Schedule and 2007 Results
Regular Season Records: New Jersey 49-24-9=107pts, Ottawa 48-25-9=105pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 26 April: Ottawa wins at New Jersey, 5-goals-4
Game 2 on Saturday, 28 April: Ottawa loses at New Jersey, 3-goals-2 (2OT)
Game 3 on Monday, 30 April: New Jersey loses at Ottawa, 2-goals-nil
Game 4 on Wednesday, 2 May: New Jersey loses at Ottawa, 3-goals-2
Game 5 on Saturday, 5 May: Ottawa wins at New Jersey, 3-goals-2

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Ottawa Senators visited and defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-goals-2 to secure a 4-games-1 win in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 999. Ottawa thus follows the Anaheim Ducks into the 2007 NHL Semifinals (Conference Finals). With the series 999 win, the Ottawa Senators improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 7-9 overall and 2-3 in the Quarterfinals. With the series 999 loss, the New Jersey Devils see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 22-14 overall and 6-3 in the Quarterfinals. The win order for the victorious Ottawa Senators in series 999 was WLWWW: Series 999 thus becomes the ninth NHL Quarterfinals series, the 33rd NHL series (all rounds), and the 68th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow such a win order to series completion.

After Game 4: The Ottawa Senators hosted and defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-goals-2 to take a 3-games-1 lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 999. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Ottawa Senators have a series record of 5-0 and a Game 5 record of 4-1 with a four-Game 5 winning streak. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the New Jersey Devils have a series record of 1-5 and a Game 5 record of 2-4. Ottawa leads series 999 three-games-1 with Games 1-2 on the road and Games 3-4 at home: In the history of best-of-7 NBA/NHL Quarterfinals-round playoff series, such teams have a 21-1 series record. The sole loss in that situation was sustained by the Toronto Maple Leafs in series 486, as the Leafs lost Games 5-7 and the series to the Detroit Red Wings in the 1987 NHL Quarterfinals. Those Red Wings of twenty years ago thus set a favorable precedent for the Devils in series 999.

After Game 3: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 999 in Ottawa for Games 3-4, the host Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-goals-nil to take a 2-games-1 series 999 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Ottawa Senators have a 6-1 series record (with a four-series winning streak) and a 5-2 Game 4 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the New Jersey Devils have a 3-9 series record and an 8-4 Game 4 record. Twice before has Ottawa opened a best-of-7 NHL playoff series with win/site orders of WLW @ VVH: In series 857 in the 2002 NHL Quarterfinals, Ottawa lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games; in series 748 in the 1998 NHL Preliminary round, Ottawa defeated the New Jersey Devils in seven games. New Jersey has only a 3-9 series record when trailing 2-games-1 in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, but the Devils won the last such series in which they found themselves in this situation (in series 991, over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the just-completed 2007 NHL Preliminary round).

After Game 2: Scoring the game-winning goal 1:55 into the second overtime period, the New Jersey Devils hosted and defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-goals-2, thus tying best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 999 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the New Jersey Devils have an 11-9 series record and an 11-9 Game 3 record, while the Ottawa Senators have a 6-4 series record and a 7-3 Game 3 record. Series 999 now shifts to Ottawa for Games 3-4. In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff series from 1939 through 2006, teams that lose Game 1 but win Game 2 in double-overtime or beyond (such as New Jersey in series 999) have a 3-4 series record.

After Game 1: Tallying the first four goals of the game in 16:39, the Ottawa Senators held on to defeat the Devils in New Jersey 5-goals-4 to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 999. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Ottawa Senators have a series record of 4-3 and a perfect Game 2 record of 0-7. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the New Jersey Devils have a series record of 8-9 and a Game 2 record of 12-5. The 4-goals-nil lead seized by Ottawa in the first 16:39 of series 999 Game 1 was the seventh-fastest seizure of a 4-goals-nil lead by a road team in best-of-7 format NHL playoff games, and the fastest since the Carolina Hurricanes did so in 14:58 of Game 6 of their 2002 NHL Quarterfinals series against the Canadiens in Montreal (in series 856). The fastest 4-goals-nil lead ever taken by a road team in a best-of-7 format NHL playoff game was 10:18, by the New York Rangers in series 700 Game 6 against the Canadiens in Montreal in their 1996 NHL Preliminary-round series. In best-of-7 format NHL playoff games, no home team as of this writing has ever surmounted a 4-goals-nil deficit to win the game, although New Jersey came close to tying series 999 Game 1 on various occasions.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2006-07 regular season, New Jersey finished two points ahead of Ottawa. From 1905 through the 2007 NHL Preliminary round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by two regular-season points, they have posted a 11-10 (.524) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. Best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 999 is the 16th best-of-7 playoff series for Ottawa, and the 36th for New Jersey. In best-of-7 playoff series, Ottawa has a 6-9 series record, a 1-3 Quarterfinals-round series record, and a 7-8 Game 1 record, while New Jersey has a 22-13 series record, a 6-2 Quarterfinals-round series record, and an 18-17 Game 1 record. Series 999 is the third best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between Ottawa and New Jersey: Ottawa defeated the Devils in series 748 in the 1998 NHL Preliminary round, but New Jersey topped the Senators in series 885 in the 2003 NHL Semifinals.