1997–98 Ottawa Senators season

The 1997–98 Ottawa Senators season was the sixth season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). The season saw the Senators face the challenge of improving on their very successful 1996–97 season, when they made the playoffs for the first time in team history. The 1997–98 season was even more successful, as Ottawa finished over .500 for the first time in club history, qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year, and won their first playoff series in modern club history. The Senators defeated the top-seeded New Jersey Devils in six games before falling to the Washington Capitals in five games in the second round.

1997–98 Ottawa Senators
Division5th Northeast
Conference8th Eastern
1997–98 record34–33–15
Home record18–16–7
Road record16–17–8
Goals for193
Goals against200
Team information
General managerPierre Gauthier
CoachJacques Martin
CaptainRandy Cunneyworth
Alternate captainsDaniel Alfredsson
Alexei Yashin
ArenaCorel Centre
Average attendance16,686 per game (667,454 total)
Team leaders
GoalsAlexei Yashin (33)
AssistsAlexei Yashin (39)
PointsAlexei Yashin (72)
Penalty minutesDenny Lambert (250)
Plus/minusWade Redden (+17)
WinsDamian Rhodes (19)
Goals against averageRon Tugnutt (2.25)

Regular season

Alexei Yashin led the club offensively, with 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists) in 82 games. Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt once again performed solidly in the Senators' net, helping set a club record for fewest goals allowed (200).

The Alexandre Daigle era came to an end midway through the season, as the Senators traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Václav Prospal and Pat Falloon.

Final standings

Northeast Division
No. GP W L T GF GA Pts
1Pittsburgh Penguins8240241822818898
2Boston Bruins8239301322119491
3Buffalo Sabres8236291721118789
4Montreal Canadiens8237321323520887
5Ottawa Senators8234331519320083
6Carolina Hurricanes823341820021974
Eastern Conference[1]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1New Jersey DevilsATL82482311225166107
2Pittsburgh PenguinsNE8240241822818898
3Philadelphia FlyersATL8242291124219395
4Washington CapitalsATL8240301221920292
5Boston BruinsNE8239301322119491
6Buffalo SabresNE8236291721118789
7Montreal CanadiensNE8237321323520887
8Ottawa SenatorsNE8234331519320083
9Carolina HurricanesNE823341820021974
10New York IslandersATL8230411121222571
11New York RangersATL8225391819723168
12Florida PanthersATL8224431520325663
13Tampa Bay LightningATL8217551015126944

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Playoffs

The Ottawa Senators ended the 1997–98 regular season as the Eastern Conference's eighth seed. Daniel Alfredsson, who missed 27 games in the regular season due to injuries, led the team with nine points (seven goals, two assists) in the playoffs and the club won its first round matchup, an upset win over the New Jersey Devils

Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) New Jersey Devils

On paper, the series was a big mismatch, as the Devils had finished 24 points ahead in the standings. One American newspaper covering the playoffs did not even preview the series, expecting an easy win for the Devils.[2] The Devils were characterized as arrogant, although the Devils and the Senators had split their season series. Devil Randy McKay, when asked which player on the Senators he respected, said, "To be honest, I'd have to see their (roster) list."[3]

The series opened in New Jersey. In Game 1, the Senators got a 1–0 lead and held onto it until 3:24 was left in the third period, when Doug Gilmour scored to tie the game. After the goal, the Devils got several penalties in a row, including some in overtime. Although the Senators went 0–6 on the power play, they managed to win the game on an overtime winner from Bruce Gardiner at 5:58.[4] In Game 2, the Devils won the game in large part due to the offence of Doug Gilmour, who assisted on the first goal and scored the second, game-winning goal and an empty netter to tie the series.[5]

The series now moved to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4. In Game 3, Damian Rhodes played outstanding and Alexei Yashin scored the winner, 2:47 into overtime on the power play. According to Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur, "It's Rhodes, that's the bottom line. He has been tremendous. We're getting the puck to him, we're getting rebounds, but he closes the door every time." Devils Head Coach Jacques Lemaire refused to appear for the post-game press conference.[6] The Senators won Game 4, 4–3, on the strength of a hat-trick by Daniel Alfredsson. The Senators had led 4–1, but late goals by Scott Stevens and Doug Gilmour, with 69 seconds left, made it a close contest.[7]

The series now returned to New Jersey, with the Devils on the brink of elimination. In Game 5, Brodeur stopped 22 of 23 shots and even assisted on a short-handed goal as the Devils won 3–1. Gilmour scored the game-winner and the Devils staved off elimination.[8]

