2009–10 Washington Capitals season

2009–10 Washington Capitals
Division	1st Southeast
Conference	1st Eastern
2009–10 record	54–15–12
Home record	30–5–5
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- )
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)
Penalty 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.

Pre-season

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Location
1	September 17	Buffalo Sabres	W 4-3 (OT)	HSBC Arena
2	September 19	Chicago Blackhawks	W 3-2 (OT)	United Center
3	September 21	Buffalo Sabres	L 1-2	Verizon Center
4	September 23	Chicago Blackhawks	W 6-2	Verizon Center
5	September 24	New York Rangers	L 2-3	Madison Square Garden
6	September 27	New York Rangers	W 4-3	Verizon Center

Regular season

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 made the new captain, the unanimous choice of the other players.

Divisional standings

	Southeast Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
1	p–Washington Capitals	82	54	15	13	318	233	121
2	Atlanta Thrashers	82	35	34	13	234	256	83
3	Carolina Hurricanes	82	35	37	10	230	256	80
4	Tampa Bay Lightning	82	34	36	12	217	260	80
5	Florida Panthers	82	32	37	13	208	244	77

Conference standings

Eastern Conference	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
p–Washington Capitals	82	54	15	13	318	233	121
y–New Jersey Devils	82	48	27	7	222	191	103
y–Buffalo Sabres	82	45	27	10	235	207	100
Pittsburgh Penguins	82	47	28	7	257	237	101
Ottawa Senators	82	44	32	6	225	238	94
Boston Bruins	82	39	30	13	206	200	91
Philadelphia Flyers	82	41	35	6	236	225	88
Montreal Canadiens	82	39	33	10	217	223	88
New York Rangers	82	38	33	11	222	218	87
Atlanta Thrashers	82	35	34	13	234	256	83
Carolina Hurricanes	82	35	37	10	230	256	80
Tampa Bay Lightning	82	34	36	12	217	260	80
New York Islanders	82	34	37	11	222	264	79
Florida Panthers	82	32	37	13	208	244	77
Toronto Maple Leafs	82	30	38	14	214	267	74

bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and division)

Playoffs

On March 11th, the Capitals clinched the division title for the 3rd consecutive season after also winning division titles in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 campaigns. The Capitals have also clinched as the Eastern Conference champion. On April 4, the Capitals won their first ever President's 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 3rd period. The Capitals came close many times and outshot the Canadiens 42-16, but the Canadiens' goaltender Jaroslav Halak kept them in the game, only allowing 1 goal. The Canadiens won the game 2-1 and eliminated the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, which was one of the biggest playoff upsets in NHL history.

Key:      Win      Loss      Clinch Playoff Series      Eliminated from playoffs

2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 15 Canadiens 3 - 2 Capitals OT Theodore 18,377 Canadiens lead 1 - 0 [1] 2 April 17 Canadiens 5 - 6 Capitals OT Varlamov 18,377 Series tied 1 - 1 [2] 3 April 19 Capitals 5 - 1 Canadiens Varlamov 21,273 Capitals lead 2 - 1 [3] 4 April 21 Capitals 6 - 3 Canadiens Varlamov 21,273 Capitals lead 3 - 1 [4] 5 April 23 Canadiens 2 - 1 Capitals Varlamov 18,377 Capitals lead 3 - 2 [5] 6 April 26 Capitals 1 - 4 Canadiens Varlamov 21,273 Series tied 3 - 3 [6] 7 April 28 Canadiens 2 - 1 Capitals Varlamov 18,377 Capitals lose 3 - 4 [7]

