# 2011–12 New Jersey Devils season

The 2011–12 New Jersey Devils season was the 38th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 30th season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. The Devils hoped to return to the playoffs after having their long playoff streak snapped the previous year. While finishing fourth in the strong Atlantic Division, they ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference, thus securing a playoff berth, and faced the Southeast Division-winning Florida Panthers in the Conference Quarterfinals where they won in seven games. In the Conference Semifinals, the Devils played against the Philadelphia Flyers and won in five games. In the Conference Finals, they faced their rivals, the New York Rangers, and won in six games advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since the 2002–03 season. The Devils lost in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals to the Los Angeles Kings in six games.

## Off-season

The focus of the Devils during the 2011 off-season was on finding a new coach and player signings. The main focus of the team was resigning Zach Parise and signing fourth-overall 2011 pick Adam Larsson to an entry-level contract, although team CEO and General Manager Lou Lamoriello did find the time to sign goaltender Johan Hedberg, as well as defenseman Andy Greene. Additionally, the team chose to suspend operations of the Trenton Devils, which was a minor league ECHL club that the team had used for player development, citing declining fan interest in the team and a desire to bring the organization more in line with other NHL organizations in terms of minor league affiliations.
The Devils announced the hiring of Peter DeBoer as the new head coach of the team on July 19, 2011.

## Pre-season

On June 30, 2011, the New Jersey Devils announced that they would play six games during the pre-season. There were three home games at the Prudential Center against the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers. They also played two road games, one against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum and one against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. One neutral site game against the Rangers took place at the Times Union Center, located in Albany, New York.

## Regular season

The Devils had a very effective penalty kill during the regular season, allowing the fewest shorthanded goals in the League (27) and having the highest penalty-kill percentage (89.58%). The 89.58% penalty kill is the best penalty kill by any team in a season in NHL history. They also scored the most shorthanded goals in the NHL (15) and allowed the most shorthanded goals in the League (13).
* December 17, 2011 – Patrik Eliáš scores goals 347 and 348, surpassing John MacLean as the Devils' leading goalscorer.

## Playoffs

The Devils clinched their 20th playoff berth in 22 seasons with a 5–0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on March 31, 2012. They finished the regular season with 102 points, finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Devils finished the regular season as the 6 seed in the East with 102 points. Returning injured center Travis Zajac led the team's offense as they then proceeded to knock the Florida Panthers out of the playoffs in 7 games, winning game 6 in overtime with a goal from Zajac and another in double overtime in game 7 from Henrique. They moved on to play their division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the conference semifinals and were considered heavy underdogs in the series. They faced some early setbacks against the Flyers including a Game 1 overtime loss and the injury of all-star Ilya Kovalchuk. However the Devils rallied in Game 2 without their star forward, winning the game by a score of 4–1. Kovalchuk returned strong for Game 3 and his pass to Ponikarovsky gave the Devils a much needed overtime goal to win Game 3. The streak continued as the Devils would win 4 in a row to eventually defeat the Flyers and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2003. The Devils would play the New York Rangers in the Conference Finals, a rematch of the 1994 series that resulted in a heartbreaking Game 7 overtime loss during Brodeur's rookie season. The series was highly publicized by the New York media and was a tough back-and-forth battle for the first four games, leaving the series split 2-2. The Devils' fourth line, which had been very successful throughout the playoffs, came through in Game 5 to help give the Devils a 3–2 lead in the series. The line consisted of players Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta and Steve Bernier, all of which had been dropped from a professional roster at some point during the season. Emerging as playoff heroes, they tallied an impressive 19 points in the first three rounds. Despite constant comparisons to the 1994 series, the Devils and Brodeur rewrote history and claimed victory on May 25, 2012, as Henrique scored another series clinching overtime goal in Game 6 to advance the Devils to the Stanley Cup finals against the Los Angeles Kings. Facing the Kings in the Finals, the Devils lost two consecutive overtime games at home and then game three in Los Angeles. However, the Devils managed to not be swept after losing the first three games in the series, but still lost the Cup in six games.

