# 2009–10 Detroit Red Wings season

The 2009–10 Detroit Red Wings season was the team's 84th season of play for the franchise (78th as the Detroit Red Wings). The Red Wings once again qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but lost in the Western Conference Semifinal. Additionally, for the first time since 1999–2000, the Red Wings did not win their division.

## Regular season

During the regular season, the Red Wings were shut-out an NHL-high nine times. They also tied the Calgary Flames for the fewest shorthanded goals allowed, with just one.

### October

As part of the NHL Premiere, the Red Wings began their season on Friday, October 2 in Stockholm, Sweden, against the St. Louis Blues. Their home opener was on October 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

## 2009–10 season standings
### Divisional standings

Central Division :
| | | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | y – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 52 | 22 | 8 | 271 | 209 | 112 |
| 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 44 | 24 | 14 | 229 | 216 | 102 |
| 3 | Nashville Predators | 82 | 47 | 29 | 6 | 225 | 225 | 100 |
| 4 | St. Louis Blues | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 225 | 223 | 90 |
| 5 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 32 | 35 | 15 | 216 | 259 | 79 |

### Conference standings

Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | z – San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 51 | 20 | 11 | 264 | 215 | 113 |
| 2 | y – Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 52 | 22 | 8 | 271 | 209 | 112 |
| 3 | y – Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 49 | 28 | 5 | 272 | 222 | 103 |
| 4 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 50 | 25 | 7 | 225 | 202 | 107 |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 44 | 24 | 14 | 229 | 216 | 102 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 46 | 27 | 9 | 241 | 219 | 101 |
| 7 | Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 47 | 29 | 6 | 225 | 225 | 100 |
| 8 | Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 244 | 233 | 95 |
| 8.5 ||||||||||
| 9 | St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 225 | 223 | 90 |
| 10 | Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 204 | 210 | 90 |
| 11 | Anaheim Ducks | PA | 82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 238 | 251 | 89 |
| 12 | Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 37 | 31 | 14 | 237 | 254 | 88 |
| 13 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 219 | 246 | 84 |
| 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 32 | 35 | 15 | 216 | 259 | 79 |
| 15 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 27 | 47 | 8 | 214 | 284 | 62 |
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; z – Won conference (and division)