In Game 6, Janne Laukkanen scored the winner, giving the Senators the lead that was solidified when Igor Kravchuk scored into an empty net to complete the series upset, 4–2, for the Senators. After the game, Scott Stevens commented, "The bottom line is that they're an average team that played great. And we're an above average team that played poorly."[2] The headlines from other newspapers labelled the playoff win a "titanic upset"[9] and "sensational upset."[10]

#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordAttendance
1April 22Ottawa2 – 1 (OT)New Jersey1 – 018,457
2April 24Ottawa1 – 3New Jersey1 – 119,040
3April 26New Jersey1 – 2 (OT)Ottawa2 – 118,500
4April 28New Jersey3 – 4Ottawa3 – 118,500
5April 30Ottawa1 – 3New Jersey3 – 219,040
6May 2New Jersey1 – 3Ottawa4 – 218,500

Ottawa wins series 4–2.

Eastern Conference Semi-finals: vs. (4) Washington Capitals

The Senators did not capitalize on their first-round win, and the Capitals took the series in five games.

#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordAttendance
1May 7Ottawa2 – 4Washington0 – 117,941
2May 9Ottawa1 – 6Washington0 – 219,740
3May 11Washington3 – 4Ottawa1 – 218,500
4May 13Washington2 – 0Ottawa1 – 318,500
5May 15Ottawa0 – 3Washington1 – 419,740

