2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs , the National Hockey League ( NHL ) championship , began on April 9 , 2003 , following the 2002 – 03 regular season . The playoffs concluded on June 9 , 2003 , with the New Jersey Devils defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games . The sixteen qualifying teams played best - of - 7 series in the conference quarterfinals , semifinals , and finals . Each conference champion proceeded to the Stanley Cup Finals . These playoffs marked the first time the Minnesota Wild qualified , in only their third season in the NHL . The Minnesota Wild , as a 6 seed , made an unlikely advance to the Western Conference Finals as underdogs after being down three games to one in two consecutive rounds . Playoff seeds . A total of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs . The Ottawa Senators were the Presidents ' Trophy winners with 113 points . Statistical leaders . Goaltending . These are the top five goaltenders based on either goals against average or save percentage with at least four games played . Conference Quarterfinals . Eastern Conference Quarterfinals . ( 1 ) Ottawa Senators vs . ( 8 ) New York Islanders . The series opened at Corel Centre in Ottawa , where New York goaltender Garth Snow posted a 25 - save shutout in a 3 – 0 victory . Hoping to avoid losing the first two games at home , the Senators returned the favor in Game 2 , with goalie Patrick Lalime posting a 16 - save shutout and the Ottawa attack chasing Snow from goal in favor of Rick DiPietro . Tied , 1 – 1 , the series shifted venue to New York ' s Nassau Coliseum . This game featured the first in which both teams scored in the same game , but Ottawa won the game 2 : 25 into double overtime , 3 – 2 , on a Todd White goal , his second of the game . This loss hurt the Islanders ' morale , and Ottawa took advantage with a 3 – 1 Game 4 victory , scoring two first - period goals to take the Islanders out of it early . Ottawa closed out the series the next night back at home , winning the game and the series , 4 – 1 . ( 2 ) New Jersey Devils vs . ( 7 ) Boston Bruins . The series opened at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey , and Game 1 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 Game 2 , 4 – 2 victory . 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 . Not wanting to end their season with a winless postseason and a loss in front of their fans , Boston came out firing in Game 4 , winning the game , 5 – 1 , and knocking out Brodeur after the fifth goal in favor of Corey Schwab , who went 6 - for - 6 in net . Unfortunately for the Bruins and their fans , they had only " stayed their execution " until Game 5 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 . ( 3 ) Tampa Bay Lightning vs . ( 6 ) Washington Capitals . The series opened at St . Pete Times Forum in Tampa , and the Lightning offense ran into a brick wall in net , as Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig stopped all 28 shots he faced in a 3 – 0 victory . Game 2 saw Tampa take 43 shots on net , a sign that Washington ' s defense softened , but Washington shelled Lightning goalie Nikolai Khabibulin in a 6 – 3 victory , including two goals apiece from Peter Bondra and Jaromír Jágr . Tampa Bay was in trouble : they had to win four out of the next five games , with three at Washington ' s MCI Center . Washington returned home to a raucous home crowd , buoyed by their success in Florida . The Lightning eked out a must - win in Game 3 , a 4 – 3 victory when Vincent Lecavalier scored the game - winner 2 : 29 into overtime . In Game 4 , Tampa Bay stole the momentum headed back home in a 3 – 1 victory . The Capitals now saw themselves in trouble : they had no momentum , and two of the next three games were in Florida . Tampa posted a 2 – 1 victory in Game 5 to push the Capitals to the brink . Game 6 in Washington went to overtime as the Capitals tried to hang on to force a Game 7 , and neither team gave an inch as the game went to triple - overtime . Finally , Martin St . Louis ended the game and the series 4 : 03 in . Tampa Bay goalie Khabibulin faced a whopping 61 shots in goal during Game 6 . ( 4 ) Philadelphia Flyers vs . ( 5 ) Toronto Maple Leafs . The series opened at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia , and the goals were plentiful in a 5 – 3 Toronto victory . Toronto made advantage of their few opportunities : Philadelphia goalie Roman Cechmanek only faced 14 shots but allowed four goals ( the fifth goal was an empty - netter ) , including a hat trick by Alexander Mogilny . The Flyers bounced back nicely with a 4 – 1 Game 2 victory to tie the series , 1 – 1 . The series shifted venue to Air Canada Centre in Toronto for Game 3 , where the Maple Leafs won in double - overtime , 4 – 3 , on a goal by Tomas Kaberle , his second of the game . Game 4 went even longer , but Philadelphia won the game , 