2002–03 New Jersey Devils season

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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)

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.

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
1 T September 20, 2002 4-4 Pittsburgh Penguins 0-0-0-1
2 W September 21, 2002 5-1 @ Philadelphia Flyers 1-0-0-1
3 L September 22, 2002 3-4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 1-1-0-1
4 W September 24, 2002 2-1 OT @ New York Rangers 2-1-0-1
5 W September 26, 2002 4-0 Philadelphia Flyers 3-1-0-1
6 T September 27, 2002 2-2 New York Rangers 3-1-0-2
7 L October 1, 2002 2-5 @ New York Islanders 3-2-0-2
8 L October 5, 2002 1-3 New York Islanders 3-3-0-2

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]

  • January 17, 2003: Joe Nieuwendyk scored his 500th career goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in a 2–1 Devils victory.[2] He then recorded his 1,000th career point on February 23 in a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.[3]

Season standings[]

Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 2 New Jersey Devils 82 46 20 10 6 216 166 108
2 4 Philadelphia Flyers 82 45 20 13 4 211 166 107
3 8 New York Islanders 82 35 34 11 2 224 231 83
4 9 New York Rangers 82 32 36 10 4 210 231 78
5 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 27 44 6 5 189 255 65

[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 Senators NE 82 52 21 8 1 263 182 113
2 Y- New Jersey Devils AT 82 46 20 10 6 216 166 108
3 Y- Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 36 25 16 5 219 210 93
4 X- Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 45 20 13 4 211 166 107
5 X- Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 44 28 7 3 236 208 98
6 X- Washington Capitals SE 82 39 29 8 6 224 220 92
7 X- Boston Bruins NE 82 36 31 11 4 245 237 87
8 X- New York Islanders AT 82 35 34 11 2 224 231 83
8.5
9 New York Rangers AT 82 32 36 10 4 210 231 78
10 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 30 35 8 9 206 234 77
11 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 31 39 7 5 226 284 74
12 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 27 37 10 8 190 219 72
13 Florida Panthers SE 82 24 36 13 9 176 237 70
14 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 27 44 6 5 189 255 65
15 Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 22 43 11 6 171 240 61

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
1 W October 10, 2002 2–1 @ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 1–0–0–0 2
2 W October 12, 2002 3–2 Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03) 2–0–0–0 4
3 W October 18, 2002 3–2 OT Nashville Predators (2002–03) 3–0–0–0 6
4 L October 19, 2002 1–3 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 3–1–0–0 6
5 W October 23, 2002 2–1 @ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03) 4–1–0–0 8
6 W October 25, 2002 2–1 @ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 5–1–0–0 10
7 W October 26, 2002 5–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 6–1–0–0 12
8 L October 29, 2002 1–2 Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 6–2–0–0 12
9 W November 2, 2002 5–1 Chicago Blackhawks (2002–03) 7–2–0–0 14
10 L November 5, 2002 2–3 Calgary Flames (2002–03) 7–3–0–0 14
11 W November 7, 2002 1–0 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 8–3–0–0 16
12 L November 9, 2002 3–6 Edmonton Oilers (2002–03) 8–4–0–0 16
13 W November 12, 2002 3–2 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03) 9–4–0–0 18
14 W November 15, 2002 5–1 Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) 10–4–0–0 20
15 L November 16, 2002 1–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) 10–5–0–0 20
16 W November 19, 2002 4–3 OT Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 11–5–0–0 22
17 T November 21, 2002 4–4 OT New York Rangers (2002–03) 11–5–1–0 23
18 L November 23, 2002 1–3 Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 11–6–1–0 23
19 OTL November 27, 2002 2–3 OT @ Detroit Red Wings (2002–03) 11–6–1–1 24
20 W November 29, 2002 2–1 @ Nashville Predators (2002–03) 12–6–1–1 26
21 W November 30, 2002 5–4 OT @ St. Louis Blues (2002–03) 13–6–1–1 28
22 W December 2, 2002 1–0 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 14–6–1–1 30
23 OTL December 4, 2002 2–3 OT Vancouver Canucks (2002–03) 14–6–1–2 31
24 W December 6, 2002 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 15–6–1–2 33
25 L December 7, 2002 0–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 15–7–1–2 33
26 W December 10, 2002 2–0 St. Louis Blues (2002–03) 16–7–1–2 35
27 L December 12, 2002 2–4 @ Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03) 16–8–1–2 35
28 OTL December 14, 2002 3–4 OT @ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 16–8–1–3 36
29 L December 18, 2002 0–3 Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 16–9–1–3 36
30 W December 19, 2002 3–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 17–9–1–3 38
31 W December 21, 2002 5–3 Dallas Stars (2002–03) 18–9–1–3 40
32 T December 23, 2002 2–2 OT @ New York Rangers (2002–03) 18–9–2–3 41
33 L December 27, 2002 2–3 @ Washington Capitals (2002–03) 18–10–2–3 41
34 W December 28, 2002 2–1 OT Washington Capitals (2002–03) 19–10–2–3 43
35 W December 30, 2002 1–0 @ Boston Bruins (2002–03) 20–10–2–3 45
36 L January 1, 2003 1–2 Florida Panthers (2002–03) 20–11–2–3 45
37 W January 3, 2003 2–0 Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 21–11–2–3 47
38 L January 4, 2003 1–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 21–12–2–3 47
39 W January 7, 2003 3–2 Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) 22–12–2–3 49
40 W January 10, 2003 2–1 @ Florida Panthers (2002–03) 23–12–2–3 51
41 T January 11, 2003 3–3 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 23–12–3–3 52
42 W January 13, 2003 6–2 Florida Panthers (2002–03) 24–12–3–3 54
43 W January 15, 2003 5–0 New York Islanders (2002–03) 25–12–3–3 56
44 W January 17, 2003 2–1 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 26–12–3–3 58
45 W January 18, 2003 5–2 Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 27–12–3–3 60
46 W January 22, 2003 5–4 OT @ San Jose Sharks (2002–03) 28–12–3–3 62
47 W January 24, 2003 3–1 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03) 29–12–3–3 64
48 OTL January 25, 2003 1–2 OT @ Los Angeles Kings (2002–03) 29–12–3–4 65
49 W January 28, 2003 1–0 Detroit Red Wings (2002–03) 30–12–3–4 67
50 W January 30, 2003 5–1 Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 31–12–3–4 69
51 W February 4, 2003 4–1 Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 32–12–3–4 71
52 W February 5, 2003 4–1 @ Washington Capitals (2002–03) 33–12–3–4 73
53 L February 7, 2003 2–4 Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03) 33–13–3–4 73
54 W February 9, 2003 3–2 Minnesota Wild (2002–03) 34–13–3–4 75
55 L February 11, 2003 1–3 @ Colorado Avalanche (2002–03) 34–14–3–4 75
56 W February 12, 2003 3–0 @ Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03) 35–14–3–4 77
57 L February 15, 2003 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 35–15–3–4 77
58 T February 18, 2003 2–2 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 35–15–4–4 78
59 L February 19, 2003 3–5 Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 35–16–4–4 78
60 W February 21, 2003 3–2 Boston Bruins (2002–03) 36–16–4–4 80
61 W February 23, 2003 4–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 37–16–4–4 82
62 T February 25, 2003 3–3 OT New York Rangers (2002–03) 37–16–5–4 83
63 T February 27, 2003 3–3 OT @ New York Islanders (2002–03) 37–16–6–4 84
64 W March 1, 2003 2–1 OT Washington Capitals (2002–03) 38–16–6–4 86
65 L March 4, 2003 2–3 @ Minnesota Wild (2002–03) 38–17–6–4 86
66 OTL March 5, 2003 4–5 OT @ Calgary Flames (2002–03) 38–17–6–5 87
67 W March 8, 2003 4–2 @ New York Islanders (2002–03) 39–17–6–5 89
68 L March 11, 2003 2–3 Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03) 39–18–6–5 89
69 L March 13, 2003 3–4 @ Boston Bruins (2002–03) 39–19–6–5 89
70 W March 15, 2003 3–1 New York Rangers (2002–03) 40–19–6–5 91
71 L March 17, 2003 2–4 Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 40–20–6–5 91
72 W March 18, 2003 1–0 @ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) 41–20–6–5 93
73 W March 21, 2003 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 42–20–6–5 95
74 W March 22, 2003 4–2 @ New York Islanders (2002–03) 43–20–6–5 97
75 W March 24, 2003 4–1 @ Florida Panthers (2002–03) 44–20–6–5 99
76 T March 27, 2003 2–2 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 44–20–7–5 100
77 T March 28, 2003 1–1 OT @ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03) 44–20–8–5 101
78 W March 30, 2003 6–0 New York Islanders (2002–03) 45–20–8–5 103
79 OTL April 1, 2003 2–3 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 45–20–8–6 104
80 T April 3, 2003 1–1 OT Boston Bruins (2002–03) 45–20–9–6 105
81 W April 4, 2003 2–1 @ New York Rangers (2002–03) 46–20–9–6 107
82 T April 6, 2003 2–2 OT @ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 46–20–10–6 108