Washington wins series 4–1

Awards and records

Schedule and results

Regular season schedule
No. R Date Score Opponent Record Attendance
1TOctober 1, 19972–2 OT@ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98)0–0–120,673
2LOctober 3, 19973–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98)0–1–119,231
3WOctober 4, 19973–2Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)1–1–118,500
4WOctober 7, 19971–0@ San Jose Sharks (1997–98)2–1–116,073
5TOctober 10, 19971–1 OT@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98)2–1–217,174
6LOctober 12, 19974–7@ Los Angeles Kings (1997–98)2–2–216,005
7WOctober 15, 19975–1New York Rangers (1997–98)3–2–217,111
8WOctober 17, 19974–2New Jersey Devils (1997–98)4–2–213,681
9WOctober 19, 19973–1Dallas Stars (1997–98)5–2–214,354
10WOctober 22, 19976–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98)6–2–215,726
11TOctober 23, 19972–2 OTFlorida Panthers (1997–98)6–2–315,168
12LOctober 25, 19972–4Montreal Canadiens (1997–98)6–3–318,500
13WOctober 29, 19975–2@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98)7–3–310,776
14WOctober 30, 19975–2@ Florida Panthers (1997–98)8–3–314,703
15LNovember 2, 19971–3Boston Bruins (1997–98)8–4–316,753
16WNovember 6, 19974–1Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98)9–4–313,437
17LNovember 8, 19973–4Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98)9–5–318,500
18LNovember 9, 19971–4@ Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)9–6–35,551
19LNovember 11, 19970–1@ Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98)9–7–319,314
20LNovember 13, 19972–4Detroit Red Wings (1997–98)9–8–318,136
21TNovember 15, 19973–3 OT@ Boston Bruins (1997–98)9–8–414,761
22LNovember 17, 19972–4Boston Bruins (1997–98)9–9–415,742
23LNovember 20, 19970–2Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98)9–10–414,097
24LNovember 22, 19970–1Edmonton Oilers (1997–98)9–11–417,113
25LNovember 26, 19971–4@ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98)9–12–419,983
26WNovember 27, 19973–1Washington Capitals (1997–98)10–12–413,671
27LNovember 29, 19972–3Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98)10–13–418,251
28WDecember 2, 19974–2@ New York Islanders (1997–98)11–13–48,141
29WDecember 4, 19973–2Los Angeles Kings (1997–98)12–13–414,108
30WDecember 6, 19973–0Buffalo Sabres (1997–98)13–13–415,285
31LDecember 11, 19971–2St. Louis Blues (1997–98)13–14–414,961
32LDecember 13, 19971–3Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98)13–15–414,290
33WDecember 15, 19973–1@ St. Louis Blues (1997–98)14–15–414,155
34LDecember 16, 19971–2@ Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)14–16–47,317
35WDecember 18, 19973–2Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)15–16–414,437
36LDecember 20, 19971–4@ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98)15–17–420,910
37WDecember 22, 19974–1@ New York Islanders (1997–98)16–17–410,227
38WDecember 23, 19974–3 OTMontreal Canadiens (1997–98)17–17–418,500
39WDecember 27, 19973–0@ Washington Capitals (1997–98)18–17–417,921
40LDecember 31, 19970–3@ Buffalo Sabres (1997–98)18–18–415,636
41TJanuary 1, 19980–0 OT@ Boston Bruins (1997–98)18–18–513,714
42LJanuary 3, 19982–7Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98)18–19–518,500
43LJanuary 5, 19981–4@ Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)18–20–56,055
44WJanuary 7, 19982–0@ Dallas Stars (1997–98)19–20–516,928
45TJanuary 10, 19983–3 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98)19–20–616,061
46TJanuary 11, 19984–4 OT@ Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98)19–20–713,963
47LJanuary 13, 19980–4@ Washington Capitals (1997–98)19–21–711,109
48TJanuary 20, 19980–0 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98)19–21–813,116
49LJanuary 22, 19982–4Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)19–22–815,491
50WJanuary 24, 19983–2New York Islanders (1997–98)20–22–818,327
51WJanuary 26, 19982–1Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98)21–22–813,804
52LJanuary 27, 19981–6@ Boston Bruins (1997–98)21–23–814,183
53TJanuary 29, 19982–2 OTNew York Rangers (1997–98)21–23–918,500
54WJanuary 31, 19984–3@ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98)22–23–921,273
55LFebruary 2, 19980–1New Jersey Devils (1997–98)22–24–915,675
56LFebruary 4, 19980–2@ New Jersey Devils (1997–98)22–25–915,302
57WFebruary 5, 19983–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98)23–25–918,500
58TFebruary 7, 19982–2 OTPittsburgh Penguins (1997–98)23–25–1018,500
59LFebruary 25, 19982–5@ Edmonton Oilers (1997–98)23–26–1016,142
60LFebruary 28, 19984–6@ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98)23–27–1017,233
61LMarch 1, 19981–2@ Calgary Flames (1997–98)23–28–1017,463
62WMarch 5, 19984–2Colorado Avalanche (1997–98)24–28–1018,500
63WMarch 7, 19982–1Calgary Flames (1997–98)25–28–1018,036
64WMarch 11, 19985–3Florida Panthers (1997–98)26–28–1015,539
65WMarch 14, 19984–0Washington Capitals (1997–98)27–28–1018,500
66LMarch 16, 19984–5@ New York Rangers (1997–98)27–29–1018,200
67TMarch 18, 19984–4 OTNew York Islanders (1997–98)27–29–1117,403
68TMarch 20, 19981–1 OTVancouver Canucks (1997–98)27–29–1218,500
69LMarch 22, 19982–5Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98)27–30–1217,177
70WMarch 25, 19983–2 OT@ New York Rangers (1997–98)28–30–1218,200
71LMarch 27, 19981–2@ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98)28–31–1219,172
72TMarch 29, 19981–1 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98)28–31–1314,322
73TApril 2, 19983–3 OTSan Jose Sharks (1997–98)28–31–1418,119
74WApril 3, 19983–2@ New Jersey Devils (1997–98)29–31–1417,313
75WApril 5, 19981–0@ Buffalo Sabres (1997–98)30–31–1415,661
76LApril 7, 19982–4Boston Bruins (1997–98)30–32–1418,226
77WApril 9, 19984–1Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98)31–32–1417,895
78TApril 11, 19984–4 OTBuffalo Sabres (1997–98)31–32–1518,500
79WApril 13, 19983–2@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98)32–32–1512,387
80WApril 14, 19983–2@ Florida Panthers (1997–98)33–32–1514,703
81LApril 16, 19980–2Montreal Canadiens (1997–98)33–33–1518,500
82WApril 19, 19982–1@ Buffalo Sabres (1997–98)34–33–1518,595

[11]

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Alexei YashinC82333972246506
Shawn McEachernRW81242448421824
Daniel AlfredssonRW55172845187707
Igor KravchukD81827358-19311
Andreas DackellRW8215183324-11322
Magnus ArvedsonLW61111526362010
Sergei ZholtokC7810132316-7701
Wade ReddenD80814222717302
Janne LaukkanenD604172164-15202
Denny LambertLW72910192504001
Shaun Van AllenC8041519484000
Bruce GardinerRW5571118502000
Radek BonkC65791616-13100
Alexandre DaigleC3879168-7402
Chris PhillipsD7251116382202
Jason YorkD7331316628000
Randy CunneyworthLW712111363-14100
Lance PitlickD69279508000
Chris MurrayRW46538961002
Vaclav ProspalC151674-1000
Pat FalloonRW283368-11200
Stan NeckarD6022431-14000
Phil CroweLW9303243001
Derek ArmstrongC920291001
Sean HillD131126-3000
Per GustafssonD901163000
Marian HossaRW70110-1000
Damian RhodesG5001100000
Radim BicanekD100000000
Ivan CiernikRW200000000
Ron TugnuttG4200000000
Dennis VialD/LW19000450000
Jason ZentLW300040000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Damian Rhodes274350191971072.34511481041.907
Ron Tugnutt22364215148842.253882798.905
Team:4979823433151912.30820301839.906

Playoffs

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Daniel AlfredssonRW1172920-4211
Alexei YashinC115388-6302
Igor KravchukD112354000
Janne LaukkanenD112248-3101
Bruce GardinerRW111342-2001
Shawn McEachernRW110448-6000
Andreas DackellRW111122-4100
Jason YorkD71127-2100
Chris PhillipsD110222-2000
Wade ReddenD90222-5000
Sergei ZholtokC110220-1000
Chris MurrayRW111018-2000
Magnus ArvedsonLW110116-6000
Randy CunneyworthLW601160000
Lance PitlickD1101117-3000
Shaun Van AllenC1101110-3000
Radek BonkC50002-3000
Pat FalloonRW100000000
Per GustafssonD10000-2000
Denny LambertLW11000192000
Stan NeckarD90002-4000
Vaclav ProspalC60000-2000
Damian RhodesG1000000000
Ron TugnuttG200000000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Damian Rhodes5901055212.140236215.911
Ron Tugnutt7420164.8602519.760
Team:6641156272.440261234.897

[12]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Transactions

Trades

August 25, 1997 To St. Louis Blues
Steve Duchesne
To Ottawa Senators
Igor Kravchuk
November 18, 1997 To Carolina Hurricanes
Sean Hill
To Ottawa Senators
Chris Murray
January 17, 1998 To Philadelphia Flyers
Alexandre Daigle
To Ottawa Senators
Vaclav Prospal
Pat Falloon
Dallas' second-round pick 1998 Entry Draft (Chris Bala)
March 9, 1998 To Edmonton Oilers
Frank Musil
To Ottawa Senators
Scott Ferguson
March 17, 1998 To Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa's eighth-round pick 1998 Entry Draft (Dwight Wolfe)
To Ottawa Senators
Per Gustafsson

Waivers

September 28, 1997 To New York Islanders
Tom Chorske

Source: Ottawa Senators 2008–09 Media Guide. Ottawa Senators. 2008. p. 188.

Free agents

PlayerFormer team
Marc LabelleDallas Stars
Clayton BeddoesBoston Bruins
Derek ArmstrongNew York Islanders

Roster

1997-98 Ottawa Senators
Goaltenders

Defensemen

Wingers

Centres

Sources:

Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
112Marian Hossa SlovakiaDukla Trencin (Slovak Extraliga)
358Jani Hurme FinlandTPS (SM-liiga)
366Josh Langfeld United StatesLincoln Stars (USHL)
5119Magnus Arvedson SwedenFarjestad BK (Elitserien)
6146Jeff Sullivan CanadaHalifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
7173Robin Bacul Czech RepublicSlavia Prague (Czech Extraliga)
8203Nick Gillis United StatesCushing Academy (USHS-MA)
9229Karel Rachunek Czech RepublicZlin ZPS (Czech Extraliga)

Farm teams

See also

References

  • Garrioch, Bruce (1998), "Ottawa Senators 1992–93 to Date", Total Hockey
  • Ottawa Senators staff (2006). Ottawa Senators Media Guide 2007. Ottawa Senators.
  • The Internet Hockey Database
  • National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007
  1. "1997–1998 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  2. Panzeri, Allen (May 3, 1998). "`We deserved to win': Senators ready for Round 2". Ottawa Citizen. p. C1.
  3. Scanlan, Wayne (May 3, 1998). "Arrogant Devils wonder what hit them". Ottawa Citizen. p. C2.
  4. Shoalts, David (April 23, 1998). "Ottawa shocks New Jersey in OT". The Globe and Mail. p. S1.
  5. Shoals, David (April 25, 1998). "Gilmour scuttles Ottawa". The Globe and Mail. p. A28.
  6. Warren, Ken (April 27, 1998). "none". The Record. p. D1.
  7. Warren, Ken (April 29, 1998). "Devils pushed to the brink Ottawa Senators one game away from first- round upset of conference champs". The Record. p. F1.
  8. MacGregor, Roy (May 1, 1998). "Brodeur steals show: New Jersey goalie earns assist in win over Ottawa". The Record. p. D1.
  9. Panzeri, Allen (May 3, 1998). "Senators complete titanic upset: Ottawa advances to second round for first time". Calgary Herald. p. B1.
  10. Hickey, Pat (May 3, 1998). "Sensational upset: Deja-woo: eighth-place Ottawa casts out first- place Devils in six games; Senators 3 Devils 1". Montreal Gazette. p. B1.
  11. "1997–98 Ottawa Senators Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  12. "1997-98 Ottawa Senators Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
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