2005–06 New Jersey Devils season

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2005–06 New Jersey Devils
Atlantic Division champions
Division1st Atlantic
Conference3rd Eastern
2005–06 record46–27–9
Goals for242
Goals against229
Team information
General managerLou Lamoriello
CoachLarry Robinson (Oct–Dec)
Lou Lamoriello (Dec–May) interim
CaptainVacant
Alternate captainsPatrik Elias (Jan-Apr)
John Madden
Alexander Mogilny (Oct–Jan)
Colin White
Brian Rafalski
ArenaContinental Airlines Arena
Average attendance14,230
Team leaders
GoalsBrian Gionta (48)
AssistsScott Gomez (51)
PointsBrian Gionta (89)
Penalty minutesCam Janssen and Colin White (91)
Plus/minusBrian Gionta (+18)
WinsMartin Brodeur (43)
Goals against averageMartin 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. Eventually, Niedermeyer signed with the Anaheim Ducks, joining his brother, Rob.

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 a 4–1 Game 5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, who eventually won the Stanley Cup.

Pre-season[]

Date Score Opponent Location
September 25 3 - 2 (SO) New York Islanders Continental Airlines Arena
September 27 3 - 1 New York Rangers Continental Airlines Arena
September 29 3 - 2 Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center
September 30 5 - 3 Philadelphia Flyers Continental Airlines Arena
October 2 3 - 2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden

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 9 242 229 101
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
1 W October 5, 2005 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 1–0–0
2 L October 7, 2005 2–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 1–1–0
3 W October 8, 2005 3–2 OT New York Rangers (2005–06) 2–1–0
4 L October 13, 2005 1–4 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 2–2–0
5 L October 15, 2005 1–6 Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 2–3–0
6 W October 18, 2005 4–3 Florida Panthers (2005–06) 3–3–0
7 W October 20, 2005 6–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 4–3–0
8 L October 22, 2005 3–4 @ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 4–4–0
9 L October 26, 2005 3–6 Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 4–5–0
10 W October 28, 2005 3–2 Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 5–5–0
11 W October 29, 2005 5–4 SO @ Boston Bruins (2005–06) 6–5–0
12 L November 1, 2005 3–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 6–5–1
13 L November 3, 2005 2–4 New York Rangers (2005–06) 6–6–1
14 L November 5, 2005 2–3 SO @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 6–6–2
15 L November 8, 2005 1–4 New York Islanders (2005–06) 6–7–2
16 W November 11, 2005 4–3 @ Washington Capitals (2005–06) 7–7–2
17 W November 12, 2005 3–2 Washington Capitals (2005–06) 8–7–2
18 L November 15, 2005 1–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 8–8–2
19 W November 18, 2005 5–3 Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 9–8–2
20 L November 19, 2005 4–5 @ Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 9–9–2
21 W November 23, 2005 5–1 @ Florida Panthers (2005–06) 10–9–2
22 W November 25, 2005 8–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 11–9–2
23 W November 29, 2005 3–2 Boston Bruins (2005–06) 12–9–2
24 L November 30, 2005 1–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 12–10–2
25 W December 3, 2005 3–2 SO Minnesota Wild (2005–06) 13–10–2
26 L December 6, 2005 2–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (2005–06) 13–11–2
27 L December 7, 2005 1–4 Calgary Flames (2005–06) 13–12–2
28 L December 9, 2005 3–4 SO Colorado Avalanche (2005–06) 13–12–3
29 L December 11, 2005 2–3 OT @ Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06) 13–12–4
30 W December 13, 2005 2–1 SO Edmonton Oilers (2005–06) 14–12–4
31 L December 15, 2005 2–3 OT Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 14–12–5
32 L December 17, 2005 1–4 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 14–13–5
33 W December 20, 2005 3–1 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 15–13–5
34 L December 21, 2005 2–4 @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 15–14–5
35 L December 23, 2005 0–1 Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 15–15–5
36 L December 26, 2005 1–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 15–16–5
37 W December 28, 2005 7–2 Washington Capitals (2005–06) 16–16–5
38 L December 29, 2005 2–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 16–17–5
39 L December 31, 2005 3–6 Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 16–18–5
40 W January 3, 2006 3–0 Florida Panthers (2005–06) 17–18–5
41 W January 5, 2006 5–4 Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 18–18–5
42 W January 7, 2006 3–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 19–18–5
43 W January 9, 2006 3–0 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 20–18–5
44 W January 13, 2006 3–0 Vancouver Canucks (2005–06) 21–18–5
45 W January 15, 2006 3–2 SO @ Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06) 22–18–5
46 W January 17, 2006 5–3 @ St. Louis Blues (2005–06) 23–18–5
47 W January 19, 2006 4–3 SO @ Nashville Predators (2005–06) 24–18–5
48 W January 21, 2006 3–2 SO New York Islanders (2005–06) 25–18–5
49 L January 22, 2006 1–3 @ New York Rangers (2005–06) 25–19–5
50 W January 24, 2006 4–0 @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 26–19–5
51 L January 26, 2006 0–1 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 26–19–6
52 L January 27, 2006 0–4 @ Florida Panthers (2005–06) 26–20–6
53 W February 1, 2006 5–3 Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 27–20–6
54 W February 3, 2006 3–0 Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 28–20–6
55 L February 4, 2006 2–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 28–21–6
56 W February 7, 2006 7–4 Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06) 29–21–6
57 W February 9, 2006 3–2 OT @ Boston Bruins (2005–06) 30–21–6
58 L February 11, 2006 1–2 New York Islanders (2005–06) 30–22–6
59 W March 1, 2006 2–1 SO Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 31–22–6
60 L March 2, 2006 2–3 SO @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 31–22–7
61 W March 4, 2006 2–1 New York Rangers (2005–06) 32–22–7
62 L March 7, 2006 1–2 SO @ New York Islanders (2005–06) 32–22–8
63 W March 10, 2006 4–3 SO @ Washington Capitals (2005–06) 33–22–8
64 L March 11, 2006 3–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 33–23–8
65 L March 14, 2006 1–6 New York Islanders (2005–06) 33–24–8
66 W March 16, 2006 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 34–24–8
67 L March 19, 2006 0–4 Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 34–25–8
68 L March 21, 2006 1–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 34–26–8
69 L March 23, 2006 5–6 OT @ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06) 34–26–9
70 W March 24, 2006 4–2 Boston Bruins (2005–06) 35–26–9
71 L March 26, 2006 3–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06) 35–27–9
72 W March 28, 2006 3–2 SO @ Ottawa Senators (2005–06) 36–27–9
73 W March 30, 2006 3–1 Buffalo Sabres (2005–06) 37–27–9
74 W April 1, 2006 4–1 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 38–27–9
75 W April 2, 2006 3–2 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 39–27–9
76 W April 5, 2006 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06) 40–27–9
77 W April 8, 2006 3–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06) 41–27–9
78 W April 9, 2006 3–2 New York Rangers (2005–06) 42–27–9
79 W April 11, 2006 4–3 OT @ Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06) 43–27–9
80 W April 13, 2006 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 44–27–9
81 W April 16, 2006 5–1 Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06) 45–27–9
82 W April 18, 2006 4–3 @ 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 commentating the play-by-play, Chico Resch serving as color commentator, and Matt Loughlin serving as the TV host. 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. This was also Velischek's final season as a radio color commentator as Sherry Ross returned the following year.

Player statistics[]

