| 2008–09Florida Panthers | |
|---|---|
| Division | 3rdSoutheast |
| Conference | 9thEastern |
| 2008–09 record | 41–30–11 |
| Home record | 22–12–7 |
| Road record | 19–18–4 |
| Goals for | 234 |
| Goals against | 231 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Jacques Martin |
| Coach | Peter DeBoer |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Alternate captains | Bryan Allen Bryan McCabe Cory Stillman Stephen Weiss |
| Arena | BankAtlantic Center |
| Average attendance | 15,531 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | David Booth (31) |
| Assists | Stephen Weiss (47) |
| Points | Stephen Weiss (61) |
| Penalty minutes | Nick Boynton (91) |
| Plus/minus | Stephen Weiss (+19) |
| Wins | Tomas Vokoun (26) |
| Goals against average | Tomas Vokoun (2.49) |
The2008–09Florida Panthers season was the15th season for the franchise in theNational Hockey League (NHL). The 2008–09 season was also the eighth consecutive season in which the Panthers did not make theStanley Cup playoffs, finishing level on points with the qualifyingMontreal Canadiens, but suffering from an inferior head-to-head record (1–3), the decisive tiebreaker.
On June 14, 2008, the Panthers namedPeter DeBoer head coach and signed him to a multi-year contract.[1] Former head coachJacques Martin had resigned from the position but retained his position as general manager.
The Florida Panthers played seven preseason exhibition games before the start of the regular season. The team went on a road trip across North America to play six games on six consecutive nights, winning only the first two games. The trip included the first-ever NHL game played onPrince Edward Island, against theNew York Islanders. After one final preseason game at home, the Panthers finished the preseason with a 3–2–2 record.
| GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y –Washington Capitals | 82 | 50 | 24 | 8 | 272 | 245 | 108 |
| 2 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 239 | 226 | 97 |
| 3 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 234 | 231 | 93 |
| 4 | Atlanta Thrashers | 82 | 35 | 41 | 6 | 257 | 280 | 76 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 24 | 40 | 18 | 210 | 279 | 66 |
| R | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | z –Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 53 | 19 | 10 | 274 | 196 | 116 | ||
| 2 | y –Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 50 | 24 | 8 | 272 | 245 | 108 | ||
| 3 | y –New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 51 | 27 | 4 | 244 | 209 | 106 | ||
| 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 45 | 28 | 9 | 264 | 239 | 99 | ||
| 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 264 | 238 | 99 | ||
| 6 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 239 | 226 | 97 | ||
| 7 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 210 | 218 | 95 | ||
| 8 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 249 | 247 | 93 | ||
| 8.5 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 234 | 231 | 93 | ||
| 10 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 41 | 32 | 9 | 250 | 234 | 91 | ||
| 11 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 217 | 237 | 83 | ||
| 12 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 250 | 293 | 81 | ||
| 13 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 35 | 41 | 6 | 257 | 280 | 76 | ||
| 14 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 24 | 40 | 18 | 210 | 279 | 66 | ||
| 15 | New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 26 | 47 | 9 | 201 | 279 | 61 | ||
bold – qualified for playoffs,y – division winner,z – placed first in conference (and division)
AT – Atlantic Division,NE – Northeast Division,SE – Southeast Division
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Legend: Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Panthers failed to make the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. They last made the playoffs in2000.
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†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Panthers. Stats reflect time with Panthers only.
‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record
| Regular Season | |||||||||
| Player | Milestone | Reached | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Garrison | 1st NHL Game | October 25, 2008 | |||||||
| Jay Bouwmeester | 400th NHL Game | November 2, 2008 | |||||||
| Kamil Kreps | 100th NHL Game | November 2, 2008 | |||||||
| Tomas Vokoun | 500th NHL Game | March 7, 2009 | |||||||
| June 20, 2008 | ToFlorida Panthers Nick Boynton Keith Ballard 2nd-round pick in2008 – Jared Staal | ToPhoenix Coyotes Olli Jokinen |
| September 2, 2008 | To Florida Panthers Bryan McCabe[2] 4th round pick in2009 | ToToronto Maple Leafs Mike Van Ryn |
| November 27, 2008 | To Florida Panthers Nick Tarnasky | ToNashville Predators Wade Belak |
| March 4, 2009 | To Florida Panthers Steve Eminger | ToTampa Bay Lightning Noah Welch 3rd-round pick in2009 – Andrej Nestrasil |
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Florida's picks at the2008 NHL entry draft inOttawa •Ontario.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 31 (from Tampa Bay) | Jacob Markstrom | (G) |  Sweden | Brynäs IF (Sweden Jr.) |
| 2 | 46 (Nashville via Phoenix) | Colby Robak | (D) |  Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |
| 3 | 80 (from Colorado) | Adam Comrie | (D) | Canada | Saginaw Spirit (OHL) |
| 4 | 100 | AJ Jenks | (LW) |  United States | Plymouth Whalers (OHL) |
| 7 | 190 | Matthew Bartkowski | (D) | United States | Lincoln Stars (USHL) |
The Florida Panthers maintain affiliations with two minor league teams, theRochester Americans and theFlorida Everblades.
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