2002–03 Ottawa Senators season

The 2002–03 Ottawa Senators season was the 11th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season saw the Senators reach the highest point in the playoffs until the 2006–07 season. They were eliminated by the New Jersey Devils, the eventual Stanley Cup winning team in the Eastern Conference final. On top of their larger success, with their total 113 points they won the Presidents' Trophy, the Northeast Division title and the Eastern Conference title.

2002–03 Ottawa Senators
Northeast Division champions
Division1st Northeast
Conference1st Eastern
2002–03 record52–21–8–1
Home record28–10–3–1
Road record24–12–5–0
Goals for263
Goals against182
Team information
General managerJohn Muckler
CoachJacques Martin
CaptainDaniel Alfredsson
Alternate captainsZdeno Chara
Curtis Leschyshyn
Wade Redden
ArenaCorel Centre
Average attendance17,198 (89.9%)
Team leaders
GoalsMarian Hossa (45)
AssistsDaniel Alfredsson (51)
PointsMarian Hossa (80)
Penalty minutesChris Neil (147)
Plus/minusZdeno Chara (+29)
WinsPatrick Lalime (39)
Goals against averagePatrick Lalime (2.16)
Banner at Scotiabank Place

After their long history of debt problems, the Senators filed for bankruptcy on January 9, 2003. They continued regular season play after receiving emergency financing from the NHL. Despite the off-ice problems, they had a successful year, compared to their early day woes. The Presidents' Trophy awarded to the Senators made them the first Canadian team to win it since the Calgary Flames in their championship season of 1989, and the first Eastern Conference team to win it since the New York Rangers' title in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. In the playoffs, they defeated their former teammate Alexei Yashin and his New York Islanders, then the Philadelphia Flyers before coming within one game of making it into the Finals, falling to the New Jersey Devils.

Regular season

Right winger Marian Hossa led Ottawa in scoring, just eclipsing Yashin's previous record of 44 goals. Without the goaltending issues that had plagued Senators teams of the past, Patrick Lalime showed one of his best seasons, with career bests in goals against average (GAA) and wins.

After a slow start to the season after an even .500 ratio, the Senators turned around their game with a ten-game unbeaten streak. Fans were concerned whether their start was due to off-ice problems. These worries, however, were soon irrelevant to fans when the Senators again clinched a playoff berth. Before the playoffs, the Senators addressed toughness concerns through separate trades to the Buffalo Sabres for grinders Vaclav Varada and Rob Ray respectively, plus two-way forward Bryan Smolinski from the Los Angeles Kings.

Division standings
Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
11Ottawa Senators82522181263182113
25Toronto Maple Leafs8244287323620898
37Boston Bruins82363111424523787
410Montreal Canadiens8230358920623477
512Buffalo Sabres82273710819021972

[1]

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[2]
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
Regular season schedule
No. R Date Score Opponent Record Attendance
1LOctober 10, 20021–2New Jersey Devils (2002–03)0–1–0–016,865
2WOctober 12, 20022–1@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)1–1–0–019,198
3WOctober 15, 20022–1Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03)2–1–0–013,816
4WOctober 23, 20024–1Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)3–1–0–014,847
5TOctober 24, 20022–2 OT@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)3–1–1–017,565
6LOctober 26, 20023–5@ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)3–2–1–020,812
7LOctober 29, 20021–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)3–3–1–019,077
8LOctober 30, 20021–4Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)3–4–1–017,987
9WNovember 2, 20025–2Detroit Red Wings (2002–03)4–4–1–018,210
10WNovember 6, 20025–2@ Colorado Avalanche (2002–03)5–4–1–018,007
11LNovember 8, 20022–3Los Angeles Kings (2002–03)5–5–1–016,926
12LNovember 9, 20021–7@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)5–6–1–013,954
13WNovember 12, 20025–3@ New York Islanders (2002–03)6–6–1–012,659
14WNovember 14, 20023–2 OTFlorida Panthers (2002–03)7–6–1–013,323
15WNovember 16, 20024–1Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)8–6–1–015,298
16TNovember 19, 20024–4 OT@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)8–6–2–011,044
17WNovember 21, 20023–2Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)9–6–2–016,010
18WNovember 23, 20025–2Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03)10–6–2–015,684
19WNovember 25, 20022–0Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)11–6–2–018,035
20TNovember 27, 20022–2 OT@ New York Islanders (2002–03)11–6–3–014,887
21WNovember 29, 20026–2@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)12–6–3–015,822
22WNovember 30, 20024–2New York Islanders (2002–03)13–6–3–015,121
23LDecember 4, 20020–1@ Chicago Blackhawks (2002–03)13–7–3–012,137
24TDecember 5, 20022–2 OT@ St. Louis Blues (2002–03)13–7–4–017,189
25WDecember 7, 20025–2Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)14–7–4–015,328
26WDecember 10, 20024–2@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)15–7–4–09,966
27WDecember 12, 20025–2@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)16–7–4–011,893
28WDecember 14, 20024–3 OTNew Jersey Devils (2002–03)17–7–4–017,284
29LDecember 16, 20022–3Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)17–8–4–016,807
30WDecember 18, 20023–0@ New Jersey Devils (2002–03)18–8–4–011,876
31WDecember 19, 20029–3San Jose Sharks (2002–03)19–8–4–014,848
32WDecember 21, 20023–1@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)20–8–4–019,543
33TDecember 23, 20022–2 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (2002–03)20–8–5–017,787
34WDecember 26, 20023–2@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)21–8–5–012,677
35WDecember 27, 20023–2 OTMontreal Canadiens (2002–03)22–8–5–018,500
36LDecember 30, 20022–3@ Nashville Predators (2002–03)22–9–5–011,584
37WDecember 31, 20026–3@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)23–9–5–014,452
38WJanuary 2, 20038–1Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)24–9–5–018,026
39OTLJanuary 4, 20031–2 OTBuffalo Sabres (2002–03)24–9–5–116,406
40WJanuary 6, 20035–2@ New York Rangers (2002–03)25–9–5–118,200
41LJanuary 8, 20034–6@ Vancouver Canucks (2002–03)25–10–5–118,422
42WJanuary 9, 20031–0@ Calgary Flames (2002–03)26–10–5–116,058
43WJanuary 11, 20032–0@ Edmonton Oilers (2002–03)27–10–5–116,839
44WJanuary 14, 20037–0Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)28–10–5–118,500
45WJanuary 16, 20033–1Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)29–10–5–118,034
46WJanuary 18, 20035–2Washington Capitals (2002–03)30–10–5–118,500
47LJanuary 20, 20032–6@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)30–11–5–112,022
48WJanuary 22, 20032–1@ Florida Panthers (2002–03)31–11–5–113,944
49TJanuary 23, 20033–3 OT@ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)31–11–6–110,805
50WJanuary 25, 20034–3 OTBuffalo Sabres (2002–03)32–11–6–118,241
51LJanuary 27, 20033–5@ Dallas Stars (2002–03)32–12–6–118,532
52LJanuary 29, 20032–3@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)32–13–6–113,230
53LJanuary 30, 20030–3@ Los Angeles Kings (2002–03)32–14–6–116,518
54WFebruary 5, 20035–3@ New York Rangers (2002–03)33–14–6–118,200
55TFebruary 6, 20032–2 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (2002–03)33–14–7–116,599
56WFebruary 8, 20033–1Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)34–14–7–118,371
57WFebruary 12, 20033–0@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)35–14–7–114,197
58WFebruary 13, 20032–0Edmonton Oilers (2002–03)36–14–7–118,115
59LFebruary 15, 20031–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)36–15–7–119,415
60WFebruary 17, 20033–2New York Rangers (2002–03)37–15–7–118,094
61WFebruary 19, 20035–3@ New Jersey Devils (2002–03)38–15–7–112,298
62LFebruary 20, 20033–4Florida Panthers (2002–03)38–16–7–115,250
63WFebruary 22, 20034–0Nashville Predators (2002–03)39–16–7–117,971
64LFebruary 25, 20030–3Minnesota Wild (2002–03)39–17–7–117,371
65WFebruary 27, 20033–2 OTDallas Stars (2002–03)40–17–7–118,500
66LMarch 1, 20031–2Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)40–18–7–118,033
67WMarch 4, 20034–1Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)41–18–7–118,500
68WMarch 8, 20035–1@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)42–18–7–114,354
69WMarch 9, 20034–2Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)43–18–7–118,500
70WMarch 11, 20034–3 OTBoston Bruins (2002–03)44–18–7–118,230
71WMarch 13, 20033–2 OTNew York Rangers (2002–03)45–18–7–118,011
72LMarch 15, 20032–5New York Islanders (2002–03)45–19–7–118,349
73LMarch 16, 20032–6@ Detroit Red Wings (2002–03)45–20–7–120,058
74WMarch 18, 20036–5@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)46–20–7–116,531
75WMarch 21, 20035–1@ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)47–20–7–116,114
76WMarch 22, 20033–1@ Florida Panthers (2002–03)48–20–7–118,613
77TMarch 25, 20032–2 OTColorado Avalanche (2002–03)48–20–8–118,036
78LMarch 28, 20032–3Washington Capitals (2002–03)48–21–8–118,311
79WMarch 29, 20033–1@ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)49–21–8–121,273
80WApril 1, 20033–2Boston Bruins (2002–03)50–21–8–118,500
81WApril 3, 20035–1@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)51–21–8–115,784
82WApril 5, 20033–1@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)52–21–8–119,445

