2007–08 Washington Capitals season

The 2007–08 Washington Capitals season began on October 5, 2007. It was the Capitals' 34th season in the National Hockey League.
On November 22, Head Coach Glen Hanlon was fired after starting the Capitals with a 6–14–1 record, the team's worst start since the 1981–82 season. He was replaced by Bruce Boudreau on an interim basis until December 26, when Boudreau's position was made permanent.
On March 21, Alexander Ovechkin scored his 60th goal of the season in a game against the Atlanta Thrashers, becoming the first NHL player to accomplish the feat in 12 years, and tying Dennis Maruk's single-season franchise record. He would go on to break the record in the Capitals' next game, a 3–2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, on March 25. On April 3, Ovechkin scored twice to break Luc Robitaille's single-season left-winger goal-scoring record of 63 goals. Ovechkin finished the regular season with 65 goals and 112 points and won the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL's Most Valuable Player.
On April 5, the Capitals defeated the Florida Panthers 3–1 at home to clinch the franchise's third Southeast Division title and fourth Division title overall. The Capitals became the first team in NHL history to make the playoffs after being ranked 14th or lower in the standings at the season's midpoint.
In the playoffs, the Capitals won their first game against the Philadelphia Flyers, but then lost three consecutive games to fall behind three games to one. They managed to win their next two games to force a Game 7, but lost in overtime on a power play goal by Joffrey Lupul.

Regular season

On March 3, 2008, the Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins at home by a score of 10–2. Alexander Ovechkin scored three goals in the game. It was the first time that the Capitals had scored 10 goals in a regular season game since January 11, 2003, when they defeated the Florida Panthers at home by a score of 12–2.

Season standings

Division standings

Conference standings

Schedule and results

October

Record: 5-6-0; Home: 2-3-0; Road: 3-3-0

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
1	October 5	Washington	3 - 1	Atlanta		Johnson	18,707	1-0-0	2
2	October 6	Carolina	0 - 2	Washington		Kolzig	16,741	2-0-0	4
3	October 8	Washington	2 - 1	NY Islanders		Kolzig	16,234	3-0-0	6
4	October 12	Washington	1 - 3	NY Rangers		Kolzig	18,200	3-1-0	6
5	October 13	Washington	3 - 7	Buffalo		Johnson	18,690	3-2-0	6
6	October 18	NY Islanders	5 - 2	Washington		Kolzig	11,036	3-3-0	6
7	October 20	Pittsburgh	2 - 1	Washington		Johnson	18,277	3-4-0	6
8	October 24	Tampa Bay	3 - 5	Washington		Kolzig	10,226	4-4-0	8
9	October 26	Vancouver	3 - 2	Washington		Kolzig	12,705	4-5-0	8
10	October 27	Washington	3 - 4	St. Louis		Johnson	16,863	4-6-0	8
11	October 29	Washington	7 - 1	Toronto		Kolzig	19,316	5-6-0	10

November

Record: 3-10-2 ; Home: 1-5-1 ; Road: 2-5-1

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
12	November 1	Washington		NY Rangers		Kolzig	18,200	5-7-0	10
13	November 2	Philadelphia		Washington		Kolzig	16,055	5-8-0	10
14	November 5	Washington		Carolina		Kolzig	12,171	5-9-0	10
15	November 6	Washington		Atlanta	OT	Johnson	15,530	5-9-1	11
16	November 8	Washington		Ottawa		Kolzig	19,666	6-9-1	13
17	November 10	Tampa Bay		Washington		Kolzig	14,617	6-10-1	13
18	November 15	Washington		Florida		Kolzig	12,101	6-11-1	13
19	November 16	Washington		Tampa Bay		Kolzig	19,526	6-12-1	13
20	November 19	Florida		Washington		Kolzig	13,411	6-13-1	13
21	November 21	Atlanta		Washington		Kolzig	11,669	6-14-1	13
22	November 23	Washington		Philadelphia	OT	Kolzig	19,727	7-14-1	15
23	November 24	Carolina		Washington		Kolzig	13,650	8-14-1	17
24	November 26	Buffalo		Washington		Kolzig	11,204	8-15-1	17
25	November 28	Florida		Washington	SO	Kolzig	10,526	8-15-2	18
26	November 30	Washington		Carolina		Kolzig	16,386	8-16-2	18

December

Record: 7-3-3; Home: 4-2-0; Road: 3-1-3

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
27	December 1	Washington		Florida		Johnson	14,333	9-16-2	20
28	December 7	Washington		New Jersey		Kolzig	16,265	9-17-2	20
29	December 8	Atlanta		Washington		Kolzig	14,014	10-17-2	22
30	December 10	New Jersey		Washington		Kolzig	10,719	11-17-2	24
31	December 12	NY Rangers		Washington	OT	Kolzig	12,553	12-17-2	26
32	December 14	Buffalo		Washington		Kolzig	17,035	12-18-2	26
33	December 15	Washington		Tampa Bay		Johnson	18,367	13-18-2	28
34	December 17	Washington		Detroit	SO	Kolzig	19,483	13-18-3	29
35	December 20	Montreal		Washington		Kolzig	12,670	13-19-3	29
36	December 22	Washington		NY Islanders	OT	Kolzig	14,305	13-19-4	30
37	December 26	Tampa Bay		Washington		Kolzig	15,035	14-19-4	32
38	December 27	Washington		Pittsburgh	OT	Johnson	17,132	14-19-5	33
39	December 29	Washington		Ottawa		Kolzig	20,296	15-19-5	35

January

Record: 9-4-0; Home: 7-1-0; Road: 2-3-0

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
40	January 1	Ottawa		Washington		Kolzig	14,547	16-19-5	37
41	January 3	Washington		Boston		Kolzig	12,240	16-20-5	37
42	January 5	Washington		Montreal	OT	Kolzig	21,273	17-20-5	39
43	January 9	Colorado		Washington		Kolzig	16,168	18-20-5	41
44	January 13	Philadelphia		Washington		Kolzig	17,713	18-21-5	41
45	January 15	Ottawa		Washington		Johnson	15,261	19-21-5	43
46	January 17	Edmonton		Washington	SO	Kolzig	13,399	20-21-5	45
47	January 19	Florida		Washington		Johnson	16,973	21-21-5	47
48	January 21	Washington		Pittsburgh	SO	Kolzig	17,050	22-21-5	49
49	January 23	Washington		Toronto		Kolzig	19,479	22-22-5	49
50	January 24	Toronto		Washington		Johnson	14,094	23-22-5	51
51	January 29	Washington		Montreal		Johnson	21,273	23-23-5	51
52	January 31	Montreal		Washington	OT	Kolzig	14,930	24-23-5	53

February

Record: 6-4-3; Home: 2-2-2; Road: 4-2-1

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
53	February 2	Atlanta		Washington		Kolzig	17,205	24-24-5	53
54	February 5	Washington		Columbus	OT	Johnson	14,450	25-24-5	55
55	February 6	Washington		Philadelphia		Kolzig	19,778	26-24-5	57
56	February 8	Carolina		Washington		Johnson	18,204	26-25-5	57
57	February 10	NY Rangers		Washington	OT	Kolzig	17,873	27-25-5	59
58	February 13	Washington		Atlanta	SO	Kolzig	15,285	27-25-6	60
59	February 15	Washington		Florida		Johnson	16,202	27-26-6	60
60	February 16	Washington		Tampa Bay		Kolzig	20,454	28-26-6	62
61	February 20	NY Islanders		Washington	SO	Kolzig	17,584	28-26-7	63
62	February 23	Washington		Carolina		Kolzig	18,680	28-27-7	63
63	February 24	New Jersey		Washington	OT	Johnson	18,277	28-27-8	64
64	February 26	Minnesota		Washington		Kolzig	17,391	29-27-8	66
65	February 29	Washington		New Jersey		Huet	16,580	30-27-8	68

