The Devils dominated the league for most of the regular season only to lose their grip on 1st overall in the last month. The Boston Bruins came from behind and knocked New Jersey down the standings with an outstanding run.
The Florida Panthers got into the act as well. They charged hard and briefly took over 2nd place behind the Bruins. This was a blow to the collective ego of the Devils team. After being so successful for most of the season, having two teams pass them in the last few weeks was nothing short of demoralizing.
Fortunately, Jersey hung on and defeated the pesky Panthers in their final game of the reg. season. With the win, the Devils took back 2nd place overall in the league and got some revenge to boot. Not only did they win, they shellacked Florida 7 - 0. Brodeur was brilliant getting the shut out and the victory gave the whole organization a major boost going into the playoffs.
While many in the organization were disappointed that the President's trophy was not won, the team's hunger for the post-season remains very strong.