3 – 2 , 13 : 54 into triple overtime on a goal by Mark Recchi , his second of the game . The series returned to Philadelphia for Game 5 , which was a 4 – 1 Flyers win . With Toronto facing elimination but playing a home game for Game 6 , Toronto pulled out a 2 – 1 , double - overtime victory on a goal by Travis Green to force a Game 7 in Philadelphia . The Flyers then barraged Toronto goalie Ed Belfour , who allowed six goals in a 6 – 1 Philadelphia win that sent them to the Conference Semifinals . Western Conference Quarterfinals . ( 1 ) Dallas Stars vs . ( 8 ) Edmonton Oilers . The series opened at American Airlines Center in Dallas , and both defenses were strong : Edmonton took 23 shots while Dallas only took 21 , but Edmonton won the game , 2 – 1 . Not wanting to fall behind 2 – 0 going to Edmonton , the Stars ' attack shelled Oilers goalie Tommy Salo in Game 2 , a 6 – 1 Dallas victory highlighted by two goals from Scott Young . Salo was pulled after the fifth goal in favor of Jussi Markkanen . The series moved to Rexall Place in Edmonton , and the Oilers used three third - period goals to win the game , 3 – 2 . Game 4 was a must - win for the Stars , and they came through , winning the game , 3 – 1 . Back in Dallas , the Stars moved a step closer to knocking out the Oilers with a 5 – 2 victory in Game 5 . Dallas delivered the death blow in Game 6 , eliminating Edmonton with a 3 – 2 victory . ( 2 ) Detroit Red Wings vs . ( 7 ) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim . The series opened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit , and a thrilling triple - overtime battle ensued . The sellout crowd at Joe Louis Arena thought the Wings had won the game thanks to a Luc Robitaille shot at 9 : 21 . Some of the Detroit players had even left for the dressing room , thinking they had successfully taken a 1 - 0 series lead . However , after going to video review , it was concluded that Robitaille ' s shot ricocheted off the crossbar and the post , and the players were brought back to resume the game . Later , at 3 : 18 into the third overtime period , Paul Kariya scored the goal that would clinch a 2 - 1 win for Anaheim and a one game lead in the series . Anaheim goalie Jean - Sebastien Giguere faced 64 shots in Game 1 . Game 2 featured another close game , but Anaheim pulled out another close victory , this time by a 3 – 2 count , scoring two third - period goals to erase a 2 – 1 deficit . Second - seeded Detroit was in trouble , inexplicably struggling with a seventh - seeded but tough Anaheim team . Game 3 , at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim , was a must - win for the Red Wings , but they dropped another one - goal game , 2 – 1 . The Ducks completed the stunning four - game sweep of the Red Wings , who had missed the top seed in the West by one point , with another one - goal game in Game 4 , a 3 – 2 overtime victory with Steve Rucchin delivering the knockout goal 6 : 53 into overtime . With the loss , the Red Wings became only the second defending Stanley Cup champions to be swept the following year in a four - game opening series , the other team being the 1952 Toronto Maple Leafs , who were swept by those same Red Wings . The Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup that year . ( 3 ) Colorado Avalanche vs . ( 6 ) Minnesota Wild . The series opened at Pepsi Center in Denver , but the Wild won a close - fought Game 1 , 4 – 2 . Game 2 was closer , but the Avalanche tied the series , 1 – 1 , with a much - needed 3 – 2 victory . The series then shifted venue to the Xcel Energy Center in St . Paul for Game 3 , and Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy posted an 18 - save shutout in a 3 – 0 Colorado victory that gave them the series lead . When Colorado took Game 4 , 3 – 1 , the series victory for the Avalanche looked all but certain : they were up in the series , 3 – 1 , and were heading home for two of the next three games . During Game 4 , desperate to shake some life into his team , Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire inserted Manny Fernandez into goal after incumbent goalie Dwayne Roloson allowed two goals to Joe Sakic in the first eight minutes . But the Wild hung tough , jumping out to a 3 – 0 lead and ultimately hanging on to win Game 5 in Denver , 3 – 2 . They then headed home for a tense Game 6 . After a scoreless first 40 minutes , each team scored twice in the third period , and the game went to overtime tied , 2 – 2 . Minnesota ended the game when Richard Park tallied his second goal of the game 4 : 22 in to force a Game 7 in Denver . In Game 7 , the teams again played to a 2 – 2 tie after 60 minutes , but Andrew Brunette ended the game and the series 3 : 25 into overtime to give the Wild the stunning series comeback victory . This goal was also last Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy would give up in his illustrious career , as the