# 1998–99 Ottawa Senators season

The 1998–99 Ottawa Senators season was the seventh season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). In this season the team cracked the 100 point barrier, as they finished with 103 points, and won the Northeast Division for the first time in club history.
Senators Head Coach Jacques Martin won the Jack Adams Trophy for the first time in his career and in Senators history, while Alexei Yashin, who was named team captain prior to the season, was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy after his 94-point season. His 94 points obliterated the club record of 79, which Yashin himself set in the 1993–94 season.
Goaltenders Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt split duties throughout the season, with each winning 22 games, sharing the team record for goaltender victories in a season, while Tugnutt's 1.79 goals against average (GAA) was an NHL low.
The Senators great regular season success did not continue to the playoffs, as the Buffalo Sabres, led by Dominik Hasek, swept the Senators out of the playoffs in four games, ending the Senators' season in the first round for the second time in three seasons.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Northeast Division :
| R | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PIM | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 44 | 23 | 15 | 239 | 179 | 892 | 103 |
| 2 | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 268 | 231 | 1095 | 97 |
| 3 | 6 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 214 | 181 | 1182 | 91 |
| 4 | 7 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 37 | 28 | 17 | 207 | 175 | 1561 | 91 |
| 5 | 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 184 | 209 | 1299 | 75 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | y – New Jersey Devils | ATL | 82 | 47 | 24 | 11 | 248 | 196 | 105 |
| 2 | y – Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 44 | 23 | 15 | 239 | 179 | 103 |
| 3 | y – Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 34 | 30 | 18 | 210 | 202 | 86 |
| 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 268 | 231 | 97 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | ATL | 82 | 37 | 26 | 19 | 231 | 196 | 93 |
| 6 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 214 | 181 | 91 |
| 7 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 37 | 28 | 17 | 207 | 175 | 91 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | ATL | 82 | 38 | 30 | 14 | 242 | 225 | 90 |
| 9 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 30 | 34 | 18 | 210 | 228 | 78 |
| 10 | New York Rangers | ATL | 82 | 33 | 38 | 11 | 217 | 227 | 77 |
| 11 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 184 | 209 | 75 |
| 12 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 31 | 45 | 6 | 200 | 218 | 68 |
| 13 | New York Islanders | ATL | 82 | 24 | 48 | 10 | 194 | 244 | 58 |
| 14 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 19 | 54 | 9 | 179 | 292 | 47 |
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division

## Playoffs

The Ottawa Senators ended the 1998–99 regular season as the Eastern Conference's second seed.