### Game log

2009–10 Game Log :
October: 5–4–3 (Home: 3–1–1; Road: 2–3–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
1October 2Detroit3 – 4St. LouisOsgood13,8500–1–00
2October 3St. Louis5 – 3DetroitHoward13,8500–2–00
3October 8Chicago2 – 3DetroitOsgood20,0661–2–02
4October 10Washington2 – 3DetroitOsgood19,1222–2–04
5October 13Detroit2 – 6BuffaloOsgood17,4592–3–04
6October 15Los Angeles2 – 5DetroitOsgood17,7823–3–06
7October 17Colorado4 – 3DetroitSOOsgood19,7633–3–17
8October 22Detroit2 – 3PhoenixOTOsgood11,9383–3–28
9October 24Detroit1 – 3ColoradoHoward17,6903–4–28
10October 27Detroit5 – 4VancouverHoward18,8104–4–210
11October 29Detroit5 – 6EdmontonSOHoward16,8394–4–311
12October 31Detroit3 – 1CalgaryOsgood19,2895–4–313
^1 Played at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden as part of the NHL Premiere. :
November: 8–5–1 (Home: 5–3–1; Road: 3–2–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
13November 3Boston0 – 2DetroitOsgood19,1676–4–315
14November 5San Jose1 – 2DetroitSOOsgood19,5587–4–317
15November 7Detroit1 – 5TorontoOsgood19,3037–5–317
16November 11Detroit9 – 1ColumbusHoward15,3048–5–319
17November 12Vancouver1 – 3DetroitHoward20,0669–5–321
18November 14Anaheim4 – 7DetroitHoward20,06610–5–323
19November 18Dallas3 – 1DetroitHoward18,11210–6–323
20November 20Florida2 – 1DetroitOTOsgood18,63410–6–424
21November 21Detroit3 – 2MontrealSOHoward21,27311–6–426
22November 23Detroit1 – 3NashvilleOsgood14,41011–7–426
23November 25Atlanta2 – 0DetroitHoward20,06611–8–426
24November 27Calgary3 – 0DetroitOsgood20,06611–9–426
25November 28Detroit4 – 3St. LouisSOHoward19,15012–9–428
26November 30Dallas1 – 4DetroitHoward17,64513–9–430 :
December: 7–5–2 (Home: 5–3–0; Road: 2–2–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
27December 3Edmonton4 – 1DetroitHoward18,01813–10–430
28December 5Detroit3 – 4New JerseySOOsgood17,62513–10–531
29December 6Detroit3 – 1NY RangersHoward18,20014–10–533
30December 9St. Louis1 – 0DetroitHoward18,16514–11–533
31December 11Anaheim2 – 3DetroitOTHoward20,06615–11–535
32December 12Detroit3 – 2NashvilleOTOsgood16,67316–11–537
33December 14Phoenix2 – 3DetroitHoward18,79517–11–539
34December 17Tampa Bay0 – 3DetroitHoward19,47418–11–541
35December 19Detroit3 – 4DallasHoward18,53218–12–541
36December 20Detroit0 – 3ChicagoOsgood21,78118–13–541
37December 23Chicago3 – 0DetroitHoward20,06618–14–541
38December 26Columbus1 – 2DetroitHoward20,06619–14–543
39December 28Detroit0 – 1ColumbusOTHoward18,42119–14–644
40December 31Colorado2 – 4DetroitHoward20,06620–14–646 :
January: 6–5–4 (Home: 2–1–2; Road: 4–4–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
41January 2Detroit4 – 1PhoenixHoward17,12521–14–648
42January 5Detroit1 – 4AnaheimHoward15,53121–15–648
43January 7Detroit2 – 1Los AngelesHoward18,11822–15–650
44January 9Detroit4 – 1San JoseHoward17,56223–15–652
45January 12Detroit0 – 6NY IslandersHoward12,25423–16–652
46January 14Carolina1 – 3DetroitHoward20,06624–16–654
47January 16Detroit2 – 3DallasSOHoward18,53224–16–755
48January 17Chicago4 – 3DetroitSOHoward20,06624–16–856
49January 19Detroit2 – 3ChicagoOsgood18,27724–17–856
50January 21Detroit4 – 3MinnesotaSOHoward18,33025–17–858
51January 23Los Angeles3 – 2DetroitHoward20,06625–18–858
52January 26Phoenix5 – 4DetroitOTHoward19,84325–18–959
53January 27Detroit2 – 5MinnesotaOsgood18,31625–19–959
54January 29Nashville2 – 4DetroitHoward20,06626–19–961
55January 31Detroit1 – 2PittsburghSOHoward17,10526–19–1062 :
February: 2–2–1 (Home: 1–0–0; Road: 1–2–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
56February 2Detroit4 – 2San JoseHoward17,56227–19–1064
57February 3Detroit1 – 3AnaheimHoward15,18027–20–1064
58February 6Detroit3 - 4Los AngelesHoward18,11827-21-1064
59February 9Detroit3 – 4St. LouisSOHoward19,15027–21–1165
60February 11San Jose3 – 2DetroitSOHoward20,06627–21–1266
61February 13Ottawa1 – 4DetroitHoward20,06628–21–1268 :
March: 12–2–1 (Home: 7–2–0; Road: 5–0–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
62March 1Detroit3 – 2ColoradoHoward18,00729–21–1270
63March 3Vancouver6 - 3DetroitOsgood19,53629-22-1270
64March 5Nashville2 - 5DetroitHoward19,60830-22-1272
65March 7Detroit5 - 4ChicagoHoward22,30931-22-1274
66March 9Calgary4 - 2DetroitHoward20,06631-23-1274
67March 11Minnesota1 - 5DetroitHoward19,32732-23-1276
68March 13Buffalo2 - 3DetroitOTHoward20,06633-23-1278
69March 15Detroit3 - 2CalgaryHoward19,28934-23-1280
70March 19Detroit2 - 3EdmontonSOHoward16,82934-23-1381
71March 20Detroit4 - 3VancouverOTHoward18,81035-23-1383
72March 22Pittsburgh1 - 3DetroitHoward20,06636-23-1385
73March 24St. Louis2 - 4DetroitHoward19,62537-23-1387
74March 26Minnesota2 - 6DetroitHoward20,06638-23-1389
75March 27Detroit1 - 0NashvilleSOHoward17,11339-23-1391
76March 30Edmonton4 - 5DetroitHoward19,34340-23-1393 :
April: 4–1–1 (Home: 1–0–1; Road: 3–1–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
77April 1Columbus2 - 3DetroitHoward19,25941-23-1395
78April 3Nashville4 - 3DetroitOTHoward20,06641-23-1496
79April 4Detroit3 - 4PhiladelphiaHoward19,59641-24-1496
80April 7Columbus3 - 4DetroitHoward20,06642-24-1498
81April 9Detroit1 - 0ColumbusSOHoward18,51243-24-14100
82April 11Detroit3 - 2ChicagoOTHoward22,42844-24-14102 :
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Playoffs