March

Record: 10-4-0; Home: 4-2-0; Road: 6-2-0

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
66	March 1	Toronto		Washington		Kolzig	18,277	30-28-8	68
67	March 3	Boston		Washington		Huet	17,189	31-28-8	70
68	March 5	Washington		Buffalo		Kolzig	18,690	32-28-8	72
69	March 8	Washington		Boston		Huet	17,565	32-29-8	72
70	March 9	Pittsburgh		Washington		Huet	18,277	32-30-8	72
71	March 12	Calgary		Washington		Kolzig	17,560	33-30-8	74
72	March 14	Atlanta		Washington		Kolzig	18,208	34-30-8	76
73	March 16	Boston		Washington	SO	Huet	18,277	35-30-8	78
74	March 18	Washington		Nashville		Huet	17,133	36-30-8	80
75	March 19	Washington		Chicago		Kolzig	20,942	36-31-8	80
76	March 21	Washington		Atlanta		Huet	18,562	37-31-8	82
77	March 25	Washington		Carolina	SO	Huet	18,680	38-31-8	84
78	March 27	Washington		Tampa Bay	OT	Huet	17,777	39-31-8	86
79	March 29	Washington		Florida		Huet	17,832	40-31-8	88

April

Record: 3-0-0; Home: 3-0-0; Road: 0-0-0

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
80	April 1	Carolina	1 - 4	Washington		Huet	18,277	41-31-8	90
81	April 3	Tampa Bay	1 - 4	Washington		Huet	18,277	42-31-8	92
82	April 5	Florida	1 - 3	Washington		Huet	18,277	43-31-8	94

Playoffs

Player statistics

Skaters

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

Goaltenders

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

Awards and records

Records

Milestones

Awards

Transactions

The Capitals have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.

Trades

Free agents

Draft picks

Washington's picks at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, Ohio. The Capitals had the 5th overall pick.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team
1	5	Karl Alzner	D		Calgary Hitmen
2	34	Josh Godfrey	D		Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
2	46	Ted Ruth	D		U.S. National Team Development Program
3	84	Phil Desimone	C		Sioux City Musketeers
4	108	Brett Bruneteau	C		Omaha Lancers
5	125	Brett Leffler	RW		Regina Pats
6	154	Dan Dunn	G		Wellington Dukes
6	180	Justin Taylor	C		London Knights
7	185	Nick Larson	C		Omaha Lancers
7	199	Andrew Glass	RW

Farm teams

American Hockey League

The Hershey Bears are the Capitals American Hockey League affiliate in 2007–08.

ECHL

The South Carolina Stingrays are the Capitals ECHL affiliate in 2007–08.

Roster

Popular movies

The Hunger Games (film) - 2012 American dystopian action thriller science fiction-adventure film directed by Gary Ross and based on Suzanne Collins’s 2008 novel of the same name. It is the first insta...
untitled Captain Marvel sequel - part of Marvel Cinematic Universe....
Killers of the Flower Moon (film project) - Killers of the Flower Moon - film project in United States of America. It was presented as drama, detective fiction, thriller. The film project starred Leonardo Dicaprio, Robert De Niro. Director of...
Five Nights at Freddy's (film) - Five Nights at Freddy's - film published in 2017 in United States of America. Scenarist of the film - Scott Cawthon....

Popular books

Book of Revelation - The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament, and consequently is also the final book of the Christian Bible. Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: apok...
Book of Genesis - account of the creation of the world, the early history of humanity, Israel's ancestors and the origins...
Gospel of Matthew - The Gospel According to Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and one of the three synoptic gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, rejected and executed in Israel, pronounces judgement on ...
Michelin Guide - Michelin Guides are a series of guide books published by the French tyre company Michelin for more than a century. The term normally refers to the annually published Michelin Red Guide , the oldest...
Psalms - The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms , the Psalter or "the Psalms", is the first book of the Ketuvim , the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and thus a book of th...
Ecclesiastes - Ecclesiastes is one of 24 books of the Tanakh , where it is classified as one of the Ketuvim . Originally written c. 450–200 BCE, it is also among the canonical Wisdom literature of the Old Tes...
The 48 Laws of Power - non-fiction book by American author Robert Greene. The book...

Popular television series

The Crown (TV series) - historical drama web television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, created and principally written by Peter Morgan, and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Tel...
Friends - American sitcom television series, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast sta...
Young Sheldon - spin-off prequel to The Big Bang Theory and begins with the character Sheldon...
Modern Family - American television mockumentary family sitcom created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for eleven seasons, from September 23...
Loki (TV series) - upcoming American web television miniseries created for Disney+ by Michael Waldron, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shar...
Game of Thrones - American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It...
Shameless (American TV series) - American comedy-drama television series developed by John Wells which debuted on Showtime on January 9, 2011. It...