## Standings

Atlantic Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | New York Rangers | 82 | 51 | 24 | 7 | 47 | 226 | 187 | +39 | 109 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 51 | 25 | 6 | 42 | 282 | 221 | +61 | 108 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 47 | 26 | 9 | 43 | 264 | 232 | +32 | 103 |
| 4 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 48 | 28 | 6 | 36 | 228 | 209 | +19 | 102 |
| 5 | New York Islanders | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 27 | 203 | 255 | −52 | 79 |
Eastern Conference :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | AT | z – New York Rangers | 82 | 51 | 24 | 7 | 47 | 226 | 187 | +39 | 109 |
| 2 | NE | y – Boston Bruins | 82 | 49 | 29 | 4 | 40 | 269 | 202 | +67 | 102 |
| 3 | SE | y – Florida Panthers | 82 | 38 | 26 | 18 | 32 | 203 | 227 | −24 | 94 |
| 4 | AT | x – Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 51 | 25 | 6 | 42 | 282 | 221 | +61 | 108 |
| 5 | AT | x – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 47 | 26 | 9 | 43 | 264 | 232 | +32 | 103 |
| 6 | AT | x – New Jersey Devils | 82 | 48 | 28 | 6 | 36 | 228 | 209 | +19 | 102 |
| 7 | SE | x – Washington Capitals | 82 | 42 | 32 | 8 | 38 | 222 | 230 | −8 | 92 |
| 8 | NE | x – Ottawa Senators | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 35 | 249 | 240 | +9 | 92 |
| 9 | NE | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 32 | 218 | 230 | −12 | 89 |
| 10 | SE | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 35 | 235 | 281 | −46 | 84 |
| 11 | SE | Winnipeg Jets | 82 | 37 | 35 | 10 | 33 | 225 | 246 | −21 | 84 |
| 12 | SE | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 33 | 33 | 16 | 32 | 213 | 243 | −30 | 82 |
| 13 | NE | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 31 | 231 | 264 | −33 | 80 |
| 14 | AT | New York Islanders | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 27 | 203 | 255 | −52 | 79 |
| 15 | NE | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 31 | 35 | 16 | 26 | 212 | 226 | −14 | 78 |

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

Preseason: 3–3–0 (Home: 2–1–0; Road: 1–2–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreLocationRecord
1September 21NY Rangers2–1 (OT)Times Union Center (Albany, New York)1–0–0
2September 23NY Rangers3–4Prudential Center1–1–0
3September 24NY Islanders2–6Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum1–2–0
4September 29Philadelphia1–2Wells Fargo Center1–3–0
5September 30NY Islanders1–0Prudential Center2–3–0
6October 1Philadelphia2–1Prudential Center3–3–0 :
Win   Loss   Overtime/Shootout Loss :

