Puneet Varma (Editor)

2002 Stanley Cup playoffs

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Dates
  
April 17–June 13, 2002

Champions
  
Detroit Red Wings

Teams
  
16

Runner-up
  
Carolina Hurricanes

2002 Stanley Cup playoffs

Semifinalists
  
Colorado Avalanche Toronto Maple Leafs

Scoring leader(s)
  
Peter Forsberg (Colorado) (27 points)

The 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championships of the National Hockey League began on April 17, 2002.

Contents

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes on June 13, 2002 four games to one to clinch the 10th championship in their history. The Hurricanes were in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their 23-year history, which includes their tenure as the Hartford Whalers. Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. It was the ninth championship for Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, who announced his retirement after the deciding game of the series. The Phoenix Coyotes would play their last playoff games at America West Arena and would miss the playoffs until 2010 when they played in Glendale.

The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-7 series for the Stanley Cup.

A record 25 shutouts were recorded in the 2002 Playoffs and, for the first time since 1991, not a single team was swept in a playoff series. This is the last time that all 3 Eastern Canada teams made the playoffs together and got past 1st round.

For the first time since entering the NHL both teams from the province of Alberta, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers missed the playoffs in the same season.

Eastern Conference

  1. Boston Bruins, Northeast Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions – 101 points
  2. Philadelphia Flyers, Atlantic Division champions – 97 points
  3. Carolina Hurricanes, Southeast Division champions – 91 points
  4. Toronto Maple Leafs – 100 points
  5. New York Islanders – 96 points
  6. New Jersey Devils – 95 points
  7. Ottawa Senators – 94 points
  8. Montreal Canadiens – 87 points

Western Conference

  1. Detroit Red Wings, Central Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 116 points
  2. Colorado Avalanche, Northwest Division champions – 99 points (45 wins)
  3. San Jose Sharks, Pacific Division champions – 99 points (44 wins)
  4. St. Louis Blues – 98 points
  5. Chicago Blackhawks – 96 points
  6. Phoenix Coyotes – 95 points (40 wins, 7 points head-to-head vs. Los Angeles)
  7. Los Angeles Kings – 95 points (40 wins, 3 points head-to-head vs. Phoenix)
  8. Vancouver Canucks – 94 points

Playoff bracket

  • During the first three rounds home ice is determined by seeding number, not position on the bracket. In the Finals the team with the better regular season record has home ice.

    • (1) Boston Bruins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

    The Boston Bruins finished first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season with 101 points. The Montreal Canadiens qualified as the eighth seed earning 87 points during the regular season. This was the twenty-eighth playoff series between the Bruins and the Canadiens, with Montreal winning twenty of the previous twenty-seven series. They last met in the 1994 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Boston won in seven games.

    (2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Ottawa Senators

    The Philadelphia Flyers entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Atlantic Division with 97 points. The Ottawa Senators earned the seventh seed with 94 points. This was the first playoff series played between the two franchises.

    (3) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (6) New Jersey Devils

    The Carolina Hurricanes entered the playoffs as the Southeast Division champions earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference with 91 points. The New Jersey Devils earned the sixth seed with 95 points. Although New Jersey finished the season with a better overall record and a higher point total, Carolina won their division so they were automatically placed in the top three seeds in the conference and were granted home ice advantage. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with the only previous meeting being the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals where New Jersey won in six games.

    (4) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (5) New York Islanders

    The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 100 points. The New York Islanders earned the fifth seed with 96 points. This was the third playoff series between these two teams, the teams split the previous two playoff series. They last met in the 1981 Preliminary Round where New York won in three games.

    (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Vancouver Canucks

    The Detroit Red Wings entered the playoffs as the President's trophy winners, the Western Conference Regular season champions and the Central Division champions with 116 points. The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the eighth seed finishing the season with 94 points. This was the first playoff series between these two teams.

    (2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (7) Los Angeles Kings

    The Colorado Avalanche entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference by winning the Northwest Division with 99 points. The Los Angeles Kings earned 95 points during the regular season to finish seventh overall (losing the tie-breaker in head-to-head points 7–3 to Phoenix) in the Western Conference. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, they last met in the 2001 Western Conference Semifinals, which Colorado won in seven games.

    (3) San Jose Sharks vs. (6) Phoenix Coyotes

    The San Jose Sharks entered the playoffs as the Pacific Division champions earning the third seed in the Western Conference with 99 points, losing the tiebreaker with the Colorado Avalanche in wins (45 to 44). The Phoenix Coyotes earned the sixth seed with 95 points, winning the tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Kings in head-to head points (7 to 3). This was the first and to date only playoff series between these two teams.

    Player statistics

    Despite getting eliminated by the Red Wings in the Western Conference Final, Colorado forward Peter Forsberg led the playoffs in points with 18 assists and 9 goals. Brett Hull of the Detroit Red Wings led the playoffs with ten goals.

    Skaters

    GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

    Goaltending

    These are the top six goaltenders based on goals against average with at least four games played.

    GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); SO = Shutouts

    References

    2002 Stanley Cup playoffs Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA