2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers season
The 2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers season was the Thrashers' fourth season. The Thrashers placed third in the Southeast, eleventh in the East to miss the playoffs.
| 2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers | |
|---|---|
| Division | 3rd Southeast |
| Conference | 11th Eastern |
| 2002–03 record | 31–39–7-5 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Don Waddell |
| Coach | Bob Hartley |
| Captain | Shawn McEachern |
| Arena | Philips Arena |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Dany Heatley (41) |
| Assists | Vyacheslav Kozlov (49) |
| Points | Dany Heatley (89) |
Regular season
The Thrashers struggled defensively, allowing the most goals (284) and the most short-handed goals (14) of any team in the league.[1]
Final standings
| No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 36 | 25 | 16 | 5 | 219 | 210 | 93 |
| 2 | 6 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 39 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 224 | 220 | 92 |
| 3 | 11 | Atlanta Thrashers | 82 | 31 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 226 | 284 | 74 |
| 4 | 13 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 24 | 36 | 13 | 9 | 176 | 237 | 70 |
| 5 | 15 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 22 | 43 | 11 | 6 | 171 | 240 | 61 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
| R | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 52 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 263 | 182 | 113 |
| 2 | Y- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 46 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 216 | 166 | 108 |
| 3 | Y- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 36 | 25 | 16 | 5 | 219 | 210 | 93 |
| 4 | X- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 45 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 211 | 166 | 107 |
| 5 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 44 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 236 | 208 | 98 |
| 6 | X- Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 39 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 224 | 220 | 92 |
| 7 | X- Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 36 | 31 | 11 | 4 | 245 | 237 | 87 |
| 8 | X- New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 35 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 224 | 231 | 83 |
| 8.5 | ||||||||||
| 9 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 32 | 36 | 10 | 4 | 210 | 231 | 78 |
| 10 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 30 | 35 | 8 | 9 | 206 | 234 | 77 |
| 11 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 31 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 226 | 284 | 74 |
| 12 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 27 | 37 | 10 | 8 | 190 | 219 | 72 |
| 13 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 24 | 36 | 13 | 9 | 176 | 237 | 70 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 27 | 44 | 6 | 5 | 189 | 255 | 65 |
| 15 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 22 | 43 | 11 | 6 | 171 | 240 | 61 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot
Schedule and results
| Regular season results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | L | October 11, 2002 | 3–5 | @ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) | 0–1–0–0 |
| 2 | OTL | October 12, 2002 | 4–5 OT | Florida Panthers (2002–03) | 0–1–0–1 |
| 3 | L | October 16, 2002 | 2–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) | 0–2–0–1 |
| 4 | L | October 18, 2002 | 5–8 | @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) | 0–3–0–1 |
| 5 | L | October 19, 2002 | 4–5 | New York Islanders (2002–03) | 0–4–0–1 |
| 6 | L | October 21, 2002 | 2–3 | @ Florida Panthers (2002–03) | 0–5–0–1 |
| 7 | L | October 23, 2002 | 1–2 | New Jersey Devils (2002–03) | 0–6–0–1 |
| 8 | L | October 26, 2002 | 3–4 | @ Boston Bruins (2002–03) | 0–7–0–1 |
| 9 | L | October 29, 2002 | 0–4 | Los Angeles Kings (2002–03) | 0–8–0–1 |
| 10 | T | October 31, 2002 | 3–3 OT | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) | 0–8–1–1 |
| 11 | W | November 2, 2002 | 3–1 | @ Florida Panthers (2002–03) | 1–8–1–1 |
| 12 | L | November 7, 2002 | 0–5 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (2002–03) | 1–9–1–1 |
