2002–03 New Jersey Devils season

The 2002–03 New Jersey Devils season was the team's 21st season in the National Hockey League since the franchise relocated to New Jersey. After claiming the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference titles, the Devils won their third Stanley Cup championship in a seven-game series against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

2002–03 New Jersey Devils
Stanley Cup champions
Eastern Conference champions
Atlantic Division champions
Division1st Atlantic
Conference2nd Eastern
2002–03 record46–20–10–6
Home record25–11–3–2
Road record21–9–7–4
Goals for216
Goals against166
Team information
General managerLou Lamoriello
CoachPat Burns
CaptainScott Stevens
Alternate captainsPatrik Elias
Scott Niedermayer
ArenaContinental Airlines Arena
Average attendance14,858
Team leaders
GoalsPatrik Elias (28)
AssistsScott Gomez (42)
PointsPatrik Elias (57)
Penalty minutesTurner Stevenson (115)
Plus/minusJeff Friesen
Scott Niedermayer (+23)
WinsMartin Brodeur (41)
Goals against averageCorey Schwab (1.47)

In addition to the Devils reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, the other New Jersey team from one of the major professional sports leagues, the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), have reached the NBA Finals where they lost in six games to the San Antonio Spurs.

Pre-season

No. R Date Score Opponent Record Time

Regular season

The Devils tied the Philadelphia Flyers for fewest goals allowed (166) and had the fewest power-play opportunities against (264), the fewest power-play goals against (32) and the best penalty-kill percentage (87.88%). The Devils also tied the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals for fewest short-handed goals allowed, with four. Furthermore, the Devils also had the fewest power-play opportunities for (303), the fewest power-play goals for (36) and the lowest power-play percentage, at 11.88%.[1]

Season standings

Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
12New Jersey Devils824620106216166108
24Philadelphia Flyers824520134211166107
38New York Islanders82353411222423183
49New York Rangers82323610421023178
514Pittsburgh Penguins8227446518925565

[4]

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference[5]
R Div GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 P- Ottawa SenatorsNE82522181263182113
2 Y- New Jersey DevilsAT824620106216166108
3 Y- Tampa Bay LightningSE82362516521921093
4 X- Philadelphia FlyersAT824520134211166107
5 X- Toronto Maple LeafsNE8244287323620898
6 X- Washington CapitalsSE8239298622422092
7 X- Boston BruinsNE82363111424523787
8 X- New York IslandersAT82353411222423183
8.5
9 New York RangersAT82323610421023178
10 Montreal CanadiensNE8230358920623477
11 Atlanta ThrashersSE8231397522628474
12 Buffalo SabresNE82273710819021972
13 Florida PanthersSE82243613917623770
14 Pittsburgh PenguinsAT8227446518925565
15 Carolina HurricanesSE82224311617124061

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results

No. R Date Score Opponent Record Pts
1WOctober 10, 20022–1@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03)1–0–0–02
2WOctober 12, 20023–2Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03)2–0–0–04
3WOctober 18, 20023–2 OTNashville Predators (2002–03)3–0–0–06
4LOctober 19, 20021–3@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)3–1–0–06
5WOctober 23, 20022–1@ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)4–1–0–08
6WOctober 25, 20022–1@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)5–1–0–010
7WOctober 26, 20025–1Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)6–1–0–012
8LOctober 29, 20021–2Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)6–2–0–012
9WNovember 2, 20025–1Chicago Blackhawks (2002–03)7–2–0–014
10LNovember 5, 20022–3Calgary Flames (2002–03)7–3–0–014
11WNovember 7, 20021–0@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)8–3–0–016
12LNovember 9, 20023–6Edmonton Oilers (2002–03)8–4–0–016
13WNovember 12, 20023–2 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)9–4–0–018
14WNovember 15, 20025–1Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)10–4–0–020
15LNovember 16, 20021–3@ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)10–5–0–020
16WNovember 19, 20024–3 OTBuffalo Sabres (2002–03)11–5–0–022
17TNovember 21, 20024–4 OTNew York Rangers (2002–03)11–5–1–023
18LNovember 23, 20021–3Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)11–6–1–023
19OTLNovember 27, 20022–3 OT@ Detroit Red Wings (2002–03)11–6–1–124
20WNovember 29, 20022–1@ Nashville Predators (2002–03)12–6–1–126
21WNovember 30, 20025–4 OT@ St. Louis Blues (2002–03)13–6–1–128
22WDecember 2, 20021–0 OT@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)14–6–1–130
23OTLDecember 4, 20022–3 OTVancouver Canucks (2002–03)14–6–1–231
24WDecember 6, 20023–1Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)15–6–1–233
25LDecember 7, 20020–1@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)15–7–1–233
26WDecember 10, 20022–0St. Louis Blues (2002–03)16–7–1–235
27LDecember 12, 20022–4@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03)16–8–1–235
28OTLDecember 14, 20023–4 OT@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03)16–8–1–336
29LDecember 18, 20020–3Ottawa Senators (2002–03)16–9–1–336
30WDecember 19, 20023–1@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)17–9–1–338
31WDecember 21, 20025–3Dallas Stars (2002–03)18–9–1–338
32TDecember 23, 20022–2 OT@ New York Rangers (2002–03)18–9–2–339
33LDecember 27, 20022–3@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)18–10–2–339
34WDecember 28, 20022–1 OTWashington Capitals (2002–03)19–10–2–341
35WDecember 30, 20021–0@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)20–10–2–343
36LJanuary 1, 20031–2Florida Panthers (2002–03)20–11–2–343
37WJanuary 3, 20032–0Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)21–11–2–345
38LJanuary 4, 20031–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)21–12–2–345
39WJanuary 7, 20033–2Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)22–12–2–347
40WJanuary 10, 20032–1@ Florida Panthers (2002–03)23–12–2–349
41TJanuary 11, 20033–3 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)23–12–3–350
42WJanuary 13, 20036–2Florida Panthers (2002–03)24–12–3–352
43WJanuary 15, 20035–0New York Islanders (2002–03)25–12–3–354
44WJanuary 17, 20032–1@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)26–12–3–356
45WJanuary 18, 20035–2Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)27–12–3–358
46WJanuary 22, 20035–4 OT@ San Jose Sharks (2002–03)28–12–3–360
47WJanuary 24, 20033–1@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)29–12–3–362
48OTLJanuary 25, 20031–2 OT@ Los Angeles Kings (2002–03)29–12–3–463
49WJanuary 28, 20031–0Detroit Red Wings (2002–03)30–12–3–465
50WJanuary 30, 20035–1Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)31–12–3–467
51WFebruary 4, 20034–1Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)32–12–3–469
52WFebruary 5, 20034–1@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)33–12–3–471
53LFebruary 7, 20032–4Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)33–13–3–471
54WFebruary 9, 20033–2Minnesota Wild (2002–03)34–13–3–473
55LFebruary 11, 20031–3@ Colorado Avalanche (2002–03)34–14–3–473
56WFebruary 12, 20033–0@ Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03)35–14–3–475
57LFebruary 15, 20031–4Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)35–15–3–475
58TFebruary 18, 20032–2 OT@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)35–15–4–476
59LFebruary 19, 20033–5Ottawa Senators (2002–03)35–16–4–476
60WFebruary 21, 20033–2Boston Bruins (2002–03)36–16–4–478
61WFebruary 23, 20034–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)37–16–4–480
62TFebruary 25, 20033–3 OTNew York Rangers (2002–03)37–16–5–481
63TFebruary 27, 20033–3 OT@ New York Islanders (2002–03)37–16–6–482
64WMarch 1, 20032–1 OTWashington Capitals (2002–03)38–16–6–484
65LMarch 4, 20032–3@ Minnesota Wild (2002–03)38–17–6–484
66OTLMarch 5, 20034–5 OT@ Calgary Flames (2002–03)38–17–6–585
67WMarch 8, 20034–2@ New York Islanders (2002–03)39–17–6–587
68LMarch 11, 20032–3Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)39–18–6–587
69LMarch 13, 20033–4@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)39–19–6–587
70WMarch 15, 20033–1New York Rangers (2002–03)40–19–6–589
71LMarch 17, 20032–4Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)40–20–6–589
72WMarch 18, 20031–0@ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)41–20–6–591
73WMarch 21, 20033–1Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)42–20–6–593
74WMarch 22, 20034–2@ New York Islanders (2002–03)43–20–6–595
75WMarch 24, 20034–1@ Florida Panthers (2002–03)44–20–6–597
76TMarch 27, 20032–2 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)44–20–7–598
77TMarch 28, 20031–1 OT@ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)44–20–8–599
78WMarch 30, 20036–0New York Islanders (2002–03)45–20–8–5101
79OTLApril 1, 20032–3 OTToronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)45–20–8–6102
80TApril 3, 20031–1 OTBoston Bruins (2002–03)45–20–9–6103
81WApril 4, 20032–1@ New York Rangers (2002–03)46–20–9–6105
82TApril 6, 20032–2 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)46–20–10–6106

