2009–10 Washington Capitals season

The 2009–10 Washington Capitals season was the team's 36th season 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, 2009, the Capitals traded away captain Chris Clark and defenseman Milan Jurcina to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for winger Jason Chimera. On January 5, 2010, Alexander Ovechkin was named the team's new captain, the unanimous choice of his teammates. Ovechkin became the first European, second-youngest and 14th overall captain in team history. From January 13 to February 7, 2010, Washington won 14-straight games. The Capitals eventually finished 2009-10 regular season first in the Eastern Conference and in the NHL with 121 points, securing their first ever President's Trophy while also becoming 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).

Ovechkin led the team with 109 points and finished as the league's third-highest goal scorer, despite playing nine games fewer than the league leaders. Fellow Capital's player Nicklas Bäckström finished the season with 101 points, the fourth-most in the NHL. Mike Green led all defensemen in points, finishing with 76. The Capitals also dominated the plus-minus category, with five players finishing in the top six in the league. Despite enjoying a top-ranked regular season, the Capitals were ousted by the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs in 7 games. Their early post-season exit in 2010 was considered one of the biggest playoff upsets in NHL history.

Regular season
On December 28, the Capitals traded captain Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jason Chimera. On January 5, Alexander Ovechkin was named the team's new 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).

Playoffs
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. Their early post-season exit in 2010 was considered one of the biggest playoff upsets in NHL history.

Key: Win  Loss  Clinch Playoff Series  Eliminated from playoffs

Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min = 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

†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

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

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

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.