| 13 | W | November 9, 2002 | 6–4 | @ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) | 2–9–1–1 |
| 14 | W | November 11, 2002 | 2–1 | Calgary Flames (2002–03) | 3–9–1–1 |
| 15 | W | November 13, 2002 | 3–2 OT | San Jose Sharks (2002–03) | 4–9–1–1 |
| 16 | L | November 15, 2002 | 1–5 | Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03) | 4–10–1–1 |
| 17 | L | November 17, 2002 | 1–5 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03) | 4–11–1–1 |
| 18 | W | November 19, 2002 | 4–3 OT | Florida Panthers (2002–03) | 5–11–1–1 |
| 19 | L | November 22, 2002 | 1–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) | 5–12–1–1 |
| 20 | L | November 23, 2002 | 3–6 | @ Washington Capitals (2002–03) | 5–13–1–1 |
| 21 | L | November 26, 2002 | 2–3 | @ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) | 5–14–1–1 |
| 22 | W | November 28, 2002 | 7–4 | New York Rangers (2002–03) | 6–14–1–1 |
| 23 | W | December 1, 2002 | 5–4 | Washington Capitals (2002–03) | 7–14–1–1 |
| 24 | OTL | December 5, 2002 | 3–4 OT | @ Boston Bruins (2002–03) | 7–14–1–2 |
| 25 | OTL | December 6, 2002 | 6–7 OT | @ Washington Capitals (2002–03) | 7–14–1–3 |
| 26 | L | December 8, 2002 | 0–3 | Edmonton Oilers (2002–03) | 7–15–1–3 |
| 27 | L | December 11, 2002 | 2–4 | @ Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03) | 7–16–1–3 |
| 28 | L | December 13, 2002 | 1–3 | @ Dallas Stars (2002–03) | 7–17–1–3 |
| 29 | L | December 14, 2002 | 0–4 | @ St. Louis Blues (2002–03) | 7–18–1–3 |
| 30 | W | December 16, 2002 | 1–0 | Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) | 8–18–1–3 |
| 31 | L | December 18, 2002 | 1–3 | Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) | 8–19–1–3 |
| 32 | OTL | December 20, 2002 | 2–3 OT | Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) | 8–19–1–4 |
| 33 | L | December 23, 2002 | 1–5 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) | 8–20–1–4 |
| 34 | W | December 27, 2002 | 5–3 | @ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) | 9–20–1–4 |
| 35 | L | December 28, 2002 | 0–1 | Boston Bruins (2002–03) | 9–21–1–4 |
| 36 | W | December 30, 2002 | 3–2 OT | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) | 10–21–1–4 |
| 37 | L | January 2, 2003 | 1–8 | @ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) | 10–22–1–4 |
| 38 | L | January 3, 2003 | 1–4 | Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) | 10–23–1–4 |
| 39 | L | January 5, 2003 | 4–5 | Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) | 10–24–1–4 |
| 40 | T | January 7, 2003 | 3–3 OT | Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) | 10–24–2–4 |
| 41 | W | January 9, 2003 | 3–2 OT | @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) | 11–24–2–4 |
| 42 | L | January 11, 2003 | 3–7 | @ New York Islanders (2002–03) | 11–25–2–4 |
| 43 | W | January 13, 2003 | 7–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) | 12–25–2–4 |
| 44 | W | January 15, 2003 | 1–0 | Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) | 13–25–2–4 |
| 45 | W | January 17, 2003 | 3–1 | Boston Bruins (2002–03) | 14–25–2–4 |
| 46 | L | January 19, 2003 | 1–4 | New York Islanders (2002–03) | 14–26–2–4 |
| 47 | W | January 21, 2003 | 8–4 | St. Louis Blues (2002–03) | 15–26–2–4 |
| 48 | T | January 23, 2003 | 3–3 OT | Ottawa Senators (2002–03) | 15–26–3–4 |
| 49 | W | January 25, 2003 | 4–1 | @ New York Rangers (2002–03) | 16–26–3–4 |
| 50 | W | January 28, 2003 | 5–2 | New York Rangers (2002–03) | 17–26–3–4 |
| 51 | L | January 30, 2003 | 2–5 | Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) | 17–27–3–4 |
| 52 | W | February 4, 2003 | 4–3 | @ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) | 18–27–3–4 |
| 53 | W | February 7, 2003 | 4–2 | @ New Jersey Devils (2002–03) | 19–27–3–4 |
| 54 | L | February 8, 2003 | 1–3 | @ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) | 19–28–3–4 |
| 55 | L | February 12, 2003 | 1–5 | Washington Capitals (2002–03) | 19–29–3–4 |
| 56 | T | February 14, 2003 | 2–2 OT | Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) | 19–29–4–4 |
| 57 | L | February 15, 2003 | 2–6 | Detroit Red Wings (2002–03) | 19–30–4–4 |
| 58 | W | February 17, 2003 | 4–3 OT | Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) | 20–30–4–4 |
| 59 | L | February 19, 2003 | 0–2 | @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) | 20–31–4–4 |
| 60 | T | February 23, 2003 | 3–3 OT | @ Edmonton Oilers (2002–03) | 20–31–5–4 |
| 61 | L | February 25, 2003 | 0–8 | @ Vancouver Canucks (2002–03) | 20–32–5–4 |
| 62 | W | February 27, 2003 | 4–3 OT | @ Colorado Avalanche (2002–03) | 21–32–5–4 |
| 63 | L | March 1, 2003 | 1–4 | @ Los Angeles Kings (2002–03) | 21–33–5–4 |
| 64 | W | March 2, 2003 | 4–1 | @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03) | 22–33–5–4 |
| 65 | T | March 6, 2003 | 4–4 OT | @ Washington Capitals (2002–03) | 22–33–6–4 |
| 66 | L | March 7, 2003 | 1–2 | Florida Panthers (2002–03) | 22–34–6–4 |
| 67 | L | March 9, 2003 | 4–6 | Minnesota Wild (2002–03) | 22–35–6–4 |
| 68 | W | March 11, 2003 | 3–2 | @ New Jersey Devils (2002–03) | 23–35–6–4 |
| 69 | L | March 13, 2003 | 2–4 | Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) | 23–36–6–4 |
| 70 | W | March 15, 2003 | 5–3 | Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) | 24–36–6–4 |
| 71 | W | March 17, 2003 | 3–2 | Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03) | 25–36–6–4 |
| 72 | OTL | March 19, 2003 | 4–5 OT | Dallas Stars (2002–03) | 25–36–6–5 |
| 73 | L | March 21, 2003 | 1–5 | Ottawa Senators (2002–03) | 25–37–6–5 |
| 74 | W | March 22, 2003 | 3–2 | @ Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03) | 26–37–6–5 |
| 75 | L | March 24, 2003 | 2–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) | 26–38–6–5 |
| 76 | W | March 26, 2003 | 5–1 | Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) | 27–38–6–5 |
| 77 | T | March 28, 2003 | 1–1 OT | New Jersey Devils (2002–03) | 27–38–7–5 |
| 78 | W | March 29, 2003 | 3–2 | @ Nashville Predators (2002–03) | 28–38–7–5 |
| 79 | W | March 31, 2003 | 4–3 OT | @ New York Rangers (2002–03) | 29–38–7–5 |
| 80 | L | April 2, 2003 | 3–4 | @ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) | 29–39–7–5 |
| 81 | W | April 5, 2003 | 3–2 | @ New York Islanders (2002–03) | 30–39–7–5 |
| 82 | W | April 6, 2003 | 6–2 | Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) | 31–39–7–5 |
Playoffs
The Thrashers failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Player statistics
Regular season
- Scoring
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dany Heatley | LW | 77 | 41 | 48 | 89 | 58 | -8 | 19 | 1 | 6 |
| Vyacheslav Kozlov | LW | 79 | 21 | 49 | 70 | 66 | -10 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | LW | 81 | 38 | 29 | 67 | 57 | -24 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Marc Savard | C | 57 | 16 | 31 | 47 | 77 | -11 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Patrik Stefan | C | 71 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 12 | -10 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Yannick Tremblay | D | 75 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 32 | -27 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Shawn McEachern | RW | 46 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 28 | -27 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Tony Hrkac | C | 80 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 14 | -16 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Frantisek Kaberle | D | 79 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 32 | -19 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Andy Sutton | D | 53 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 114 | -8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Lubos Bartecko | LW | 37 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Daniel Tjarnqvist | D | 75 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 26 | -20 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Snyder | C | 36 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 34 | -4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Brad Tapper | RW | 35 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Pascal Rheaume | C | 56 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 24 | -8 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Richard Smehlik | D | 43 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 16 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Tamer | D | 72 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 118 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Cowan | LW | 66 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 