### Regular season

2011–12 Regular season game log: 48–28–6 (Home: 24–13–4; Road: 24–15–2) :
October (Games: 9; Home: 4; Road: 5) (Record: 4–4–1; Home: 2–1–1; Road: 2–3–0)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreLocationAttendanceRecordPoints
1October 87:00pmPhiladelphia0–3Prudential Center17,6250–1–00
2October 101:00pmCarolina4–2Prudential Center12,0961–1–02
3October 137:00pmLos Angeles2–1 SOPrudential Center12,2562–1–04
4October 158:00pm@ Nashville3–2 SOBridgestone Arena17,1133–1–06
5October 217:00pmSan Jose3–4 SOPrudential Center14,3193–1–17
6October 227:00pm@ Pittsburgh1–4Consol Energy Center18,5353–2–17
7October 2510:30pm@ Los Angeles3–0Staples Center18,1184–2–19
8October 2710:00pm@ Phoenix3–5Jobing.com Arena7,4344–3–19
9October 298:00pm@ Dallas1–3American Airlines Center11,7404–4–19 :
November (Games: 14; Home: 6; Road: 8) (Record: 8–6–0; Home: 3–3–0; Road: 5–3–0)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreLocationAttendanceRecordPoints
10November 27:30pmToronto3–5Prudential Center13,0334–5–19
11November 37:00pm@ Philadelphia4–3 SOWells Fargo Center19,6675–5–111
12November 57:00pmWinnipeg3–2 OTPrudential Center14,9526–5–113
13November 87:30pmCarolina3–2Prudential Center13,0567–5–115
14November 117:00pmWashington1–3Prudential Center15,2307–6–115
15November 127:00pm@ Washington3–2 SOVerizon Center18,5068–6–117
16November 157:00pm@ Boston3–4TD Garden17,5658–7–117
17November 167:30pm@ Buffalo5–3First Niagara Center18,6909–7–119
18November 197:00pm@ Tampa Bay4–2St. Pete Times Forum18,89410–7–121
19November 217:30pm@ Florida3–4BankAtlantic Center13,12210–8–121
20November 237:00pmColumbus2–1 SOPrudential Center15,58511–8–123
21November 253:00pm@ NY Islanders1–0Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum15,35812–8–125
22November 261:00pmNY Islanders2–3Prudential Center16,01412–9–125
23November 309:30pm@ Colorado1–6Pepsi Center14,25112–10–125 :
December (Games: 14; Home: 7; Road: 7) (Record: 9–5–0; Home: 5–2–0; Road: 4–3–0)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreLocationAttendanceRecordPoints
24December 28:00pm@ Minnesota2–4XCel Energy Center17,31012–11–125
25December 37:00pm@ Winnipeg2–4MTS Centre15,00412–12–125
26December 67:00pm@ Toronto3–2 OTAir Canada Centre19,51313–12–127
27December 87:00pmOttawa5–4 SOPrudential Center13,74314–12–129
28December 101:00pmMontreal1–2Prudential Center14,21014–13–129
29December 127:00pm@ Tampa Bay5–4St. Pete Times Forum17,34115–13–131
30December 137:30pm@ Florida3–2 SOBankAtlantic Center14,66916–13–133
31December 167:00pmDallas6–3Prudential Center17,62517–13–135
32December 177:00pm@ Montreal5–3Bell Centre21,27318–13–137
33December 207:00pmNY Rangers1–4Prudential Center17,62518–14–137
34December 237:00pmWashington4–3 SOPrudential Center14,04319–14–139
35December 267:00pm@ Carolina2–4RBC Center16,12119–15–139
36December 287:00pmBuffalo3–1Prudential Center17,62520–15–141
37December 313:00pmPittsburgh3–1Prudential Center17,62521–15–143 :
January (Games: 12; Home: 7; Road: 5) (Record: 6–4–2; Home: 3–3–1; Road: 3–1–1)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreLocationAttendanceRecordPoints
38January 27:30pm@ Ottawa2–3 OTScotiabank Place19,57321–15–244
39January 47:30pmBoston1–6Prudential Center15,83221–16–244
