2009–10 Washington Capitals season
| 2009–10 Washington Capitals | |
|---|---|
|
Presidents' Trophy winners
|
|
|
Southeast Division champions
|
|
| Division | 1st Southeast |
| Conference | 1st Eastern |
| 2009–10 record | 54–15–13 |
| Home record | 30–5–6 |
| Road record | 24–10–7 |
| Goals for | 315 |
| Goals against | 229 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | George McPhee |
| Coach | Bruce Boudreau |
| Captain |
Chris Clark (Oct-Dec) Vacant (28 Dec-5 Jan) Alexander Ovechkin (Jan-Apr) |
| Alternate captains |
Mike Knuble Alexander Ovechkin (Oct-Jan) Tom Poti |
| Arena | Verizon Center |
| Average attendance | 18,277 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Alexander Ovechkin (50) |
| Assists | Nicklas Backstrom (68) |
| Points | Alexander Ovechkin (109) |
| Penalties in minutes | Alexander Ovechkin (87) |
| Plus/minus | Jeff Schultz (+48) |
| Wins | Jose Theodore (30) |
| Goals against average | Semyon Varlamov (2.54) |
The 2009–10 Washington Capitals season was the 36th season for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL). The season started with the 2009 NHL Entry Draft on June 26–27, with the Capitals holding the 24th selection in the draft.
On December 28, the Capitals traded away captain Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jason Chimera. On January 5, Alexander Ovechkin was named the new team captain, the unanimous choice of his teammates.
From January 13 to February 7, 2010, Washington won 14 straight games.
By finishing the regular season with 121 points in the standings, the Capitals became the first non-Original Six team to ever reach the 120-point plateau.
The Capitals finished the regular season in first place in scoring, with 313 goals (excluding five shootout-winning goals). This was the highest total by an NHL team since the 1995–96 season. Seven Washington players reached the 20-goal mark. The Capitals also scored the most power-play goals in the League, with 79, and had the best power-play percentage, at 25.24% (79 for 313).
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and division)
AT - Atlantic Division, NE - Northeast Division, SE - Southeast Division
On March 11, the Capitals clinched the division title for the third consecutive season after also winning division titles in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 campaigns. The Capitals also clinched as the Eastern Conference regular season champions. On April 4, the Capitals won their first ever Presidents' Trophy award. The Capitals played the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round. The Canadiens won Game 1, 3–2 in overtime. The Capitals won the next three games to take a 3–1 series lead. The Canadiens won the next two games to tie the series at 3–3 and force a Game 7. In Game 7, the Canadiens took a 2–0 lead, which held up until the third period. The Capitals came close many times and outshot the Canadiens 42 to 16, but Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak kept them in the game, only allowing one goal. The Canadiens won the game 2–1 and eliminated the Capitals in the first round, considered one of the biggest playoff upsets in NHL history.
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