Playoffs[]

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals[]

(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.


April 9 Boston Bruins 1–2 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
No Scoring First period 15:35 – Jamie Langenbrunner (1)
No Scoring Second period 11:38 – Jamie Langenbrunner (2)
Bryan Berard (1) – 03:29 Third period No Scoring
Steve Shields 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 26 saves / 27 shots
April 11 Boston Bruins 2–4 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
Glen Murray (1) – 08:52 First period 14:17 – Jeff Friesen (1)
19:34 – pp – Brian Rafalski (1)
Dan McGillis (1) – pp – 13:59 Second period No Scoring
No Scoring Third period 00:15 – pp – Jamie Langenbrunner (3)
14:24 ��� Joe Nieuwendyk (1)
Steve Shields 26 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 24 saves / 26 shots
April 13 New Jersey Devils 3–0 Boston Bruins FleetCenter Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
Scott Stevens (1) – 01:11 Second period No Scoring
Jay Pandolfo (1) – 12:00
John Madden (1) – en – 18:54 		Third period No Scoring
Martin Brodeur 29 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Jeff Hackett 19 saves / 21 shots
April 15 New Jersey Devils 1–5 Boston Bruins FleetCenter Recap  
No Scoring First period 19:47 – pp – Joe Thornton (1)
No Scoring Second period 02:24 – pp – Dan McGillis (2)
17:15 – Dan McGillis (3)
Scott Niedermayer (1) – 01:37 Third period 01:45 – Martin Lapointe (1)
03:37 – Marty McInnis (1)
Martin Brodeur 19 saves / 24 shots
Corey Schwab 6 saves / 6 shots 		Goalie stats Jeff Hackett 24 saves / 25 shots
April 17 Boston Bruins 0–3 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
No Scoring First period 08:31 – pp – John Madden (2)
No Scoring Second period No Scoring
No Scoring Third period 07:41 – Jamie Langenbrunner (4)
19:08 – en – Jamie Langenbrunner (5)
Jeff Hackett 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 29 saves / 29 shots
New Jersey won series 4–1


Eastern Conference Semifinals[]

(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.


April 24 Tampa Bay Lightning 0–3 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
No Scoring Second period No Scoring
No Scoring Third period 07:41 – Jamie Langenbrunner (6)
11:28 – John Madden (3)
17:09 – Turner Stevenson (1)
Nikolai Khabibulin 29 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 15 saves / 15 shots
April 26 Tampa Bay Lightning 2–3 OT New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
Chris Dingman (1) – 12:25 First period No Scoring
Martin St. Louis (6) – sh – 19:38 Second period 19:26 – pp – Brian Rafalski (2)
No Scoring Third period 10:26 – Grant Marshall (1)
No Scoring First overtime period 02:09 – Jamie Langenbrunner (7)
Nikolai Khabibulin 33 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 26 saves / 28 shots
April 28 New Jersey Devils 3–4 Tampa Bay Lightning St. Pete Times Forum Recap  
No Scoring First period 04:19 – pp – Vaclav Prospal (4)
09:21 – Martin St. Louis (7)
16:16 – Fredrik Modin (2)
John Madden (4) – pp – 06:38
Grant Marshall (2) – 07:34
Jeff Friesen (2) – 15:06 		Second period No Scoring
No Scoring Third period 06:08 – Dave Andreychuk (3)
Martin Brodeur 25 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Nikolai Khabibulin 24 saves / 27 shots
April 30 New Jersey Devils 3–1 Tampa Bay Lightning St. Pete Times Forum Recap  
Scott Gomez (1) – 04:52
Patrik Elias (1) – 16:33 		First period 11:30 – Jassen Cullimore (1)
No Scoring Second period No Scoring
Scott Stevens (2) – pp – 13:13 Third period No Scoring
Martin Brodeur 25 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Nikolai Khabibulin 23 saves / 26 shots
May 2 Tampa Bay Lightning 1–2 3OT New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
Nikita Alexeev (1) – 11:18 First period 13:27 – pp – Scott Niedermayer (2)
No Scoring Second period No Scoring
No Scoring Third period No Scoring
No Scoring Third overtime period 11:12 – Grant Marshall (3)
John Grahame 46 saves / 48 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 38 saves / 39 shots
New Jersey won series 4–1


Eastern Conference Finals[]

(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.


May 10 New Jersey Devils 2–3 OT Ottawa Senators Corel Centre Recap  
No Scoring First period 06:10 – Chris Neil (1)
07:23 – Todd White (4)
Joe Nieuwendyk (2) – 14:19
Jay Pandolfo (2) – 16:51 		Second period No Scoring
No Scoring Third period No Scoring
No Scoring First overtime period 03:08 – Shaun Van Allen (1)
Martin Brodeur 27 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Patrick Lalime 32 saves / 34 shots
May 13 New Jersey Devils 4–1 Ottawa Senators Corel Centre Recap  
Tommy Albelin (1) – 04:15
Jeff Friesen (3) – 17:21 		First period No Scoring
John Madden (5) – 16:33 Second period 02:02 – Radek Bonk (4)
Jay Pandolfo (3) – 14:29 Third period No Scoring
Martin Brodeur 30 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Patrick Lalime 17 saves / 21 shots
May 15 Ottawa Senators 0–1 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 10:48 – Sergei Brylin (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Patrick Lalime 23 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 24 saves / 24 shots
May 17 Ottawa Senators 2–5 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
Karel Rachunek (1) – 19:45 First period 07:25 – pp – Grant Marshall (4)
Vaclav Varada (2) – 07:08 Second period 16:43 – Jay Pandolfo (4)
No Scoring Third period 00:41 – pp – Jeff Friesen (4)
04:17 – Patrik Elias (2)
07:35 – sh – John Madden (6)
Patrick Lalime 15 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 26 saves / 28 shots
May 19 New Jersey Devils 1–3 Ottawa Senators Corel Centre Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
Scott Stevens (3) – 06:19 Second period 03:59 – sh – Todd White (5)
No Scoring Third period 07:59 – Martin Havlat (5)
12:28 – pp – Jason Spezza (1)
Martin Brodeur 15 saves / 18 shots Goalie stats Patrick Lalime 21 saves / 22 shots
May 21 Ottawa Senators 2–1 OT New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
Radek Bonk (5) – pp – 17:49 Second period No Scoring
No Scoring Third period 02:41 – pp – Joe Nieuwendyk (3)
Chris Phillips (2) – 15:51 First overtime period No Scoring
Patrick Lalime 30 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 32 saves / 34 shots
May 23 New Jersey Devils 3–2 Ottawa Senators Corel Centre Recap  
No Scoring First period 03:33 – Magnus Arvedson (1)
Jamie Langenbrunner (8) – 03:52
Jamie Langenbrunner (9) – 05:46 		Second period No Scoring
Jeff Friesen (5) – 17:46 Third period 01:53 – Radek Bonk (6)
Martin Brodeur 24 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Patrick Lalime 24 saves / 27 shots
New Jersey won series 4–3


Stanley Cup Finals[]

Main article: 2003 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.