40January 67:00pmFlorida5–2Prudential Center15,79322–16–246
41January 77:00pm@ Pittsburgh3–1Consol Energy Center18,59423–16–248
42January 109:30pm@ Calgary3–6Scotiabank Saddledome19,28923–17–248
43January 119:00pm@ Edmonton2–1 OTRexall Place16,83924–17–250
44January 143:00pm@ Winnipeg2–1MTS Centre15,00425–17–252
45January 177:00pmWinnipeg5–1Prudential Center14,12926–17–254
46January 197:00pmBoston1–4Prudential Center14,94126–18–254
47January 211:00pmPhiladelphia1–4Prudential Center16,25126–19–254
48January 247:00pmBuffalo1–2 SOPrudential Center13,73526–19–355
49January 317:00pmNY Rangers4–3 SOPrudential Center17,62527–19–357 :
February (Games: 13; Home: 7; Road: 6) (Record: 8–4–1; Home: 3–2–1; Road: 5–2–0)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreLocationAttendanceRecordPoints
50February 27:00pmMontreal5–3Prudential Center13,28328–19–359
51February 41:00pm@ Philadelphia6–4Wells Fargo Center19,86229–19–361
52February 51:00pmPittsburgh5–3Prudential Center14,70730–19–363
53February 77:00pm@ NY Rangers1–0Madison Square Garden18,20031–19–365
54February 97:00pmSt. Louis3–4 SOPrudential Center15,02131–19–466
55February 111:00pmFlorida1–3Prudential Center14,93831–20–466
56February 147:00pm@ Buffalo4–1First Niagara Center18,69032–20–468
57February 177:00pmAnaheim3–2 SOPrudential Center15,31233–20–470
58February 196:00pm@ Montreal3–1Bell Centre21,27334–20–472
59February 217:00pm@ Toronto4–3 OTAir Canada Centre19,42635–20–474
60February 247:00pmVancouver1–2Prudential Center16,48035–21–474
61February 261:00pmTampa Bay3–4Prudential Center15,98135–22–474
62February 277:30pm@ NY Rangers0–2Madison Square Garden18,20035–23–474 :
March (Games: 17; Home: 8; Road: 9) (Record: 10–5–2; Home: 6–1–1; Road: 4–4–1)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreLocationAttendanceRecordPoints
63March 17:00pm@ Boston3–4 OTTD Garden17,56535–23–575
64March 27:00pm@ Washington5–0Verizon Center18,50636–23–577
65March 43:00pm@ NY Islanders0–1Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum16,25036–24–577
66March 67:00pmNY Rangers4–1Prudential Center17,62537–24–579
67March 87:00pmNY Islanders5–1Prudential Center14,57338–24–581
68March 107:00pm@ NY Islanders2–1Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum16,25039–24–583
69March 117:00pmPhiladelphia4–1Prudential Center15,10740–24–585
70March 137:00pm@ Philadelphia0–3Wells Fargo Center19,72440–25–585
71March 157:00pmColorado1–0 SOPrudential Center16,05541–25–587
72March 171:00pmPittsburgh2–5Prudential Center17,62541–26–587
73March 197:30pm@ NY Rangers2–4Madison Square Garden18,20041–27–587
74March 207:30pm@ Ottawa1–0Scotiabank Place19,83442–27–589
75March 237:00pmToronto3–4 SOPrudential Center16,02242–27–690
76March 257:00pm@ Pittsburgh2–5Consol Energy Center18,60142–28–690
77March 277:00pmChicago2–1 SOPrudential Center15,07443–28–692
78March 297:00pmTampa Bay6–4Prudential Center15,38044–28–694
79March 317:00pm@ Carolina5–0RBC Center18,68045–28–696 :
April (Games: 3; Home: 2; Road: 1) (Record: 3–0–0; Home: 2–0–0; Road: 1–0–0)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreLocationAttendanceRecordPoints
80April 37:00pmNY Islanders3–1Prudential Center15,48246–28–698
81April 57:30pm@ Detroit2–1Joe Louis Arena20,06647–28–6100
82April 73:00pmOttawa4-2Prudential Center17,62548–28–6102 :

