Top 10 Moments of 2022-23 | FEATURE

Puck drop is only two months away for the 2023-24 Devils season! Can you believe it? We're getting so close to a new season, filled with new highlights and big moments that a hockey season brings. So we're taking another look at last season's biggest moments before we start looking forward to the new year.

To get hyped about the upcoming season, let's relive the magic of the record-breaking 2022-23 campaign with the Top 10 highlights and moments from last year!

10. Big Win in Pittsburgh

Devils penalty-killers shine in huge mid-season win

The Devils were on a skid of having lost eight of their last nine and needed a big game to stop the slide. In those big moments, you need your best players to step up but that is precisely what happened on Dec. 30, 2022 when the Devils visited the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With the game tied 2-2 and seconds left on the clock of the second period Nico Hischier connected with Michael McLeod for a shorthanded goal, driving past Evgeni Malkin for the 3-2 lead.

Jack Hughes scored twice, Dougie Hamilton had a goal and an assist, while Damon Severson and Jonas Siegenthaler played a whopping 12:08 and 10:27 on the penalty kill. Hischier, along with his shorthanded goal, played a forward-high 6:51 shorthanded.

It is not every night that a team concedes nine power play opportunities and they don't get burned for it.

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9. It's Tricky, Tricky, Tricky

Hughes, Bratt and Mercer all score their first career hat tricks

A game against the Penguins makes the list a second time, clearly the Devils a thorn in their side during the 2022-23 season. On April 4, Dawson Mercer, at age 21 years and 159 days, recorded his first career hat trick en route to a Devils 5-1 victory on home ice.

It was one of three first-time hat tricks scored this NHL season by a Devil, with Jack Hughes scoring the first of the season on Nov. 26, 2022, against the Capitals, followed by Jesper Bratt against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar. 19.

Hughes' natural hat trick provided one of the highlight goals of the season when, from a tight angle, he banked the puck off of Washington goaltender Charlie Lindgren's mask, to ricochet it into the Capitals net.

"That's a shot I've worked on a lot. ... It's a lucky shot," Hughes said after the game. "You got to hit him in the head. It's got to go in at the right angle, so it's a lucky shot for sure, but I definitely wasn't shooting for the shot on goal, that's for sure."

For Bratt, he had the lone hat trick away from Prudential Center this season and along with it being the milestone of a first hat trick, it was completed with a goal in with 11 seconds remaining in the game to reach the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career.

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8. Dougie Taught 'Em, Twice

Dougie Hamilton records back-to-back OT winners on home ice

It was déja-vu for the Prudential Center crowd on Jan. 22 and Dec. 24.

In back-to-back games Dougie Hamilton lifted the Devils faithful out of their seats with two overtime goals. The first against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the second against the Vegas Golden Knights. (For the record, we're now 3-for-3 for big moments last season at the expense of the Penguins!).

Against the Penguins, the Devils found themselves on an over-time power play when Pittsburgh was called for too many men on the ice at 1:28.

39 seconds later Dougie taught 'em and took the win.

"We had a couple plays set, and I just found some space over there and was just hoping to get it and just took a swing at it," Hamilton said. "It's pretty hard to score on a goalie from that far out, so I just tried to shoot as hard as I could, and happy it went in."

Perhaps the Golden Knights didn't review the tape, because Dougie did it again in the Devils next game. In near identical fashion from above the circles off a one-timer he beats the opposition in overtime on the power play.

Those two goals would help propel Dougie to his career-best eight power-play goals in a season, surpassing his 6 set during the 2017-18 season.

7. Schmid Starts

Akira Schmid posts a shutout as Devils take a 3-2 series lead on the Rangers

Lindy Ruff kept his cards close to his chest heading into Game 3 of the First Round against the Rangers. The series had shifted to Madison Square Garden and the Devils were down 0-2 in the series. Something needed to change.

When the Devils took to the ice for warmups they were led onto the ice by rookie goaltender Akira Schmid. The move was a big one with the Devils sitting on their deficit, going down 0-3 was simply not an option.

In came the cool as a cucumber Schmid, his first Stanley Cup Playoff game, an unenvious situation where the hopes of the season is on the line, and you are indeed the last line of defense.

But Schmid seemed completely unphased, giving up a singular goal in the game, making 35 saves on 36 shots, including eight shots during the 11:36 overtime period.

That would be the change that sparked the team, leaning on Schmid who posted two shutouts in the series, including Game 7 (more on that later!).

6. The Clock Strikes Timo Time

Timo Meier makes his Devil debut

It was what felt like a season in the making: Timo Meier's New Jersey Devils debut. For weeks, if not months before general manager Tom Fitzgerald acquired the star forward, fans had been clamoring to see him added to the Devils' roster by way of trade with the San Jose Sharks.

It's a beautiful thing when management's plans align with the deepest desires of the fan base. And there it was on Feb. 26, the press release everyone had been waiting for. Timo Meier was a New Jersey Devil. But Meier at the time was recovering from an injury and although he was a Devil his debut wouldn't come until Mar. 5 in Arizona against the Coyotes.

