare division title with three-goal flurry in third". CBS SportsLine. April 18, 2006. Archived from the original on April 30, 2006. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
  6. ↑ "25th Anniversary Most Memorable Moments Countdown". newjerseydevils.com. 2007. Archived from the original on April 24, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  7. ↑ http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2006.html
  8. ↑ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 162.
  9. ↑ "2005–2006 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  10. ↑ "2005-06 New Jersey Devils Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
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