1985–86 New Jersey Devils season

New Jersey Devils

Industry	Professional ice hockey
Founded	1974 (as franchise, relocated to New Jersey in 1982)
Headquarters	East Rutherford, New Jersey , United States
Products	Ice hockey team

The 1985–86 New Jersey Devils season marked the franchise's 12th campaign in the NHL and its fourth year after relocating from Colorado before the 1982–83 season. A notable moment was Kirk Muller being named to participate in the 38th National Hockey League All-Star Game. The team concluded the season at the bottom of both their division and conference standings, holding the third-poorest record across the league. This outcome extended their streak to eight straight years without qualifying for the playoffs.

Schedule and results

{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#fff; border-top:#C8102E 2px solid; border-bottom:#046A38 2px solid;|title=October|} |- |1||W||October 10, 1985||6–5 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers ||1–0–0 |- |2||W||October 12, 1985||4–1 || align="left"| Washington Capitals ||2–0–0 |- |3||W||October 13, 1985||3–2 OT|| align="left"| @ New York Rangers ||3–0–0 |- |4||L||October 17, 1985||3–4 OT|| align="left"| Hartford Whalers ||3–1–0 |- |5||L||October 19, 1985||3–4 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues ||3–2–0 |- |6||L||October 23, 1985||1–5 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers ||3–3–0 |- |7||L||October 24, 1985||4–6 || align="left"| Chicago Blackhawks ||3–4–0 |- |8||W||October 26, 1985||5–2 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings ||4–4–0 |- |9||L||October 29, 1985||4–6 || align="left"| Boston Bruins ||4–5–0 |- |10||T||October 31, 1985||2–2 OT|| align="left"| Detroit Red Wings ||4–5–1

{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#fff; border-top:#C8102E 2px solid; border-bottom:#046A38 2px solid;|title=November|} |- |11||W||November 2, 1985||6–5 OT|| align="left"| New York Rangers ||5–5–1 |- |12||L||November 6, 1985||2–5 || align="left"| Calgary Flames ||5–6–1 |- |13||W||November 8, 1985||5–3 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins ||6–6–1 |- |14||L||November 9, 1985||2–3 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders ||6–7–1 |- |15||L||November 15, 1985||3–5 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets ||6–8–1 |- |16||L||November 16, 1985||2–7 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames ||6–9–1 |- |17||W||November 19, 1985||6–3 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings ||7–9–1 |- |18||W||November 22, 1985||6–5 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks ||8–9–1 |- |19||L||November 23, 1985||2–3 || align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers ||8–10–1 |- |20||W||November 26, 1985||4–3 || align="left"| Winnipeg Jets ||9–10–1 |- |21||L||November 30, 1985||2–6 || align="left"| Washington Capitals ||9–11–1

{{Game log section start|hide=y|style=background:#fff; border-top:#C8102E 2px solid; border-bottom:#046A38 2px solid;|title=December|} |- |22 |L |December 1, 1985 |2−4 |align="left"|@ Boston Bruins |9−12−1 |- |23 |L |December 4, 1985 |7−10 |align="left"|@ Toronto Maple Leafs |9−13−1 |- |24 |W |December 6, 1985 |4−1 |align="left"|Vancouver Canucks |10−13−1 |- |25 |W |December 7, 1985 |5−1 |align="left"|@ Pittsburgh Penguins |11−13−1 |- |26 |W |December 9, 1985 |6−4 |align="left"|@ Minnesota North Stars |12−13−1 |- |27 |L |December-11-85 |2-4 |align="left" | New York Rangers |12-14-1 |- |28 |L |December-14-85 |3-9 |align="left" | @ Quebec Nordiques |12-15-1 |- |29 |L |December-15-85 |2-3 |align="left" | St. Louis Blues |12-16-1 |- |30 |W |December-17-85 |7-4 |align="left" | Philadelphia Flyers |13-16-1 |- |31 |L |December-19-85 |3-6 |align="left" | @ Philadelphia Flyers |13-17-1 |- |32 |L |December-21-85 |6-7 |align="left" | @ Hartford Whalers |13-18-1 |- |33 |L |December-22-85 |3-8 |align="left" | Minnesota North Stars |13-19-1 |- |34 |L |December-27-85 |3-7 |align="left" |Montreal Canadiens |13-20-1 |- |35 |L |December-28-85 |3-8 |align="left" |@ Montreal Canadiens |13-21-1

|- 36 L January 3 1986 2−3 Washington Capitals 13−22−1 |- 37 L January 4 1986 3−9 @ Washington Capitals 13−23−1 |- 38 L January 6 1986 3−4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 13−24−1 |- 39 W January 8 1986 8−7 @ Chicago Black Hawks 14−24−1 |- 40 L January11 1986 Philadelphia Flyers

Regular season

Offensive statistics

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Template:Sortname	LW	78	35	42	77	30	-7	10	0	2
Template:Sortname	LW	77	25	41	66	45	-20	5	1	1
Template:Sortname	C	78	23	40	63	80	-1	5	1	1
Template:Sortname	C	80	21	41	62	16	-13	6	1	3
Template:Sortname	RW	74	21	36	57	112	-3	1	0	4
Template:Sortname	RW	76	25	28	53	79	-24	4	1	0
Template:Sortname	RW	73	21	22	43	20	-10	6	1	5
Template:Sortname	C	71	19	24	43	14	-11	6	0	0
Template:Sortname	LW/C	66	18	25	43	26	2	4	0	1
Template:Sortname	RW	76	19	22	41	65	3	3	0	2
Template:Sortname	LW	47	19	19	38	14	-15	4	0	3
Template:Sortname	D	66	6	23	29	147	-12	2	0	0
Template:Sortname	RW	59	9	17	26	47	7	2	0	1
Template:Sortname	D	50	8	16	24	61	-1	6	0	1
Template:Sortname	LW	51	7	12	19	91	−7	1	0	1

Goaltending statistics

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SO	SA	SV	SV%
Template:Sortname	1862	37	11	18	2	143	4.61	0	951	808	.850
Template:Sortname	1769	31	10	20	0	126	4.27	0	885	759	.858

Abbreviations: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus rating; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Saves; SV% = Save percentage

Draft picks

The New Jersey selections during the 1985 NHL entry draft were as follows:

Round #	Overall Pick #	Player Name	Nationality	Position	Previous Team (League)	Remarks
1	3	Craig Wolanin	United States	Defenseman	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
2	24	Sean Burke	Canada	Goaltender	Toronto Marlboros (OHL)
2	32	Eric Weinrich	United States	Defenseman	North Yarmouth Academy (Maine)
3	45	Myles O'Connor	Canada	Defenseman	Notre Dame H.S. Hounds (SJHL)
4	66	Greg Polak	United States	Left Wing	Lincoln H.S. (Rhode Island)
5	87	No selection made in the fifth round
6	108	Bill McMillan	Canada	Right Wing	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
7	129	Kevin Schrader	United States	Defenseman	Burnsville H.S. (Minnesota)
8	150	Ed Krayer	United States	Left Wing	St. Paul's H.S. (New Hampshire)
9	171	Jamie Huscroft	Canada	Defenseman	Seattle Breakers (WHL)
10	192	Terry Shold	United States	Left Wing	International Falls H.S. (Minnesota)