[3]

Playoffs

In the first round of the playoffs, the team played the New York Islanders, facing former team captain Alexei Yashin for the first time in the playoffs. Yashin played well in the first game and the Islanders won the first game at the Corel Centre 3–0. The loss by the Senators was attributed to paying too much attention to stopping Yashin and not enough on the rest of the Islanders. The Senators adjusted their play for the next game winning it and the next three games in a row to win the series 4–1.

In the second round, the team faced the Philadelphia Flyers who had defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. The Senators won the series on the basis of their strong defence, holding the Flyers to only ten goals in the six games, advancing to the Eastern Conference final series against the New Jersey Devils to decide the Prince of Wales Trophy.

The first two games of the series were in Ottawa and the wins were split between the Senators and Devils. In New Jersey, the Devils won both games to put the Senators at the brink of elimination. However, the Senators came back, winning the fifth game at home and the sixth game in New Jersey to force a seventh and deciding game at home.

In the seventh game, Ottawa got out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Magnus Arvedson. The Devils would score the next two on goals in the second period by Jamie Langenbrunner. Going into the third down 2-1 the Sens tied it on a goal by Radek Bonk and dominated play in the third, when with two minutes remaining, Devils' forward Jeff Friesen deked out Patrick Lalime and shot over his leg pad, into the net, to score the series-winning goal.[4]

Conference Quarter-final

Date Visiting Team Score Home Team Score Notes Attendance
April 9NY Islanders3Ottawa018,273
April 12NY Islanders0Ottawa318,500
April 14Ottawa3NY Islanders22:25 OT16,234
April 16Ottawa3NY Islanders116,234
April 17NY Islanders1Ottawa418,500

Ottawa Senators win series 4 games to 1

Eastern Conference Semi-final

Date Visiting Team Score Home Team Score Notes Attendance
April 25Philadelphia2Ottawa418,197
April 27Philadelphia2Ottawa018,500
April 29Ottawa3Philadelphia26:43 OT19,680
May 1Ottawa0Philadelphia119,842
May 3Philadelphia2Ottawa518,500
May 5Ottawa5Philadelphia119,454

Ottawa Senators win series 4 games to 2

Eastern Conference Final

Date Visiting Team Score Home Team Score Notes Attendance
May 10New Jersey2Ottawa33:08 OT18,500
May 13New Jersey4Ottawa118,500
May 15Ottawa0New Jersey119,040
May 17Ottawa2New Jersey519,040
May 19New Jersey1Ottawa318,500
May 21Ottawa2New Jersey115:51 OT19,040
May 23New Jersey3Ottawa218,500

New Jersey Devils win series 4 games to 3

Player statistics

Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Marian HossaRW8045358034814010
Daniel AlfredssonRW782751784215906
Todd WhiteC802535602819815
Martin HavlatRW672435593020904
Radek BonkC702232543661104
Wade ReddenD761035457023403
Zdeno CharaD749303911629302
Mike FisherC741820385413513
Magnus ArvedsonLW801621374813204
Shaun Van AllenC781220326617223
Karel RachunekD58425293023301
Peter SchaeferLW75617233211001
Jason SpezzaC33714218-3300
Petr SchastlivyLW339101943502
Chris PhillipsD7831619717201
Anton VolchenkovD573131640-4000
Jody HullRW70381114-3001
Chris NeilRW6864101478000
Bryan SmolinskiC1035821000
Vaclav VaradaRW1126883100
Shane HnidyD67088130-1000
Curtis LeschyshynD541671811000
Brian PothierD14246611001
Steve MartinsC14235103000
Brad SmythRW1231415-2200
Joel KwiatkowskiD2002262000
Toni DahlmanRW121010-1001
Patrick LalimeG6701160000
Josh LangfeldRW1201142000
Dennis BonvieRW1200029-1000
Ray EmeryG300000000
Martin PrusekG1800000000
Rob RayRW500040000
Joey TetarenkoRW200050000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Patrick Lalime394367392071422.16815911449.911
Martin Prusek935181221372.370415378.911
Ray Emery85310021.4102624.923
Team:496382522281812.19820321851.911