And it immediately paid dividends. The 26-year-old Meier opened the scoring of the game to and his first goal in his first game as a Devil, just the icing on the cake to an exciting few days for New Jersey and the fans. The Devils went on to win the game 5-4 in overtime.

Needless to say, there will be Video: PIT@NJD: Mercer scores three goals against Penguins

5. Thanks, Edmonton!

The Devils had two record victories against the Edmonton Oilers weeks apart

It was an early season lesson in never counting out the New Jersey Devils, no matter the score in a game. It was Nov. 4, 2022, and the Devils were visiting the Edmonton Oilers, a matchup going up against two of the best players in the game: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Yes, both stars had goals in the game, but no one quite remembers that because the Devils completely flipped the script in the third period to stun the Oilers.

Behind 3-1 to enter the final 20 minutes of the game New Jersey needed a massive period to keep their win streak alive. It came in the form of the fastest two goals scored in franchise history with Ryan Graves evening the game at 3 at the 16:45 mark, followed by Jesper Bratt stunning the crowd seven seconds later to give the Devils their first lead of the game with under four minutes to play. The excitement was palpable on the Devils' bench, especially with Bratt having scored the goal and recording his first point of the game. Time had been ticking down, but Bratt managed to save the game, and his opening-season point streak with a point in 11 straight games (five goals, 12 assists).

The win in Edmonton was a fifth consecutive victory and little did the club know that when the two teams would meet again nearly three weeks later, that streak would still be alive.

On Nov. 21st when the Devils hosted the Oilers they picked up a victory once again for their 13th straight win to match the longest win streak in franchise history.

"I guess we're up there with the history book," Nico Hischier said after the game. "Nobody is going to take that from us now and it feels good. It proves that we're a good team, that we can win hockey games, that we don't have to hide anymore."

4. Lucky Luke!

Luke Hughes' makes magic

Luke Hughes saved it for the last game of the year, at the final second of the regular season.

Luke scored his first career NHL goal in remarkable fashion, a silky wraparound in overtime against the Capitals in the final game of the Devils' regular season. It could not have been written any more eloquently, with his older brother Jack assisting in the play.

It was just three days into Luke's NHL career, and it was historic. The final game of the season was the Devils' last chance to set a franchise record in wins (52) and points (112) as well as road wins (28). Luke's goal with 28 seconds left in OT capped off all three records.

3. A Class of His Own

Jack Hughes sets the franchise record for most points in a single season

From Luke to Jack we go…

On April 11 in front of his home crowd, Jack Hughes accomplished something no other Devil had ever before. When the puck hit the back of the empty net in the waning minutes of the home finale, Jack Hughes officially set the single-season point record with his 97th point, breaking the long-standing 96-point mark set by Patrik Elias in 2000-01.

What perhaps made this even more special for the Hughes family was that on the same night Jack set the franchise record, younger brother Luke was making his NHL debut. It was a two-for-one show for the fans at Prudential Center and those watching at home, witnessing two long-awaited moments, delivered by a set of brothers.

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2. Dougie Flips the Script

Dougie Hamilton's OT winner in Game 3 of the First Round was the beginning of the end for the New York Rangers

You could feel the tension in Madison Square Garden, either the building was going to explode or deflate… depending on who scored first. And in the playoffs, the implications are enormous.

Dougie Hamilton scored what is now the biggest goal of his Devils career, ending Game 3 of Round One at 11:36 of overtime to begin the series turnaround, and preventing the Rangers from taking a dreaded 3-0 series lead.

It had the makings of an all-time moment, from the sneaky patience and assist from Jesper Bratt, to Hamilton's perfect shot above Igor Shesterkin's glove and all the way at the other end of the ice, a 22-year-old goaltender, Akira Schmid, now 23, making his playoff debut stopping 29 of 30 shots he faced.

It was the beginning of the end for the Rangers as the Devils went on to win three of the next four games to move on to the Second Round and eliminate their longest-storied rivals.

1. Shorthanded Stunner

Ondrej Palat and Michael McLeod connect for the opening goal of Game 7 against the New York Rangers

If Hamilton's OT-winning goal began the series comeback, it was the play of Ondrej Palat and Michael McLeod connecting that began the process of closing it out.

All while on the penalty kill, the play started with a marvelous shift by Palat, which was all about outmuscling and outworking Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, before luring the presence of Mike Zibanejad his way. That opened the door for McLeod, as Palat slid the puck through Zibanejad, landing directly on McLeod's stick.

And there it was, now etched in everyone's memory, the awe-inspiring opening goal of Game 7.

"What an effort from Pally and what a finish by Mikey,'' Nico Hischier said after the game.

And where Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin struggled, rookie Akira Schmid excelled. For the second time in three games, Schmid shut out the Rangers. In Game 7 he made 31 saves, stymieing New York, and stunning the Rangers after the Devils post a Game 7 4-0 victory to win their first playoff series in 11 years.