# 1990–91 New Jersey Devils season

The 1990–91 New Jersey Devils season was the 17th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and ninth season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. The season saw the team finish fourth in the Patrick Division and qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season, losing in the division semi-finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was the first time in the franchise's 17-year history that the team qualified for the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The team would make one huge move towards their future when they drafted Martin Brodeur with their first round selection in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.

## Regular season
### Season standings

Patrick Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 41 | 33 | 6 | 342 | 305 | 88 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 297 | 265 | 85 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 37 | 36 | 7 | 258 | 258 | 81 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 32 | 33 | 15 | 272 | 264 | 79 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 33 | 37 | 10 | 252 | 267 | 76 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 25 | 45 | 10 | 223 | 290 | 60 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Wales Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Boston Bruins | ADM | 80 | 44 | 24 | 12 | 299 | 264 | 100 |
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | ADM | 80 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 273 | 249 | 89 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | PTK | 80 | 41 | 33 | 6 | 342 | 305 | 88 |
| 4 | New York Rangers | PTK | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 297 | 265 | 85 |
| 5 | Washington Capitals | PTK | 80 | 37 | 36 | 7 | 258 | 258 | 81 |
| 6 | Buffalo Sabres | ADM | 80 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 292 | 278 | 81 |
| 7 | New Jersey Devils | PTK | 80 | 32 | 33 | 15 | 272 | 264 | 79 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Flyers | PTK | 80 | 33 | 37 | 10 | 252 | 267 | 76 |
| 9 | Hartford Whalers | ADM | 80 | 31 | 38 | 11 | 238 | 276 | 73 |
| 10 | New York Islanders | PTK | 80 | 25 | 45 | 10 | 223 | 290 | 60 |
| 11 | Quebec Nordiques | ADM | 80 | 16 | 50 | 14 | 236 | 354 | 46 |
Divisions: PTK – Patrick, ADM – Adams
bold – Qualified for playoffs

## Schedule and results

| # | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | T | October 4, 1990 | 3–3 OT | Detroit Red Wings | 0–0–1 |
| 2 | W | October 6, 1990 | 3–1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1–0–1 |
| 3 | L | October 7, 1990 | 4–7 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins | 1–1–1 |
| 4 | W | October 9, 1990 | 5–2 | Minnesota North Stars | 2–1–1 |
| 5 | L | October 11, 1990 | 4–7 | @ Philadelphia Flyers | 2–2–1 |
| 6 | W | October 13, 1990 | 5–3 | Calgary Flames | 3–2–1 |
| 7 | W | October 17, 1990 | 3–2 | Washington Capitals | 4–2–1 |
| 8 | W | October 19, 1990 | 3–2 | New York Rangers | 5–2–1 |
| 9 | L | October 20, 1990 | 0–4 | @ Washington Capitals | 5–3–1 |
| 10 | W | October 23, 1990 | 8–1 | @ New York Islanders | 6–3–1 |
| 11 | W | October 25, 1990 | 5–1 | Buffalo Sabres | 7–3–1 |
| 12 | W | October 27, 1990 | 7–5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 8–3–1 |
| 13 | L | October 30, 1990 | 3–6 | @ Calgary Flames | 8–4–1 |
| 14 | L | November 1, 1990 | 1–2 | @ Vancouver Canucks | 8–5–1 |
| 15 | W | November 3, 1990 | 5–2 | @ Edmonton Oilers | 9–5–1 |
| 16 | L | November 7, 1990 | 3–6 | New York Islanders | 9–6–1 |
| 17 | L | November 9, 1990 | 2–3 | New York Rangers | 9–7–1 |
| 18 | L | November 10, 1990 | 1–3 | @ Montreal Canadiens | 9–8–1 |
| 19 | W | November 13, 1990 | 6–3 | Montreal Canadiens | 10–8–1 |
| 20 | L | November 15, 1990 | 2–4 | Hartford Whalers | 10–9–1 |
| 21 | W | November 17, 1990 | 3–2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 11–9–1 |
| 22 | W | November 18, 1990 | 4–1 | @ Philadelphia Flyers | 12–9–1 |
| 23 | L | November 20, 1990 | 4–5 | @ Los Angeles Kings | 12–10–1 |
| 24 | W | November 24, 1990 | 5–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars | 13–10–1 |
| 25 | T | November 28, 1990 | 5–5 OT | Philadelphia Flyers | 13–10–2 |
| 26 | T | November 30, 1990 | 5–5 OT | New York Islanders | 13–10–3 |
| 27 | W | December 1, 1990 | 4–1 | @ St. Louis Blues | 14–10–3 |
| 28 | T | December 3, 1990 | 4–4 OT | @ Winnipeg Jets | 14–10–4 |
| 29 | W | December 5, 1990 | 9–4 | Vancouver Canucks | 15–10–4 |
| 30 | L | December 7, 1990 | 2–5 | @ Washington Capitals | 15–11–4 |
| 31 | W | December 8, 1990 | 4–2 | Washington Capitals | 16–11–4 |
| 32 | L | December 11, 1990 | 2–3 | @ New York Islanders | 16–12–4 |
| 33 | L | December 13, 1990 | 5–9 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins | 16–13–4 |
| 34 | T | December 15, 1990 | 1–1 OT | @ Boston Bruins | 16–13–5 |
| 35 | W | December 18, 1990 | 8–3 | Boston Bruins | 17–13–5 |
| 36 | T | December 20, 1990 | 3–3 OT | @ Philadelphia Flyers | 17–13–6 |
| 37 | W | December 22, 1990 | 4–1 | @ Quebec Nordiques | 18–13–6 |
| 38 | W | December 23, 1990 | 4–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 19–13–6 |
| 39 | T | December 27, 1990 | 1–1 OT | New York Islanders | 19–13–7 |
| 40 | T | December 29, 1990 | 4–4 OT | Buffalo Sabres | 19–13–8 |
| 41 | T | December 30, 1990 | 2–2 OT | @ New York Rangers | 19–13–9 |
| 42 | L | January 1, 1991 | 3–4 | @ Washington Capitals | 19–14–9 |
| 43 | L | January 3, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Chicago Blackhawks | 19–15–9 |
| 44 | L | January 5, 1991 | 2–5 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins | 19–16–9 |
| 45 | L | January 8, 1991 | 3–5 | St. Louis Blues | 19–17–9 |
| 46 | L | January 12, 1991 | 4–5 OT | Edmonton Oilers | 19–18–9 |
| 47 | L | January 14, 1991 | 1–6 | Los Angeles Kings | 19–19–9 |
| 48 | T | January 16, 1991 | 2–2 OT | Chicago Blackhawks | 19–19–10 |
| 49 | L | January 22, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins | 19–20–10 |
| 50 | W | January 24, 1991 | 6–1 | Quebec Nordiques | 20–20–10 |
| 51 | L | January 26, 1991 | 1–3 | Minnesota North Stars | 20–21–10 |
| 52 | W | January 28, 1991 | 6–2 | @ Detroit Red Wings | 21–21–10 |
| 53 | W | January 30, 1991 | 4–2 | @ Los Angeles Kings | 22–21–10 |
| 54 | L | February 2, 1991 | 4–5 | @ St. Louis Blues | 22–22–10 |
| 55 | W | February 5, 1991 | 2–1 | Calgary Flames | 23–22–10 |
| 56 | L | February 9, 1991 | 1–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques | 23–23–10 |
| 57 | W | February 10, 1991 | 2–0 | Vancouver Canucks | 24–23–10 |
| 58 | L | February 13, 1991 | 3–6 | @ New York Rangers | 24–24–10 |
| 59 | T | February 14, 1991 | 3–3 OT | Winnipeg Jets | 24–24–11 |
| 60 | W | February 16, 1991 | 3–2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 25–24–11 |
| 61 | L | February 18, 1991 | 0–4 | Edmonton Oilers | 25–25–11 |
| 62 | W | February 22, 1991 | 5–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 26–25–11 |
| 63 | L | February 24, 1991 | 2–5 | @ New York Rangers | 26–26–11 |
| 64 | W | February 25, 1991 | 5–1 | Washington Capitals | 27–26–11 |
| 65 | L | February 27, 1991 | 3–7 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs | 27–27–11 |
| 66 | W | March 1, 1991 | 6–1 | @ Detroit Red Wings | 28–27–11 |
| 67 | L | March 3, 1991 | 1–3 | Boston Bruins | 28–28–11 |
| 68 | L | March 5, 1991 | 3–4 | @ New York Islanders | 28–29–11 |
| 69 | T | March 6, 1991 | 3–3 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres | 28–29–12 |
| 70 | L | March 10, 1991 | 3–4 | @ Winnipeg Jets | 28–30–12 |
| 71 | W | March 13, 1991 | 3–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 29–30–12 |
| 72 | W | March 15, 1991 | 5–2 | New York Rangers | 30–30–12 |
| 73 | L | March 16, 1991 | 2–6 | @ Hartford Whalers | 30–31–12 |
| 74 | W | March 19, 1991 | 5–4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 31–31–12 |
| 75 | T | March 21, 1991 | 2–2 OT | @ Chicago Blackhawks | 31–31–13 |
| 76 | T | March 23, 1991 | 3–3 OT | @ Montreal Canadiens | 31–31–14 |
| 77 | T | March 26, 1991 | 3–3 OT | @ New York Rangers | 31–31–15 |
| 78 | W | March 27, 1991 | 4–3 OT | Hartford Whalers | 32–31–15 |
| 79 | L | March 30, 1991 | 0–4 | @ Washington Capitals | 32–32–15 |
| 80 | L | March 31, 1991 | 2–3 | New York Islanders | 32–33–15 |

## Playoffs
### Patrick Division Semifinals
#### (P4) New Jersey Devils vs. (P1) Pittsburgh Penguins

The first two games took place at Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. In game 1, the Devils won 3–1. However, in game 2, the Penguins tied the series with a 5–4 overtime win. Games 3 and 4 were at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Pittsburgh was victorious in game 3 by a score of 4–3, but the Devils won in game 4 4–1. Game 5 shifted back to Pittsburgh where the Devils beat the Penguins 4–2. Game 6 was back in New Jersey, where the series was evened again thanks to a Pittsburgh 4–3 win. Game 7 was back in Pittsburgh where the Penguins won the game 4-0 and won the series 4–3.