Playoffs
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Marian HossaRW18511166-1301
Radek BonkC186511102200
Martin HavlatRW185611144102
Bryan SmolinskiC1827964000
Wade ReddenD18189101001
Daniel AlfredssonRW1844812-3401
Zdeno CharaD18167143000
Todd WhiteC185166-1112
Chris PhillipsD18246123001
Vaclav VaradaRW18246184000
Magnus ArvedsonLW1815616-4000
Peter SchaeferLW1623563010
Mike FisherC1822416-1011
Karel RachunekD1713414-5000
Jason SpezzaC311201100
Shaun Van AllenC1811212-1001
Anton VolchenkovD1711243001
Chris NeilRW15101241000
Curtis LeschyshynD18011100000
Shane HnidyD100000000
Jody HullRW200000000
Patrick LalimeG1800000000
Brian PothierD100020000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Patrick Lalime112218117341.821449415.924
Team:112218117341.821449415.924

[5]

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;

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades
June 23, 2002 To Tampa Bay Lightning
Seventh-round pick in 2002 draft		 To Ottawa Senators
Josef Boumedienne
June 29, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
Shawn McEachern
Sixth-round pick in 2004 draft		 To Ottawa Senators
Brian Pothier
September 21, 2002 To Vancouver Canucks
Sami Salo		 To Ottawa Senators
Peter Schaefer
October 1, 2002 To Florida Panthers
Jani Hurme		 To Ottawa Senators
Greg Watson,
Billy Thompson
December 16, 2002 To Washington Capitals
Josef Boumedienne		 To Ottawa Senators
Dean Melanson
January 15, 2003 To Washington Capitals
Joel Kwiatkowski		 To Ottawa Senators
Ninth-round pick in 2003 draft.
This pick returned to Washington for future considerations.
February 25, 2003 To Buffalo Sabres
Jakub Klepis		 To Ottawa Senators
Vaclav Varada
Fifth-round pick in 2003 NHL Entry Draft (Tim Cook)
March 4, 2003 To Florida Panthers
Simon Lajeunesse		 To Ottawa Senators
Joey Tetarenko
March 10, 2003 To Buffalo Sabres
future considerations		 To Ottawa Senators
Rob Ray
March 10, 2003 To Nashville Predators
future considerations		 To Ottawa Senators
Bob Wren
March 11, 2003 To Los Angeles Kings
Tim Gleason
Future considerations		 To Ottawa Senators
Bryan Smolinski

Waivers
January 15, 2003 To St. Louis Blues
Steve Martins

Source: Ottawa Senators 2007–08 Media Guide. Ottawa Senators. 2007. p. 185.

Roster
2002-03 Ottawa Senators
Goaltenders

Defencemen

Wingers

Centres

Sources:

Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks from the 2002 NHL Entry Draft held on June 22 and June 23, 2002 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
116Jakub Klepis Czech RepublicPortland Winter Hawks (WHL)
247Alexei Kaigorodov RussiaMetallurg Magnitogorsk (RSL)
375Arttu Luttinen FinlandHIFK (SM-liiga)
4113Scott Dobben CanadaErie Otters (OHL)
4125Johan Bjork SwedenMalmö IF (Elitserien)
5150Brock Hooton CanadaQuesnel Millionaires (BCHL)
8246Josef Vavra Czech RepublicHC Vsetín (Czech Extraliga)
9276Vitaly Atyushov RussiaMolot-Prikamye Perm (RSL)

Farm teams

See also

References
  1. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 163.
  2. "2002–2003 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  3. "2002–03 Ottawa Senators Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  4. "Ottawa Senators". Chris Robinson. pp. 74–91.
  5. "2002-03 Ottawa Senators Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.