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2008–09 Washington Capitals season
NHL hockey team season
NHL hockey team season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| League | NHL |
| Season | 2008–09 |
| year | 2008 |
| Team | Washington Capitals |
| Conference | Eastern |
| ConferenceRank | 2nd |
| Division | Southeast |
| DivisionRank | 1st |
| Record | 50–24–8 |
| HomeRecord | 29–9–3 |
| RoadRecord | 21–15–5 |
| GoalsFor | 272 |
| GoalsAgainst | 245 |
| GeneralManager | George McPhee |
| Coach | Bruce Boudreau |
| Captain | Chris Clark |
| AltCaptain | Sergei Fedorov |
| Alexander Ovechkin | |
| Arena | Verizon Center |
| Attendance | 17,943 (98%) |
| GoalsLeader | Alexander Ovechkin (56) |
| AssistsLeader | Nicklas Backstrom (66) |
| PointsLeader | Alexander Ovechkin (110) |
| PlusMinusLeader | Alexander Semin (+25) |
| PIMLeader | Donald Brashear (121) |
| WinsLeader | Jose Theodore (32) |
| GAALeader | Semyon Varlamov (2.37) |
| DivisionWin | Yes |
Alexander Ovechkin
The 2008–09 Washington Capitals season was the team's 35th in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Capitals finished the regular season with a record of 50–24–8 and a team-record 108 points, and they won their second consecutive Southeast Division championship. They defeated the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs 4–3, overcoming a 3–1 series deficit. The Capitals were then defeated by the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games.
Pre-season
Schedule/Results from capitals.nhl.com
| Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| @ Carolina Hurricanes | W | 4-1 |
| vs Carolina Hurricanes | W | 5-2 |
| @ Boston Bruins | W | 4-3 |
| @ New Jersey Devils | W | 3-2 |
| @ Philadelphia Flyers | L | 1-2 |
| vs Philadelphia Flyers | W | 5-1 |
| vs Boston Bruins | OTL | 4-5 |
Regular season
Division standings
Conference standings
Schedule and results
Full schedule, results, and recaps at capitals.nhl.com
- Green background indicates win. (2 points)
- Red indicates loss. (0 points)
- White background indicates overtime/shootout loss (1 point).
| October: 5–3–1 (home: 3–0–1; road: 2–3–0) |
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| November: 8-5–2 (home: 6–0–0; road: 2-5–2) |
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| December: 11–3–0 (home: 6–1–0; road: 5–2–0) |
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| January: 7–4–1 (home: 5–2–0; road: 2–2–1) |
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| February: 9–3–1 (home: 5–3–0; road: 4–0–1) |
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| March: 6–5–2; home: 2–3–1; road: 4–2–1) |
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| April: 4–1–1 (home: 2–0–1; road: 2–1–0) |
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|- ! colspan=2 style="color:#BF2F39" | Schedule |}
Playoffs
Main article: 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Washington Capitals won the Southeast Division and qualified for the playoffs for the second straight season. The Capitals would eventually win the first round against the New York Rangers, in seven games, after trailing the series 3–1 for their first playoff series victory since reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. However, the Capitals would not get past the Pittsburgh Penguins and lost the series in seven games.
Key: Win Loss Clinch Playoff Series Eliminated from playoffs
| Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: vs. (7) New York Rangers |
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| Eastern Conference Semifinals: vs. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins |
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Player statistics
Skaters
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 56 | 54 | 110 | +8 | 72 | |
| 82 | 22 | 66 | 88 | +16 | 46 | |
| 62 | 34 | 45 | 79 | +25 | 77 | |
| 68 | 31 | 42 | 73 | +24 | 68 | |
| 82 | 23 | 30 | 53 | -1 | 31 | |
| 67 | 13 | 28 | 41 | -9 | 16 | |
| 73 | 19 | 18 | 37 | -3 | 20 | |
| 52 | 11 | 22 | 33 | +4 | 50 | |
| 72 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 0 | 32 | |
| 61 | 12 | 13 | 25 | +8 | 22 | |
| 76 | 8 | 11 | 19 | +2 | 34 | |
| 63 | 5 | 9 | 14 | -4 | 16 | |
| 79 | 3 | 11 | 14 | +1 | 68 | |
| 52 | 3 | 10 | 13 | +3 | 28 | |
| 72 | 3 | 10 | 13 | +4 | 77 | |
| 64 | 1 | 11 | 12 | +13 | 21 | |
| 81 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -1 | 59 | |
| 32 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -3 | 32 | |
| 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +5 | 4 | |
| 26 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +4 | 14 | |
| 30 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 2 | |
| 63 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -6 | 121 | |
| 52 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +1 | 63 | |
| 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -3 | 6 | |
| 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 2 | |
| 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +4 | 10 | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
|}
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 11 | 10 | 21 | +10 | 8 | |
| 14 | 3 | 12 | 15 | +3 | 8 | |
| 14 | 5 | 9 | 14 | -1 | 16 | |
| 14 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -5 | 12 | |
| 14 | 1 | 7 | 8 | +1 | 12 | |
| 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | +8 | 4 | |
| 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 10 | |
| 14 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +3 | 0 | |
| 14 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +5 | 6 | |
| 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 14 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 4 | |
| 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 8 | |
| 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +6 | 12 | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 8 | |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 16 | |
| 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 8 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 0 | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
|}
Goaltenders
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV | Sv% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | 3286 | 32 | 17 | 5 | 157 | 2.87 | 1572 | 1415 | .900 | 2 | |
| 21 | 1131 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 53 | 2.81 | 579 | 526 | .908 | 0 | |
| 6 | 328 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 2.37 | 159 | 146 | .918 | 0 | |
| 5 | 219 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3.00 | 102 | 91 | .892 | 0 |
|}
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV | Sv% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 758 | 7 | 6 | 32 | 2.53 | 389 | 357 | .918 | 2 | |
| 2 | 96 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3.72 | 33 | 27 | .818 | 0 |
|}
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Capitals. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only.
‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record
Awards and records
Trophies and awards
- Alexander Ovechkin – Hart Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player)
- Alexander Ovechkin – Lester B. Pearson Award (Most Outstanding Player)
- Alexander Ovechkin – Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy: (56 goals)
- Alexander Ovechkin – Kharlamov Trophy
- Alexander Ovechkin – NHL First All-Star Team
- Mike Green – NHL First All-Star Team
Stars
- Alexander Semin – NHL No. 1 Star of the Month (October 2008)
- Alex Ovechkin – NHL No. 1 Star of the Month (November 2008)
- Nicklas Backstrom – NHL No. 1 Star of the Week (Week Ending November 28, 2008)
- Alex Ovechkin – NHL No. 1 Star of the Week (Week Ending December 28, 2008)
- Mike Green – NHL No. 3 Star of the Week (Week Ending February 1, 2009)
- Mike Green – NHL No. 3 Star of the Week (Week Ending February 8, 2009)
Records
- Mike Green – NHL-record 8-game goal-scoring streak by a defenseman
Milestones
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
|---|---|---|
| Brent Johnson | 100th NHL win | October 13, 2008 |
| Sergei Fedorov | 1200th NHL game | October 16, 2008 |
| Milan Jurcina | 200th NHL game | October 16, 2008 |
| Tyler Sloan | 1st NHL game | October 21, 2008 |
| Sergei Fedorov | 474th NHL goal (most by a Russian-born player) | October 25, 2008 |
| Alexander Semin | 200th NHL game | October 25, 2008 |
| Tyler Sloan | 1st NHL goal | October 25, 2008 |
| Viktor Kozlov | 500th NHL point | November 14, 2008 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | 100th NHL game | November 19, 2008 |
| Karl Alzner | 1st NHL game | November 26, 2008 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | 200th NHL goal | February 5, 2009 |
| Mike Green | 8-game goal-scoring streak by defenseman (NHL record) | February 14, 2009 |
Transactions
Trades
| June 20, 2008 | To Washington Capitals 1st-round pick in [2008](2008-nhl-entry-draft) – John Carlson | To Philadelphia Flyers Steve Eminger |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd-round pick in [2008](2008-nhl-entry-draft) – Jacob DeSerres |
Free agents
| Jose Theodore, G | Colorado Avalanche | $9 million, 2 years |
|---|
| Olaf Kolzig, G | Tampa Bay Lightning |
|---|
|}
Claimed from waivers
| Player | Former team | Date claimed off waivers |
|---|---|---|
| Staffan Kronwall, D | Toronto Maple Leafs | February 6, 2009 |
|}
Draft picks
Washington 's picks at the 2008 NHL entry draft in Ottawa, Ontario.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 (from New Jersey) | Anton Gustafsson | (C) | Frölunda HC (Sweden Jr.) | |
| 1 | 27 (from Philadelphia) | John Carlson | (D) | Indiana Ice (USHL) | |
| 2 | 57 (from San Jose) | Eric Mestery | (D) | Tri-City Americans (WHL) | |
| 2 | 58 (from Philadelphia) | Dmitri Kugryshev | (RW) | CSKA Moscow (RSL) | |
| 4 | 93 (from Los Angeles) | Braden Holtby | (G) | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) | |
| 5 | 144 | Joel Broda | (C) | Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) | |
| 6 | 174 | Greg Burke | (LW) | New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) | |
| 7 | 204 | Stefan Della Rovere | (LW) | Barrie Colts (OHL) |
Farm teams
Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL.
References
References
- "NHL.com - Recap: Penguins @ Capitals - 13 May 2009".
- [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/story/?id=242180&hubname=nhl-capitals&lid=sublink06&lpos=headlines_nhl-capitals Capitals sign Theodore, Raycroft joins Avs]
- {{usurped
- [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/story/?id=242603&hubname=nhl-penguins&lid=sublink02&lpos=headlines_nhl-penguins Penguins sign Cooke to two-year deal]
- (2008-06-21). "NHL.com - Stats".
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