NEWARK — The Devils poured close to a quarter-million beers since the Stanley Cup playoffs began.

They sold 22,925 hot dogs and 16,388 pretzels. At Saturday night’s game alone, the Prudential Center’s Acela Club moved 54 pounds of alligator steak.

It's been a good spring for the Devils and the Prudential Center they call home. And while Monday night's loss to the L.A. Kings dashed the hopes of thousands of fans, the Stanley Cup Finals brought $32.3 million in additional revenue to Devils' coffers, according to a Star-Ledger analysis of playoff revenue.

For a team fending off bankruptcy with each slapshot, the money could not have come at a better time.

"It’s great to see June hockey at the Rock," Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek said in a statement, adding the run was good for fans and for Newark. "The Devils playoff run was an exciting two-and-a-half months for everyone involved."

Vanderbeek and team officials would not provide specific details on revenue raised during the team’s unexpected journey to the Stanley Cup Finals — they provided only amounts from concessions at 30 events since April 16.

But the newspaper reviewed recent audits of the team by the Newark Housing Authority — the arena landlord — and used projections reported in sports business journals to arrive at the numbers. Two industry officials corroborated the figures but declined to speak publicly because they were not authorized.

The biggest chunk of playoff money came from ticket sales to the 11 sold-out home games. The Devils sold $26.2 million in tickets during the postseason, according to the review. Concessions brought in another big piece with the Devils selling $3.75 million in sundries. Sponsors kicked in $1.1 million to the Devils’ bottom line during playoffs. Devils merchandise also gave the team an influx of about $1 million worth of jerseys, T-shirts and hats.

New Jersey Devils vs. Los Angeles Kings Game 5 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final 6-9-12 48 Gallery: New Jersey Devils vs. Los Angeles Kings Game 5 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final 6-9-12

Since NHL players don’t get paid during playoffs, the Devils kept the lion’s share of those earnings.

But with close to $200 million in overall debt and $77 million due this summer, experts remain divided about the long-term impacts of the newfound cash.

"If they take all of that and attribute it to debt, they can make a small dent in it sure," said Scott Rosner, a sports business professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "Will that attract investors? I guess it could make it marginally more attractive."

Rumors swirled last week about a possible "angel investor" or group of investors that had tentatively agreed to buy out a stake of the team owned by philanthropist Ray Chambers and his son-in-law, Mike Gilfillan.

Without names on a contract, though, no one close to the team or the league was willing to speak publicly about the deal.

One industry official told The Star-Ledger that a deal was in place that involved a significant portion of Chambers' 47.5 percent stake in the team going to the mystery investor. The move, combined with an agreement with the bank, could raise the necessary capital to put the Devils on firm financial footing.

Other industry sources were skeptical of the idea saying phantom deals had come and gone since Chambers and Vanderbeek publicly declared their intention to part ways in February 2011.

Since then, the specter of bankruptcy has loomed over the state’s only official major league sports franchise.

But the most optimistic prognosis on the Devils’ fiscal health came recently from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

"Jeff Vanderbeek is working to both refinance the debt on the club and equity raise, and he appears to be fairly confident that he can pull this off in the next few weeks," Bettman said as the Stanley Cup Finals began.

"Since I’ve been in touch with the banks on a regular basis we seem to be on track," Bettman added.

But until a deal is final, doubts about the Devils’ future persist.

While a healthy run toward the Stanley Cup may attract interest from investors, it could also serve as a hindrance.

"If you want to stay good, you have to spend," said Stephen Greyser, a sports business professor at Harvard Business School.

Now expectations are high for the Devils to perform at the level they achieved this year. Team captain Zach Parise is set to enter free agency and will be among the players the team will have to pay dearly to lock in.

"It’s not a good time to be trying to cut back on spending for players," Greyser said. "They certainly can’t take all of what they made in the post season to pay off debt because they have to be ready for the next season."

Despite a bitter public feud between Vanderbeek and Mayor Cory Booker over revenue sharing at The Rock, the run has lifted boats in Newark as well.

According to documents provided by the team, the playoff run brought $3.7 million to bars and restaurants in Newark, the equivalent of 35 jobs, and $217,000 in added personal income to city residents.

"Just watched Devils player’s bus returning to The Rock & a large crowd of fans cheering their return," Booker tweeted this afternoon. "Here is to loyal & committed fans."