May 27 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0–3 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
No Scoring Second period 01:45 – Jeff Friesen (6)
No Scoring Third period 05:34 – Grant Marshall (5)
19:38 – en – Jeff Friesen (7)
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 27 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 16 saves / 16 shots
May 29 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0–3 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
No Scoring Second period 04:42 – pp – Patrik Elias (3)
12:11 – Scott Gomez (2)
No Scoring Third period 04:22 – Jeff Friesen (8)
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 22 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 16 saves / 16 shots
May 31 New Jersey Devils 2–3 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
Patrik Elias (4) – 14:02 Second period 03:39 – Marc Chouinard (1)
14:47 – Sandis Ozolins (2)
Scott Gomez (3) – 09:11 Third period No Scoring
No Scoring First overtime period 06:59 – Ruslan Salei (2)
Martin Brodeur 30 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Jean-Sebastien Giguere 29 saves / 31 shots
June 2 New Jersey Devils 0–1 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
No Scoring Second period No Scoring
No Scoring Third period No Scoring
No Scoring First overtime period 00:39 – Steve Thomas (3)
Martin Brodeur 25 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Jean-Sebastien Giguere 26 saves / 26 shots
June 5 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3–6 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
Petr Sykora (3) – 00:42
Steve Rucchin (5) – 12:50 		First period 03:35 – Pascal Rheaume (1)
07:45 – pp – Patrik Elias (5)
Samuel Pahlsson (2) – 06:35 Second period 03:12 – Brian Gionta (1)
09:02 – Jay Pandolfo (5)
No Scoring Third period 05:39 – Jamie Langenbrunner (10)
12:52 – Jamie Langenbrunner (11)
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 31 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 20 saves / 23 shots
June 7 New Jersey Devils 2–5 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim Recap  
No Scoring First period 04:26 – Steve Rucchin (6)
13:42 – Steve Rucchin (7)
15:59 – pp – Steve Thomas (4)
Jay Pandolfo (6) – 02:18 Second period 17:15 – Paul Kariya (6)
Grant Marshall (6) – pp – 10:46 Third period 03:57 – pp – Petr Sykora (4)
Martin Brodeur 17 saves / 22 shots
Corey Schwab 2 saves / 2 shots 		Goalie stats Jean-Sebastien Giguere 26 saves / 28 shots
June 9 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0–3 New Jersey Devils Continental Airlines Arena Recap  
No Scoring First period No Scoring
No Scoring Second period 02:22 – Mike Rupp (1)
12:18 – Jeff Friesen (9)
No Scoring Third period 16:16 – Jeff Friesen (10)
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 22 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 24 saves / 24 shots
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 Elias LW 81 28 29 57 22 17 6 0 4
Jamie Langenbrunner RW 78 22 33 55 65 17 5 1 5
Scott Gomez C 80 13 42 55 48 17 2 0 4
Jeff Friesen LW 81 23 28 51 26 23 3 0 4
Joe Nieuwendyk C 80 17 28 45 56 10 3 0 4
John Madden C 80 19 22 41 26 13 2 2 3
Brian Rafalski D 79 3 37 40 14 18 2 0 0
Scott Niedermayer D 81 11 28 39 62 23 3 0 3
Brian Gionta RW 58 12 13 25 23 5 2 0 3
Turner Stevenson RW 77 7 13 20 115 7 0 0 0
Scott Stevens D 81 4 16 20 41 18 0 0 2
Sergei Brylin LW 52 11 8 19 16 -2 3 1 1
Jay Pandolfo LW 68 6 11 17 23 12 0 1 4
Oleg Tverdovsky D 50 5 8 13 22 2 2 0 1
Colin White D 72 5 8 13 98 19 0 0 1
Jim McKenzie LW 76 4 8 12 88 3 0 0 2
Jiri Bicek RW 44 5 6 11 25 7 1 0 1
Christian Berglund LW 38 4 5 9 20 3 0 0 0
Ken Daneyko D 69 2 7 9 33 6 0 0 0
Mike Rupp C 26 5 3 8 21 0 2 0 3
Tommy Albelin D 37 1 6 7 6 10 0 1 0
Pascal Rheaume C 21 4 1 5 8 3 0 1 1
Grant Marshall RW 10 1 3 4 7 -3 0 0 0
Mike Danton C 17 2 0 2 35 0 0 0 0
Steve Guolla C 12 2 0 2 2 1 0 0 0
Richard Smehlik D 12 0 2 2 0 -1 0 0 0
Craig Darby C 3 0 1 1 0 -1 0 0 0
Raymond Giroux D 11 0 1 1 6 -2 0 0 0
Andrei Zyuzin D 1 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 0
Martin Brodeur G 73 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0
Corey Schwab G 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Martin Brodeur 4374 73 41 23 9 147 2.02 9 1706 1559 .914
Corey Schwab 614 11 5 3 1 15 1.47 1 223 208 .933
Team: 4988 82 46 26 10 162 1.95 10 1929 1767 .916

