Saddex iibsi oo muhiim ah ayaa la sameeyay ka hor xilli ciyaareedkii 2001-02, Laviolette kii ugu horreeyay. Alexei Yashin waxaa laga soo iibsaday Ottawa Senators si loogu beddelo weeraryahan Bill Muckalt, difaaca Zdeno Chara iyo xulashada labaad ee guud ee jasiiradaha ee 2001
Waxaad Marka xigta, rajada jasiiradaha Tim Connolly iyo Taylor Pyatt waxaa lagu beddelay Buffalo Sabres si loogu beddelo Michael Peca, oo noqday kabtanka kooxda. Iyada oo lagu dhammaystiray rikoodhkii ugu xumaa ee xilli ciyaareedkii hore, goolhayaha Detroit Red Wings Chris Osgood wuxuu ahaa ku darista xigta, oo loo qaatay inuu yahay kii ugu horreeyay ee la doorto bishii Sebtember 2001, isagoo ku daray goolhayaha horyaalka Stanley Cup-ka oo aan ka tanaasulin wax ciyaartoy ah. Ku darista ayaa caddeysay inay tahay caawimaad weyn, maadaama kooxdu ay xilli ciyaareedkii ku furtay rikoor 9<unk>0<unk>1<unk>1, oo ah kii ugu fiicnaa taariikhda xayeysiinta. Waxay xilli ciyaareedkii ku dhameysteen rikoodh cusub oo la jabiyay; 96 dhibcood oo ay heleen ayaa calaamadeeyay wareegga afaraad ee ugu weyn hal sano ee taariikhda horyaalka (44 dhibcood oo ka sarreeya xilli ciyaareedkii hore), halka 66kii kulan ee Osgood ay ka sarreeyeen rikoodhkii hore ee Billy Smith ee ahaa 65. Intii lagu guda jiray 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, waxay ahaayeen kaalinta shanaad waxayna la kulmeen kaalinta afaraad ee Toronto Maple Leafs. Kooxda Islanders ayaa laga badiyay taxane wareega koowaad oo aad u jir ahaaneed toddobo ciyaarood; kooxda guriga ayaa ku guuleysatay ciyaar kasta oo taxanaha ah. Waxaa xusid mudan, Ciyaarta 5aad waxaa lagu soo bandhigay Gary Roberts oo weeraray daafaca Islander Kenny Jonsson, iyo Darcy Tucker oo hoos u dhigaya Peca oo leh jeeg su'aal ah oo jeexay kabtanka Islander ee ligament cruciate ligament, oo ka reebay labada ciyaartoy ee ciyaarta ugu dambeysa ee taxanaha. Xaaladda u dhaxeysa Tucker iyo Peca waxay sababtay caro, iyadoo la malaynayo in Tucker uu damacsanaa inuu dhaawaco Peca ka hor inta uusan ciyaartu bilaaban, taas oo Tucker diiday.