2008–09 NHL season

The 2008-09 NHL season was the 91st season of the National Hockey League. It was the first season since before to the 2004-05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the other conference (one division at home and one on the road.) It began on October 4, with the regular season ending on April 12. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 12, with the Pittsburgh Penguins taking the championship. The Montreal Canadiens hosted the 57th NHL All-Star Game at the Bell Centre on January 25, 2009, part of the Canadiens' 100th season celebration.
Regular season
Final standings
GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime/Shootout Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Conference standings
Tiebreaking procedures
In the event of a tie in points in the standings at the end of the season, ties are broken using the following tiebreaking procedures.
The higher ranked team is the one with:
The greater number of games won.
The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs.
The greater differential between goals for and against for the entire regular season.
Statistical leaders
Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes
Leading goaltenders
GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/Shootout Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average
Playoffs
Playoff seeds
After the regular season, the standard of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The San Jose Sharks won the Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the league, at 117 points. Division champions maintain their relative ranking during the entire playoffs while the remaining teams get reseeded below them after each round.
Eastern Conference
Boston Bruins - Northeast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions, 116 points
Washington Capitals - Southeast Division champions, 108 points
New Jersey Devils - Atlantic Division champions, 106 points
Pittsburgh Penguins - 99 points (45 wins)
Philadelphia Flyers - 99 points (44 wins)
Carolina Hurricanes - 97 points
New York Rangers - 95 points
Montreal Canadiens - 93 points*
*Montreal finished with exactly the same record as the Florida Panthers (including number of wins), but garnered more points (the Canadiens with six, the Panthers with three) in the four game season series between them, to earn the 8th spot.
Western Conference
San Jose Sharks - Pacific Division champions and Western Conference regular season champions; President's Trophy winners, 117 points
Detroit Red Wings - Central Division champions, 112 points
Vancouver Canucks - Northwest Division champions, 100 points
Chicago Blackhawks - 104 points
Calgary Flames - 98 points
St. Louis Blues - 92 points (10 points head-to-head)
Columbus Blue Jackets - 92 points (3 points head-to-head)
Anaheim Ducks - 91 points
Playoff bracket
In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice is determined based on regular season points. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format: the higher-seeded team will play at home for games 1 and 2 (plus 5 and 7 if necessary), and the lower-seeded team will be at home for game 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary).