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1997–98 New Jersey Devils season

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1997–98 New Jersey Devils
Atlantic Division champions
Division1st Atlantic
Conference1st Eastern
1997–98 record48–23–11
Home record29–10–2
Road record19–13–9
Goals for225
Goals against166
Team information
General managerLou Lamoriello
CoachJacques Lemaire
CaptainScott Stevens
Alternate captainsDoug Gilmour
Scott Niedermeyer
ArenaContinental Airlines Arena
Average attendance17,296
Minor league affiliate(s)Albany River Rats
Raleigh IceCaps
Team leaders
GoalsBobby Holík (29)
AssistsScott Niedermeyer (43)
PointsBobby Holik (65)
Penalty minutesKrzysztof Oliwa (295)
Plus/minusRandy McKay (+30)
WinsMartin Brodeur (43)
Goals against averageMartin Brodeur (1.89)

The 1997–98 New Jersey Devils season was the 24th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 16th season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season.[1] The Devils won the Atlantic Division title, but were eliminated in the first round of the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Ottawa Senators.

Regular season

[edit]

The Devils once again led the NHL in defense, allowing a League-low 166 goals in the 82-game regular season. Although the Devils had the fewest power play opportunities in the League, with just 333, they finished second in power play percentage, with 18.92% (63 for 333).[2]

Final standings

[edit]
Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 New Jersey Devils 82 48 23 11 225 166 107
2 3 Philadelphia Flyers 82 42 29 11 242 193 95
3 4 Washington Capitals 82 40 30 12 219 202 92
4 10 New York Islanders 82 30 41 11 212 225 71
5 11 New York Rangers 82 25 39 18 197 231 68
6 12 Florida Panthers 82 24 43 15 203 256 63
7 13 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 17 55 10 151 269 44
Eastern Conference[3]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 New Jersey Devils ATL 82 48 23 11 225 166 107
2 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 82 40 24 18 228 188 98
3 Philadelphia Flyers ATL 82 42 29 11 242 193 95
4 Washington Capitals ATL 82 40 30 12 219 202 92
5 Boston Bruins NE 82 39 30 13 221 194 91
6 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 36 29 17 211 187 89
7 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 37 32 13 235 208 87
8 Ottawa Senators NE 82 34 33 15 193 200 83
9 Carolina Hurricanes NE 82 33 41 8 200 219 74
10 New York Islanders ATL 82 30 41 11 212 225 71
11 New York Rangers ATL 82 25 39 18 197 231 68
12 Florida Panthers ATL 82 24 43 15 203 256 63
13 Tampa Bay Lightning ATL 82 17 55 10 151 269 44

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs


Playoffs

[edit]

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

[edit]

The first two games were played at the Meadowlands. In Game 1, Ottawa won 2–1 in overtime, but in Game 2, the Devils were victorious by a score of 3–1. Games 3 and 4 were played in Ottawa. The Senators won Game 3, 2–1, in overtime and Game 4, 4–3. Game 5 was back in New Jersey, where the Devils won 3–1. Game 6 went back to Ottawa, where the Senators won 3–1 and the series 4–2.

Schedule and results

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
1997–98 regular season[4]
October: 7–4–0 (home: 5–1–0; road: 2–3–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 W October 3, 1997 4–3 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) 1–0–0 Recap
2 L October 4, 1997 1–4 @ Washington Capitals (1997–98) 1–1–0 Recap
3 W October 8, 1997 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) 2–1–0 Recap
4 L October 10, 1997 1–2 @ Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) 2–2–0 Recap
5 W October 11, 1997 3–2 Buffalo Sabres (1997–98) 3–2–0 Recap
6 L October 17, 1997 2–4 @ Ottawa Senators (1997–98) 3–3–0 Recap
7 W October 18, 1997 5–0 Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) 4–3–0 Recap
8 W October 23, 1997 2–1 OT Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) 5–3–0 Recap
9 L October 25, 1997 3–4 San Jose Sharks (1997–98) 5–4–0 Recap
10 W October 27, 1997 5–0 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) 6–4–0 Recap
11 W October 30, 1997 8–1 Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) 7–4–0 Recap
November: 10–4–0 (home: 5–2–0; road: 5–2–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
12 W November 1, 1997 3–1 Washington Capitals (1997–98) 8–4–0 Recap
13 L November 4, 1997 0–3 Los Angeles Kings (1997–98) 8–5–0 Recap
14 W November 5, 1997 4–2 @ Florida Panthers (1997–98) 9–5–0 Recap
15 W November 8, 1997 2–0 Boston Bruins (1997–98) 10–5–0 Recap
16 W November 10, 1997 3–1 @ New York Islanders (1997–98) 11–5–0 Recap
17 W November 12, 1997 3–2 @ New York Rangers (1997–98) 12–5–0 Recap
18 W November 14, 1997 4–1 Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) 13–5–0 Recap
19 W November 15, 1997 3–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (1997–98) 14–5–0 Recap
20 W November 18, 1997 2–1 Calgary Flames (1997–98) 15–5–0 Recap
21 W November 20, 1997 5–1 New York Islanders (1997–98) 16–5–0 Recap
22 L November 22, 1997 1–2 OT Florida Panthers (1997–98) 16–6–0 Recap
23 L November 26, 1997 0–2 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) 16–7–0 Recap
24 W November 28, 1997 4–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1997–98) 17–7–0 Recap
25 L November 29, 1997 1–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1997–98) 17–8–0 Recap
December: 8–3–2 (home: 5–2–0; road: 3–1–2)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
26 L December 2, 1997 1–3 St. Louis Blues (1997–98) 17–9–0 Recap
27 W December 4, 1997 4–0 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98) 18–9–0 Recap
28 W December 6, 1997 4–2 Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) 19–9–0 Recap
29 W December 10, 1997 4–2 Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) 20–9–0 Recap
30 W December 12, 1997 5–2 Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) 21–9–0 Recap
31 W December 13, 1997 3–0 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) 22–9–0 Recap
32 W December 16, 1997 4–3 New York Rangers (1997–98) 23–9–0 Recap
33 T December 18, 1997 4–4 OT @ St. Louis Blues (1997–98) 23–9–1 Recap
34 L December 19, 1997 4–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) 23–10–1 Recap
35 T December 23, 1997 1–1 OT @ Washington Capitals (1997–98) 23–10–2 Recap
36 W December 26, 1997 4–3 New York Islanders (1997–98) 24–10–2 Recap
37 W December 29, 1997 3–1 @ Buffalo Sabres (1997–98) 25–10–2 Recap
38 L December 30, 1997 2–6 Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) 25–11–2 Recap
January: 6–5–4 (home: 5–2–0; road: 1–3–4)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
39 L January 1, 1998 1–2 OT @ Florida Panthers (1997–98) 25–12–2 Recap
40 W January 3, 1998 4–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) 26–12–2 Recap
41 L January 5, 1998 3–4 OT Dallas Stars (1997–98) 26–13–2 Recap
42 W January 7, 1998 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98) 27–13–2 Recap
43 W January 9, 1998 4–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) 28–13–2 Recap
44 L January 10, 1998 1–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98) 28–14–2 Recap
45 T January 12, 1998 1–1 OT @ Boston Bruins (1997–98) 28–14–3 Recap
46 W January 14, 1998 4–1 New York Rangers (1997–98) 29–14–3 Recap
47 W January 20, 1998 3–1 Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) 30–14–3 Recap
48 L January 22, 1998 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98) 30–15–3 Recap
49 T January 24, 1998 3–3 OT @ New York Rangers (1997–98) 30–15–4 Recap
50 W January 25, 1998 3–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) 31–15–4 Recap
51 T January 28, 1998 1–1 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) 31–15–5 Recap
52 L January 30, 1998 1–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) 31–16–5 Recap
53 T January 31, 1998 2–2 OT @ Calgary Flames (1997–98) 31–16–6 Recap
February: 6–0–0 (home: 2–0–0; road: 4–0–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
54 W February 2, 1998 1–0 @ Ottawa Senators (1997–98) 32–16–6 Recap
55 W February 4, 1998 2–0 Ottawa Senators (1997–98) 33–16–6 Recap
56 W February 7, 1998 3–2 @ New York Islanders (1997–98) 34–16–6 Recap
57 W February 25, 1998 3–2 @ Florida Panthers (1997–98) 35–16–6 Recap
58 W February 26, 1998 4–1 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) 36–16–6 Recap
59 W February 28, 1998 4–3 Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) 37–16–6 Recap
March: 8–3–3 (home: 5–0–1; road: 3–3–2)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
60 W March 2, 1998 4–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) 38–16–6 Recap
61 T March 5, 1998 1–1 OT Boston Bruins (1997–98) 38–16–7 Recap
62 W March 7, 1998 6–3 New York Rangers (1997–98) 39–16–7 Recap
63 T March 9, 1998 2–2 OT @ New York Rangers (1997–98) 39–16–8 Recap
64 T March 10, 1998 2–2 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) 39–16–9 Recap
65 W March 12, 1998 2–0 @ Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) 40–16–9 Recap
66 L March 14, 1998 2–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) 40–17–9 Recap
67 W March 18, 1998 3–0 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) 41–17–9 Recap
68 L March 20, 1998 0–2 @ Washington Capitals (1997–98) 41–18–9 Recap
69 W March 21, 1998 3–2 Washington Capitals (1997–98) 42–18–9 Recap
70 W March 24, 1998 3–2 Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) 43–18–9 Recap
71 W March 26, 1998 2–0 @ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) 44–18–9 Recap
72 W March 28, 1998 3–0 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98) 45–18–9 Recap
73 L March 29, 1998 1–3 @ Dallas Stars (1997–98) 45–19–9 Recap
April: 3–4–2 (home: 2–3–1; road: 1–1–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
74 L April 1, 1998 0–4 Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) 45–20–9 Recap
75 L April 3, 1998 2–3 Ottawa Senators (1997–98) 45–21–9 Recap
76 W April 5, 1998 3–2 Phoenix Coyotes (1997–98) 46–21–9 Recap
77 L April 8, 1998 2–3 @ New York Islanders (1997–98) 46–22–9 Recap
78 W April 11, 1998 3–2 @ Boston Bruins (1997–98) 47–22–9 Recap
79 T April 12, 1998 5–5 OT Florida Panthers (1997–98) 47–22–10 Recap
80 W April 15, 1998 5–4 OT Buffalo Sabres (1997–98) 48–22–10 Recap
81 T April 16, 1998 1–1 OT @ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) 48–22–11 Recap
82 L April 18, 1998 1–2 New York Islanders (1997–98) 48–23–11 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

