The Devils were led by captain Scott Stevens, head coach Larry Robinson and goaltender Martin Brodeur.

The Stars were led by captain Derian Hatcher, head coach Ken Hitchcock and goaltender Ed Belfour.

In the playoffs defeated the Florida Panthers 4–0, the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–2 and the Philadelphia Flyers 4–3 (in the process becoming the first team since expansion to come back from a 3-1 deficit later than the second round) to advance to the Finals.

Dallas captured a Pacific Division title and entered the playoffs with the 2nd seed after finishing the regular season with 102 points.

The Devils finished the regular season with 111 points (a franchise record that stood until 2022-23) and an Atlantic Division title, and entered the playoffs with the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Stars earned 106 regular season points, good for another Pacific Division title and the third seed in the Western Conference.

The Devils did earn a return trip after eliminating the Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Pittsburgh Penguins to win a second straight Eastern Conference title.

In a back-and-forth affair, the Devils took a 3-2 series lead and were one win away from repeating as champions, but lost games 6 and 7, giving Colorado the Cup.

The Devils' loss marked the second straight year that the defending Stanley Cup champions lost in the Finals.

The Devils traded Randy McKay and 2000 Game 6 hero Jason Arnott to the Stars for Jamie Langenbrunner and Joe Nieuwendyk.

The latter two would play a key role in the Devils winning another Stanley Cup in 2003, when they defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Finals.

The Mighty Ducks' surprise trip to the Finals came partially at the expense of the Stars, who fell to Anaheim in six games in the second round.

In 2020, the Stars would appear in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2000, where they would lose in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Devils team broadcasters Mike Miller and Randy Velischek called the series on local radio on WABC–AM 770 in New York City.