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

1998–99 regular season :
October: 5–3–0 (home: 3–2–0; road: 2–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
1WOctober 10, 19984–3@ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99)1–0–016,061Recap
2WOctober 11, 19984–1@ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99)2–0–015,812Recap
3WOctober 17, 19983–1Nashville Predators (1998–99)3–0–018,500Recap
4LOctober 21, 19982–3@ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)3–1–019,784Recap
5LOctober 22, 19983–5St. Louis Blues (1998–99)3–2–014,293Recap
6LOctober 24, 19981–3Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)3–3–014,428Recap
7WOctober 29, 19983–1Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)4–3–015,738Recap
8WOctober 31, 19985–1Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)5–3–017,653Recap :
November: 5–4–3 (home: 3–2–1; road: 2–2–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
9WNovember 1, 19985–4@ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)6–3–019,442Recap
10LNovember 5, 19982–4Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)6–4–013,686Recap
11LNovember 7, 19985–8Washington Capitals (1998–99)6–5–015,221Recap
12TNovember 10, 19982–2 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (1998–99)6–5–115,904Recap
13TNovember 12, 19981–1 OTEdmonton Oilers (1998–99)6–5–214,680Recap
14LNovember 14, 19981–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)6–6–215,726Recap
15TNovember 15, 19982–2 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)6–6–315,906Recap
16WNovember 20, 19984–1@ Washington Capitals (1998–99)7–6–319,740Recap
17WNovember 21, 19984–1Calgary Flames (1998–99)8–6–317,154Recap
18WNovember 23, 19984–3Vancouver Canucks (1998–99)9–6–315,330Recap
19WNovember 26, 19984–1New York Islanders (1998–99)10–6–314,607Recap
20LNovember 28, 19982–3 OT@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)10–7–315,726Recap :
December: 6–6–1 (home: 3–3–1; road: 3–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
21WDecember 1, 19983–1@ Nashville Predators (1998–99)11–7–313,902Recap
22WDecember 3, 19983–1Los Angeles Kings (1998–99)12–7–315,351Recap
23LDecember 5, 19981–2New York Rangers (1998–99)12–8–318,500Recap
24WDecember 8, 19984–2@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)13–8–310,587Recap
25LDecember 9, 19985–6@ Florida Panthers (1998–99)13–9–316,994Recap
26LDecember 12, 19980–2Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99)13–10–316,480Recap
27LDecember 17, 19982–5@ Boston Bruins (1998–99)13–11–313,646Recap
28WDecember 18, 19985–1Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)14–11–315,124Recap
29LDecember 20, 19982–3Dallas Stars (1998–99)14–12–317,581Recap
30WDecember 23, 19983–1Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)15–12–318,500Recap
31LDecember 26, 19981–2 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)15–13–316,226Recap
32TDecember 28, 19982–2 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99)15–13–418,500Recap
33WDecember 30, 19983–2 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (1998–99)16–13–418,595Recap :
January: 10–2–2 (home: 5–1–1; road: 5–1–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
34WJanuary 1, 19994–3@ Washington Capitals (1998–99)17–13–419,740Recap
35WJanuary 2, 19996–0New Jersey Devils (1998–99)18–13–418,037Recap
36TJanuary 4, 19994–4 OT@ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)18–13–55,655Recap
37WJanuary 6, 19992–0@ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)19–13–519,983Recap
38WJanuary 8, 19995–1Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)20–13–516,174Recap
39WJanuary 10, 19994–1Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)21–13–518,500Recap
40WJanuary 11, 19994–2@ New Jersey Devils (1998–99)22–13–514,402Recap
41WJanuary 14, 19993–2New Jersey Devils (1998–99)23–13–518,037Recap
42TJanuary 16, 19991–1 OTBuffalo Sabres (1998–99)23–13–618,500Recap
43LJanuary 18, 19990–5Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)23–14–617,858Recap
44WJanuary 19, 19992–1@ New York Rangers (1998–99)24–14–618,200Recap
45WJanuary 21, 19993–1@ Boston Bruins (1998–99)25–14–615,806Recap
46LJanuary 26, 19991–4@ New Jersey Devils (1998–99)25–15–615,891Recap
47WJanuary 30, 19999–2New York Islanders (1998–99)26–15–618,221Recap :
February: 7–3–2 (home: 5–1–1; road: 2–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
48WFebruary 1, 19991–0@ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99)27–15–616,019Recap
49TFebruary 3, 19992–2 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99)27–15–714,487Recap
50WFebruary 6, 19992–1@ Calgary Flames (1998–99)28–15–716,498Recap
51TFebruary 9, 19991–1 OTBuffalo Sabres (1998–99)28–15–817,079Recap
52LFebruary 11, 19991–3Florida Panthers (1998–99)28–16–816,355Recap
53WFebruary 13, 19992–1Washington Capitals (1998–99)29–16–818,500Recap
54WFebruary 15, 19996–2Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)30–16–816,787Recap
55WFebruary 18, 19992–0Boston Bruins (1998–99)31–16–818,500Recap
56WFebruary 20, 19994–1Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)32–16–818,500Recap
57LFebruary 23, 19992–5@ Boston Bruins (1998–99)32–17–814,336Recap
58WFebruary 25, 19993–1Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)33–17–818,500Recap
59LFebruary 27, 19991–4@ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)33–18–821,273Recap :
March: 9–3–2 (home: 2–1–1; road: 7–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
60WMarch 2, 19994–2@ New York Islanders (1998–99)34–18–89,283Recap
61WMarch 4, 19995–0@ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)35–18–819,658Recap
62WMarch 6, 19993–1Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)36–18–818,500Recap
63WMarch 8, 19999–3Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)37–18–817,838Recap
64WMarch 10, 19993–0@ New York Rangers (1998–99)38–18–818,200Recap
65LMarch 13, 19992–3@ San Jose Sharks (1998–99)38–19–817,483Recap
66LMarch 15, 19990–4@ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99)38–20–812,640Recap
67TMarch 17, 19992–2 OT@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99)38–20–916,026Recap
68WMarch 19, 19992–1@ Dallas Stars (1998–99)39–20–916,928Recap
69WMarch 20, 19993–2@ St. Louis Blues (1998–99)40–20–919,736Recap
70LMarch 24, 19990–3Boston Bruins (1998–99)40–21–918,500Recap
71TMarch 26, 19991–1 OTSan Jose Sharks (1998–99)40–21–1018,283Recap
72WMarch 27, 19997–3@ New York Islanders (1998–99)41–21–1011,491Recap
73WMarch 30, 19996–4@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)42–21–1016,470Recap :
April: 2–2–5 (home: 1–1–3; road: 1–1–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
74TApril 1, 19993–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)42–21–1118,500Recap
75WApril 3, 19996–4@ Florida Panthers (1998–99)43–21–1118,829Recap
76TApril 5, 19994–4 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)43–21–1211,326Recap
77LApril 7, 19992–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)43–22–1218,800Recap
78WApril 8, 19993–1Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)44–22–1218,500Recap
79TApril 10, 19991–1 OTBuffalo Sabres (1998–99)44–22–1318,500Recap
80LApril 12, 19990–2Florida Panthers (1998–99)44–23–1317,996Recap
81TApril 15, 19992–2 OTNew York Rangers (1998–99)44–23–1418,500Recap
82TApril 17, 19991–1 OT@ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)44–23–1510,981Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