[edit]
1998 Stanley Cup playoffs[4]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (8) Ottawa Senators – Senators win 4–2
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 L April 22, 1998 1–2 OT Ottawa Senators Senators lead 1–0 Recap
2 W April 24, 1998 3–1 Ottawa Senators Series tied 1–1 Recap
3 L April 26, 1998 1–2 OT @ Ottawa Senators Senators lead 2–1 Recap
4 L April 28, 1998 3–4 @ Ottawa Senators Senators lead 3–1 Recap
5 W April 30, 1998 3–1 Ottawa Senators Senators lead 3–2 Recap
6 L May 2, 1998 1–3 @ Ottawa Senators Senators win 4–2 Recap
Legend:

  Win   Loss

Player statistics

[edit]

Scoring

[edit]
  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
16 Bobby Holik C 82 29 36 65 23 100 5 0 0 0 −4 8
27 Scott Niedermayer D 81 14 43 57 5 27 6 0 2 2 0 4
93 Doug Gilmour C 63 13 40 53 10 68 6 5 2 7 4 4
21 Randy McKay RW 74 24 24 48 30 86 6 0 1 1 −1 0
23 Dave Andreychuk LW 75 14 34 48 19 26 6 1 0 1 −2 4
26 Patrik Elias LW 74 18 19 37 18 28 4 0 1 1 −2 0
17 Petr Sykora RW 58 16 20 36 0 22 2 0 0 0 0 0
14 Brian Rolston LW 76 16 14 30 7 16 6 1 0 1 2 2
10 Denis Pederson C 80 15 13 28 −6 97 6 1 1 2 0 2
4 Scott Stevens D 80 4 22 26 19 80 6 1 0 1 4 8
32 Steve Thomas LW 55 14 10 24 4 32 6 0 3 3 1 2
24 Lyle Odelein D 79 4 19 23 11 171 6 1 1 2 2 21
19 Bob Carpenter C 66 9 9 18 −4 22 6 1 0 1 0 0
25 Jason Arnott† C 35 5 10 15 −8 21 5 0 2 2 1 0
15 John MacLean‡ RW 26 3 8 11 −6 14 — — — — — —
5 Doug Bodger† D 49 5 5 10 −1 25 5 0 0 0 −5 0
12 Bill Guerin‡ RW 19 5 5 10 0 13 — — — — — —
2 Sheldon Souray D 60 3 7 10 18 85 3 0 1 1 0 2
25 Valeri Zelepukin‡ LW 35 2 8 10 0 32 — — — — — —
9 Brendan Morrison C 11 5 4 9 3 0 3 0 1 1 −1 0
28 Kevin Dean D 50 1 8 9 12 12 5 1 0 1 −1 2
6 Brad Bombardir D 43 1 5 6 11 8 — — — — — —
18 Sergei Brylin LW 18 2 3 5 4 0 — — — — — —
29 Krzysztof Oliwa LW 73 2 3 5 3 295 6 0 0 0 0 23
20 Jay Pandolfo LW 23 1 3 4 −4 4 3 0 2 2 0 0
30 Martin Brodeur G 70 0 3 3 10 6 0 1 1 0
22 Scott Daniels LW 26 0 3 3 1 102 1 0 0 0 0 0
18 Peter Zezel‡ C 5 0 3 3 2 0 — — — — — —
3 Ken Daneyko D 37 0 1 1 3 57 6 0 1 1 0 10
1 Mike Dunham G 15 0 1 1 0 — — — — — —
7 Vlastimil Kroupa D 2 0 1 1 1 0 — — — — — —
8 Sasha Lakovic RW 2 0 0 0 0 5 — — — — — —
35 Richard Shulmistra† G 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
31 Peter Sidorkiewicz G 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
33 Reid Simpson‡ LW 6 0 0 0 −2 16 — — — — — —
5 Ken Sutton‡ D 13 0 0 0 1 6 — — — — — —