## Player statistics
### Regular season
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| John MacLean | RW | 78 | 45 | 33 | 78 | 150 | 8 | 19 | 2 | 7 |
| Kirk Muller | LW | 80 | 19 | 51 | 70 | 76 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| Brendan Shanahan | LW | 75 | 29 | 37 | 66 | 141 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Peter Stastny | C | 77 | 18 | 42 | 60 | 53 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Claude Lemieux | RW | 78 | 30 | 17 | 47 | 105 | -8 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
| Patrik Sundstrom | C | 71 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 48 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Bruce Driver | D | 73 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 62 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Alexei Kasatonov | D | 78 | 10 | 31 | 41 | 76 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Eric Weinrich | D | 76 | 4 | 34 | 38 | 48 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Brown | RW | 58 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Jon Morris | C | 53 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 27 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Zdeno Ciger | LW | 45 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| David Maley | LW | 64 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 151 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Laurie Boschman | C | 78 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 79 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ken Daneyko | D | 80 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 249 | -10 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Viacheslav Fetisov | D | 67 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 62 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Conacher | LW | 49 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Albelin | D | 47 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 44 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Walt Poddubny | LW | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy Crowder | RW | 59 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 182 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Allan Stewart | LW | 41 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 159 | -6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Ysebaert | C | 11 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Norwood | D | 28 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 87 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Madill | RW | 14 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 46 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles O'Connor | D | 22 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Terreri | G | 53 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Huscroft | D | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Marcinyshyn | D | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jarrod Skalde | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Perry Anderson | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neil Brady | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Burke | G | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roland Melanson | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Miller | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Todd | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Chris Terreri | 2970 | 53 | 24 | 21 | 7 | 144 | 2.91 | 1 | 1348 | 1204 | .893 |
| Sean Burke | 1870 | 35 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 112 | 3.59 | 0 | 875 | 763 | .872 |
| Roland Melanson | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6.00 | 0 | 7 | 5 | .714 |
| Team: | 4860 | 80 | 32 | 33 | 15 | 258 | 3.19 | 1 | 2230 | 1972 | .884 |

### Playoffs
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| John MacLean | RW | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Brendan Shanahan | LW | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Stastny | C | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Claude Lemieux | RW | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Doug Brown | RW | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Alexei Kasatonov | D | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jon Morris | C | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruce Driver | D | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Weinrich | D | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Laurie Boschman | C | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zdeno Ciger | LW | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Conacher | LW | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Madill | RW | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kirk Muller | LW | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Albelin | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Perry Anderson | LW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Daneyko | D | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Viacheslav Fetisov | D | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Huscroft | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Norwood | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrik Sundstrom | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Terreri | G | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Todd | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Chris Terreri | 428 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 2.94 | 0 | 216 | 195 | .903 |
| Team: | 428 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 2.94 | 0 | 216 | 195 | .903 |
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 = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Awards & records
### Awards

Regular Season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Eric Weinrich | NHL All-Rookie Team – Defense | End of regular season |

## Draft picks

The Devils' draft picks at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.
| Rd # | Pick # | Player | Nat | Pos | Team (League) |
| 1 | 20 | Martin Brodeur | Canada | G | Saint-Hyacinthe Laser (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 24 | David Harlock | Canada | D | University of Michigan (CCHA) |
| 2 | 29 | Chris Gotziaman | United States | RW | Roseau H.S. (Minnesota) |
| 3 | 53 | Mike Dunham | United States | G | Canterbury H.S. (Connecticut) |
| 3 | 56 | Brad Bombardir | Canada | D | Powell River Kings (BCJHL) |
| 4 | 64 | Mike Bodnarchuk | Canada | RW | |
| 5 | 95 | Dean Malkoc | Canada | D | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 5 | 104 | Petr Kuchyna | Czechoslovakia | D | HC Jihlava (Czechoslovak Extraliga) |
| 6 | 116 | Lubomir Kolnik | Czechoslovakia | RW | HC Dukla Trenčín (Czechoslovak Extraliga) |
| 7 | 137 | Chris McAlpine | United States | D | Roseville H.S. (Minnesota) |
| 8 | 158 | No eighth-round pick | No eighth-round pick | No eighth-round pick | No eighth-round pick |
| 9 | 179 | Jaroslav Modry | Czechoslovakia | D | HC České Budějovice (Czechoslovak Extraliga) |
| 10 | 200 | Corey Schwab | Canada | G | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
| 11 | 221 | Valeri Zelepukin | Soviet Union | LW | Khimik Voskresensk (Soviet League) |
| 12 | 242 | Todd Reirden | United States | D | Tabor Academy (Massachusetts) |
| S | 16 | Mike Haviland | United States | F | Elmira College (NCAA) |