### Playoffs

1999 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres – Sabres win 4–0
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesAttendanceRecap
1LApril 21, 19991–2Buffalo SabresSabres lead 1–018,500Recap
2LApril 23, 19992–3 2OTBuffalo SabresSabres lead 2–018,500Recap
3LApril 25, 19990–3@ Buffalo SabresSabres lead 3–018,595Recap
4LApril 27, 19993–4@ Buffalo SabresSabres win 4–018,595Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## 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.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 19 | Alexei Yashin | C | 82 | 44 | 50 | 94 | 16 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 10 |
| 15 | Shawn McEachern | RW | 77 | 31 | 25 | 56 | 8 | 46 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 10 | Andreas Dackell | RW | 77 | 15 | 35 | 50 | 9 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| 20 | Magnus Arvedson | LW | 80 | 21 | 26 | 47 | 33 | 50 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 2 |
| 21 | Andreas Johansson | C | 69 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 1 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 0 |
| 13 | Vaclav Prospal | C | 79 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 8 | 58 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| 33 | Jason York | D | 79 | 4 | 31 | 35 | 17 | 48 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 4 |
| 11 | Daniel Alfredsson | RW | 58 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 |
| 14 | Radek Bonk | C | 81 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 15 | 48 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 6 |
| 18 | Marian Hossa | RW | 60 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 18 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Wade Redden | D | 72 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 7 | 54 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 |
| 29 | Igor Kravchuk | D | 79 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 14 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −5 | 0 |
| 5 | Sami Salo | D | 61 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 0 |
| 22 | Shaun Van Allen | C | 79 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 25 | Bruce Gardiner | RW | 59 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 43 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 27 | Janne Laukkanen | D | 50 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 18 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Patrick Traverse | D | 46 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Lance Pitlick | D | 50 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 16 | Steve Martins | C | 36 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | David Oliver | RW | 17 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Chris Murray‡ | RW | 38 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −2 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Chris Phillips | D | 34 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −5 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 28 | Ted Donato† | LW | 13 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Bill Berg† | LW | 44 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Nelson Emerson† | RW | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Damian Rhodes | G | 45 | 1 | 1 | 2 | | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 28 | Steve Leach‡ | RW | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Stanislav Neckar‡ | D | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Vyacheslav Butsayev† | C | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | Phil Crowe | LW | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | John Gruden | D | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Yves Sarault | LW | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Radim Bicanek‡ | D | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | Ron Tugnutt | G | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 1 | Damian Rhodes | 45 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 1060 | 101 | 2.44 | .905 | 3 | 2480 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 65 | 6 | 2.40 | .908 | 0 | 150 |
| 31 | Ron Tugnutt | 43 | 22 | 10 | 8 | 1005 | 75 | 1.79 | .925 | 3 | 2508 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 6 | 3.05 | .854 | 0 | 118 |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honour | Recipient |
| League (annual) | Jack Adams Award | Jacques Martin |
| League (annual) | NHL All-Rookie Team | Marian Hossa (Forward) |
| League (annual) | NHL All-Rookie Team | Sami Salo (Defence) |
| League (annual) | NHL Second All-Star Team | Alexei Yashin (Centre) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Ron Tugnutt |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Alexei Yashin |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Week | Ron Tugnutt (January 11) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Rookie of the Month | Marian Hossa (March) |
| Team | Molson Cup | Alexei Yashin |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date | Ref |
| First game | Sami Salo | October 10, 1998 | |

