Devils playoff record in this decade
by Devilssection21fan on Aug 7, 2009 11:42 AM EDT
9 comments
A couple weeks back, John put together a post addressing the frustration and dare I say negativity of some fans about the Devils playoff record since the team last won the Stanley Cup.
That made me put together this little chart of what the Devils have accomplished.
(Manager Note: Chart is after the jump because it needs to be fully seen. Also, only minor spelling/grammar edits have been made. Now hit that "Continue reading this post" link!)
| Opponent - Seed - Series Result - Cumulative Playoff Record | |||||||
| Devils Seed | CQF / (DSF) | CSF / (DF) | CF | SCF | Team that beat Devils went on to…… | ||
| 2000 | #4 | Flo #5 4-0 (1-0) | Tor #3 4-2 (1-0) | Phi #1 4-3 (2-0) | Dal #2 4-2 (1-0) | Devils won the Cup! | |
| 2001 | #1 | Car #8 4-2 (1-0) | Tor #7 4-3 (2-0) | Pit #6 4-1 (2-3) | Col #1 3-4 (0-1) | Devils lost the Cup :-( | |
| 2002 | #6 | Car #3 2-4 (1-1) | Car lost SCF to #1 Det (1-4) | ||||
| 2003 | #2 | Bos #7 4-1 (3-1) | Tam #3 4-1 (1-0) | Ott #1 4-3 (1-1) | Ana #7 4-3 (1-0) | Devils won the Cup! | |
| 2004 | #6 | Phi #3 1-4 (2-1) | Phi lost CF to #1 Tam (3-4) | ||||
| 2005 | No Season | ||||||
| 2006 | #3 | NYR #6 4-0 (1-3) | Car #2 1-4 (1-2) | Car won Stanley Cup | |||
| 2007 | #2 | Tam #7 4-2 (2-0) | Ott #4 1-4 (0-2) | Ott lost SCF to #2 Ana (1-4) | |||
| 2008 | #4 | NYR #5 1-4 (1-4) | NYR lost CSF to #2 Pit (1-4) | ||||
| 2009 | #3 | Car #6 3-4 (1-3) | Car lost CF to #4 Pit (2-4) | ||||
| 2010 | |||||||
| DEVILS WIN | DEVILS LOSS | How far opponent advanced | |||||
Bottom line is that while we all of course want the Devils to go further, they have been losing to very good teams. Of the 6 seasons when the Devils did not make it to the Stanley Cup Finals:
- 3 of the teams they lost to ended up in the Stanley cup game
- 2 of the teams advanced two rounds to the conference final
- Only in the 08 playoffs did the Devils lose to a team, the Rangers, who did not advance to at least the conference final.
Point is, there is little shame in what the Devils have accomplished, and to me there is nothing in the last couple of playoff years that indicate this team is on the decline. They are simply playing some of the very best teams and it is very difficult to win them all with this level of competition
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I agree
But at the same time, when you see all the red pre-lock out, and how little there is post-lockout, it’s easy to understand the frustration.
Only looking at this decade skews it even more because of all of the success at the beginning of the 2000’s; two Cups and a SCF appearance in four years is about as successful as a team can ever hope to get, whereas post-lockout has been a steady decline.
The post-season high point since the lockout has to be sweeping the Rangers. After that, each season’s endings have gotten harder and harder to swallow.
The up side is that they still make the playoffs, a feat not every team can boast; they still remain competitive within the conference and, arguably, the toughest division in the league; they still have a talented core of players who are hungry to win; and there really isn’t anywhere left to go but up.
the decade skewing things
Agreed that “arbitrarily” starting with the 2000 playoffs makes the Devils look solid this decade. But if we went back and added more years, it makes the picture of the last 4 seasons still look pretty darn good. If you look at the 2nd half of the 90’s despite their regular season success, the Devils look MUCH WORSE in the playoffs – because they were losing to teams in the first rounds that then WENT NOWHERE. So they were losing to inferior competition.
My viewpoint would be, it is alot easier to be confident going into the 2009/10 season after the loss to Carolina this year, than it was to be confident going into 99/00, after losing two straigh opening rounds to #8 seeds who then promptly went nowhere. I simply dont think the data lends any creedence to the idea that the post lockout is a “failure”.