### Playoffs

2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (3) Florida Panthers – Devils win series 4–3
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 13New Jersey Devils3–2Florida PanthersBrodeur19,119Devils lead 1-0New Jersey Devils - Florida Panthers - April 13th, 2012
2April 15New Jersey Devils2–4Florida PanthersBrodeur19,248Series tied 1-1New Jersey Devils - Florida Panthers - April 15th, 2012
3April 17Florida Panthers4–3New Jersey DevilsHedberg17,625Panthers lead 2-1Florida Panthers - New Jersey Devils - April 17th, 2012
4April 19Florida Panthers0–4New Jersey DevilsBrodeur17,625Series tied 2-2Florida Panthers - New Jersey Devils - April 19th, 2012
5April 21New Jersey Devils0–3Florida PanthersBrodeur19,513Panthers lead 3-2New Jersey Devils - Florida Panthers - April 21st, 2012
6April 24Florida Panthers2–3New Jersey DevilsOTBrodeur17,625Series tied 3-3Florida Panthers - New Jersey Devils - April 24th, 2012
7April 26New Jersey Devils3–2Florida Panthers2OTBrodeur19,313Devils win 4-3New Jersey Devils - Florida Panthers - April 26th, 2012 :
Eastern Conference Semi-finals: vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers – Devils win series 4-1
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 29New Jersey Devils3–4Philadelphia FlyersOTBrodeur19,972Flyers lead 1-0Devils vs. Flyers - 04/29/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
2May 1New Jersey Devils4–1Philadelphia FlyersBrodeur20,131Series tied 1-1Devils vs. Flyers - 05/01/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
3May 3Philadelphia Flyers3–4New Jersey DevilsOTBrodeur17,625Devils lead 2-1Flyers vs. Devils - 05/03/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
4May 6Philadelphia Flyers2–4New Jersey DevilsBrodeur17,625Devils lead 3-1Flyers vs. Devils - 05/06/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
5May 8New Jersey Devils3–1Philadelphia FlyersBrodeur20,145Devils win 4-1Flyers vs. Devils - 05/06/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap :
Eastern Conference Finals: vs. (1) New York Rangers – Devils win series 4-2
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 14New Jersey Devils0–3New York RangersBrodeur18,200Rangers lead 1-0
2May 16New Jersey Devils3–2New York RangersBrodeur18,200Series tied 1-1Devils vs. Rangers - 05/16/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
3May 19New York Rangers3–0New Jersey DevilsBrodeur17,625Rangers lead 2-1
4May 21New York Rangers1–4New Jersey DevilsBrodeur17,625Series tied 2-2Rangers vs. Devils - 05/21/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
5May 23New Jersey Devils5–3New York RangersBrodeur18,200Devils lead 3-2Devils vs. Rangers - 05/23/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
6May 25New York Rangers2–3New Jersey DevilsOTBrodeur17,625Devils win series 4-2Rangers vs. Devils - 05/25/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap :
Stanley Cup Finals: vs (8) Los Angeles Kings – Kings win series 4-2
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 30Los Angeles Kings2–1New Jersey DevilsOTBrodeur17,625Kings lead 1-0Kings vs. Devils - 05/30/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
2June 2Los Angeles Kings2–1New Jersey DevilsOTBrodeur17,625Kings lead 2-0Kings vs. Devils - 06/02/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
3June 4New Jersey Devils0–4Los Angeles KingsBrodeur18,764Kings lead 3-0Devils vs. Kings - 06/04/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
4June 6New Jersey Devils3–1Los Angeles KingsBrodeur18,867Kings lead 3-1Devils vs. Kings - 06/06/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
5June 9Los Angeles Kings1–2New Jersey DevilsBrodeur17,625Kings lead 3-2Kings vs. Devils - 06/09/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap
6June 11New Jersey Devils1–6Los Angeles KingsBrodeur18,858Kings win 4-2Devils vs. Kings - 06/11/2012 - New Jersey Devils - Recap :
Win   Loss   Win Playoff Series :

## Media

This season would be Steve Cangialosi's first season as a regular television play-by-play announcer for the Devils. Deb Placey and Ken Daneyko did color and studio analysis commentating. Radio coverage was still on WFAN (AM) 660 with Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross as usual.