## Transactions
### Trades

| June 27, 1998 | To San Jose SharksOttawa's eighth-round pick 1999 Entry Draft | To Ottawa SenatorsSan Jose's eighth-round pick 1998 Entry Draft (Sergei Verenikin) |
| August 21, 1998 | To Chicago BlackhawksJustin Hocking | To Ottawa SenatorsBrian Felsner |
| November 27, 1998 | To New York RangersStan Neckar | To Ottawa SenatorsBill Berg New York's second-round pick 1999 Entry Draft (Simon Lajeunesse) |
| March 8, 1999 | To Florida PanthersOttawa's sixth-round pick 1999 Entry Draft (later traded) | To Ottawa SenatorsVyacheslav Butsayev |
| March 12, 1999 | To Chicago BlackhawksRadim Bicanek | To Ottawa SenatorsChicago's sixth-round pick 1999 Entry Draft (Martin Prusek) |
| March 19, 1999 | To New York Islandersfuture considerations | To Ottawa SenatorsChris Luongo |
| March 12, 1999 | To Chicago BlackhawksOttawa's fourth-round pick 1999 Entry Draft (Preston Mizzi) | To Ottawa SenatorsTed Donato |
| March 23, 1999 | To New York IslandersChris Murray | To Ottawa SenatorsNelson Emerson |

### Waivers

No waiver transactions.

### Free agents

| Player | Former team |
| David Oliver | Houston Aeros (IHL) |
| John Gruden | Detroit Vipers (IHL) |
| Steve Martins | Carolina Hurricanes |
| John Emmons | Michigan K-Wings (IHL) |
| Andreas Johansson | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Steve Leach | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Brad Shaw | Detroit Vipers (IHL) |
| Andre Roy | Boston Bruins |
| Player | New team |
| Derek Armstrong | New York Rangers |
| Scott Ferguson | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| Pat Falloon | Edmonton Oilers |
| Randy Cunneyworth | Buffalo Sabres |
| Sergei Zholtok | Montreal Canadiens |
| Steve Leach | Phoenix Coyotes |

### Expansion draft

| June 26, 1998 | To Nashville PredatorsDenny Lambert |
Source: Ottawa Senators 2008–09 Media Guide. Ottawa Senators. 2008. p. 188.

## Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, New York.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 15 | Mathieu Chouinard | Canada | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 44 | Mike Fisher | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) |
| 2 | 58 | Chris Bala | United States | Harvard University (NCAA) |
| 3 | 74 | Julien Vauclair | Switzerland | HC Lugano (Switzerland) |
| 4 | 101 | Petr Schastlivy | Russia | Yaroslavl Torpedo (Russia) |
| 5 | 130 | Gavin McLeod | Canada | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
| 6 | 161 | Chris Neil | Canada | North Bay Centennials (OHL) |
| 7 | 188 | Michel Periard | Canada | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) |
| 8 | 223 | Sergei Verenikin | Russia | Yaroslavl Torpedo (Russia) |
| 9 | 246 | Rastislav Pavlikovsky | Slovakia | Utah Grizzlies (IHL) |

## Farm teams

* Detroit Vipers (International Hockey League)