Player stats

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Regular season Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin 72 50 59 109 45 89 Backstrom, NicklasNicklas Backstrom 82 33 68 101 37 50 Semin, AlexanderAlexander Semin 73 40 44 84 36 66 Green, MikeMike Green 75 19 57 76 39 54 Laich, BrooksBrooks Laich 78 25 34 59 16 34 Knuble, MikeMike Knuble 69 29 24 53 23 59 Fleischmann, TomasTomas Fleischmann 69 23 28 51 9 28 Morrison, BrendanBrendan Morrison 74 12 30 42 23 40 Fehr, EricEric Fehr 69 21 18 39 18 24 Poti, TomTom Poti 70 4 20 24 26 42 Bradley, MattMatt Bradley 77 10 14 24 6 47 Schultz, JeffJeff Schultz 73 3 20 23 50 32 Chimera, JasonJason Chimera 39 7 10 17 6 51 Steckel, DavidDavid Steckel 79 5 11 16 4 19 Clark, ChrisChris Clark 38 4 11 15 -4 27 Morrisonn, ShaoneShaone Morrisonn 68 1 11 12 8 68 Pothier, BrianBrian Pothier 41 4 7 11 12 10 Gordon, BoydBoyd Gordon 36 4 6 10 4 12 Perreault, MathieuMathieu Perreault 21 4 5 9 4 6 Erskine, JohnJohn Erskine 50 1 5 6 16 66 Sloan, TylerTyler Sloan 40 2 4 6 -1 22 Carlson, JohnJohn Carlson 22 1 5 6 11 8 Belanger, EricEric Belanger 17 2 4 6 3 4 Corvo, JoeJoe Corvo 18 2 4 6 -4 2 Aucoin, KeithKeith Aucoin 9 1 4 5 -2 0 Alzner, KarlKarl Alzner 21 0 5 5 -2 8 Laing, QuintinQuintin Laing 36 2 2 4 2 21 Jurcina, MilanMilan Jurcina 27 0 4 4 0 14 Giroux, AlexandreAlexandre Giroux 9 1 2 3 3 4 Walker, ScottScott Walker 9 2 1 3 1 9 Wilson, KyleKyle Wilson 2 0 2 2 1 0 Beagle, JayJay Beagle 7 1 1 2 -1 2 Kane, BoydBoyd Kane 3 0 0 0 -1 2 Gordon, AndrewAndrew Gordon 2 0 0 0 -2 0 Bourque, ChrisChris Bourque 1 0 0 0 -2 0

Playoffs Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Backstrom, NicklasNicklas Backstrom 4 5 4 9 8 2 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin 4 4 4 8 7 0 Knuble, MikeMike Knuble 4 2 3 5 5 4 Carlson, JohnJohn Carlson 4 1 3 4 7 0 Fehr, EricEric Fehr 4 2 1 3 2 0 Bradley, MattMatt Bradley 4 1 2 3 2 2 Poti, TomTom Poti 4 0 3 3 8 5 Gordon, BoydBoyd Gordon 3 1 1 2 3 0 Laich, BrooksBrooks Laich 4 1 1 2 -1 4 Chimera, JasonJason Chimera 4 1 1 2 2 2 Corvo, JoeJoe Corvo 4 1 1 2 1 2 Green, MikeMike Green 4 0 2 2 2 2 Morrison, BrendanBrendan Morrison 3 0 1 1 -1 0 Schultz, JeffJeff Schultz 4 0 1 1 0 2 Semin, AlexanderAlexander Semin 4 0 1 1 1 4 Fleischmann, TomasTomas Fleischmann 4 0 1 1 -1 4 Belanger, EricEric Belanger 4 0 1 1 0 2 Sloan, TylerTyler Sloan 1 0 0 0 0 0 Morrisonn, ShaoneShaone Morrisonn 3 0 0 0 2 0 Steckel, DavidDavid Steckel 2 0 0 0 1 0

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts

Regular season
Player GP TOI W L OT GA GAA SA Sv% SO G A PIM Theodore, JoseJose Theodore 47 2586 30 7 7 121 2.81 1352 .911 1 0 2 0 Varlamov, SemyonSemyon Varlamov 26 1527 15 4 6 65 2.55 718 .909 2 0 1 0 Neuvirth, MichalMichal Neuvirth 17 872 9 4 0 40 2.75 464 .914 0 0 0 0

Playoffs
Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SA Sv% SO G A PIM Varlamov, SemyonSemyon Varlamov 3 172 3 0 7 2.44 88 .920 0 0 0 0 Theodore, JoseJose Theodore 2 81 0 1 5 3.70 40 .875 0 0 0 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

Awards

Regular Season
Player	Award	Awarded
Alexander Ovechkin	NHL First Star of the Week	October 5, 2009
Alexander Ovechkin	NHL Third Star of the Week	October 19, 2009
Alexander Ovechkin	NHL Second Star of the Month	October 2009
Nicklas Backstrom	NHL First Star of the Week	December 7, 2009
Alexander Ovechkin	NHL First Star of the Week	January 18, 2010
Alexander Ovechkin	NHL First Star of the Month	January 2010
Nicklas Backstrom	NHL Third Star of the Week	February 1, 2010
Alexander Ovechkin	NHL First Star of the Week	February 8, 2010
Nicklas Backstrom	NHL Third Star of the Week	February 8, 2010
Nicklas Backstrom	NHL Third Star of the Week	April 12, 2010

Transactions

The Capitals have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.

