2009 New Jersey Devils

Despite ending the 2008-09 season at the top of the Atlantic Division, the New Jersey Devils were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. The 2009-10 season promises to go deeper into the playoffs now that former Devils’ head coach Jacques Lemaire, who was at the helm during one of the team’s 3 Stanley Cup wins, has taken over. Though the team did lose Brian Gionta, John Madden, Mike Rupp and Scott Clemmensen in the offseason, the Devils still have the all-time winningest goaltender in Martin Brodeur, with the newly acquired Yann Danis to back him up. Will Lemaire be able to guide the team to another Stanley Cup win? Find out for yourself with tickets to Prudential Center to catch the New Jersey Devils in action in 2009!

Reaching the 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2008-09 NHL Playoffs, the New Jersey Devils have plenty of postseason experience. The franchise had previously made it into the tournament 15 times, including every year of play since 1997. The Devils have gone all the way to capture the Stanley Cup three times, most recently in 2002-03. That would not be the outcome this time, however. Even though they swept the New York Rangers aside in the first four games of the tournament, the Devils then managed only one victory against the Carolina Hurricanes.

In 2002-03, the Devils' resurgence to the top of the NHL was remarkable because key elements of their roster were reconsidered after succumbing to the Avalanche in the 2001 Stanley Cup finals. Popular scoring-line players Jason Arnott, Bobby Holik and Petr Sykora were optioned as the team went for a faster forward core.