As of the conclusion of the previous season, the Red Wings have made the Stanley Cup playoffs for 18 consecutive seasons, the longest current post-season streak for a single team in all of North American major professional sports. As of 4 April 2010, the Red Wings have made the playoffs for 19 consecutive seasons.
2010 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference quarter-final vs. (4) Phoenix Coyotes: Detroit won series 4–3
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeries
1Apr 14Detroit2 – 3CoyotesHoward17,1250–1
2Apr 16Detroit7 – 4CoyotesHoward17,3861–1
3Apr 18Coyotes4 – 2DetroitHoward20,0661–2
4Apr 20Coyotes0 – 3DetroitHoward20,0662–2
5Apr 23Detroit4 – 1CoyotesHoward17,4583–2
6Apr 25Coyotes5 – 2DetroitHoward20,0663–3
7Apr 27Detroit6 – 1CoyotesHoward17,5434–3 :
Western Conference semi-final vs. (1) San Jose Sharks: San Jose won series 4-1
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeries
1Apr 29Detroit3 – 4SharksHoward17,5620–1
2May 2Detroit3 – 4SharksHoward17,5620–2
3May 4Sharks4 – 3DetroitOTHoward20,0660–3
4May 6Sharks1 – 7DetroitHoward20,0661–3
5May 8Detroit1 – 2SharksHoward17,5621–4 :
Legend:   Win   Loss :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Pavel Datsyuk | 80 | 27 | 43 | 70 | +17 | 18 |
| Henrik Zetterberg | 74 | 23 | 47 | 70 | +12 | 26 |
| Nicklas Lidstrom | 82 | 9 | 40 | 49 | +22 | 24 |
| Tomas Holmstrom | 68 | 25 | 20 | 45 | +5 | 60 |
| Todd Bertuzzi | 82 | 18 | 26 | 44 | -7 | 80 |
| Brian Rafalski | 78 | 8 | 34 | 42 | +23 | 26 |
| Valtteri Filppula | 55 | 11 | 24 | 35 | -4 | 24 |
| Dan Cleary | 64 | 15 | 19 | 34 | -3 | 29 |
| Darren Helm | 75 | 11 | 13 | 24 | -2 | 18 |
| Kris Draper | 81 | 7 | 15 | 22 | -2 | 28 |
| Niklas Kronwall | 48 | 7 | 15 | 22 | +5 | 32 |
| Patrick Eaves | 65 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 0 | 26 |
| Johan Franzen | 27 | 10 | 11 | 21 | +1 | 22 |
| Brad Stuart | 82 | 4 | 16 | 20 | -12 | 22 |
| Drew Miller$^†$ | 66 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 5 | 10 |
| Jason Williams | 44 | 6 | 9 | 15 | -7 | 8 |
| Jonathan Ericsson | 62 | 4 | 9 | 13 | -15 | 44 |
| Brett Lebda | 63 | 1 | 7 | 8 | -2 | 24 |
| Ville Leino$^‡$ | 42 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -10 | 6 |
| Kirk Maltby | 52 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +1 | 32 |
| Derek Meech | 49 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -12 | 19 |
| Justin Abdelkader | 50 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -11 | 35 |
| Doug Janik | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 18 |
| Andreas Lilja | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 4 |
| Brad May | 40 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5 | 66 |
| Kris Newbury$^‡$ | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| Mattias Ritola | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jakub Kindl | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Johan Franzen | 12 | 6 | 12 | 18 | +8 | 16 |
| Henrik Zetterberg | 12 | 7 | 8 | 15 | +11 | 6 |
| Pavel Datsyuk | 12 | 6 | 7 | 13 | +3 | 8 |
| Todd Bertuzzi | 12 | 2 | 9 | 11 | +4 | 12 |
| Brian Rafalski | 12 | 3 | 8 | 11 | +4 | 2 |
| Nicklas Lidstrom | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +7 | 2 |
| Valtteri Filppula | 12 | 4 | 5 | 9 | +1 | 6 |
| Tomas Holmstrom | 12 | 4 | 3 | 7 | +3 | 12 |
| Brad Stuart | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +6 | 8 |
| Niklas Kronwall | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | +2 | 12 |
| Dan Cleary | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +3 | 4 |
| Jonathan Ericsson | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 8 |
| Drew Miller | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
| Justin Abdelkader | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 36 |
| Darren Helm | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 4 |
| Kris Draper | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Andreas Lilja | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 14 |
| Jason Williams | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Patrick Eaves | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 2 |
| Brett Lebda | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mattias Ritola | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Regular season :
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Jimmy Howard | 63 | 3740 | 37 | 15 | 10 | 141 | 2.26 | 1849 | .924 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Chris Osgood | 23 | 1252 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 63 | 3.02 | 561 | .888 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Jimmy Howard | 12 | 720 | 5 | 7 | 33 | 2.75 | 387 | .915 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Red Wings. Stats reflect time with the Red Wings only. $^‡$Traded mid-season Bold/italics denotes franchise record

## Awards and records
### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Nicklas Lidstrom | 1,000th career NHL point | October 15, 2009 |
| Tomas Holmstrom | 200th career NHL goal | December 5, 2009 |
| Henrik Zetterberg | 200th career NHL goal | March 3, 2010 |

### Awards

Regular Season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Henrik Zetterberg | NHL First Star of the Week | November 16, 2009 |
| Jimmy Howard | NHL Second Star of the Week | March 29, 2010 |
| Jimmy Howard | NHL Second Star of the Month | March 2010 |
| Jimmy Howard | NHL Rookie of the Month | March 2010 |
| Pavel Datsyuk | Selke Trophy winner | June 23, 2010 |

## Transactions

The Red Wings were involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| February 6, 2010 | To Philadelphia FlyersVille Leino | To Detroit Red WingsOle-Kristian Tollefsen 5th-round pick in 2011 |
| March 3, 2010 | To New York RangersKris Newbury | To Detroit Red WingsJordan Owens |
| March 3, 2010 | To Calgary FlamesAndy Delmore | To Detroit Red WingsRiley Armstrong |
Lost via retirement
Player
Darren McCarty
Player signings
PlayerContract terms
Ville LeinoTwo years, $1.6 million
Jakub KindlThree years, $2.65 million contract extension
Tomas TatarThree years, entry-level contract :

## Draft picks

The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was held in Montreal, Quebec, on June 26–27, 2009. Detroit made following picks:
| Round | Overall Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 2 | 32 (from Tampa Bay) | Landon Ferraro | C | Canada | Red Deer Rebels (WHL) |
| 2 | 60 | Tomas Tatar | C | Slovakia | HKm Zvolen (Slovak Extraliga) |
| 3 | 75 (from Florida) | Andrej Nestrasil | C/RW | Czech Republic | Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 90 | Gleason Fournier | D | Canada | Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 150 | Nick Jensen | D | United States | Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) |
| 6 | 180 | Mitch Callahan | RW | United States | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
| 7 | 210 | Adam Almqvist | D | Sweden | HV71 (Elitserien) |