Trick but mostly treat: A look at New Jersey Devils' success on Halloween

What NHL team is more Halloween-related than the New Jersey Devils? Named after the legendary cryptid that has supposedly haunted the Garden State since the 1700s, the Devils classic "NJ" logo with its double horns and forked tail fits right alongside jack-o'-lanterns, witch hats and other trappings of the long-running holiday.

Even though they've skated in New Jersey since 1982 after moving from Colorado, the Devils have only played 12 times in all on Oct. 31 itself. All-time, they are 6-5-1 in those games, including shootout wins.

A breakdown of all-time Devils results on Halloween

1984: German-born defenseman Uli Heimer tallies three goals for New Jersey in a 7-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Brendan Byrne Arena. The Devils will not feature another hat trick by a blueliner until Simon Nemec does so on November 12, 2025, in a 4-3 overtime win at Chicago.

1985: The Devils skate to a 2-2 tie with the visiting Detroit Red Wings. 1980 U.S. Olympic star Mark Johnson posts a goal and an assist for New Jersey, while Alain Chevrier stops 24 shots on goal.

1987: New Jersey outlasts Edmonton, 6-5, at the Meadowlands. Devils forward Jim Korn fights Oilers enforcer Marty McSorley twice, while Pat Verbeek tallies two goals, including the game-winner early in the third period. The Devils go on to make the NHL playoffs that year for the first time since relocating from Denver, finishing one win short of making the Stanley Cup Final.

1989: The Devils fall at Vancouver, 4-3. Sean Burke makes 33 saves in net, while Brendan Shanahan scores two goals.

1992: New Jersey wins on the road, topping the New York Islanders by a 5-3 count. Stephane Richer scores twice, while Chris Terreri stops 23 shots.  

1993: The Devils are defeated by the archrival New York Rangers, 4-1, in a neutral-site contest in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Bernie Nicholls has the only goal for New Jersey, which is outshot, 37-24, at the Halifax Metro Centre.

1995: The defending Stanley Cup champion Devils are edged, 2-1, at Edmonton. Future Devils playoff hero Jason Arnott scores the game-winning goal for the Oilers against Martin Brodeur, who makes 24 saves for New Jersey.

1998: New Jersey tops the visiting Florida Panthers, 3-1, at Continental Airlines Arena. Dave Andreychuk notches two power-play goals for the Devils, with the first one standing up as the game-winner.

2007: The Devils earn their first win ever at the new Prudential Center in Newark, when they rout the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-1. Jay Pandolfo tallies the hat trick for New Jersey, with all three goals coming at even strength, and all three assisted by John Madden.

2009: The Devils escape with a 2-1 shootout win at Tampa Bay. David Clarkson scores the only goal of the shootout.

2015: New Jersey edges the visiting Islanders, 3-2, in a shootout. Mike Cammalleri tallies the decisive goal after Cory Schneider makes 24 saves in regulation.

2021: The Devils fall to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3, in a shootout at home. P.K. Subban sets up two goals for New Jersey, while Scott Wedgewood finishes with 23 stops.

No Halloween game this season for New Jersey, although the Devils did top host Vegas by a 5-2 score on Friday night.