New Jersey Devils: Anything Can Happen In The Playoffs

The Devils began the season 22-9-6, with scorching starts from Brian Gibbons, Jesper Bratt, and Brian Boyle helping the Devils wildly exceed expectations. From there, the Devils fell off a cliff, stumbling to 11-16-2 over the following 29 games. The Devils won four of their next seven games, and then went on an absolute tear, going 7-0-1 and needing just about every last point to squeeze into the playoffs. The Devils lost their final game of the season, while resting several star players, and continuing the theme of the previous month, got absolutely no outside help as they fell into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and were banished to the vaunted Atlantic Division gauntlet.