Top New Jersey Devils Performances in Stanley Cup Final

As the hockey world continues to watch the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, we look back at some of the best performances by a New Jersey Devil in the championship series.

The New Jersey Devils have been to the Stanley Cup Final five times and have three championship banners hanging at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Surprisingly, on four occasions, someone from the Devils lineup has scored at least five points in the title series, with the lone exception (three points) occurring in 2012 when the franchise lost to the Los Angeles Kings in six games.

Even though New Jersey doesn't have as many Stanley Cups as the Montreal Canadiens or Detroit Red Wings, they were a top contender for over a decade. 

During those championship runs, some players in red and black had some memorable moments. Here's a look at the best performances by a Devils player in the Stanley Cup Final.

When Scott Niedermeyer won his third Stanley Cup title in 2003, he became the first defenseman in Devils history to record five points in a single Final. New Jersey scored 19 goals in the seven-game series, and the Hall of Famer assisted on 26.3% of them.

Scott Gomez won his second career championship in 2003, scoring five points, two goals, and three assists. He finished as New Jersey's third-leading scorer in the series behind two guys higher on this list.

Jeff Friesen scored five goals in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, the only time he won a title in his NHL career. He scored the first and last goals of the series as New Jersey bookended the series with 3-0 victories, in which he had two goals in each contest. 

Patrik Eliáš is the only skater in the Devils history to score at least five points in the Final and not win the Stanley Cup. During the heartbreaking loss to Ray Bourque and the Colorado Avalanche, he led all New Jersey skaters with five points, including two goals, three assists, and a shorthanded tally.

Eliáš has played in the Stanley Cup Final three times and scored at least five points each time. Before losing in the 2001 series, he helped New Jersey to their second title with five assists in the six-game series in 2000.

Petr Sýkora made his Stanley Cup Final debut in 2000. In his first game, he scored two goals and two assists for four points. Despite finishing the series with five points, all his tallies came in victories, including netting the winner in Game 3. 

John MacLean may have won only one title in an 18-year career, but he was one of the first skaters in franchise history to tally five points in the Final, achieving the feat in four games in 1995. He had one goal and four assists in the sweep of the Detroit Red Wings, including a helper on the game-tying goal in Game 4, which ended with New Jersey winning 5-2.

Brian Gionta made the most of his first opportunity in the Stanley Cup Final, coming within a point of breaking the franchise record for most points in the series with six. At 24, he scored a goal and chipped in five assists to help New Jersey defeat the Anaheim Ducks in seven games. 

Neal Broten came close to winning it all in 1991, but in his second attempt for a Stanley Cup title, he set a New Jersey record with six points in the 1995 Final. In just four games, Broten netted three goals and three assists for six points, with two-game winners, including the Cup-clinching goal in Game 4. 

As New Jersey's all-time leading scorer, it is not surprising to see Eliáš name at the top of this list either. In the 2003 Final against the Ducks, the Czechia native tied a franchise record with seven points, collecting three goals, four assists, and a Game 2 winner.  

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Jason Arnott played six seasons in New Jersey. He will always be remembered for scoring the overtime winner in Game 6 against Ed Belfour to hand the Devils their second Stanley Cup championship. In the six-game series against the Dallas Stars, Arnott scored four goals and chipped in three assists for seven points. In the opener, he had four points, with two in Game 3, followed by the most iconic goal in Devils history in Game 6.