1997–98 Ottawa Senators season

Regular season

Alexei Yashin led the club offensively, with 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists) in 82 games. Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt once again performed solidly in the Senators' net, helping set a club record for fewest goals allowed (200).

The Alexandre Daigle era came to an end midway through the season, as the Senators traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Václav Prospal and Pat Falloon.

Final standings

Playoffs

The Ottawa Senators ended the 1997–98 regular season as the Eastern Conference's eighth seed. Daniel Alfredsson, who missed 27 games in the regular season due to injuries, led the team with nine points (seven goals, two assists) in the playoffs and the club won its first round matchup, an upset win over the New Jersey Devils

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

On paper, the series was a big mismatch, as the Devils had finished 24 points ahead in the standings. One American newspaper covering the playoffs did not even preview the series, expecting an easy win for the Devils. The Devils were characterized as arrogant, although the Devils and the Senators had split their season series. Devil Randy McKay, when asked which player on the Senators he respected, said, "To be honest, I'd have to see their (roster) list."

The series opened in New Jersey. In Game 1, the Senators got a 1–0 lead and held onto it until 3:24 was left in the third period, when Doug Gilmour scored to tie the game. After the goal, the Devils got several penalties in a row, including some in overtime. Although the Senators went 0–6 on the power play, they managed to win the game on an overtime winner from Bruce Gardiner at 5:58. In Game 2, the Devils won the game in large part due to the offence of Doug Gilmour, who assisted on the first goal and scored the second, game-winning goal and an empty netter to tie the series.

The series now moved to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4. In Game 3, Damian Rhodes played outstanding and Alexei Yashin scored the winner, 2:47 into overtime on the power play. According to Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur, "It's Rhodes, that's the bottom line. He has been tremendous. We're getting the puck to him, we're getting rebounds, but he closes the door every time." Devils Head Coach Jacques Lemaire refused to appear for the post-game press conference. The Senators won Game 4, 4–3, on the strength of a hat-trick by Daniel Alfredsson. The Senators had led 4–1, but late goals by Scott Stevens and Doug Gilmour, with 69 seconds left, made it a close contest.

The series now returned to New Jersey, with the Devils on the brink of elimination. In Game 5, Brodeur stopped 22 of 23 shots and even assisted on a short-handed goal as the Devils won 3–1. Gilmour scored the game-winner and the Devils staved off elimination.

In Game 6, Janne Laukkanen scored the winner, giving the Senators the lead that was solidified when Igor Kravchuk scored into an empty net to complete the series upset, 4–2, for the Senators. After the game, Scott Stevens commented, "The bottom line is that they're an average team that played great. And we're an above average team that played poorly." The headlines from other newspapers labelled the playoff win a "titanic upset" and "sensational upset."

Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Senators did not capitalize on their first-round win, and the Capitals took the series in five games.

Schedule and results

Regular season

|- |1||October 1, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) ||0–0–1||20,673 || |- |2||October 3, 1997||3–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) ||0–1–1||19,231 || |- |3||October 4, 1997||3–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) ||1–1–1||18,500 || |- |4||October 7, 1997||1–0 || style="text-align:left;"| @ San Jose Sharks (1997–98) ||2–1–1||16,073 || |- |5||October 10, 1997||1–1 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) ||2–1–2||17,174 || |- |6||October 12, 1997||4–7 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1997–98) ||2–2–2||16,005 || |- |7||October 15, 1997||5–1 || style="text-align:left;"| New York Rangers (1997–98) ||3–2–2||17,111 || |- |8||October 17, 1997||4–2 || style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey Devils (1997–98) ||4–2–2||13,681 || |- |9||October 19, 1997||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Dallas Stars (1997–98) ||5–2–2||14,354 || |- |10||October 22, 1997||6–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) ||6–2–2||15,726 || |- |11||October 23, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Florida Panthers (1997–98) ||6–2–3||15,168 || |- |12||October 25, 1997||2–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) ||6–3–3||18,500 || |- |13||October 29, 1997||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) ||7–3–3||10,776 || |- |14||October 30, 1997||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Florida Panthers (1997–98) ||8–3–3||14,703 ||

| Legend:

Playoffs

|- | 1 || April 22, 1998 || 2–1 OT || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils || Senators lead 1–0 || 18,457 || |- | 2 || April 24, 1998 || 1–3 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils || Series tied 1–1 || 19,040 || |- | 3 || April 26, 1998 || 2–1 OT || align="left"| New Jersey Devils || Senators lead 2–1 || 18,500 || |- | 4 || April 28, 1998 || 4–3 || align="left"| New Jersey Devils || Senators lead 3–1 || 18,500 || |- | 5 || April 30, 1998 || 1–3 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils || Senators lead 3–2 || 19,040 || |- | 6 || May 2, 1998 || 3–1 || align="left"| New Jersey Devils || Senators win 4–2 || 18,500 ||

| Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; 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 Senators only.*
• • = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.*

Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Milestones

Transactions

June 1997

Source

July 1997

Source

August 1997

Source

September 1997

Source

October 1997

Source

November 1997

Source

January 1998

Source

March 1998

Source

Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks at the 1997 NHL entry draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Farm teams

• Worcester IceCats (American Hockey League)
• Raleigh IceCaps (East Coast Hockey League)

Notes

References

• National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007

References

1. Panzeri, Allen. (May 3, 1998). "'We deserved to win': Senators ready for Round 2". Ottawa Citizen.
2. Scanlan, Wayne. (May 3, 1998). "Arrogant Devils wonder what hit them". Ottawa Citizen.
3. Shoalts, David. (April 23, 1998). "Ottawa shocks New Jersey in OT". The Globe and Mail.
4. Shoals, David. (April 25, 1998). "Gilmour scuttles Ottawa". The Globe and Mail.
5. Warren, Ken. (April 27, 1998). "none". The Record.
6. Warren, Ken. (April 29, 1998). "Devils pushed to the brink Ottawa Senators one game away from first- round upset of conference champs". The Record.
7. MacGregor, Roy. (May 1, 1998). "Brodeur steals show: New Jersey goalie earns assist in win over Ottawa". The Record.
8. Panzeri, Allen. (May 3, 1998). "Senators complete titanic upset: Ottawa advances to second round for first time". Calgary Herald.
9. Hickey, Pat. (May 3, 1998). "Sensational upset: Deja-woo: eighth-place Ottawa casts out first- place Devils in six games; Senators 3 Devils 1". Montreal Gazette.
10. "1997-98 Ottawa Senators Schedule".
11. "1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters".
12. Ottawa Senators 2014–15 Media Guide, p.162–82
13. "1997-98 NHL Debuts".
14. "Transactions".
15. "Transactions".
16. "Transactions".
17. "Transactions".
18. "Transactions".
19. "Transactions".
20. "Transactions".
21. "Transactions".
22. "1997 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com".