Playoffs

(E2) New Jersey Devils vs. (E7) Boston Bruins

The series opened at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey, and game one was a defensive battle in an ultimate 2–1 Devils victory behind two goals from Jamie Langenbrunner. New Jersey then took control of the series with a 4–2 victory in Game 2.

Down 2–0 in the series but heading home to FleetCenter, Boston shook things up, replacing Steve Shields, who allowed six goals in the first two games, in favor of Jeff Hackett. The shakeup did not do much, as the Devils shut out in the Bruins in Game 3, 3–0, with goalie Martin Brodeur stopping all 29 shots he faced. In game 4, Ken Daneyko was a healthy scratch and did not play that game. It was the first time in his career that he was a healthy scratch in the playoffs. Not wanting to end their season with a winless postseason and a loss in front of their fans, Boston came out firing by winning the game, 5–1 and knocking out Brodeur after the fifth goal in favor of Corey Schwab, who went six-for-six in net.

Unfortunately for the Bruins and their fans, they had only "stayed their execution" until game five in New Jersey, where Brodeur bounced back from his horrid Game 4 with a 28-save shutout in a 3–0 win as Langenbrunner added two more goals.

New Jersey won series 4–1

(E2) New Jersey Devils vs. (E3) Tampa Bay Lightning

The series opened at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey, where the Devils scored three third-period goals to break a scoreless tie en route to a 3–0 game one victory with goalie Martin Brodeur posting a 15-save shutout in the process. Game two was a little tenser, with New Jersey rallying from a third-period deficit and winning the game 2:09 into overtime, 3–2, on a goal by Jamie Langenbrunner.

In game three at St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, the Lightning jumped out to a 3–0 first-period lead. Then, Scott Stevens was injured by a puck that hit him in the face from a slapshot by Pavel Kubina. Following that, New Jersey tied the score before scoring in the third period on a goal by Dave Andreychuk to win the game, 4–3 for Tampa. Stevens recovered and returned for game four, and the Devils responded by winning, 3–1, to push the Lightning to the brink. The Devils ended the series with a 2–1 triple-overtime victory in game five, with Grant Marshall scoring the game-winning goal 11:12 into the sixth period.

New Jersey won series 4–1

(E1) Ottawa Senators vs. (E2) New Jersey Devils

The series opened at Corel Centre in Ottawa, where the Senators took game one in overtime, 3–2, when Shaun Van Allen tipped in a pass from Martin Havlát 3:08 into overtime. New Jersey tied the series, 1–1, with a crucial victory in game two, 4–1. It marked the first time Ottawa goalie Patrick Lalime allowed more than two goals in twelve postseason games.

Game three at the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey saw an amazing defensive battle, but New Jersey won the game, 1–0, on a first-period goal by Sergei Brylin. Martin Brodeur posted a 24-save shutout for the Devils in the process. New Jersey appeared to have the series in control when they broke a 2–2 tie in game four with three third-period goals en route to a 5–2 win, and they led in the series, 3–1. But, it wasn't over yet, as Minnesota (twice) and Vancouver rebounded from 3–1 series deficits earlier in the playoffs.

Ottawa returned home for game five, not wanting to lose in front of their fans. They staved off elimination with a 3–1 victory. The tense action resumed back in New Jersey for game six, as the teams entered overtime tied, 1–1, and all the Devils needed was a goal to knock out the Senators. The death blow did not come in game six, as Chris Phillips scored the game-winning goal 15:52 into overtime in the 2–1 Senators victory. This would be the Devils only home loss of the playoffs.

Determined not to suffer the same misfortunes as Colorado, St. Louis, and Vancouver, the Devils broke through in game seven, winning the game, 3–2, as Jeff Friesen knocked in the series-winning goal with just over two minutes to play to send New Jersey to the Stanley Cup Finals. In the decisive game, the Devils benefited from a two-goal performance by Jamie Langenbrunner, his first goals of the series.

New Jersey won series 4–3

Stanley Cup Finals

For the Devils, this was their fourth Stanley Cup Finals appearance, after making the Finals previously in 1995, 2000, and 2001. As for the Mighty Ducks, it was their first ever Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history after defeating the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild. The Devils had a strong start in game one at the Meadowlands as they shut out the Ducks 3–0. Game two was pretty much Deja Vu for the Devils as they once again blanked the Ducks 3–0. Down 2–0 in the series, the Ducks responded at home in Anaheim with a 3–2 overtime victory. Then, in game four, Anaheim tied the series at two in a 1–0 overtime win. Back at the Meadowlands, game five was much more competitive and high tempo. While both teams went back and forth with three goals each, the Devils would add three more goals to win 6–3. Facing elimination in game six, the Ducks did not disappoint their fans as they won game six 5–2. However, during that game, Scott Stevens laid a vicious check on Paul Kariya, knocking him to the ground. Kariya quickly recovered and scored the game-winning goal, tying the series at three games apiece. The Devils ended the series with an exclamation mark as they shut out the Ducks 3–0 once more to capture their third Stanley Cup championship in nine seasons. While the Devils did win the cup, Jean-Sébastien Giguère of Anaheim won the Conn Smythe Trophy, making it the first time in sixteen years that a player from the losing team won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

New Jersey won series 4–3

Media

Television coverage was carried on Fox Sports Net New York with Mike Emrick and Chico Resch with the play-by-play calling while Matt Loughlin served as the color commentator. The radio broadcasts were on WABC–AM 770, with John Hennessy handling the play-by-play duties with Randy Velischek color commentating.

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Patrik EliasLW812829572217604
Jamie LangenbrunnerRW782233556517515
Scott GomezC801342554817204
Jeff FriesenLW812328512623304
Joe NieuwendykC801728455610304
John MaddenC801922412613223
Brian RafalskiD79337401418200
Scott NiedermayerD811128396223303
Brian GiontaRW58121325235203
Turner StevensonRW77713201157000
Scott StevensD81416204118002
Sergei BrylinLW521181916-2311
Jay PandolfoLW68611172312014
Oleg TverdovskyD505813222201
Colin WhiteD7258139819001
Jim McKenzieLW764812883002
Jiri BicekRW445611257101
Christian BerglundLW38459203000
Ken DaneykoD69279336000
Mike RuppC26538210203
Tommy AlbelinD37167610010
Pascal RheaumeC2141583011
Grant MarshallRW101347-3000
Mike DantonC17202350000
Steve GuollaC1220221000
Richard SmehlikD120220-1000
Craig DarbyC30110-1000
Raymond GirouxD110116-2000
Andrei ZyuzinD10112-1000
Martin BrodeurG73000100000
Corey SchwabG1100000000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Martin Brodeur437473412391472.02917061559.914
Corey Schwab61411531151.471223208.933
Team:4988824626101621.951019291767.916

Playoffs

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Jamie LangenbrunnerRW241171816104
Scott NiedermayerD242161816100
John MaddenC24610162211
Jeff FriesenLW24104146104
Patrik EliasLW24581326202
Jay PandolfoLW2466122001
Scott GomezC2439122000
Brian RafalskiD2329118200
Joe NieuwendykC173694100
Scott StevensD2436914101
Brian GiontaRW241896000
Grant MarshallRW246288201
Colin WhiteD2405529000
Sergei BrylinLW191348001
Mike RuppC41340001
Pascal RheaumeC2412313000
Oleg TverdovskyD150330000
Turner StevensonRW1411226000
Tommy AlbelinD161012000
Martin BrodeurG240116000
Jiri BicekRW50000000
Ken DaneykoD130002000
Jim McKenzieLW1300014000
Corey SchwabG20000000
Richard SmehlikD50002000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Martin Brodeur149124168411.657622581.934
Corey Schwab2820000.000881.000
Team:151924168411.627630589.935

[6]

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

Awards and records

Awards

Regular Season
PlayerAwardAwarded
Martin BrodeurVezina TrophyEnd of regular season
Martin BrodeurWilliam Jennings TrophyEnd of regular season
Martin BrodeurNHL First All-Star Team - GoaltenderEnd of regular season

Nominations

Regular Season
PlayerAwardPlace
Martin BrodeurHart Memorial TrophyFinalist
John MaddenFrank J. Selke TrophyRunner-Up

53rd NHL All-Star Game

New Jersey Devils NHL All-Star representatives at the 53rd NHL All-Star Game in Sunrise, Florida, at the Office Depot Center.

Draft picks

The Devils' draft picks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

Rd # Pick # Player Nat Pos Team (League) Notes
1 20 No first-round pick[7]
2 51 Anton Kadeykin  Russia D Elemash Elektrostal (Vysshaya Liga)
2 53 Barry Tallackson  United States RW University of Minnesota (WCHA) [8]
3 64 Jason Ryznar  United States LW University of Michigan (CCHA) [9]
3 84 Marek Chvatal  Czech Republic D Oceláři Třinec (Czech Extraliga) [10]
3 85 Ahren Nittel  Canada LW Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
4 117 Cam Janssen  United States RW Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
5 154 Krisjanis Redlihs  Latvia D Liepājas Metalurgs (Latvian Hockey League)
6 187 Eric Johansson  Canada C Tri-City Americans (WHL)
7 218 Ilkka Pikkarainen  Finland RW HIFK (SM-liiga) [9][11]
8 250 Dan Glover  Canada D Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
9 281 Bill Kinkel  United States LW Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

Roster

2002–03 New Jersey Devils
Goaltenders

Defensemen

Wingers

Centers

[12]

See also

References

  • "New Jersey Devils game log". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  • "2002-03 Team Standings". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  • "2002-03 Player Statistics". hockeyDB. Archived from the original on 2 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  • "NHL attendance". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  • "Devils team photo". NewJerseyDevils. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  1. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2003.html
  2. "Nieuwendyk gets 500th goal in Devils' win". The Washington Post. 2003-01-18. Archived from the original on 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2020-06-24 via Highbeam Research.
  3. "Nieuwendyk hits 1,000 in victory over Penguins". The Vindicator. 2003-02-24. p. C6. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  4. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 163.
  5. "2002–2003 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  6. "2002-03 New Jersey Devils Statistics – Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  7. The Devils traded their 2001 first-round pick (later transferred to Buffalo and used on Daniel Paille), along with Randy McKay and Jason Arnott for Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner on March 19, 2002.
  8. No source exists to indicate why the Devils drafted twice in the second round of 2002.
  9. The Devils acquired the 2002 third-round pick from Atlanta for Phoenix's 2001 fourth-round pick (used on Milan Gajic) and the Devils' 2002 seventh-round pick (later transferred to San Jose and used on Tim Conboy) on June 24, 2001.
  10. The Devils had traded their original 2001 third-round pick (used on Beat Schiess-Forster) to Phoenix for the Coyotes' 2002 third-round pick (Marek Chvatal) on June 23, 2001.
  11. No source exists to indicate where the Devils acquired the pick to draft Pikkarainen.
  12. https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/NJD/2003.html
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