The Special Moments | 10 TAKEAWAYS

It was an extraordinary season for the New Jersey Devils, no matter which way you look at it. This team gave everything they had in their first real playoff run since 2012. There was that quick jaunt in the post-season in 2018, but that just feels like a blip on the radar. Thiswas the real thing this time.

There is just so much to be proud of and so many moments you're going to remember for a lifetime. During his exit interview, Nico Hischier said this team will "always be special and will always be memorable, I'm just proud to be able to be leading these guys."

And he's right. It was incredibly memorable. But when so much happens in a year you might forget a thing or two, that's why I did a little bit of

of the season and compile the list, plus a couple of my own, as this final 10 Takeaways of the season recaps some of the best moments of the 2022-23 New Jersey Devils season.

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1.

You get a three-for-one to start this 10 Takeaways, because this moment happened to three different players this season. One of the most common answers when I asked fans what their favorite moments were, the first-career hat tricks of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer were high on the list.

Hughes got things started off this season when on Nov. 27 against the Washington Capitals. He had two goals in the second period and added a third in the third period, making his first hat trick a natural hat trick in the 5-1 win.

Next up was Bratt's hat trick on Mar. 20, the only one of the three to be scored on the road. Bratt's hat trick came against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 5-2 victory.

And finally, it was Mercer's turn, the final one of the season. Just two years into his NHL career, Mercer scored his first hat trick on Apr. 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2.

What was really great going back to those three games was the other stories those games produced. Like this incredible goal by Jack, the 'no angle' goal, potting one of his three goals off of Charlie Lindgren's mask and into the net.

Then in Bratt's hat trick game, Nico Hischier became a 30-goal scorer for the first time in his career.

In Mercer's hat trick game, he helped solidify the series sweep of the Penguins. It was only the second time the Devils have gone undefeated in a three-or-more series against the Penguins. The last time was 2009-10 when they went 6-0-0.

3.

I'm so glad I was reminded of this next moment. It's almost one of those How could I possibly have forgotten moments, but then again a season is very long, and some things you just need to be reminded of to remember the exhilaration.

I'm taking you back to Nov. 4. The second game of a three-game Western Canada road trip. It looked bleak like the Devils' win streak (then at four games) was going to come to an end, as was their 10-game win streak.

But then, seven seconds happened.

This may have been one of the wildest moments of the regular season. I remember having left the pressbox to head down near the locker room where I normally watch roughly the final five minutes of a game. There I was, slightly bummed that the team was likely headed for a loss.

But then, seven seconds happen.

It was the craziest final moments. First, it was Ryan Graves who tied the game at three at 16:45 of the third period. And then, right off the next faceoff, John Marino and Jesper Bratt connected for a miracle goal. Nico Hischier won the faceoff at center ice, Marino reversed with the puck, found Bratt up the middle of the ice and Bratt put the Devils ahead 4-3.

It was the most unbelievable feeling. The wave of emotion from preparing for a loss to an insane victory.

Plus it extended the win streak which ended up stretching all the way through 13 games. That stretch seems so long ago now, but remembering this Edmonton game was a good time to reflect on how much fun that time was this season, sweeping both Western and Eastern Canada, everything was coming up in the Devils' favor, and it wasn't by chance. They put so much work, focus and effort into it all. What a ride.

4.

There have been a lot of fun overtime moments this season and they came in all shapes and sizes. Dougie Hamilton had a few OT winners, including the Game 3 OT winner in the First Round against the Rangers. That's a moment you can't possibly forget.

But somehow when I think of OT wins this season, I can't help but have this one stand out in my mind:

Damon Severson capping off a comeback 4-3 win against the New York Rangers on Jan. 7, was just glorious. Coming down the ice and firing a wrister from the circle, Prudential Center exploded as the puck crossed the line.

One of the best moments at The Rock this season.

5.

This might be one of the best pictures of the season. It is absolutely gnarly, but it also embodies what it is to be a hockey player.

Ondrej Palat had just had his mouth smashed to pieces by a high stick. He had front teeth completely knocked out, had to get his mouth stitched up, and like it was no big deal, returned to the game and scored a power-play goal, and finished the night with three points (1g-2a) in the Devils loss to Toronto.

6.

The roar of the crowd was palpable on Feb. 26 at Prudential Center. There was a buzz for multiple reasons. Not only were the Flyers were in town, which always makes for an exciting matchup, but we were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Devils last Stanley Cup win in 2003. So many of the members of the 2003 team were on hand for a pre-game ceremony, including the wife of the late Pat Burns, Line Burns.

I had goosebumps when Scott Stevens lifted the Cup over his head and the crowd went wild.

It was also neat to see the next generation of Devils sitting on the bench watching these former Devils who accomplished so much and set the bar so high for the franchise.

And then the game started and it was a good old drubbing of the Flyers.

It was a non-stop goal celebration as the Devils beat the Flyers with a 7-0 scoreline.

7.

Jack Hughes was 21 years old at the time (he turned 22 last weekend) and the record was 22 years old.

On April 11, as time was winding down on the Devils regular season, Jack was gunning for the single-season point record. He tied Patrik Elias' 96 points and now he was on the hunt to set his own.

And he saved it for the very last moments of a blowout game on April 11 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

At 18:15 of the third period, and with his younger brother Luke Hughes on the ice in his NHL debut, Jack scored the empty-net goal, for his 43rd goal of the season and the new record-setting 97th point.

8.

And that brings us to one of the most popular answers I received when asking about favorite moments and I really don't think it had anything to do with a recency bias.

It was of course, Luke Hughes' OT winning goal, the Devils final goal of the regular season.

You couldn't have written the story any better. The much-anticipated debut of a top defensive prospect, Jack's younger brother (although I really try not to call him that, I'm a younger sibling too and hated being referred to as someone's sister), and the hype was at an all-time high.

And then scored the OT goal, which will forever live in infamy.

It's not every day that the final play of the final regular season of a season is one of the highlights of the year, but the Devils and Luke certainly make a case.

9.

For years I've talked about how under-appreciated Nico Hischier has been league-wide. Maybe not enough people outside of the market were watching the Devils' games with much attention, but they should have been. Because Nico Hischier has been an underrated star for the first six seasons of his career.

That's why seeing his name pop up as a Selke Trophy nominee was so great. We've all seen his Selke-caliber play from the beginning, perfecting it as the years go on, and I loved seeing him get recognized on a greater scale. Nico has talked on occasion about growing up watching players like Patrice Bergeron, who he is nominated alongside, and Pavel Datsyuk, trying to emulate their 200-foot game.

I have a feeling that Bergeron will win it this year, he basically does every year. But once Bergeron retires, I wonder if the year-after-year torch gets passed to Hischier.

10.

Game 7. Do I have to say more?

It was just phenomenal and a favorite moment of the year by the team across the board. They know how much it meant to the fan base and it meant just the same to them. Ending the season of their biggest rival, doing it after going down 0-2 in the series. Akira Schmid with the shutout. I mean, there really are no words to accurately describe what was likely the biggest game the team has played since they drafted Nico Hischier in 2017.

BONUS:

By the time I got to 10 I realized I hadn't included one major moment from the season: the arrival of Timo Meier. It's not every day that you hear a fan base chanting for a specific player and the General Manager goes out and acquires that player. The arrival of Meier breathed new life into a season with so much excitement.