Trades Date Details June 27, 2009 To Phoenix Coyotes Sami Lepisto To Washington Capitals 5th-round pick in 2010 July 17, 2009 To Calgary Flames Keith Seabrook To Washington Capitals Future considerations December 28, 2009 To Columbus Blue Jackets Chris Clark Milan Jurcina To Washington Capitals Jason Chimera March 3, 2010 To Carolina Hurricanes 7th-round pick in 2010 To Washington Capitals Scott Walker March 3, 2010 To Minnesota Wild 2nd-round pick in 2010 To Washington Capitals Eric Belanger March 3, 2010 To Columbus Blue Jackets 6th-round pick in 2010 To Washington Capitals Milan Jurcina March 3, 2010 To Carolina Hurricanes Brian Pothier Oskar Osala 2nd-round pick in 2011 To Washington Capitals Joe Corvo

Free agents acquired Player Former team Contract terms Jake Hauswirth Omaha Lancers 3 years, $545,000 Mike Knuble Philadelphia Flyers 2 years, $5.6 million Brendan Morrison Dallas Stars 1 year, $1.5 million Dustin Stevenson La Ronge Ice Wolves 3 year entry-level contract

Free agents lost Player New team Contract terms Sergei Fedorov Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 years Viktor Kozlov Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 years Donald Brashear New York Rangers 2 years, $2.8 million Graham Mink Florida Panthers 2 years, $525,000 Staffan Kronwall Calgary Flames 2 years, $500,000 Brent Johnson Pittsburgh Penguins 2 years, $2 million

Claimed via waivers Player Former team Date claimed off waivers Chris Bourque Pittsburgh Penguins December 5, 2009

Lost via waivers Player New team Date claimed off waivers Chris Bourque Pittsburgh Penguins September 30, 2009

Player Signings Player Contract terms Anton Gustafsson 3 years Quintin Laing 1 year Boyd Gordon 1 year, $761,000 Shaone Morrisonn 1 year, $1.975 million Eric Fehr 1 year, $771,750 Chris Bourque 1 year Kyle Wilson 1 year Steve Pinizzotto 2 years Jeff Schultz 1 year, $715,000 Milan Jurcina 1 year, $1.375 million Cody Eakin 3 year entry level contract Alexander Semin 1 year, $6 million contract extension Tyler Sloan 2 year contract extension David Steckel 3 year contract extension Keith Aucoin 2 year contract extension Dmitry Kugryshev 3 year entry-level contract

