The 2012–13 New Jersey Devils season was the 39th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 31st season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 48 due to a lockout.

The defending Stanley Cup runners-up were eliminated from the playoff race after a 4–1 loss to the New York Rangers on April 21, 2013.

Off-season Entering the off season, the Devils were faced with a major dilemma of having over ten unrestricted free agents, including captain Zach Parise. The Devils were able to resign goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg, defenseman Bryce Salvador and several others, but lost Parise to the Minnesota Wild.

Pre-season On July 19, the New Jersey Devils announced their 2012 pre-season schedule. The team would have played seven pre-season games, including a game against the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but all pre-season games were eventually cancelled due to the lockout.

Regular season On June 21, the New Jersey Devils announced their schedule for the 2012–13 regular season. Their regular season would have begun on October 12 at the Washington Capitals, and their home-opener would have taken place the following night against the Boston Bruins. The original schedule would have ended with a game at the New York Islanders on April 13. A new schedule would need to be released if the lockout is resolved. On April 15, the Devils lost 2–0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, their 10th loss in a row (0–6–4), which was equal to the franchise loss record set in 1983–84.

For the second consecutive season, the Devils led the League in shorthanded goals scored, as they scored 11 shorthanded goals in the 48-game regular season. However, after a 4–1 loss to their Hudson rival, the New York Rangers, on April 21, the Devils were eliminated from the playoff race, despite making it to the Stanley Cup Final the previous year against the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first time a Stanley Cup finalist missed the playoffs the next season since 2007.

Standings

Schedule and results

Regular season

|- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 || January 19 || New Jersey || 2–1 || New York Islanders || W |||| 16,170 || 1–0–0 || 2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 || January 22 || Philadelphia || 0–3 || New Jersey || W|| || 17,625 || 2–0–0 || 4 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 || January 25 || Washington || 2–3 || New Jersey ||W|| OT || 17,625 || 3–0–0 || 6 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 4 || January 27 || New Jersey || 3–4 || Montreal ||OTL|| OT || 21,273 || 3–0–1 || 7 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 5 || January 29 || New Jersey || 1–2 || Boston ||OTL|| SO || 17,565 || 3–0–2 || 8 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 6 || January 31 || New York Islanders || 5–4 || New Jersey ||OTL|| OT || 17,625 || 3–0–3 || 9

|- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 7 || February 2 || New Jersey || 1–5 || Pittsburgh ||L || || 18,635 || 3–1–3 || 9 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 8 || February 3 || New Jersey || 3–0 || New York Islanders || W|| || 11,558 || 4–1–3 || 11 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 9 || February 5 || New York Rangers || 1–3 || New Jersey || W|| || 17,625 || 5–1–3 || 13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 10 || February 7 || Tampa Bay || 2–4 || New Jersey || W|| || 14,802 || 6–1–3 || 15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 11 || February 9 || Pittsburgh || 1–3 || New Jersey || W|| || 17,625 || 7–1–3 || 17 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 12 || February 10 || New Jersey || 3–1 || Pittsburgh || W|| || 18,658 || 8–1–3 || 19 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 13 || February 12 || Carolina || 4–2 || New Jersey ||L|| || 17,625 || 8–2–3 || 19 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 14 || February 15 || Philadelphia || 3–5 || New Jersey || W|| || 17,625 || 9–2–3 || 21 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 15 || February 16 || New Jersey || 1–5 || New York Islanders || L|||| 15,488 || 9–3–3 || 21 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 16 || February 18 || Ottawa || 2–1 || New Jersey || OTL||SO || 17,625 || 9–3–4 || 22 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 17 || February 21 || New Jersey || 3–2 || Washington || W|| || 18,506 || 10–3–4 || 24 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 18 || February 23 || New Jersey || 1–5 || Washington || L|| || 18,506 || 10–4–4 || 24 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 19 || February 24 || Winnipeg || 4–2 || New Jersey ||L|| || 17,625 || 10–5–4 || 24 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 20 || February 28 || New Jersey || 1–3 || Winnipeg || L|||| 15,004 || 10–6–4 || 24

|- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 21 || March 2 || New Jersey || 3–4 || Buffalo ||OTL|| SO || 19,070 || 10–6–5 || 25 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 22 || March 4 || New Jersey || 2–4 || Toronto || L|| || 19,435 || 10–7–5 || 25 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 23 || March 5 || Tampa Bay || 5–2 || New Jersey ||L|| || 15,229 || 10–8–5 || 25 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 24 || March 7 || Buffalo || 2–3 || New Jersey || W||SO || 17,625 || 11–8–5 || 27 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 25 || March 9 || New Jersey || 3–6 || Carolina ||L|| || 18,680 || 11–9–5 || 27 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 26 || March 10 || Winnipeg || 2–3 || New Jersey ||W|| SO || 17,625 || 12–9–5 || 29 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 27 || March 13 || Philadelphia || 2–5 || New Jersey || W|| || 17,625 || 13–9–5 || 31 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 28 || March 15 || New Jersey || 1–2 || Philadelphia ||OTL|| SO || 19,971 || 13–9–6 || 32 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 29 || March 16 || Montreal || 2–1 || New Jersey ||L|| || 17,625 || 13–10–6 || 32 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 30 || March 19 || New York Rangers || 3–2 || New Jersey ||L|| || 17,625 || 13–11–6 || 32 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 31 || March 21 || New Jersey || 4–1 || Carolina || W|| || 16,941 || 14–11–6 || 34 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 32 || March 23 || Florida || 1–2 || New Jersey || W|| || 17,625 || 15–11–6 || 36 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 33 || March 25 || New Jersey || 2–3 || Ottawa ||OTL|| SO || 18,902 || 15–11–7 || 37 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 34 || March 29 || New Jersey || 4–5 || Tampa Bay ||OTL|| SO || 19,204 || 15–11–8 || 38 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 35 || March 30 || New Jersey || 4–5 || Florida || OTL||OT || 18,138 || 15–11–9 || 39

|- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 36 || April 1 || New York Islanders || 3–1 || New Jersey ||L|| || 17,625 || 15–12–9 || 39 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 37 || April 4 || New Jersey || 0–1 || Boston || L|||| 17,565 || 15–13–9 || 39 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 38 || April 6 || Toronto || 2–1 || New Jersey ||L|| || 17,625 || 15–14–9 || 39 |- bgcolor="#ffffcc" | 39 || April 7 || New Jersey || 2–3 || Buffalo ||OTL|| SO || 18,703 || 15–14–10 || 40 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 40 || April 10 || Boston || 5–4 || New Jersey ||L|| || 17,625 || 15–15–10 || 40 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 41 || April 12 || Ottawa || 2–0 || New Jersey || L|| || 16,099 || 15–16–10 || 40 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 42 || April 15 || New Jersey || 0–2 || Toronto || L|| || 19,425 || 15–17–10 || 40 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 43 || April 18 || New Jersey || 3–0 || Philadelphia || W|||| 19,727 || 16–17–10 || 42 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 44 || April 20 || Florida || 2–6 || New Jersey || W|| || 16,018 || 17–17–10 || 44 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 45 || April 21 || New Jersey || 1–4 || New York Rangers ||L|| || 17,200 || 17–18–10 || 44 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 46 || April 23 || Montreal || 2–3 || New Jersey || W|| || 15,219 || 18–18–10 || 46 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 47 || April 25 || Pittsburgh || 2–3 || New Jersey || W|| || 16122 || 19–18–10 || 48 |- bgcolor="#FF9999" | 48 || April 27 || New Jersey || 0–4 || New York Rangers || L|| || 17,200 || 19–19–10 || 48

| Legend:

Player statistics Final stats

Skaters Regular season Player 48 14 22 36 5 22 37 11 20 31 −6 18 48 15 9 24 −6 78 48 7 13 20 −5 22 48 4 15 19 −12 38 48 4 12 16 12 20 42 11 5 16 −3 16 47 8 7 15 −7 17 44 6 9 15 −2 31 48 4 10 14 2 14 28 8 4 12 −2 4 22 2 7 9 −3 12 † 30 2 5 7 1 8 31 1 5 6 6 16 37 0 6 6 4 12 † 9 2 3 5 −4 4 37 1 4 5 −1 37 23 2 3 5 −8 6 25 1 3 4 0 10 † 13 2 2 4 −1 6 22 1 2 3 −10 2 17 1 2 3 −1 6 39 0 2 2 −12 22 ‡ 14 1 1 2 −6 0 15 1 0 1 0 18 2 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 1 1 0 2 22 0 0 0 1 44 4 0 0 0 −1 2 6 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 −1 0 1 0 0 0 −1 0 4 0 0 0 −1 2 Totals 109 173 282 −60 489

Goaltenders Regular season Player 29 29 1757:21 13 9 7 65 2.22 654 .901 2 1 2 0 19 19 1108:16 6 10 3 51 2.76 435 .883 1 0 1 4 1 0 25:45 0 0 0 1 2.31 13 .923 0 0 0 0 1 0 18:36 0 0 0 0 0.00 3 1.000 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 2909:58 19 19 10 117 2.41 1105 .894 3 1 3 4 †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Devils. Stats reflect time with the Devils only. ‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Devils only. Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Notable achievements

Awards

Regular season Player Award Awarded NHL Third Star of the Week February 10, 2013

Milestones

Regular season Player Milestone Reached 900th Career NHL Point January 27, 2013 1st Career NHL Game January 29, 2013 1st Career NHL Game March 16, 2013 1st Career NHL Game April 25, 2013

Transactions The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2012–13 season.

Trades DateDetails February 6, 2013 To Los Angeles Kings 5th-round pick in 2013 To New Jersey Devils Andrei Loktionov February 13, 2013 To Winnipeg Jets 7th-round pick in 20134th-round pick in 2014 To New Jersey Devils Alexei Ponikarovsky March 22, 2013 To St. Louis Blues Conditional 5th-round pick in 2015 To New Jersey Devils Matt D'AgostiniConditional 7th-round pick in 2015 April 3, 2013 To Phoenix Coyotes 7th-round pick in 2014 To New Jersey Devils Steve Sullivan

Free agents signed Player Former team Contract terms Krys BarchDevils sign Krys Barch Florida Panthers 2 years, $1.5 million Bobby ButlerDevils sign forward Bobby Butler Ottawa Senators 1 year, $525,000

Free agents lost Player New team Contract terms Alexei PonikarovskyJets agree to terms with Alexei Ponikarovsky Winnipeg Jets 1 year, $1.8 million Eric BoultonBoulton Agrees To Terms New York Islanders 1 year, $540,000 Vladimir ZharkovVladimir Zharkov signs with KHL, Andrew Raycroft signs in Italy CSKA Moscow 2 years Zach PariseWelcome To Minnesota Parise, Suter Minnesota Wild 13 years, $98 million Matt Taormina Tampa Bay Lightning 1 year, $700,000

Claimed via waivers Player Former team Date claimed off waivers Tom KostopoulosKostopoulos claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Penguins March 6, 2013

Lost via waivers Player New team Date claimed off waivers Bobby ButlerNashville Predators Claim Bobby Butler on Waivers Nashville Predators March 4, 2013

Player signings Player Date Contract terms Steve Bernier June 29, 2012 2 years, $1.5 million Ryan Carter June 29, 2012 2 years, $1.55 million Stephen Gionta June 29, 2012 2 years, $1.125 million Peter Harrold June 29, 2012 1 year, $525,000 Cam Janssen June 29, 2012 1 year, $575,000 Martin Brodeur July 2, 2012 2 years, $9 million Johan Hedberg July 2, 2012 2 years, $2.8 million Bryce Salvador July 3, 2012 3 years, $9.5 million Stefan Matteau August 14, 2012 3 years, $2.5275 million entry-level contract Reece Scarlett September 6, 2012 3 years, $1.86 million entry-level contract Damon Severson September 6, 2012 3 years, $1.9275 million entry-level contract Travis Zajac January 16, 2013 8 years, $46 million contract extension Reid Boucher March 13, 2013 3 years, $2.0775 million entry-level contract Mattias Tedenby June 20, 2013 1 year, $600,000

Draft picks

The New Jersey Devils picks at the 2012 NHL entry draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League) 1 29 Stefan Matteau C U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL) 2 60 Damon Severson D Kelowna Rockets (WHL) 3 90 Ben Johnson C/LW Windsor Spitfires (OHL) 4 96 Ben Thomson LW Kitchener Rangers (OHL) 5 135 Graham Black C Swift Current Broncos (WHL) 5 150 Alexander Kerfoot C Coquitlam Express (BCHL) 6 180 Artur Gavrus C Owen Sound Attack (OHL) Draft notes The Devils' fourth-round pick went to the Carolina Hurricanes as the result of a January 20, 2012, trade that sent Alexei Ponikarovsky to the Devils in exchange for Joe Sova and this pick.