goaltender would announce his retirement during the up coming off - season . ( 4 ) Vancouver Canucks vs . ( 5 ) St . Louis Blues . The series opened at GM Place in Vancouver , where St . Louis scored two goals in each period , rolling to a 6 – 0 Game 1 victory that saw Blues goalie Chris Osgood post a 20 - save shutout . Game 2 was a different story , however : Canucks goalie Dan Cloutier recovered from a horrid Game 1 to only allow one goal in a 2 – 1 Vancouver win that tied the series , 1 – 1 . Also notable from this game was the loss of Blues captain Al MacInnis to a separated shoulder following a check to the glass behind the Blues net . Game 3 was held at the Savvis Center in St . Louis , and Osgood turned in another stellar performance , allowing only one goal in a 3 – 1 Blues victory . The Blues cranked out more offensive firepower in a 4 – 1 Game 4 victory that pushed Vancouver to the brink . Vancouver had their work cut out for them : they had to win the next three games , but two of them were at home if the series went that far . Vancouver , held to just four goals in series up to that point , finally opened up in Game 5 , a 5 – 3 Canucks victory . This game was notable as a number of St . Louis ' players became ill with influenza prior to the game and played in a weakened state . Game 6 saw the Canucks race out to a 4 – 1 lead and then hang on for 4 – 3 victory that forced a decisive Game 7 back in Vancouver . With all of their momentum lost , St . Louis allowed four unanswered goals in Game 7 as Vancouver easily won the game , 4 – 1 , and the series , 4 – 3 . Al MacInnis returned from the shoulder injury suffered in game 2 of this series to try to inspire his team to victory , but he clearly was not at full strength and was a non - factor in the game . Conference Semifinals . Eastern Conference Semifinals . ( 1 ) Ottawa Senators vs . ( 4 ) Philadelphia Flyers . The series opened at Corel Centre in Ottawa , where the Senators used three second - period goals to win Game 1 , 4 – 2 . Game 2 saw Flyers goalie Roman Cechmanek post his first shutout of the postseason ( 33 saves ) in a 2 – 0 Philadelphia victory that tied the series , 1 – 1 . Game 3 was at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia , and Ottawa took the series lead with a 3 – 2 overtime victory , with Wade Redden scoring his first goal of the postseason 6 : 43 in . Cechmanek again came through in Game 4 , posting his second shutout of the series as the Flyers won the game , 1 – 0 , on a goal by Michal Handzus . The series returned to Ottawa for Game 5 , where the Senators shelled Cechmanek in a 5 – 2 victory . Game 5 also saw Robert Esche appear in goal for the Flyers , and he went 13 - for - 14 after Ottawa ' s fourth goal . The Senators finished off the job in Game 6 with a 5 – 1 victory in Philadelphia , with four of the Ottawa scorers in Game 5 turning in a repeat performance . ( 2 ) New Jersey Devils vs . ( 3 ) 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 1 victory with goalie Martin Brodeur posting a 15 - save shutout in the process . Game 2 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 . At home at the St . Pete Times Forum in Tampa , the Lightning jumped out to a 3 – 0 first - period lead , then watched New Jersey tie the score before scoring in the third period on a goal by Dave Andreychuk to win the game , 4 – 3 . The Devils responded by winning Game 4 , 3 – 1 , to push the Lightning to the brink . The Devils ended the series with a 2 – 1 triple - overtime victory in Game 5 , with Grant Marshall scoring the game - winning goal 11 : 12 into the sixth period . Western Conference Semifinals . ( 1 ) Dallas Stars vs . ( 7 ) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim . The series opened at American Airlines Center in Dallas , where the heavily - favored Stars and underdog Ducks engaged in an epic battle that took over 140 minutes and four overtimes to decide before Anaheim ' s Petr Sykora scored the game - winner 47 seconds into the " fifth " overtime , winning the game for the Ducks , 4 – 3 . Dallas goalie Marty Turco saw 54 shots while Anaheim ' s goalie , Jean - Sebastien Giguere , saw 63 . Game 2 saw another game tied after 60 minutes , but this time , Anaheim needed only 1 : 44 to win the game in the first overtime , 3 – 2 , on a goal by Mike Leclerc . Dallas , much like Detroit in its first - round series against the Ducks , faced a 2 – 0 deficit headed to Anaheim . Game 3 at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim was a must - win for the Stars , and they came through , winning the game , 2 – 1 , getting two clutch goals from Jere Lehtinen . But the Ducks refused to let the Stars back in the series , winning Game 4 , 1 – 0 , behind a 28 - save shutout from Giguere . Not wanting to be eliminated in front of their home fans , a motivated Dallas team captured Game 5 , 4 – 1 . Unfortunately for the Stars , their bid to take the series to a Game 7 was denied when they were edged in Game 6 , 4 – 3 . ( 4 ) Vancouver Canucks vs . ( 6 ) Minnesota Wild . The series opened at GM Place in Vancouver , where the Canucks took Game 1 in overtime , 4 – 3 , on a game - winning power - play goal by Trent Klatt 3 : 42 in . They had forced overtime with Matt Cooke ' s tying goal with 2 . 