Every 2002-03 NHL playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
New Jersey Devils won the 2002-03 title from a regular season record of 46-20-10-6. 16 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every series below is taken from the NHL API; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference Quarterfinals | Ottawa Senators | 4-1 in games | New York Islanders | April 9 to April 17, 2003 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Dallas Stars | 4-2 in games | Edmonton Oilers | April 9 to April 19, 2003 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Anaheim Ducks | 4-0 in games | Detroit Red Wings | April 10 to April 16, 2003 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | New Jersey Devils | 4-1 in games | Boston Bruins | April 9 to April 17, 2003 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-3 in games | Toronto Maple Leafs | April 9 to April 22, 2003 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Minnesota Wild | 4-3 in games | Colorado Avalanche | April 10 to April 22, 2003 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Vancouver Canucks | 4-3 in games | St. Louis Blues | April 10 to April 22, 2003 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-2 in games | Washington Capitals | April 10 to April 20, 2003 |
| Conference Semifinals | Ottawa Senators | 4-2 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | April 25 to May 5, 2003 |
| Conference Semifinals | Anaheim Ducks | 4-2 in games | Dallas Stars | April 24 to May 5, 2003 |
| Conference Semifinals | New Jersey Devils | 4-1 in games | Tampa Bay Lightning | April 24 to May 2, 2003 |
| Conference Semifinals | Minnesota Wild | 4-3 in games | Vancouver Canucks | April 25 to May 8, 2003 |
| Conference Finals | New Jersey Devils | 4-3 in games | Ottawa Senators | May 10 to May 23, 2003 |
| Conference Finals | Anaheim Ducks | 4-0 in games | Minnesota Wild | May 10 to May 16, 2003 |
| Stanley Cup Final | New Jersey Devils | 4-3 in games | Anaheim Ducks | May 27 to June 9, 2003 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.
The races that filled this bracket: Atlantic Northeast Southeast Central Northwest Pacific