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes
Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | 77 | 37 | 46 | 83 | −9 | 33 |
| Patrik Elias | 81 | 26 | 52 | 78 | −8 | 16 |
| Zach Parise | 82 | 31 | 38 | 69 | −5 | 32 |
| Adam Henrique | 74 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 8 | 7 |
| David Clarkson | 80 | 30 | 16 | 46 | −8 | 138 |
| Petr Sykora | 82 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 4 | 40 |
| Dainius Zubrus | 82 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 7 | 34 |
| Alexei Ponikarovsky$^†$ | 33 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 9 | 8 |
| Adam Larsson | 65 | 2 | 16 | 18 | −7 | 20 |
| Mark Fayne | 82 | 4 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 26 |
| Andy Greene | 56 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 16 |
| Kurtis Foster$^{†‡}$ | 28 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −9 | 23 |
| Anton Volchenkov | 72 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 34 |
| Bryce Salvador | 82 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 66 |
| Jacob Josefson | 41 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 6 |
| Marek Zidlicky$^†$ | 22 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| Ryan Carter$^†$ | 65 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −12 | 84 |
| Matt Taormina | 30 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| Nick Palmieri$^‡$ | 29 | 4 | 3 | 7 | −7 | 12 |
| Henrik Tallinder | 39 | 0 | 6 | 6 | −11 | 16 |
| Mattias Tedenby | 43 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −15 | 16 |
| Steve Bernier | 32 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 16 |
| Travis Zajac | 15 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −3 | 4 |
| Peter Harrold | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Bradley Mills | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −10 | 32 |
| Alexander Urbom | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Cam Janssen | 48 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −8 | 75 |
| Stephen Gionta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Steven Zalewski | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| Tim Sestito | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −5 | 7 |
| Vladimir Zharkov | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| Eric Boulton | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −12 | 115 |
| Stephane Veilleux$^‡$ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Fraser$^‡$ | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 14 |
| Rod Pelley$^‡$ | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | 23 | 8 | 11 | 19 | −7 | 6 |
| Zach Parise | 24 | 8 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 4 |
| Bryce Salvador | 24 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 26 |
| Travis Zajac | 24 | 7 | 7 | 14 | -6 | 4 |
| Adam Henrique | 24 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| David Clarkson | 24 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 32 |
| Dainius Zubrus | 24 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 18 |
| Alexei Ponikarovsky | 24 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 12 |
| Marek Zidlicky | 24 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -2 | 22 |
| Patrik Elias | 24 | 5 | 3 | 8 | −3 | 10 |
| Steve Bernier | 24 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| Stephen Gionta | 24 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Ryan Carter | 23 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 32 |
| Petr Sykora | 18 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Peter Harrold | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Mark Fayne | 24 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Anton Volchenkov | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| Andy Greene | 24 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Jacob Josefson | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Adam Larsson | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Henrik Tallinder | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Tim Sestito | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Martin Brodeur | 59 | 3392 | 31 | 21 | 4 | 136 | 2.41 | 1472 | .908 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Johan Hedberg | 27 | 1591 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 59 | 2.23 | 718 | .918 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Martin Brodeur | 24 | 1471 | 14 | 9 | 52 | 2.12 | 629 | .917 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Johan Hedberg | 1 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.67 | 14 | .929 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Devils. Stats reflect time with Devils only. $^‡$Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Devils only.
    Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
    Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = 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 |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | NHL first All-Star team – Left Wing | End of regular season |
| Adam Henrique | NHL All-Rookie team – Forward | End of regular season |
| Adam Henrique | NHL Rookie of the Month | December 2011 |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | NHL Second Star of the Week | February 6, 2012 |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | NHL Second Star of the Week | March 12, 2012 |

### Nominations

Regular season :
| Player | Award | Place |
| Adam Henrique | Calder Memorial Trophy | Finalist |

### Records

| Player | Record (Amount) | Achieved |

### Milestones

Regular season :
| Player | Milestone | Date |
| Adam Larsson | 1st career NHL game | October 8, 2011 |
| David Clarkson | 300th career NHL game | October 10, 2011 |
| Henrik Tallinder | 100th career NHL assist | October 15, 2011 |
| Adam Henrique | 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point | October 27, 2011 |
| Andy Greene | 300th career NHL game | October 29, 2011 |
| Brad Mills | 1st career NHL assist | November 2, 2011 |
| Adam Larsson | 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point | November 2, 2011 |
| Adam Henrique | 1st career NHL goal | November 3, 2011 |
| Dainius Zubrus | 500th career NHL point | November 8, 2011 |
| Adam Larsson | 1st career NHL goal | November 11, 2011 |
| Anton Volchenkov | 500th career NHL game | November 12, 2011 |
| Dainius Zubrus | 1,000th career NHL game | November 16, 2011 |
| Ryan Carter | 200th career NHL game | November 19, 2011 |
| Patrik Elias | 500th career NHL assist | December 28, 2011 |
| Dainius Zubrus | 200th career NHL goal | January 2, 2012 |
| Patrik Elias | 1,000th career NHL game | January 6, 2012 |
| Zach Parise | 200th career NHL assist | January 10, 2012 |
| Mark Fayne | 100th career NHL game | January 11, 2012 |
| Petr Sykora | 700th career NHL point | January 14, 2012 |
| Mattias Tedenby | 100th career NHL game | January 14, 2012 |
| Alexei Ponikarovsky | 300th career NHL point | February 4, 2012 |
| Cam Janssen | 300th career NHL game | February 14, 2012 |
| Steve Bernier | 400th career NHL game | March 1, 2012 |
| Petr Sykora | 1,000th career NHL game | March 4, 2012 |
| Bryce Salvador | 100th career NHL point | March 6, 2012 |
| Zach Parise | 400th career NHL point | March 8, 2012 |
| Marek Zidlicky | 300th career NHL point | March 8, 2012 |
| Andy Greene | 100th career NHL point | March 17, 2012 |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | 400th career NHL goal | March 20, 2012 |
| Zach Parise | 500th career NHL game | April 3, 2012 |
| Eric Boulton | 600th career NHL game | April 5, 2012 |
| Stephen Gionta | 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point | April 7, 2012 |