Roster

Updated June 13, 2021

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
27	Russia	Alexeyev, AlexanderAlexander Alexeyev	2.0 D	L	24	2018	St. Petersburg, Russia
31	United States	Anderson, CraigCraig Anderson	1.0 G	L	42	2021	Park Ridge, Illinois
19	Sweden	Backstrom, NicklasNicklas Backstrom  (A)	4.0 C	L	36	2006	Gävle, Sweden
74	United States	Carlson, JohnJohn Carlson  (A)	2.0 D	R	34	2008	Natick, Massachusetts
28	Canada	Carr, DanielDaniel Carr	6.0 LW	L	32	2020	Sherwood Park, Alberta
33	Slovakia	Chara, ZdenoZdeno Chara	2.0 D	L	47	2020	Trenčín, Czechoslovakia
1	United States	Copley, PheonixPheonix Copley	1.0 G	L	32	2017	North Pole, Alaska
4	Canada	Dillon, BrendenBrenden Dillon	2.0 D	L	33	2020	New Westminster, British Columbia
26	United States	Dowd, NicNic Dowd	4.0 C	R	33	2018	Huntsville, Alabama
20	Denmark	Eller, LarsLars Eller	4.0 C	L	34	2016	Rødovre, Denmark
42	Slovakia	Fehervary, MartinMartin Fehervary	2.0 D	L	24	2018	Bratislava, Slovakia
39	Canada	Fucale, ZacharyZachary Fucale	1.0 G	L	28	2020	Laval, Quebec
62	Sweden	Hagelin, CarlCarl Hagelin	6.0 LW	L	35	2019	Nykvarn, Sweden
21	United States	Hathaway, GarnetGarnet Hathaway	7.0 RW	R	32	2019	Naples, Florida
3	United States	Jensen, NickNick Jensen	2.0 D	R	33	2019	Rogers, Minnesota
6	Czech Republic	Kempny, MichalMichal Kempny	2.0 D	L	33	2018	Hodonín, Czechoslovakia
92	Russia	Kuznetsov, EvgenyEvgeny Kuznetsov	4.0 C	L	31	2010	Chelyabinsk, Russia
36	United States	LaDue, PaulPaul LaDue	2.0 D	R	31	2020	Grand Forks, North Dakota
49	Canada	Leason, BrettBrett Leason	7.0 RW	R	24	2019	Calgary, Alberta
35	Sweden	Lundqvist, HenrikHenrik Lundqvist	1.0 G	L	42	2020	Åre, Sweden
47	Canada	Malenstyn, BeckBeck Malenstyn	7.0 RW	L	26	2016	Delta, British Columbia
39	Canada	Mantha, AnthonyAnthony Mantha	7.0 RW	L	29	2021	Longueuil, Quebec
24	Canada	McMichael, ConnorConnor McMichael	4.0 C	L	23	2019	Scarborough, Ontario
9	Russia	Orlov, DmitryDmitry Orlov	2.0 D	L	32	2009	Novokuznetsk, Soviet Union
77	United States	Oshie, T. J.T. J. Oshie	7.0 RW	R	37	2015	Mount Vernon, Washington
8	Russia	Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin  (C)	6.0 LW	R	38	2004	Moscow, Soviet Union
40	Canada	Pilon, GarrettGarrett Pilon	4.0 C	R	26	2016	Mineola, New York
17	Austria	Raffl, MichaelMichael Raffl	6.0 LW	L	35	2021	Villach, Austria
30	Russia	Samsonov, IlyaIlya Samsonov	1.0 G	L	27	2015	Magnitogorsk, Russia
2	Canada	Schultz, JustinJustin Schultz	2.0 D	R	33	2020	Kelowna, British Columbia
73	United States	Sheary, ConorConor Sheary	6.0 LW	L	31	2020	Winchester, Massachusetts
10	Netherlands	Sprong, DanielDaniel Sprong	7.0 RW	R	27	2020	Amsterdam, Netherlands
57	United States	van Riemsdyk, TrevorTrevor van Riemsdyk	2.0 D	R	32	2020	Middletown, New Jersey
41	Czech Republic	Vanecek, VitekVitek Vanecek	1.0 G	L	28	2014	Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic
43	Canada	Wilson, TomTom Wilson	7.0 RW	R	30	2012	Toronto, Ontario

Draft picks

The Capitals' picks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, in Montreal, Quebec on June 26–27, 2009.

Rnd	Pick	Player	Nat	Pos	Team (league)	NHL statistics
						GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1	24	Marcus Johansson	Sweden	C	Färjestads BK (SEL)
2	55	Dmitri Orlov	Russia	D	Novokuznetsk (KHL)
3	85	Cody Eakin	Canada	C	Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
4	115	Patrick Wey	United States	D	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
5	144	Brett Fleming	Canada	D	Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (OHL)
6	174	Garrett Michael	Canada	RW	Regina Pats (WHL)
7	204	Benjamin Casavant	Canada	LW	PEI Rocket (QMJHL)

Farm teams

Hershey Bears

The Capitals' American Hockey League affiliate will remain to be the Hershey Bears in the 2009–10 season.

South Carolina Stingrays

The South Carolina Stingrays remain Washington's ECHL affiliate for the 2009–10 season.

See also

• 2009–10 NHL season

External Links

• 2009–10 Washington Capitals season at ESPN
• 2009–10 Washington Capitals season at Hockey Reference