Goaltending

[edit]
  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.
No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
30 Martin Brodeur 70 43 17 8 1569 130 1.89 .917 10 4128 6 2 4 164 12 1.97 .927 0 366
1 Mike Dunham 15 5 5 3 332 29 2.25 .913 1 773 — — — — — — — — —
31 Richard Shulmistra† 1 0 1 0 30 2 1.94 .933 0 62 — — — — — — — — —
35 Peter Sidorkiewicz 1 0 0 0 8 1 3.00 .875 0 20 — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

[edit]

Awards

[edit]

Martin Brodeur was a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy and Patrik Elias was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy.

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		NHL All-Rookie Team Patrik Elias (Forward) [5]
NHL Second All-Star Team Martin Brodeur (Goaltender) [5]
Scott Niedermayer (Defense)
William M. Jennings Trophy Martin Brodeur [6]
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Martin Brodeur [7]
Bobby Holik
Jacques Lemaire (coach)
Scott Niedermayer
Scott Stevens
Team Devils' Players' Player Doug Gilmour [8]
Hugh Delano Unsung Hero Denis Pederson [8]
Most Valuable Devil Martin Brodeur [8]
Three-Star Award Martin Brodeur [8]

Milestones

[edit]
Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Brad Bombardir October 4, 1997 [9]
Sheldon Souray October 17, 1997
Brendan Morrison December 4, 1997
Richard Shulmistra January 1, 1998
25th shutout Martin Brodeur December 4, 1997 [10]
600th assist Scott Stevens February 7, 1998 [11]

Transactions

[edit]

Draft picks

[edit]

New Jersey's picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the Civic Arena.[12]

Rd # Pick # Player Nat Pos Team (league) Notes
1 24 Jean-Francois Damphousse  Canada G Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
2 38 Stanislav Gron  Slovakia LW Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) [a]
3 78 No third-round pick [b]
4 104 Lucas Nehrling  Canada D Sarnia Sting (OHL)
5 131 Jiri Bicek  Slovakia LW HC Košice (Slovakia)
6 159 Sascha Goc  Germany D Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany)
7 188 Mathieu Benoit  Canada RW Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
8 215 Scott Clemmensen  United States G Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
9 241 Jan Srdinko  Czech Republic D ? (Czech Republic)

Media

[edit]

This was the first season of television broadcast coverage on Fox Sports Net New York.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The Devils acquired the 1997 second-round pick from Ottawa for the Devils' 1997 third-round pick (used on Jani Hurme) and the Senators' 1997 third-round pick (used on Josh Langfeld) on June 21, 1997. The Devils had originally received the pick from Ottawa in a trade for Tom Chorske on October 5, 1995. Gron's game with the Devils is the only NHL game in his career. The Devils traded their original 1997 second-round pick, along with Jim Dowd, to Hartford in a trade for Jocelyn Lemieux and a 1998 second-round pick (later transferred to Dallas and used on John Erskine) on December 19, 1995.
  2. ^ The Devils traded their 1997 third-round pick (later transferred to Colorado and used on Ville Nieminen) to St. Louis for Esa Tikkanen on November 1, 1995.

References

[edit]
  • "New Jersey Devils 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  • "1997-98 New Jersey Devils Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  1. ^ National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
  2. ^ "1997-98 NHL Summary".
  3. ^ "1997–1998 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "1997-98 New Jersey Devils Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  6. ^ "William M. Jennings Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Levine, Mike (ed.), 2009-10 New Jersey Devils Media Guide, New Jersey Devils Hockey Club, p. 225
  9. ^ "1997-98 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Devils' Brodeur stops Penguins point-blank". Tampa Bay Times. December 5, 1997. Retrieved July 9, 2023. Brodeur improved his NHL-leading goals-against average to 1.67 with his 25th career shutout.
  11. ^ Yannis, Alex (March 1, 1998). "HOCKEY; Devils Fall Behind, Squander a Lead and Wind Up Winning Anyway". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2023. SCOTT STEVENS, the Devils' captain, was honored by the National Hockey League before the game for registering his 600th assist earlier in the month.
  12. ^ "1997 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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