## Transactions

The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 16, 2011 | To Minnesota Wild David McIntyre | To New Jersey Devils Maxim Noreau |
| July 14, 2011 | To Calgary Flames Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond | To New Jersey Devils 5th round pick in 2012 |
| July 28, 2011 | To New York Islanders Brian Rolston | To New Jersey Devils Trent Hunter Conditional pick in 2012 |
| October 4, 2011 | To Toronto Maple Leafs Dave Steckel | To New Jersey Devils 4th-round pick in 2012 |
| December 12, 2011 | To Anaheim Ducks Mark Fraser Rod Pelley 7th-round pick in 2012 | To New Jersey Devils Kurtis Foster Timo Pielmeier |
| January 20, 2012 | To Carolina Hurricanes Joe Sova 4th-round pick in 2012 | To New Jersey Devils Alexei Ponikarovsky |
| February 24, 2012 | To Minnesota Wild Kurtis Foster Nick Palmieri Stephane Veilleux 2nd-round pick in 2012 Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2013 | To New Jersey Devils Marek Zidlicky |
Player signings
PlayerDateContract terms
Brandon BurlonJune 2, 20113 years, $1.9875 million entry-level contract
Jay LeachJune 22, 20111 year, $525,000
Andy GreeneJuly 1, 20114 years, $12 million
Johan HedbergJuly 1, 20111 year, $1.25 million
Matt CorrenteJuly 14, 20111 year, $660,000
Vladimir ZharkovJuly 14, 20111 year, $577,500
Adam LarssonJuly 15, 20113 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Mark FraserJuly 27, 20111 year, $550,000
Matt TaorminaJuly 27, 20111 year, $550,000
Zach PariseJuly 29, 20111 year, $6 million
Maxime ClermontAugust 22, 20113 years, $1.68 million entry-level contract
Brad MillsAugust 22, 20111 year, $525,000
Tim SestitoAugust 22, 20111 year, $525,000
Chad WisemanAugust 22, 20112 years, $1.05 million
Steven ZalewskiAugust 22, 20112 years, $1.05 million
Scott WedgewoodMarch 19, 20123 years, $1.92 million entry-level contract :

## Draft picks

The New Jersey Devils participated in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, located at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on June 24, 2011. Devils CEO, president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, described as being "thrilled" at the chance to draft him, selected Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson fourth overall. This was the Devils' highest pick in the draft since selecting Scott Neidermayer third overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 4 | Adam Larsson | D | Sweden | Skelleftea AIK (Elitserien) |
| 3 | 69 | Forfeited pick | | | |
| 3 | 75 | Blake Coleman | C | United States | Indiana Ice (USHL) |
| 4 | 99 | Reid Boucher | C | United States | U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL) |
| 5 | 129 | Blake Pietila | LW | United States | U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL) |
| 6 | 159 | Reece Scarlett | D | Canada | Swift Current Broncos (WHL) |
| 7 | 189 | Patrick Daly | D | United States | Benilde-St. Margaret's High School |

### Notes

* ↑ The New Jersey Devils' third-round pick was forfeited as a result of a penalty sanction due to cap circumvention when signing Ilya Kovalchuk. The penalty includes a fine of US$3 million, a forfeiture of one first-round pick between 2011 and 2014 as determined by the Devils, and this pick.
* ↑ The Dallas Stars' third-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on January 7, 2011 that sent Jamie Langenbrunner to Dallas in exchange for a conditional pick in 2012 NHL Entry Draft and this pick (conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Dallas Stars does not win a round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs and does not re-sign Langenbrunner prior to the 2011 Draft – was converted on June 24, 2011.