Ranking the Top 5 Moments of 2014 for the New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils will be thrilled to see 2014 come to a close.

During 2014, the team missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season, set itself up to miss the playoffs three years running, and fired its head coach. In short, 2014 has been a rough season for New Jersey.

But, there have been some incredibly memorable and important moments as well. There have been exciting victories, crucial signings and fond farewells.

This list will focus on moments that were exciting and ones that are important for the team going forward.

5. Jan. 11, 2014: Marek Zidlicky Scores Overtime Game-Winner Against Florida

In one of the team's first games of 2014, it pulled out one of the calendar year's most memorable wins. 

At this stage of the 2013-14 season, the Devils were still in the playoff race, but left with a big hill to climb after a 3-5-4 record in October. When the cellar-dwelling Florida Panthers came to Newark, the Devils needed to earn two points.

Michael Ryder scored the game's first goal in the first period, converting an open shot from the slot after hard work from Ryane Clowe and Adam Henrique forced the puck in front of the goal. 

Halfway through the second period, Nick Bjugstad equalized for Florida on a deflection of a perfect Tomas Fleischmann pass. 

Despite having 33 shots on goal during regulation, New Jersey could not find another goal by the end of the third period.

The Devils' record in overtime at that point of the season was 5-3, so there was certainly hope that the team could find a way to secure the second point. But, after the teams exchanged chances with little success during overtime, the game seemed destined for a shootout.

New Jersey, of course, was in the midst of the worst shootout slump that the NHL has ever seen. By the end of the season, the team's shootout record was 0-13 with only four goals scored.

So, when Florida iced the puck with 3.8 seconds left in overtime, the Devils needed to score on the ensuing faceoff to have a chance to pick up the crucial second point. 

Head coach Peter DeBoer called a timeout, drawing up a play for the team to run off the faceoff. Travis Zajac, Jaromir Jagr, Steve Bernier and Marek Zidlicky stepped onto the ice.

Zajac won the faceoff back to Jagr at the point, who slid the puck to Zidlicky. The Czech defenseman was set to shoot, and unleashed a rocket toward the goal, where Bernier screened Florida goalie Tim Thomas. 

With less than two seconds on the clock, the shot found the back of the net.

4. Oct. 30, 2014: The Devils Finally Win a Shootout

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Adam Henrique congratulates Cory Schneider after the Devils get their first shootout victory since March 2013.

As mentioned in the last slide, the Devils were absolutely horrid in the shootout in the 2013-14 season. The team finished five points out of a playoff spot, but its 0-13 record in the shootout left 13 points on the table. 

So, going into the 2014-15 season, shootout improvement was a point of focus for New Jersey.

It only took two shootouts for the Devils to find more success than they had all of the previous season. The breakthrough came on Oct. 30, when the Winnipeg Jets visited Newark.

Ryder scored a beautiful goal off a turnover with just under four minutes left in regulation to tie the game, stickhandling around two defenders before beating Ondrej Pavelec to the far post.

After no goals were scored in overtime, Devils fans at Prudential Arena could have been forgiven for thinking the game was over. After Damien Brunner, the Devils' first shooter, hit the post on his attempt, the sense of foreboding was undeniable. 

But, Cory Schneider stopped the Jets' first shooter, Blake Wheeler, to keep the shootout scoreless.

After over a year of shootout failure, Coach DeBoer decided to go off the grid with his choice of shooter. Jacob Josefson stepped up to shoot. 

The young Swede faked a shot, drawing a poke check from Pavelec. The goalie's move gave Josefson room to deke left and slide the puck home behind Pavelec's right pad.

Schneider went on to stop Andrew Ladd and force Bryan Little wide, earning the Devils their first shootout win of 2014.

3. July 1, 2014: Devils Sign Michael Cammalleri

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Michael Cammalleri celebrates scoring a goal with teammates on the bench.

In a desperate search for players who can score goals, the Devils have signed some players that perhaps in years past they would not have been interested in. 

Players such as Michael Ryder and Martin Havlat, who have not been responsible two-way players throughout their careers, were signed because the team has needed goals after the departure of Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk and David Clarkson.

It has not worked.

Thankfully, Michael Cammalleri has proven himself to be a different kind of player.

Cammalleri leads the team in goals, even though he has missed 12 games due to injury, and he is a defensively responsible player. 

He has a minus-two rating, which is more than tolerable on a struggling team. Cammalleri kills penalties as well.

Only 25 games into his first season with the team, it may be a little early to call his signing a total success. But, with several definite bad signings on the books over the last two years, Cammalleri's July 1 signing is still an important moment for the Devils in 2014.

2. Jan. 27, 2014: Devils Take a 3-1 Lead over Rangers in Outdoor Game

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Patrik Elias scores an early goal at Yankee Stadium.

In all, the Devils' experience in the 2014 Stadium Series was one to forget. Coach DeBoer likely let his heart rule over his head in deciding to let Martin Brodeur start over Schneider, who was certainly the hotter goalie at the time. 

Whatever the cause, a 7-3 loss at Yankee Stadium to the New York Rangers was absolutely crushing to Devils fans.

It is easy to forget though, that the team jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period. That moment, however brief (52 seconds, to be exact, before the Rangers made it 3-2 and started the comeback), was a top moment for the Devils during 2014.

Patrik Elias opened the scoring at 5:36 of the first period, as a beautiful outlet pass from Clowe sent him on a semi-breakaway, on which Elias beat Henrik Lundqvist over the blocker.

Elias made it 2-1 with a power-play goal at 11:00 of the first period. Jagr drove through the neutral zone into the Rangers' end, drawing two defenders along the left-side boards. He sent a perfect pass to Elias, who tapped the puck into an essentially empty net.

Five minutes later, Travis Zajac made it 3-1. A shot by Mark Fayne from the point was stopped by Lundqvist, but Zajac managed to stab home the rebound, doubling the lead.

From there, nothing went right for the Devils. But, the brief moment when New Jersey was in control of the outdoor game was exhilarating for both fans and players.

1. April 13, 2014: Martin Brodeur Wins His Final Game with New Jersey

2014 was not a great year for Martin Brodeur. He struggled for most of the 2013-14 season with New Jersey, and started the 2014-15 season without a team. 

But on April 13, Brodeur was the center of the hockey world for one last time. 

The situation was perfect for Brodeur and the Devils. The team was already out of the playoffs, so Brodeur was the obvious choice to start. New Jersey's last game of the season was at home. The Devils hosted the Boston Bruins, who had nothing to play for and rested key starters.

The result was a mediocre Boston team playing against an emotionally charged New Jersey group. Two goals from Zidlicky and one from Zajac was all Brodeur, who only faced 20 shots, would need. 

In reality, the game was secondary. The night gave Devils fans and players a chance to show their appreciation for the legendary goalie, which can be seen in the video above.

In a disappointing year, there is no doubt that the team's top moment was a memorable send-off for New Jersey's best player ever.