Regular season[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Brian Gionta RW 82 48 41 89 46 18 24 1 10
Scott Gomez C 82 33 51 84 42 8 9 0 5
Jamie Langenbrunner RW 80 19 34 53 74 −1 8 1 1
Brian Rafalski D 82 6 43 49 36 0 3 0 2
Patrik Elias LW 38 16 29 45 20 11 6 0 3
Sergei Brylin LW 82 15 22 37 46 −4 4 0 3
Paul Martin D 80 5 32 37 32 1 3 0 0
John Madden C 82 16 20 36 36 −7 0 1 0
Zach Parise LW 81 14 18 32 28 −1 2 0 5
Viktor Kozlov C 69 12 13 25 16 0 2 0 1
Alexander Mogilny RW 34 12 13 25 6 −7 7 0 3
Grant Marshall RW 76 8 17 25 70 −18 4 0 3
Jay Pandolfo LW 82 10 10 20 16 2 0 0 0
Colin White D 73 3 14 17 91 −2 1 0 1
Sean Brown D 35 1 11 12 27 −14 0 0 0
Richard Matvichuk D 62 1 10 11 40 2 0 0 0
Erik Rasmussen LW/C 67 5 5 10 32 −4 1 0 0
Vladimir Malakhov D 29 4 5 9 26 −9 3 0 0
Brad Lukowich D 18 1 7 8 8 3 0 0 0
Tommy Albelin D 36 0 6 6 2 4 0 0 0
Dan McGillis D 27 0 6 6 36 −5 0 0 0
David Hale D 38 0 4 4 21 5 0 0 0
Martin Brodeur G 73 0 3 3 4 0 0 0 0
Tuomas Pihlman LW 11 1 1 2 10 −1 0 0 0
Barry Tallackson RW 10 1 1 2 2 −2 0 0 0
Alexander Suglobov RW 1 1 0 1 0 −2 1 0 0
Jason Wiemer C 16 1 0 1 38 −1 0 0 0
Darren Langdon LW 14 0 1 1 22 −3 0 0 0
Scott Clemmensen G 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cam Janssen RW 47 0 0 0 91 −3 0 0 0
Ken Klee D 18 0 0 0 14 −3 0 0 0
Krzysztof Oliwa LW 3 0 0 0 0 −2 0 0 0
Pascal Rheaume C 12 0 0 0 4 −6 0 0 0
Jason Ryznar LW 8 0 0 0 2 −1 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Martin Brodeur 4365 73 43 23 7 187 2.57 5 2105 1918 .911
Scott Clemmensen 627 13 3 4 2 35 3.35 0 295 260 .881
Team: 4992 82 46 27 9 222 2.67 5 2400 2178 .908

Playoffs[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Patrik Elias LW 9 6 10 16 4 4 0 0
Jamie Langenbrunner RW 9 3 10 13 16 1 0 1
Scott Gomez C 9 5 4 9 6 4 0 1
Brian Rafalski D 9 1 8 9 2 1 0 0
Brian Gionta RW 9 3 4 7 2 1 1 2
John Madden C 9 4 1 5 8 0 2 0
Jay Pandolfo LW 9 1 4 5 0 0 1 1
Zach Parise LW 9 1 2 3 2 0 0 0
Paul Martin D 9 0 3 3 4 0 0 0
Sergei Brylin LW 9 2 0 2 2 0 0 0
David Hale D 8 0 2 2 12 0 0 0
Ken Klee D 6 1 0 1 6 0 0 0
Grant Marshall RW 7 0 1 1 8 0 0 0
Tommy Albelin D 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Martin Brodeur G 9 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Scott Clemmensen G 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cam Janssen RW 9 0 0 0 26 0 0 0
Viktor Kozlov C 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brad Lukowich D 9 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Richard Matvichuk D 7 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Erik Rasmussen LW/C 9 0 0 0 8 0 0 0
Colin White D 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Jason Wiemer C 8 0 0 0 16 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Martin Brodeur 533 9 5 4 20 2.25 1 261 241 .923
Scott Clemmensen 7 1 0 0 0 0.00 0 3 3 1.000
Team: 540 9 5 4 20 2.22 1 264 244 .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;

Awards and records[]

Awards[]

Regular Season
Player Award Awarded
Martin Brodeur NHL Second All-Star Team - Goaltender End of regular season

Nominations[]

Regular Season
Player Award Place
Martin Brodeur Vezina Trophy Runner-Up

Transactions[]

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[]

  • "New Jersey Devils game log". ESPN. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  • "2005–06 Team Standings". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 25, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  • "2005–06 Player Statistics". hockeyDB. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  • "NHL attendance". ESPN. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  • "Devils team photo". NewJerseyDevils. Archived from the original on August 25, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  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. ^ "2005-06 NHL Summary".
  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.

External links[]

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