I would also disagree a bit with claudlemieux following comment that the Devils have been overmatched in the playoffs. The Carolina series in 06 was a tough series, where the Devils lost game 2 in OT and I believe blew the lead late. they lost another one goal game. Against Ottawa, they lost 3 games by one goal in the series, and the other by two – hardly a whipping. And finally this year’s series was a classic and one of the best I have seen, and we unfortunately came out on the losing end. No way anyonce can take the Devils lightely after any of those series.
by Devilssection21fan on Aug 7, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I wouldn’t categorize the Devils’ post-lockout playoff experience as a “failure”, but neither would I classify it as a success.
It’s interesting to see the ebb and flow over a period of time, but I think that the rules changed so much with the lockout that it’s almost like a whole new game and what came before isn’t really relevant to discussions of what’s going on now.
It’s seemed to me the past few years that the Devils have been a little behind the curve in adapting to the new rules; but I feel like they’re finally getting it right. I thought last years team was the best one I’d seen them put on the ice in some years and still have full confidence that if they had closed out that Carolina series in game 6 like they should have, or game 7 like they could have; they could have contended.
It goes without saying then that I too have confidence in this upcoming season, though there is a certain amount of trepidation about changes made by the new coaching staff… but that’s for another discussion.
i also agree, but...
since the lockout, this team has looked overmatched in the playoffs (’06 v. NYR notwithstanding; that was fun). This is why this offseason has been great. We need a facelift and I think this year and next year, you will see the Devils thuly equipped to succeed in the post-lockout NHL.
GO DEVS!!!!
I really like this type of analysis, as it adds to the general discussion of the team so far. Good work on this, welcome to a “Rec” (NOTE TO EVERYONE: If you like a post, hit that little icon at the bottom that has “Rec” on it to recommend the post. Enough of these makes that post “featured” and so more prominent).
By the way, the post referred to at the beginning of this FanPost is here: Since the 1993-94 Season, the New Jersey Devils are the Second Best Team in the NHL.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The Devils SBN Blog
i never thought they would win evry year.i new how good they have been still it was nice too see in the graph.
by Imperator_Celtic on Aug 7, 2009 6:56 PM EDT reply actions
Making the playoffs are great and all, but the prestige of the New Jersey Devils exceed far more than these early departures in the post-lockout era. Every year, the Devils are a contender. In a SI poll of NHL players a few days before the playoffs started, they asked which team will win the Cup. The Devils were ranked 3rd behind the Sharks and the Wings. The players know more about the game than anyone. Bottom line is the Devils main goal and expectations are reachable season after season but always seem to fall short once the playoffs begin. You have to beat the best to be the best, and in the playoffs, the Devils just haven’t been the best (but are still considered by some).
I’m not trying to bash the Devils here. I’ve been a Devils fan since I could remember playing and watching hockey. I love this organization, I love this team year and year out. I never dislike any decision Lou makes b/c I know there is a logical hockey reason Lou did it.
Bottom line is the Devils main goal and expectations are reachable season after season but always seem to fall short once the playoffs begin. You have to beat the best to be the best, and in the playoffs, the Devils just haven’t been the best (but are still considered by some).
That’s a very fair point. I’d like to add to that the Devils aren’t the only ones in this situation. Outside of Detroit, can any team claim consistent playoff success? (No, Carolina fans, this definition would include making the playoffs consistently too.) While some decry the parity of the league, the gap between seeds #1 through #6 aren’t usually all that wide – and those #7 and #8 teams can be solid some years as well.
What I’m trying to say is that “the best” tends to be someone different every season, so it’s nigh impossible to prepare in advance for an opponent. Therefore, we have to rely on how a team has done in a season, how a team is built, etc.. I think the players do that, and they obviously respect the Devils enough to name them over many other teams.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Aug 7, 2009 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions
i can rember the wings losing early in the playoffs,no team is winner every year
by Imperator_Celtic on Aug 13, 2009 2:47 PM EDT reply actions
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