115 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Per Svartvadet | C | 62 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 | -11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Hartigan | C | 23 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | -8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Odgers | RW | 74 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 171 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chris Herperger | C | 27 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | -11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamil Piros | C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mike Weaver | D | 40 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 20 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kirill Safronov | D | 32 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pasi Nurminen | G | 52 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yuri Butsayev | LW | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe DiPenta | D | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garnet Exelby | D | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tomi Kallio | LW | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Francis Lessard | RW | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 61 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ben Simon | LW | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zdenek Blatny | LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frederic Cassivi | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Dafoe | G | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Farkas | RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kurtis Foster | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Simon Gamache | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milan Hnilicka | G | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Uwe Krupp | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J.P. Vigier | RW | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T/OT | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasi Nurminen | 2856 | 52 | 21 | 19 | 5 | 137 | 2.88 | 2 | 1452 | 1315 | .906 |
| Byron Dafoe | 895 | 17 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 65 | 4.36 | 0 | 472 | 407 | .862 |
| Milan Hnilicka | 1097 | 21 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 65 | 3.56 | 0 | 605 | 540 | .893 |
| Frederic Cassivi | 123 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 5.37 | 0 | 58 | 47 | .810 |
| Team: | 4971 | 82 | 31 | 44 | 7 | 278 | 3.36 | 2 | 2587 | 2309 | .893 |
- Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
- Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;
Transactions
The Thrashers were involved in the following transactions during the 2002–03 season. [5]
Trades
Free agents signed
| July 10, 2002 | From Buffalo Sabres Richard Smehlik |
| July 19, 2002 | From Detroit Red Wings Uwe Krupp |
| July 23, 2002 | From Calgary Flames Dallas Eakins |
| August 1, 2002 | From Ottawa Senators Chris Herperger |
| November 19, 2002 | From Boston Bruins Byron Dafoe |
| March 28, 2003 | From Michigan State (CCHA) Brian Maloney |
Free Agents Lost
| July 15, 2002 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Vladimir Vujtek |
Waivers Claims
| October 4, 2002 | From Montreal Canadiens Stephane Robidas |
Draft picks
Atlanta's draft picks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Kari Lehtonen | Jokerit (Finland) | |
| 1 | 30 | Jim Slater | Michigan State University (CCHA) | |
| 4 | 116 | Patrick Dwyer | Western Michigan University (CCHA) | |
| 4 | 124 | Lane Manson | Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) | |
| 5 | 144 | Paul Flache | Brampton Battalion (OHL) | |
| 6 | 167 | Brad Schell | Spokane Chiefs (WHL) | |
| 7 | 198 | Nathan Oystrick | Northern Michigan University (CCHA) | |
| 8 | 230 | Colton Fretter | Chatham Maroons (WOHL) | |
| 8 | 236 | Tyler Boldt | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) | |
| 8 | 257 | Pauli Levokari | HIFK (Finland) |
References
- "2002-03 NHL Summary".
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 163.
- "2002–2003 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- "2002-03 Atlanta Thrashers Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
- "Hockey Transactions Search Results".