The club hired the recently retired Guy Lapointe as an assistant coach, while they also signed goaltender Richard Sevigny as a free agent from the Montreal Canadiens.
Quebec started the season off pretty slow, going only 3-6-1 in their first ten games, sitting in last place in the Adams Division.
Quebec continued to play mediocre hockey for the majority of the first half of the season, as they had a 16-16-6 record after 38 games, battling with the Boston Bruins for third place in the division.
The Nordiques played much better in the second half of the season, as they would battle with the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres for first in the division.
The Nordiques opened the 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs with a best of five Adams Division semi-final series against the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres finished the season in third place in the Adams Division with a 38–28–14 record, earning 90 points, one less than Quebec.
In a very close game, the Nordiques and Canadiens were tied 2–2 after regulation time, forcing overtime, and in the extra period, Peter Šťastný scored the series clinching goal as Quebec stunned the Canadiens with a 3–2 victory, advancing to the Wales Conference finals for the second time in four seasons.
Philadelphia dominated the Nordiques in the sixth game, outshooting Quebec 36–15, en route to a 3–0 victory to win the series and advance to the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals.