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2009 Stanley Cup Playoff Storylines
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

Series K – Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)
Series L – Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (4)

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)

Playoff History: The Red Wings and Ducks will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time since 1997; the only clubs who have met more often in that span are the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers (six times).

In 1997, the Red Wings eliminated Anaheim in the Conference Semifinals en route to their first Stanley Cup in 42 years. Three of the four games went to overtime, including double- and triple-OT contests.

In 1999, the Red Wings swept Anaheim in decisive fashion, outscoring the Ducks 17-6.

In 2003, the seventh-seeded Ducks shocked the second-seeded Red Wings in the Conference Quarterfinals with a four-game sweep. Two games were decided in overtime, including a triple-OT thriller in Game 1.

In 2007, the Ducks ousted the Red Wings in six games in the Western Conference Final en route to their first Stanley Cup.

Season Series: The Ducks captured the first 2008-09 meeting in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to win 5-4 in overtime at Honda Center on Oct. 29. Center Ryan Getzlaf assisted on all five Anaheim goals. The Red Wings took the next three games of the series, the most recent being a 5-2 win at Joe Louis Arena on Feb. 20.

First-Round Recap: The Ducks defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games, becoming the eighth #8 seed to eliminate a #1 seed since the Conference-based playoff format was introduced in 1994. The Ducks also are the fifth team in the expansion era (since 1967-68) to eliminate the regular-season points leader in the first round. The Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry-Bobby Ryan line posted 16 points (nine goals, seven assists), while defensemen Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Ryan Whitney combined for 2-11–13.

The Red Wings posted a four-game sweep over Columbus in the opening round, outscoring the Blue Jackets 18-7. The Red Wings were the only club that did not trail throughout its opening-round series. Forward Johan Franzen led the club in scoring with 2-4–6.

Franzen is Mr. Clutch: Red Wings forward Johan Franzen has scored a game-winning goal in each of his past six playoff series and in seven of his past eight since the start of the 2007 post-season.

Pronger Knows Detroit: Ducks D Chris Pronger will take on the Red Wings for the seventh time in his career. He faced Detroit with the St. Louis Blues in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2002, with the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 and with the Ducks in 2007. Nearly one quarter of his NHL postseason games (34 of 140, 24%) have been against the Red Wings.

Good Memories Of The Joe: Ducks D Scott Niedermayer has played five career playoff games at Joe Louis Arena and is 4-1 in those games. He has figured prominently in three of those wins:

* On June 20, 1995, Niedermayer’s highlight-reel goal in the third period helped the New Jersey Devils defeat the Red Wings 4-2 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final en route to a four-game sweep.
* On May 13, 2007, Niedermayer scored the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.
* On May 20, 2007, Niedermayer scored the game-tying goal with 48 seconds left in the third period of Game 5 of the Western Conference Final with the series tied 2-2. Teemu Selanne scored in overtime, giving the Ducks a 2-1 win.

In addition, Ducks G Jean-Sebastien Giguere made a sensational playoff debut at Joe Louis Arena on April 10, 2003 in Game 1 of the Detroit-Anaheim Conference Quarterfinal, setting a record for most saves by a goaltender in his first postseason game (63) as the Ducks upset the Red Wings in triple overtime.

Special Teams: The Red Wings had the top-ranked power play in the NHL during the regular season (25.5%) and its success continued in the first round of the playoffs against Columbus, connecting at 31.8% (seven for 22). The Ducks, meanwhile, had the hottest power play in the League down the stretch (20 for 48, 41.7% in their last 13 games) and played a key role in their first-round upset of San Jose (five for 23, 21.7%).

Club Connections: Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock made his NHL head coaching debut with the Ducks in 2002-03. In his rookie season behind the bench, the Ducks swept the highly-favored Red Wings in a first-round upset en route to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup Final berth.

Two Ducks players remain from Babcock’s last season with the club in 2003-04: forward Rob Niedermayer and goaltender J.S. Giguere.

Goaltending Matchup: Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood, 36, has won three Stanley Cups, is tied for 10th place on the all-time regular-season victories list with 389 and tied for 11th on the career playoff wins list with 63. He allowed just seven goals in Detroit’s four-game sweep over Columbus in the Conference Quarter-Finals. The Ducks’ Jonas Hiller, 27, made a spectacular Stanley Cup Playoff debut in the first-round series win over San Jose, posting a 4-2 record with a 1.64 goals-against average, .957 save percentage and two shutouts.

Norris Chorus: The Red Wings and Ducks feature four previous winners of the Norris Trophy, awarded to the League’s top defenseman. The Red Wings’ Nicklas Lidstrom is a six-time winner and is nominated this year, while Chris Chelios is a three-time winner (Montreal, 1989; Chicago, 1993 and 1996). The Ducks boast Scott Niedermayer, who captured the award in 2004 with New Jersey, and Chris Pronger, who took home the hardware in 2000 with St. Louis.

Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle also won the award, with Pittsburgh in 1981.

NHL Playoff Appearance: 57th (18th consecutive)
Stanley Cups: 11 (1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008)
All-Time Playoff Series Record: 63-45
All-Time Playoff Game Record: 289-254-1

None.

The Red Wings will be attempting to repeat as Stanley Cup champions for the first time in more than a decade. They were the last club to accomplish the feat, winning back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998. Five of the players who competed for both champions are on the Red Wings’ active roster (Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby and Chris Osgood).

The Detroit Red Wings set an NHL record by posting their ninth consecutive 100-point season with a 4-0 victory at Columbus Mar. 15, passing the Montreal Canadiens’ eight-season streak from 1974-75 through 1981-82. The Red Wings also clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 18th consecutive season — the longest active streak of qualifying for the postseason among the major pro sports — and captured the Central Division title for the eighth consecutive season.

The Red Wings had three defensemen in the top 11 in NHL defense scoring – Nicklas Lidstrom (third, 16-43–59), Brian Rafalski (fifth, 10-49–59), and Niklas Kronwall (11th, 6-45–51). Lidstrom has recorded 997 career regular-season points, just shy of becoming just the eighth defenseman in League history to reach the 1,000-point milestone, and earned his 10th selection as a Norris Trophy finalist in the past 11 seasons.

C Pavel Datsyuk finished fourth in the NHL scoring race with 97 points (32 goals, 65 assists), equaling his career high set in 2007-08. He led the club in scoring for a fourth consecutive season, surpassing the three-year runs of franchise greats Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman. Datsyuk also excelled at the defensive end, ranking third among NHL players in plus-minus with a +34 rating. Voted a finalist for the Hart, Lady Byng and Frank Selke Trophies, Datsyuk could become the first player ever to sweep these awards in the same season.

The Red Wings were counting on big production from RW Marian Hossa when they signed him as an unrestricted free agent last summer and he responded, notching the third 40-goal season of his NHL career. Hossa, who also tallied 40-goal seasons with the Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers, is just the eighth player in NHL history to do with three different clubs. Hossa will look to repeat the form of his 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he ranked third in NHL scoring with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 20 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

LW Henrik Zetterberg tallied his fourth consecutive 30-goal season, finishing second on the Red Wings in scoring (31-42–73). He enters the post-season as the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He finished at or near the top of several playoff categories in 2008, including points (1st, 27), goals (T-1st, 13), plus-minus (T-1st, +16, shots (1st, 116), game-winning goals (2nd, four) and assists (T-3rd, 14).

LW Johan Franzen continued his knack for clutch scoring this season, sharing the Red Wings lead in game-winning goals with Marian Hossa (eight). Last season, Franzen franchise records for most game-winners in a calendar month (six in March 2008) and in a single playoff year (five). “The Mule” ranked second on the Red Wings in goals this season with a career-high 34.

Chris Osgood and Ty Conklin are one of three NHL club goaltending tandems who each made at least 40 appearances this season, joining Jean-Sebastien Giguere/Jonas Hiller (Anaheim) and Cristobal Huet/Nikolai Khabibulin (Chicago). Conklin set career highs in wins (25-11-2) and shutouts (six), while Osgood rose to a tie for 10th on the all-time victories list (389) and second on the Red Wings’ all-time list (305).

Oct. 11: It didn’t long for the Red Wings’ Johan Franzen to resume his clutch goal-scoring from the Stanley Cup-winning 2007-08 season. Franzen tallied twice in the third period to give the Red Wings a 3-2 comeback victory at Ottawa in the club’s second game of the season. Franzen set a franchise record with 13 postseason goals in 2008 after scoring 15 times in Detroit’s final 16 regular-season games.

Dec. 13: Johan Franzen scored the game-tying goal with 19.9 seconds remaining in regulation and Henrik Zetterberg and Jiri Hudler tallied in the shootout as the Red Wings escaped with a 5-4 victory at Phoenix. The game also marked the return of Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios for his 25th NHL season. Chelios had missed Detroit’s first 28 games due to injury.

Jan. 1: Playing in front of 40,818 fans outdoors at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and the largest regular-season television audience in nearly 13 years, the Red Wings posted a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2009 Winter Classic. Trailing 3-1 after the first period, the Red Wings scored five consecutive goals, highlighted by strikes by defensemen Brian Rafalski and Brett Lebda 17 seconds apart in the third period.

Feb. 4: Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom celebrated his 1,300th career regular-season game in style, scoring a power-play goal with 39 seconds remaining in the third period to give Detroit a 5-4 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at Joe Louis Arena. The goal negated a third-period Phoenix comeback in which the club rebounded from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game with five minutes to play.

Feb. 25: Henrik Zetterberg scored twice, including a highlight-reel shorthanded effort, as the Red Wings defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-1 and earned a split of their season series. The home club won each time in the four contests between the Western Conference leaders.

NHL Playoff Appearance: 7th (fourth consecutive)
Stanley Cups: 1 (2007)
All-Time Playoff Series Record: 11-5
All-Time Playoff Game Record: 50-35

Feb. 4: Acquired RW Mike Brown from Vancouver for D Nathan McIver.

Feb. 26: Acquired D Ryan Whitney from Pittsburgh for LW Chris Kunitz and LW Eric Tangradi.

Mar. 4: Acquired C Petteri Nokelainen from Boston for D Steve Montador.

Mar. 4: Acquired D James Wisniewski and C Petri Kontiola from Chicago for C Samuel Pahlsson, D Logan Stephenson and a conditional pick in the 2009 Entry Draft.

Mar. 4: Acquired C Erik Christensen from Atlanta for C Eric O’Dell.

The Ducks are peaking at the right time, having sewn up their fourth consecutive trip to the post-season by going 10-2-1 down the stretch. Mired in 12th place in the Western Conference after 69 games (32-31-6), their run vaulted them into the Western Conference’s top eight. They tied a franchise record with seven consecutive road victories from Mar. 3 to Apr. 4 and have been red-hot on the power play, going 20 for 48 (41.7%) in their last 13 games.

C Ryan Getzlaf set the Ducks’ single-season assist record and tied for third in the NHL with 66. He ranked seventh in the League in points with 25-66–91, becoming just the third player in franchise history to reach the 90-point mark. Over the past eight games, the Getzlaf-Bobby Ryan-Corey Perry line has earned 17-21–38 points. Getzlaf has 14 points in span (2-12–14), followed by Perry (8-5–13) and Ryan (7-4–11).

Scott Niedermayer again ranked among NHL defensemen leaders in several categories, including average ice time per game (third, 26:55), scoring (fourth, 14-45-59) and assists (T-third, 45). Niedermayer notched his 46th goal as a Duck Mar. 8 vs. Minnesota, surpassing Oleg Tverdovsky for the all-time franchise lead in goals by a defenseman.

RW Teemu Selanne became the Ducks’ all-time games played leader Jan. 31 at Colorado with his 617th appearance and set the club’s all-time assists mark Nov. 7 vs. Dallas (370). He scored his 1,200th career point with an overtime goal Mar. 18 vs. Nashville, becoming the 45th player in NHL history to reach the milestone. The Helsinki, Finland native is only the sixth player born outside North America to do so.

RW Bobby Ryan set single-season franchise records for goals and points by a rookie, tallying 31-26–57 in 64 games. Ryan led all NHL rookies in goals and points despite joining the Ducks six weeks into the season when he was recalled from the AHL Nov. 15. He is the first NHL rookie to score 30 goals in a season since Evgeni Malkin had 33 in 2006-07.

G Jonas Hiller backstopped the Ducks during their late-season surge. He tied a franchise record by recording a seven-game winning streak from Mar. 19 to Apr. 4, posting a 2.19 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in that span. Hiller finished the season seventh among NHL goaltenders in both goals-against average (2.39) and save percentage (.919).

Oct. 17: After starting the season with four consecutive losses, the Ducks avoided the worst start in franchise history by defeating the San Jose Sharks 4-0 behind a vintage goaltending performance by Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who made 38 saves. The Ducks handed the Sharks one of just three regulation losses they suffered in the first 31 games of the season and marked the start of a 9-1-1 Ducks’ run that put the club among the Western Conference leaders.

Oct. 29: The Ducks kept rolling after a 4-0 Eastern time zone road trip by defeating the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 in overtime at Honda Center. Ryan Getzlaf tallied assists on all five Anaheim goals, becoming the first player to assist on each of his team’s five goals in a winning effort since Toronto’s Doug Gilmour in January, 1997. Teemu Selanne recorded the 21st hat trick of his career and Francois Beauchemin scored at 1:29 of the extra period.

Mar. 11: Defenseman Scott Niedermayer scored an overtime goal with the teams playing three-on-three for the second time in a month, giving the Ducks a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Niedermayer had victimized the Calgary Flames with a three-on-three tally in a 3-2 win at Anaheim Feb. 11. The Ducks captain registered his 12th career regular-season overtime goal, the most among defensemen since overtime was re-instituted in 1983-84.

Apr. 2: In an unpredictable and wide-open game that mirrored the unpredictable and wide-open Western Conference playoff race, the Ducks overcame a pair of two-goal deficits to earn a 7-6 shootout victory at Vancouver. The win was the Ducks’ eighth in their past nine games and moved them up to seventh place in the ever-changing Western Conference standings. The club had been in 13th place on March 18 before embarking on their late-season run.

Apr. 10: The Ducks clinched a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive year with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars in Anaheim’s final home game of the season. Goaltender Jonas Hiller made 42 saves and Teemu Selanne notched the decisive shootout goal for the winners, who also received a huge boost with the return from injury of D Francois Beauchemin. Traditionally among the League leaders in ice time, Beauchemin missed 62 games with a knee injury.

Playoff History: The Canucks and Blackhawks have met twice before in the playoffs, most recently in a 1995 second-round series won by the Blackhawks in a four-game sweep. The first meeting, a 1982 Conference Final won by the Canucks in five games, will forever be remembered as the series that spawned ‘Towel Power’ in Vancouver. During the second period of Game 2 at Chicago, Canucks head coach Roger Neilson raised a hockey stick covered with a white towel in mock surrender to protest the officiating and was ejected from the game. Canucks fans supported their coach by waving white towels at subsequent home games and a tradition was born.

Dreaming of the Conference Finals: The Canucks are vying for their first Conference Finals appearance since 1994, while the Blackhawks look to advance to the final four for the first time since 1995.

Season Series: The Canucks and Blackhawks split the four-game season series, each winning one game at home and on the road. Goaltender Cristobal Huet won both his starts for the Blackhawks, while teammate Nikolai Khabibulin was winless in two appearances. Roberto Luongo registered both victories for the Canucks. The clubs’ most recent meeting, a 4-0 Canucks win at United Center on March 29, was a penalty-filled affair with 98 total minutes assessed.

First-Round Recap: The Canucks recorded the first four-game sweep in franchise history in defeating the St. Louis Blues. Three of the four wins were by one goal. Twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin combined for nine points and a +8 rating. Linemate Alex Burrows tallied three times, including the series-clinching overtime winner, and Roberto Luongo led all goaltenders in the first round with a 1.15 goals-against average and .962 save percentage.

The Blackhawks posted their first playoff series win since 1996 by upending the Calgary Flames in six games. Forward Martin Havlat lifted the team in the pivotal opening game by scoring the game-tying goal late in the third period and adding the winner just 12 seconds into overtime — the third-fastest overtime goal in NHL playoff history. Calder Trophy finalist Kris Versteeg led the Blackhawks in scoring (2-5–7). After splitting goaltender duties for most of the season with Cristobal Huet, Nikolai Khabibulin started all six games and posted a 4-2 record with a 2.52 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.

Different Season Trajectories: Losers of eight straight in January and left for finished by most, the Canucks rallied to go 23-7-2 over their final 32 games and not only make the playoffs but erase the Calgary lead in the Northwest Division that appeared insurmountable. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, were 19 games over .500 by Feb. 21 (34-15-8) and held the Western Conference’s #4 seed for all but four days through the end of the season.

B.C. Connections in Chicago: Four players on the Blackhawks’ roster — defenseman Brent Seabrook (Richmond) and forwards Troy Brouwer (Vancouver), Colin Fraser (Surrey) and Andrew Ladd (Maple Ridge) — were born in British Columbia. In addition, Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon was the Canucks’ first-ever draft pick, in 1970. Tallon cracked the Canucks’ lineup for their inaugural season of 1970-71 and represented the club at the NHL All-Star Game in each of the two following seasons before being traded to the Blackhawks in May, 1973.

Sunshine State Reunion for Khabibulin, Luongo: Goaltenders Nikolai Khabibulin of the Chicago Blackhawks and Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks were the number one goaltenders for the Southeast Division and intrastate rival Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, respectively, from 2001-02 through 2003-04. In their 12 games facing each other over that three-year span, Khabibulin was 6-3-3 with a 2.53 GAA and .913 save percentage while Luongo was 3-6-2 with a 2.65 GAA and .920 save percentage.

Khabibulin-Luongo, Part II: What else do these goaltenders have in common? Try outstanding career playoff statistics. Khabibulin enters the series with a 2.29 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 63 post-season appearances (35-27), while Luongo counters with a 1.63 GAA and .946 save percentage in 16 games (9-7).

NHL Playoff Appearance: 22nd (first since 2007)
Stanley Cups: none
All-Time Playoff Series Record: 12-21
All-Time Playoff Game Record: 75-96

Oct. 6: Acquired D Shane O’Brien and RW Michel Ouellet from Tampa Bay for D Lukas Krajicek and LW Juraj Simek.

Dec. 18: Signed free agent C Mats Sundin.

Dec. 30: Acquired G Jason LaBarbera from Los Angeles for Vancouver’s 7th-round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft.

Feb. 27: Claimed D Ossi Vaananen on waivers from Philadelphia.

The Canucks were among the NHL’s hottest clubs over the second half of the season, posting a 23-7-2 record after Feb. 1. They set a franchise record with 11 consecutive home wins from Feb. 3 to Mar. 19 and have suffered only one regulation loss at home since Jan. 30th (13-1-2).

Twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin finished 1-2 in team scoring for the third consecutive season in 2008-09, each tallying 82 points (Daniel 31-51–82, Henrik 22-60–82). Henrik ranked eighth in the League in assists. In March they both surpassed the previous franchise high for points in a calendar month, combining for 37; Henrik recorded 7-12–19, Daniel had 5-13–18. The Canucks are 178-58-25 when the Sedins each record a point.

One of the NHL’s most sought-after free agents in recent years, C Mats Sundin signed with the Canucks on Dec. 18. He made his debut with the club Jan. 7 and went on to record 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 41 games. Sundin ranks among the NHL’s top 25 all-time in goals (T-20th, 564) and points (25th, 1,349).

G Roberto Luongo missed eight weeks from mid-November to mid-January with a groin injury but still managed to collect 33 wins and nine shutouts, the latter ranking second in the League. The Canucks captain set a career shutout sequence mark by going 242:36 without allowing a goal from Nov. 2-12. The streak was the League’s longest since Brian Boucher set the modern NHL record (332:01) in the 2003-04 season.

This year marks Luongo’s second career playoff appearance. On Apr. 11, 2007 he made among the most spectacular post-season debuts in NHL history by stopping 72 of an NHL-record 76 shots in a 5-4 win over Dallas that was decided the fourth overtime period. Luongo faced the most shots in an NHL game since the League started recording the statistic in 1956. He ended the 2007 playoffs with a 1.77 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in 12 games.

D Mattias Ohlund set the franchise career scoring record for defensemen Mar. 15 against Colorado with his 322nd point, passing Jyrki Lumme. Ohlund has played his entire 11-year NHL career in Vancouver and is the second-longest tenured blueliner in franchise history with 770 appearances, trailing Harold Snepsts (781).

LW Alex Burrows‘ high-energy game has made him a fan favorite at GM Place. Playing alongside the Sedins on Vancouver’s top line, Burrows scored 15 goals in a 21-game stretch from Feb. 19 to Apr. 4. He also was a threat on the penalty kill with four shorthanded goals, tied for fourth in the League.

Oct. 31: In a highly unusual way for Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo to celebrate his 500th career game, the Canucks outscored the Anaheim Ducks 7-6 in a game that was decided in the 13th shootout round. The Canucks led 5-2 and 6-5 before Anaheim’s Corey Perry tallied his fifth point of the game to tie the score with less than a minute to play in regulation. Luongo blocked 12 of 13 shootout attempts to post the win.

Feb. 3: The Canucks ended an eight-game winless streak (0-5-3) and nine-game skid on home ice (0-6-3) with a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Canucks forward Alex Burrows scored the game-winning goal on a shorthanded breakaway with 1:22 remaining to end the Canucks’ slide. Goaltender Roberto Luongo posted his first win in six tries since returning from a groin injury. The win marked the start of a franchise-record 11-game home winning streak.

Feb. 17: The Canucks earned a dramatic late win against division rival Calgary, defeating the Flames 4-3 in a shootout at Pengrowth Saddledome. Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa tied game at 19:09 of the third period with goaltender Roberto Luongo on the bench for an extra attacker and Pavol Demitra tallied the only shootout goal for the win. Luongo and Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff combined for 78 saves.

Jan. 7: Signed as a free agent in late December, center Mats Sundin made his long-anticipated Canucks debut in a 4-2 victory at Vancouver. Sundin, his playing first his first game in nine months, did not record a point or shot in 15 minutes of ice time but the Canucks were sparked by two goals in 12 seconds from Steve Bernier late the second period.

Feb. 21: In an ending suitable for a Hollywood script, Mats Sundin scored the game-winning shootout goal in an emotional homecoming to Toronto, where over 13 seasons he had forged among the greatest careers in Maple Leafs history. After being selected First Star in the Canucks’ 3-2 victory, Sundin returned to the ice amid a thunderous ovation from the fans at Air Canada Centre.

NHL Playoff Appearance: 54th (first since 2002)
Stanley Cups: 3 (1934, 1938, 1961)
All-Time Playoff Series Record: 41-50
All-Time Playoff Game Record: 192-220-5

Mar. 4: Acquired C Samuel Pahlsson, D Logan Stephenson and a conditional pick in the 2009 Entry Draft from Anaheim for D James Wisniewski and C Petri Kontiola.

Chicago’s 46 wins and 104 points are the team’s most since 1992-93 (47 wins, 106 points). The team reached the 100-point mark for the first time since 1992-93 and improved by 16 points from a year ago when their 88-point total left them three points shy of a playoff berth.

The Blackhawks are the League’s only team to improve on its record in each of the past four seasons — 59 points in 2003-04; 65 points in 2005-06; 71 points in 2006-07; 88 points in 2007-08 and 104 points in 2008-09.

The Blackhawks’ rebuild started less than two months after their last playoff appearance in 2002 when they selected Duncan Keith in the second round of the 2002 Draft (54th overall).  Since that time their Draft choice from their present day roster have also included: Adam Burish: 2002, 282nd overall; Brent Seabrook: 2003, 14th overall; Dustin Byfuglien: 2003, 245th overall; Cam Barker: 2004, 3rd overall; Dave Bolland: 2004, 34th overall; Troy Brouwer: 2004, 214th overall; Niklas Hjalmarsson: 2005, 108th overall; Jonathan Toews: 2006, 3rd overall; and Patrick Kane: 2007, 1st overall.

The Blackhawks are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and are making their second post-season appearance in the past 11 years.

A great deal of the Blackhawks success this season can be attributed to their play on the road — they tied a franchise record with 22 road wins and had a 22-15-4 record away from the United Center. Last season, the Blackhawks posted a 17-18-6 mark on the road.

The Blackhawks ranked fifth in the League with a 2.51 team goals-against average in 2008-09 … they finished 20th in the league with a 2.82 average last season.

The Blackhawks tied for fourth in the League with an average of 3.22 goals per game this season after finishing 10th in the league in 2007-08 with an average of 2.85 goals per game.

C Jonathan Toews was named the 34th captain in Blackhawks history on July 17, making him the third-youngest player to earn that distinction in League history. Toews, who turned 21 on Apr. 29, is the second youngest captain to lead a team in the Stanley Cup playoffs (after Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby).

G Nikolai Khabibulin posted a 25-8-7 record this season, marking the 10th time in his 13-year NHL career that he has reached the 20-victory plateau. He ranked fourth among NHL goaltenders with a 2.33 goals-against average.

RW Martin Havlat led the Blackhawks with 48 assists and 77 points — both career highs — and ranked second on the club with 29 goals and a personal-best +29 rating.

Head coach Joel Quenneville posted a 45-22-11 mark since being named the 37th bench boss in Blackhawks history on Oct. 16.

Oct. 19: The Blackhawks recorded their first win under new head coach Joel Quenneville with a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at United Center. Quenneville was hired Oct. 15 and made his debut behind the bench in a 4-3 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues the following night.

Nov. 22: Dave Bolland scored the winning goal in overtime as the Blackhawks overcame 3-0 and 4-2 deficits to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 at Air Canada Centre. The goal and the win were extra special for the Toronto native Bolland, who was playing in front of more than 50 friends and family on the night the home side honored Maple Leaf legend Wendel Clark.

Dec. 16: The Blackhawks continued their surge on a Western Conference road trip by handing the Edmonton Oilers a 9-2 defeat — the most goals Edmonton has surrendered since a 9-4 loss to Los Angeles on Dec. 28, 1992. Chicago went 4-for-5 on the power play in winning a fifth consecutive game, their longest streak since 2001-02.

Dec. 28: The Blackhawks set a franchise record by recording their ninth consecutive victory, a 4-1 decision over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The club surpassed the mark of eight consecutive victories set in December 1971 and matched in January 1981. Blackhawks forward Dustin Byfuglien enjoyed a career night, figuring in all four goals (two goals, two assists).

Apr. 3: Captain Jonathan Toews scored the game-winning goal — his team-leading 32nd of the season — as the Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators 3-1 to clinch their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2001-02.

Playoff History: The Bruins and Hurricanes have met once before in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The sixth-seeded Bruins ousted the third-seeded Hurricanes, coached by Paul Maurice, in six games in the 1999 Eastern Conference Quarter-Final. The franchises also contested playoff series in consecutive years prior to the Hurricanes’ relocation from Hartford; the Bruins won 1990 and 1991 first-round series in seven and six games, respectively.

Season Series: The Bruins won all four meetings against Carolina during the regular season, outscoring the Hurricanes 18-6. Forward David Krejci paced Boston with seven points (3-4–7) and a +7 rating. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas went 3-0 and allowed just four goals, while Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward recorded four losses and a 3.90 goals-against average.

Unfamiliar Foe?: The two teams haven’t played since a 5-1 Boston win on Feb. 17. The Hurricanes went 17-6-2 thereafter, surging to the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

First-Round Recap: The Bruins’ four-game sweep over the Montreal Canadiens was the club’s first playoff series win since defeating the Hurricanes in the 1999 Conference Quarter-Finals and the second four-game sweep over Montreal in their 29 lifetime best-of-seven series. Forward Michael Ryder, an off-season free agent signing from Montreal, haunted his former teammates with a team-leading seven points (4-3–7) and a +5 rating. Goaltender Tim Thomas, who led the NHL in goals-against average and save percentage during the regular season, ranked third and fourth in those categories, respectively, in the first round (1.50, .946).

The Hurricanes eliminated the New Jersey Devils in the Conference Quarter-Finals, scoring twice in the final 1:20 of Game 7 to make one of the most stunning turnarounds in playoff history. Hurricanes center Eric Staal scored the series-winning goal with just 32 ticks of the clock remaining and led the club in scoring with 5-2–7, but LW Jussi Jokinen also will be remembered for his heroics. Jokinen scored the go-ahead goal with 0.2 seconds remaining in Game 4 — the latest game-winner in regulation time ever — and tallied the game-tying goal with 1:20 to play in Game 7.

Familiar Acquisition: RW Mark Recchi, a trade-deadline acquisition by Boston in 2009, was also picked up at the trade deadline by Carolina in 2006 prior to its Stanley Cup win. Recchi posted 16 points (7-9–16), including two game-winning goals, in 25 games during the Hurricanes’ run to the championship.

The Other Ward: Boston D Aaron Ward was an integral part of the Hurricanes from the 2001-02 season through the franchise’s first Stanley Cup win in 2006. He arrived in Carolina in a trade from Detroit and was coached by Paul Maurice in his first season.

Different Roads to the Top: Carolina’s G Cam Ward led the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup in his rookie season of 2005-06, becoming the first goalie to accomplish the feat since Hall of Famer Patrick Roy (1986). Boston’s G Tim Thomas didn’t become an NHL regular until 2005-06 at age 30. Similar to Ward, Thomas is making his second post-season appearance.

Special Teams: The Bruins were the only team to leave round one unscathed by their opponent’s power play, successfully killing all eight Montreal Canadiens manpower advantages. The Hurricanes’ power play will have to improve on its 6.9% success rate (2 for 29) in the first-round victory over the New Jersey Devils.

Boston Connection I: Hurricanes LW Sergei Samsonov was selected by the Bruins eighth overall in the 1997 Entry Draft. He played 514 regular-season and 35 playoff games with the club over his first eight NHL seasons, including a career-high 29-goal and 75-point campaign in 2000-01. Samsonov was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers on March 9, 2006 — trade deadline day — in exchange for forwards Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a 2nd-round draft pick in 2006 that the Bruins used to select LW Milan Lucic.

Boston Connection II: A Calgary native, Hurricanes RW Patrick Eaves traveled east to play hockey at Boston College from 2002-03 through 2004-05. He earned Hockey East and NCAA First All-Star Team honors in his final year.

NHL Playoff Appearance: 64th (second consecutive)
Stanley Cups: 5 (1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972)
All-Time Playoff Series Record: 48-58
All-Time Playoff Game Record: 249-268-6

Mar. 4: Acquired D Steve Montador from Anaheim for C Petteri Nokelainen.

Mar. 4: Acquired RW Mark Recchi and Tampa Bay’s 2nd-round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft from Tampa Bay for D Matt Lashoff and RW Martins Karsums.

The Bruins ranked second in the NHL in offense in 2008-09 with 274 goals, a dramatic turnaround from their #25 ranking in 2007-08 when they tallied 212. They hit the 30-win mark in their 41st game of the season (30-7-4) on Jan. 8 vs. Ottawa, the fastest they have reached 30 wins since 1929-30 (30-4-1). Their 10-game win streak from Dec. 12-Jan. 1 was their longest since Mar. 9-28, 1973 and tied for the fourth longest such streak in their history.

Tim Thomas led the NHL in goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.933), the first goaltender to complete the statistical double since Dallas’ Marty Turco in 2002-03. He is the first Bruins goaltender to led the League in GAA since Pete Peeters in 1982-83 and the first Bruin to post the top save percentage since the statistic was introduced in 1976-77. Thomas and Boston teammate Manny Fernandez are the winners of the William Jennings Trophy as the Bruins allowed a League-low 196 goals this season and Thomas earned his first career selection as a Vezina Trophy finalist.

Phil Kessel posted an 18-game point streak from Nov. 13 to Dec. 21, the longest in the NHL this season. Kessel recorded 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in that span. It was the longest such streak by a Bruin since Adam Oates’ 20-game run from Jan. 7 to Feb. 20, 1997 and the fifth-longest in team history.

Milan Lucic evoked memories of Bruins legend Cam Neely among the Boston faithful with a vivid physical play and scoring in consecutive games. Lucic delivered a thundering hit on Toronto’s Mike Van Ryn Oct. 23 followed by a hat trick against Atlanta two nights later. Lucic ended his sophomore NHL season with career highs in goals (17), assists (25) and points (42).

Blake Wheeler finished seventh in rookie scoring with 21-24–45 in 81 games. He led all rookies in plus-minus and was second behind teammate David Krejci among all NHL players with a +36 rating — the best among NHL rookies since Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom posted a +36 in 1991-92.

Zdeno Chara again provided the Bruins with major minutes on the blueline, ranking sixth among NHL players in average ice time per game (26:04). Chara also ranked 12th among defensemen in scoring with 19-31–50. He made headlines at NHL All-Star Weekend by blasting a 105.4-mph slap shot to win the Cisco NHL Hardest Shot title for the third consecutive year and break the record of 105.2 mph set by Al Iafrate in 1993 in the Montreal Forum. Chara is a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the League’s top defenseman.

Marc Savard led the Bruins in scoring for the third consecutive season, tallying 88 points (25 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games. Savard has registered 269 assists over the past four seasons; the only NHL player with more is San Jose’s Joe Thornton (316).

Oct. 9: Patrice Bergeron made his return to the NHL after missing all but 10 games of the 2007-08 season with a concussion and David Krejci scored with 2:36 remaining in regulation to break a 4-4 tie and give the Bruins a 5-4 victory at Colorado in their season opener. In a preview of a successful rookie season to come, Blake Wheeler scored in his first career NHL game.

Nov. 29: The Bruins notched their ninth consecutive home victory and capped an 11-1-1 November — their most productive month in 30 years — by defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings 4-1. The Red Wings lost a road game in regulation for just the second time in 2008-09 (10-2-2).

Jan. 1: The Bruins extended their winning streak to 10 games — their longest since a 10-gamer from March 9-28, 1973 — and rose to first place in the NHL standings with a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jan. 21: Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, the Bruins scored a pair of power-play goals to tie the score and went on to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout at Air Canada Centre. It marked the first victory of the season for the Bruins in which they trailed entering the final period.

Mar. 22: The Bruins clinched the Northeast Division title for the first time since 2003-04 and extended their lead atop the Eastern Conference to five points, turning back the hard-charging New Jersey Devils by posting a 4-1 win.

NHL Playoff Appearance: 13th (first since 2006)
Stanley Cups: 1 (2006)
All-Time Playoff Series Record: 9-11
All-Time Playoff Game Record: 55-61

Feb. 7: Acquired LW Jussi Jokinen from Tampa Bay for LW Wade Brookbank, D Josef Melichar and Carolina’s 4th-round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft.

Mar. 4: Acquired LW Erik Cole from Edmonton for C Patrick O’Sullivan and Carolina’s 2nd-round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft.

With a furious stretch drive, the Hurricanes qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06 and the fifth time in the 11 seasons since the franchise relocated from Hartford. Feast or famine has been Carolina’s recent postseason story — it went to the 2002 Final, missed the playoffs the next two seasons, won the 2006 Stanley Cup and missed the playoffs the next two seasons. The Hurricanes went 13-1-2 in a 16-game stretch from Mar. 3 to Apr. 7 to soar into the Eastern Conference’s top eight.

Paul Maurice replaced the man who had replaced him, Peter Laviolette, when he took over as Carolina head coach for the second time on Dec. 3. Maurice led Carolina to its first playoff success — a run to the 2002 Final. Laviolette took over for Maurice on Dec. 15. 2003 and coached the Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup. Carolina went 33-19-5 under Maurice this season.

C Eric Staal added to his reputation as one of the League’s premier power forwards by scoring 40 goals, the fourth straight season the fifth-year player has eclipsed 30 goals. Staal broke a franchise record by recording his fourth hat trick of the season Apr. 7 vs. the NY Islanders. He was a force down the stretch, scoring 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in the Hurricanes’ final 20 games. Carolina went 22-3-2 in games in which he scored a goal and eight of his goals were game-winners. Staal has missed just one game (Mar. 19, 2004) to injury his entire career — including playoffs, he has played in 368 consecutive games.

Having made an emotional return to the Hurricanes’ lineup for Game 6 of the 2006 Final after missing 3½ months with a broken neck, LW Erik Cole returned to the Carolina franchise Mar. 4 via a three-way trade after spending the season’s first six months with Edmonton. He scored 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) in 17 games upon rejoining Carolina. The ‘Canes went 12-3-2 after his return.

Consistently productive LW Ray Whitney produced one of the best of his 16 NHL seasons by reaching the 20-goal mark for the eighth time and eclipsing 70 points for the third time. Another ‘Cane who finished strong, he recorded 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) over the final 18 games. On Mar. 6 vs. Calgary, Whitney scored his 300th career goal to complete his third NHL hat trick. On Mar. 25 vs. Ottawa, he recorded his 500th career assist.

G Cam Ward’s brilliance was as big a reason as any for Carolina’s late-season success. Ward started 28 consecutive games from Feb. 7 to Apr. 9, going 19-7-2 record, 2.30 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and three shutouts in that span. He set a franchise record by posting nine consecutive victories from Mar. 18 to Apr. 7. His victory over the New York Islanders on Apr. 7 was his 39th win and seventh shutout of the season, breaking and tying the respective franchise In March, he went 10-1-2 with a 1.98 goals against average and .938 save percentage to be named NHL ‘First Star’ of the Month.

Oct. 11: One night after overcoming a two-goal deficit in defeating the Florida Panthers in their season opener, the Hurricanes came from even further off the pace to win their second game. Trailing 3-0 late in the second period at Tampa Bay, Carolina launched a comeback that culminated in Eric Staal‘s game-tying goal in the third period and game-winner with 23.6 seconds remaining in overtime.

Oct. 25: The Hurricanes escaped from Long Island with a 4-3 overtime victory over Long Island despite being outside 60-28. Carolina goaltender Cam Ward stopped 57 shots — the most by a goaltender in the NHL this season — in withstanding a barrage that set an Islanders franchise record for most shots in a regular-season game.

Mar. 3: In a game that many will remember for Washington’s Alexander Semin scoring a goal from his knees, it was the Hurricanes who got the win, scoring in a variety of ways in a 5-2 victory over the Capitals. Carolina tallied on a penalty shot, shorthanded, on the power play and at even strength. The win launched Carolina on one of the best extended runs by any club this season; they earned a point in 14 of 15 games from Mar. 3 through Apr. 4 (12-1-2).

Apr. 4: Defenseman Anton Babchuk scored at 1:11 of overtime — his third game-winner in an eight-game span — to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins and their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2006.

Apr. 7: The Hurricanes tied a franchise record with their ninth consecutive victory and extended their team-record home winning streak to 12 with a 9-0 win over the New York Islanders. Carolina goaltender Cam Ward posted a team-record 39th victory of the season and center Eric Staal set a team mark with his fourth hat trick of the campaign. The 57-12 shots advantage also was the widest in team history.

Season Match-up: The Capitals won three of the four games between the teams during the 2008-09 season, including both at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena. The Penguins’ lone victory came on March 8, with Sidney Crosby scoring the only goal in a shootout after tallies by Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Laich had erased a 3-1 Pens lead going into the third period. None of the four meetings lacked for offense, as the teams combined for seven goals three times and nine goals once. Alexander Semin (4-3-7) and Ovechkin (4-2-6) led the Caps in scoring while Crosby (1-6-7) and Evgeni Malkin (2-3-5) paced the Pens.

Playoff History: While this will be the eighth playoff series between the old Patrick Division rivals, it will be the first since 2001. Pittsburgh won six of the previous seven postseason meetings – including two that went all the way to seventh games (1992 Patrick Division SF, 1995 Eastern Conference QF). Their six-game 2001 Eastern Conference Quarter-Final included five one-goal games of which two went into overtime. On Apr. 24, 1009, Pittsburgh’s Petr Nedved ended the fifth-longest game in NHL history by scoring 19:15 into the fourth overtime of Game 4 of an Eastern Conference Quarter-Final in which Washington won the first two games and Pittsburgh the next four.

First-Round Recap: The Capitals defeated the New York Rangers in seven games, becoming the 21st club in NHL history to win a best-of-seven series in which it trailed 3-1. Tapped as the starter for Game 2 after the Capitals dropped the series-opener 4-3, rookie goaltender Simeon Varlamov backstopped the Capitals post their first playoff series victory since advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 1998 by going 4-2 with a 1.17 goals-against average, .952 save percentage and two shutouts.

The Penguins eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in the Conference Quarter-Finals, vanquishing their intra-state rival for the second consecutive playoff year. The series was capped by a 5-3 victory in Game 6 at Philadelphia, a match the Penguins had trailed 3-0. C Evgeni Malkin, the NHL’s scoring champion in the regular season, also led all players in the first round with 4-5–9. C Sidney Crosby was one of three players tied for second with eight points (4-4–8).

You’ve Gotta Have Hart (and Ross, Norris and Calder): This series will witness a showdown between two of the three finalists for the 2008-09 Hart Trophy as League MVP – Ovechkin and Malkin. It also includes a Norris Trophy finalist (Washington’s Mike Green) and the winners of the Art Ross Trophy as League scoring champ (Malkin) and Rocket Richard Trophy that goes to the NHL’s leading goal-scorer (Ovechkin). Crosby (2007) and Ovechkin (2008) are the last two Hart and Ross winners.

Surfing the Atlantic: The Penguins weren’t the only Atlantic Division team that took its lumps against Washington this season. The Caps went 14-2-4 against Atlantic Division teams, managing at least a point from every game except two against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Catalytic Coaching: By soaring after replacing Michel Therrien with Dan Bylsma on Feb. 15, Pittsburgh took a page out of Washington’s 2007-08 playbook. When Bruce Boudreau took over as Caps’ interim coach on Nov. 22, 2007, the club was last in the league. Washington went 37-17-7 the rest of the way to claim the Southeast Division title and Boudreau had “interim” removed from his title. Pittsburgh went 18-3-4 after Bylsma took over to go from 10th in the Eastern Conference to its fourth seed entering the playoffs. On Wednesday, the “interim” tag was removed from his title.

That’s G that Rhymes with D: Each team possesses a dynamic offensive threat on defense who adds another dimension to respective attacks already blessed with prolific forwards. Washington’s Mike Green led all NHL defensemen in goals (31) and points (73). Pittsburgh’s Sergei Gonchar perennially is among the League’s highest-scoring blueliners and had 19 points in just 25 games this season after returning from injury. Gonchar played his first 10 NHL seasons with Washington, scoring more than 20 regular-season goals twice. He ranks 14th on the Caps’ all-time playoffs scoring list with 13-18-31 in 51 games.

Powering Up: Washington unleashed the NHL’s second-best power play during the regular season, scoring on 25.2 percent of its chances – though the Caps were held to six goals on 33 power plays by the NY Rangers in the first round. Pittsburgh’s power play was an underwhelming 20th in the League this season, largely because of Gonchar’s absence for the first four months. The Pens’ PP also was unsuccessful in the first round, scoring just four times on 32 chances against Philadelphia.

Precocious Goaltenders: The grizzled veteran in the matchup though he is only 24, Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury has played in 31 playoff games already – including 20 last spring when he backstopped the Pens to the Stanley Cup Final with a 1.97 goals against average. Washington rookie Simeon Varlamov played in only six regular-season games before taking over for Jose Theodore for Game 2 of the Rangers series. Unlike Fleury, who lost four of five games in his playoffs debut in 2007, Varlamov won four of his six games against New York while allowing just seven goals (1.17 GAA) on 145 shots (.952 save percentage).

Writing Coach: Pens coach Dan Bylsma and his father, Jay, co-wrote a book for youth sports parents titled: So Your Son Wants to Play in the NHL. While addressing such topics as how much children should practice and how to avoid burnout, the Bylsmas detail their belief that success in sports should flow from the proper approach to off-the-field life – including putting education, character and morals first. Washington coach Bruce Boudreau was an extra in the movie “Slap Shot.”

NHL Playoff Appearance: 20th (second consecutive)
Stanley Cups: none
All-Time Playoff Series Record: 11-19
All-Time Playoff Game Record: 76-92

None.

The Capitals captured back-to-back division titles for the second time in franchise history (1999-2000 and 2000-01) and set a franchise single-season franchise mark with 108 points (50-24-8), surpassing the 107 from 1985-86. The name of the game was offense: the Capitals ranked third in the League with 272 goals, their most since tallying 277 in 1993-94. Their power play ranked second in the NHL, scoring at a 25.2% clip (85 for 337), the team’s highest percentage ever.

Each of Washington’s top four scorers – LW Alex Ovechkin, C Nicklas Backstrom, LW Alexander Semin and D Mike Green – averaged more than a point per game for the season. No NHL team has gotten a point per game from its top four scorers since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins (Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis and Petr Nedved). In 49 of the Capitals’ 50 wins this season at least one of the four scored a goal. The one exception was a 2-1 win Dec. 6 in Toronto.

LW Alex Ovechkin ranked second in the NHL points race with 110 (56 goals, 54 assists), becoming the fourth player in League history to post 100-plus points in three of his first four NHL seasons (following Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Dale Hawerchuk). Ovechkin recorded points in 20 of his last 22 games, posting separate nine- and 10-game point streaks in that stretch. Ovechkin led the League in shots for the fourth time in his four NHL seasons with a career-high 528, more than 100 ahead of his closest competitor. He became the second player in NHL history to surpass 500 shots in a season and would have challenged Phil Esposito’s NHL-record of 550 had he not missed four games.

Ovechkin scored 56 goals to capture the Maurice Richard Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s goal-scoring leader. He becomes the first Richard winner in consecutive years since Florida’s Pavel Bure in 2000 and 2001. Ovechkin reached the 50-goal milestone for the third time in his career, becoming the second active player to record three 50-goal seasons (joining Teemu Selanne) and the third player all-time to post three 50-goal seasons in his first four years in the NHL (joining Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky).

Mike Green led all NHL defensemen in scoring with 73 points (31 goals, 42 assists) in 68 games and ranked second on the club in plus-minus (+24). Green set an NHL record for defensemen by scoring a goal in eight consecutive games from Jan. 27 to Feb. 14, breaking Mike O’Connell’s 25-year-old League record. During his record-setting streak, Green posted 10 goals and 7 assists for 17 points. Green set a Capitals record for defensemen with 18 power-play goals, one shy of Sheldon Souray’s NHL record. He became just the seventh NHL blueliner with a 30-goal season, the first since the Caps’ Kevin Hatcher in 1992-93 and the only one to do so in fewer than 70 games. His per-game scoring average of 1.07 is the most by a defenseman since 1994-95 (Edmonton’s Paul Coffey, 1.29).

LW Alexander Semin was named the NHL’s First Star of the Month for October, averaged nearly two points per game in November (5-6–11 in six games) and was the NHL’s leading scorer before being sidelined by injury in a game against New Jersey Nov. 14. Semin finished the regular season as the club leader in plus-minus (+25), ranked second in goals (34) and third in assists (45).

C Nicklas Backstrom ranked fifth in the NHL in assists (66) in his sophomore season. Only seven players have posted more assists in their first two NHL seasons than Backstrom’s 121. Backstrom finished 10th in the NHL in points with 88 (22 goals, 66 assists), the most by a Capitals player other than Alex Ovechkin in 20 years (Mike Ridley had 89 points in 1988-89).

