NHL Playoffs 2012: New Jersey Devils Back in the Big Dance

After missing out on the postseason festivities last year, the New Jersey Devils recently clinched their 14th playoff spot in the last 15 seasons, not counting the 2004-05 lockout campaign.

The Devils have long been locked into the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference and will face the third-seeded Florida Panthers in the first round.

Florida hasn't made the NHL playoffs since being swept by New Jersey in the first round in 2000, the year the Devils won their second Stanley Cup. The only names still remaining in New Jersey from that time are Martin Brodeur, Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora and assistant coach Larry Robinson, so history won't necessarily be of much help to New Jersey this time around.

These Devils may be a different team but still finished the 2011-12 campaign on a six-game winning streak following Saturday's 4-2 victory over visiting Ottawa. Brodeur is still in the New Jersey net, and hit the 30-win mark for the 14th time again this season.

The Devils have had their ups and down this winter, including against Florida, but they still shouldn't be taken lightly.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored 37 goals and led the Devils with 83 points, Elias was second with 78 points and Zach Parise finished third in team scoring with 69 points after missing most of last season with a knee injury. Free agent find Sykora contributed 21 goals after spending last season out of the NHL and tied center Dainius Zubrus with 44 points.

David Clarkson continued to provide physical hockey while hitting the 30-goal mark for the first time in his NHL career. John Hedberg proved more than capable in net by providing 17 wins and four shutouts in 27 outings when Brodeur needed to be spelled. 

Adam Henrique has become a budding superstar up front, tallying 51 points in his first full NHL season. Alex Ponikarovsky proved to be a capable two-way forward after being acquired from Carolina. Even rookie Stephen Gionta got into the winning act on Saturday, with his first NHL goal standing up as the game-winner on the same day that his alma mater, Boston College, won its fifth NCAA national hockey title.

Team-wise, the New Jersey penalty-killing unit set a new NHL record for percentage in a season (89.5) while also scoring 15 short-handed goals. The power play, though, long a Devils' difficulty, hit at just over 17 percent and also allowed a league-high 13 short-handed goals, although most of those came earlier in the season.

The Devils also didn't get a lot of scoring from their sometimes banged-up defensive corps, and first-round draft choice Adam Larsson, just 19, struggled down the stretch despite leading all team blueliners in points.

There's the possible revenge factor with Devils coach Pete DeBoer facing Florida, the team that fired him after three seasons, in the first round, but vengeance can only motivate a team so much. New Jersey will simply have to skate hard against the Panthers, limit its mistakes and penalties, and also not let Brodeur have to face too many rebounds.

Despite missing the 2011 playoffs, the Devils also have more than a little bit of postseason experience on their roster and will also need to make that work for them if they're to advance to Round 2.

We'll find out starting Friday night in Florida.