Playoffs[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Jamie Langenbrunner RW 24 11 7 18 16 1 0 4
Scott Niedermayer D 24 2 16 18 16 1 0 0
John Madden C 24 6 10 16 2 2 1 1
Jeff Friesen LW 24 10 4 14 6 1 0 4
Patrik Elias LW 24 5 8 13 26 2 0 2
Jay Pandolfo LW 24 6 6 12 2 0 0 1
Scott Gomez C 24 3 9 12 2 0 0 0
Brian Rafalski D 23 2 9 11 8 2 0 0
Joe Nieuwendyk C 17 3 6 9 4 1 0 0
Scott Stevens D 24 3 6 9 14 1 0 1
Brian Gionta RW 24 1 8 9 6 0 0 0
Grant Marshall RW 24 6 2 8 8 2 0 1
Colin White D 24 0 5 5 29 0 0 0
Sergei Brylin LW 19 1 3 4 8 0 0 1
Mike Rupp C 4 1 3 4 0 0 0 1
Pascal Rheaume C 24 1 2 3 13 0 0 0
Oleg Tverdovsky D 15 0 3 3 0 0 0 0
Turner Stevenson RW 14 1 1 2 26 0 0 0
Tommy Albelin D 16 1 0 1 2 0 0 0
Martin Brodeur G 24 0 1 1 6 0 0 0
Jiri Bicek RW 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ken Daneyko D 13 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Jim McKenzie LW 13 0 0 0 14 0 0 0
Corey Schwab G 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Richard Smehlik D 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Martin Brodeur 1491 24 16 8 41 1.65 7 622 581 .934
Corey Schwab 28 2 0 0 0 0.00 0 8 8 1.000
Team: 1519 24 16 8 41 1.62 7 630 589 .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
Player Award Awarded
Martin Brodeur Vezina Trophy End of regular season
Martin Brodeur William Jennings Trophy End of regular season
Martin Brodeur NHL First All-Star Team - Goaltender End of regular season

Nominations[]

Regular Season
Player Award Place
Martin Brodeur Hart Memorial Trophy Finalist
John Madden Frank J. Selke Trophy Runner-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.

  • Martin Brodeur, G, (Eastern Conference All-Stars)
  • Scott Stevens, D, (Eastern Conference All-Stars), Captain, Starter

Transactions[]

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  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)

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.[dead link]
  1. ^ "2002-03 NHL Summary".
  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. ^ a b 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.
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