G Simeon Varlamov had appeared in only six regular-season NHL games when called upon to start Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Final series against the NY Rangers. Varlamov, who turned 21 on April 27, calmly turned in a brilliant final six games to backstop the Caps into the next round. He posted shutouts in Games 3 and 5, allowed only seven goals in 358 minutes (1.17 goals against average) and stopped 138 of 145 shots (.952 save percentage).

Oct. 16: The Capitals scored three unanswered goals in the third period to pull out a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had gone 10-1-1 in their previous 12 games against Washington. Boyd Gordon scored the game-winner with less than five minutes to play for the Capitals, who outshot the Penguins 21-6 in the final period.

Nov. 6: Early-season scoring sensation Alexander Semin continued his torrid start by scoring twice in the final 2:43 – including the game-winner with 10.7 seconds left – to give the Capitals a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite being held without a goal for a career-high eighth consecutive game, Alex Ovechkin nevertheless was a major contributor, earning assists on all three Washington goals.

Dec. 23: The Capitals erased a 4-0 New York Rangers lead to post a 5-4 overtime victory for Washington’s first win at Madison Square Garden in nearly five years. Alex Ovechkin sparked the comeback with a goal and two assists – including the game-tying goal with fewer than eight minutes left – and defenseman Shaone Morrisonn capped the rally with goal at 0:59 of overtime. It marked just the second time in Rangers history they had not won a home game when leading 4-0.

Jan. 6: Facing a Philadelphia Flyers team that had eliminated them in the first round of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs and beaten them decisively in their only previous 2008-09 meeting, the Capitals turned the tables with a 2-1 shootout victory. The victory was Washington’s 12th in the past 13 games and their 18th in the past 20. Goaltender Jose Theodore stopped 33 shots and all three shootout attempts to record the victory.

Jan. 14: Three months after staging a dramatic third-period comeback at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena, the Capitals did it again in their second and final visit of the regular season. Alex Ovechkin tallied two goals and an assist – all in the third period – as the Capitals rallied for a 6-3 victory and snapped a three-game losing streak.

NHL Playoff Appearance: 23rd (third consecutive)
Stanley Cups: 2 (1991, 1992)
All-Time Playoff Series Record: 24-21
All-Time Playoff Game Record: 128-111

Nov. 16: Acquired D Philippe Boucher from Dallas for D Darryl Sydor.

Jan. 17: Acquired G Mathieu Garon from Edmonton for G Dany Sabourin, C Ryan Stone and a 4th-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft.

Feb. 26: Acquired LW Chris Kunitz and LW Eric Tangradi from Anaheim for D Ryan Whitney.

Mar. 4: Acquired RW Bill Guerin from NY Islanders for a conditional pick in the 2009 Entry Draft.

Mar. 4: Claimed RW Craig Adams on waivers from Chicago.

The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the third straight season. Having appeared in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, Pittsburgh attempts to become the first repeat finalist since New Jersey won the Stanley Cup in 2000 and lost in the 2001 Final to Colorado. The Pens went 18-3-4 after Dan Bylsma replaced Michel Therrien as head coach on Feb. 15, surging from 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

C Sidney Crosby began the season in milestone, hat trick fashion and ended it soaring. He scored his 100th NHL goal, recorded his 200th assist and his 300th point all in the same game, Oct. 18 vs. Toronto. The Pens’ 21-year-old captain also recorded a point in 16 consecutive games in which he played — nine goals, 18 assists — from Feb. 16 through Apr. 1. With two goals at Tampa Bay on Apr. 7, Crosby eclipsed the 30-goal and 100-point marks for the third time in four NHL seasons.

C Evgeni Malkin followed up his brilliant 2007-08 season with another Hart Trophy-contending year. His 113 points and 78 assists, both career-highs, led the NHL, making him the eighth player to win the Art Ross Trophy in the last eight seasons. Lethal on the power play (14 goals), Malkin was the League’s most productive even-strength player, amassing an NHL-high 70 even-strength points. He recorded his 300th career point in his 240th NHL game on Apr. 7 vs. Tampa Bay, tied a career-high with a five-point (2-3–5) game Mar. 17 vs. Atlanta and had four other four-point games.

Trades for LW Chris Kunitz and RW Bill Guerin in the week leading up to the Mar. 4 trade deadline bolstered the Penguins’ depth up front. Kunitz, acquired from Anaheim Feb. 26, scored seven goals with 11 assists in 20 games as a Penguin. Guerin, acquired from the NY Islanders Mar. 4, had 12 points in 17 games after the trade.

D Sergei Gonchar, who had missed the first four months recovering from shoulder surgery, made his 2008-09 debut Feb. 14, immediately energizing the Pittsburgh power play. Clicking at just a 16.2 percent success rate without him, the Pens’ PP scored on 19.3 percent of its chances (22 for 114) upon his return. Of Gonchar’s 19 points, 13 came on the power play. Jumping right back into the role of the team’s No. 1 defenseman, Gonchar led the Pens in average ice time (25:11).

When G Marc-Andre Fleury’s game soared, so did the Pens’ position in the standings. The 24-year-old who backstopped Pittsburgh to the 2008 Final went 9-1-2 with a 1.87 goals against average and .938 save percentage in March. He started 19 straight games from Feb. 3 through Mar. 10, going 12-4-3. With 111 career victories, Fleury trails only Tom Barrasso (226) on the franchise’s goaltending wins list.

Oct. 4: The Penguins opened defense of their Eastern Conference championship with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators at a sold-out Globe Arena in Stockholm. Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy scored with 25 seconds remaining in the extra period to win the first regular-season game ever played in Sweden. Kennedy also had opened the scoring at the 0:40 mark of the first period.

Nov. 11: Facing the Detroit Red Wings for the first time since the 2008 Stanley Cup Final — and former teammate Marian Hossa for the first time in a Red Wings uniform — the Penguins posted a wild 7-6 comeback victory at Joe Louis Arena. Jordan Staal scored a hat trick in the third period and set up the overtime winner by Ruslan Fedotenko as the Penguins overcame deficits of 3-1, 5-2 and 6-4.

Feb. 4: The Penguins trailed the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 entering the third period but turned the tables on their visitors with a rally that culminated with Evgeni Malkin‘s game-winning goal with 15.5 seconds remaining in overtime. “You always look back at seasons, and turning points, and hopefully this is one for us,” captain Sidney Crosby said.

Feb. 21: Sidney Crosby scored his second goal of the game to break a tie with 2:15 left in regulation as Pittsburgh defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4, ending the Penguins’ five-game winless drought on the road. It marked the second consecutive game in which the Penguins had surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period but rebounded to win.

Apr. 7: The Penguins clinched a playoff berth for the third consecutive season with a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Captain Sidney Crosby scored a pair of goals 1:04 apart in the second period to join teammate Evgeni Malkin as 100-point scorers — the first time two Pittsburgh players have reached the century mark in the same season since Mario Lemieux (161) and Jaromir Jagr (149) in 1995-96.