3 seconds remaining in regulation time . The Wild rebounded in Game 2 with a 3 – 2 victory that tied the series , 1 – 1 . The series shifted venue to the Xcel Energy Center for Game 3 , in which the Canucks won , 3 – 2 . With a 3 – 2 overtime victory in Game 4 , the fourth consecutive one - goal game of the series , Vancouver was poised to eliminate Minnesota , up in the series 3 – 1 with two of the next three games at home . But this scenario was nothing new to the Wild ; they had eliminated the third - seeded Avalanche in seven games in the first round after losing three of the first four . And , like the first round , they had to go on the road for Games 5 and 7 . In what appeared to be a case of Déjà vu , Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire changed goalies again , this time re - inserting Dwayne Roloson , who replaced an ineffective Manny Fernandez . In Game 5 , back in Vancouver , the Wild annihilated Canucks goalie Dan Cloutier , who went 15 - for - 21 in saves and was knocked out in favor of Alex Auld , who went 4 - for - 5 . Minnesota ' s goal spurt came in the second period , when they scored five goals en route to a 7 – 2 victory . Spurred on by their thrashing of the Canucks in Game 5 , the Wild came out at home in Game 6 , scoring three third - period goals en route to a 5 – 1 victory that forced a Game 7 . After their blowout losses in Games 5 and 6 , the Canucks returned home and built up a 2 – 0 second period lead before collapsing as the Wild won Game 7 , 4 – 2 . The Wild are the only team to date that has come back from two 3 – 1 deficits in the same NHL postseason . Conference Finals . Eastern Conference Finals . ( 1 ) Ottawa Senators vs . ( 2 ) New Jersey Devils . The series opened at Corel Centre in Ottawa , where the Senators took Game 1 in overtime , 3 – 2 , when Shaun Van Allen tipped in a pass from Martin Havlat 3 : 08 into overtime . New Jersey tied the series , 1 – 1 , with a crucial victory in Game 2 , 4 – 1 . It marked the first time Ottawa goalie Patrick Lalime allowed more than two goals in twelve postseason games . Game 3 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 4 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 5 , 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 6 , 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 6 , as Chris Phillips scored the game - winning goal 15 : 52 into overtime in the 2 – 1 Senators victory . Determined not to suffer the same misfortunes as Colorado , St . Louis , and Vancouver , the Devils broke through in Game 7 , 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 . Western Conference Finals . ( 6 ) Minnesota Wild vs . ( 7 ) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim . The series opened at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota , and both teams ground it out down to the game - winning score , which came from Petr Sykora 8 : 06 into double - overtime in a 1 – 0 Mighty Ducks victory . Jean - Sebastien Giguere turned in a stellar performance in net for Anaheim , stopping all 39 shots he faced . With Dwayne Roloson replacing Manny Fernandez in net for the Wild , Game 2 was just as close , but the Ducks pulled out a 2 – 0 victory , both goals short - handed , as Giguere stopped all 24 shots he faced , making him 63 - for - 63 in the series . Minnesota was in trouble ; not only were they down in the series , 2 – 0 , headed to Anaheim , but they had yet to score a goal . Out at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim for Game 3 , Giguere continued his goaltending excellency , stopping all 35 shots he faced in a 4 – 0 Mighty Ducks victory that pushed the Wild to the brink . Giguere had now stopped the first 98 shots he saw in the series . In Game 3 , Paul Kariya tallied two goals to help the Anaheim attack . Minnesota , demoralized at their offensive impotence , lost Game 4 , 2 – 1 , but at least they avoided a fourth consecutive shutout , as Andrew Brunette scored the first Minnesota goal of the series 4 : 37 into the game . Still , Giguere was 122 - for - 123 in the series , a robust . 992 save percentage . Adam Oates scored both Anaheim goals , the decisive one coming midway through the second period . Playoff Scoring leaders . There was a tie for the playoff scoring lead between Jamie Langenbrunner and Scott Niedermayer , both of the New Jersey Devils . They both had 18 points . Langenbrunner lead the playoffs with 11 goals and Niedermayer lead the playoffs with 16 assists . The 18 points to lead the playoffs was the lowest total since the 1968 - 69 NHL season .