We already know the first three games of the Washington Capitals 2019-20 season. On Tuesday afternoon, the National Hockey League announced the other 79 regular season games.
The Washington Capitals open their season on Wednesday Oct. 2nd right after the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues raise their banner. Two nights later the team pays a visit to newly renovated Nassau Coliseum to see former Capitals coach and Jack Adams Award winner Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders.
The very next night is a rematch against that team from Carolina that ended last season earlier than many Caps fans would’ve liked. That comes at Capital One Arena for the Caps home opener. Here is more detail on the month-by-month Capitals regular season schedule fresh after the announcement.
The October calendar also includes two matchups with Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars the next week. First matchup will take place in D.C. on Monday Oct. 8 and they’ll meet again in Dallas that Friday with a game in Nashville sandwiched in between.
More from Capitals News
- Breaking down the Rookie Camp roster
- Hear what Magic Johnson said about Alex Ovechkin
- Capitals announce Rookie Camp schedule
- Breaking down the 2023-24 Capitals national TV schedule
- Capitals Alumni Weekend is coming back
The Capitals will then be back in Washington the next week for three tough matchups. First up former Capital Philipp Grubauer and the Colorado Avalanche in a special Columbus Day 5:00 p.m puck drop. This homestand continues with Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs on the 16th, a rematch from the 2017 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals as well as the 2018 Stadium Series.
The three-game homestand rounds out against number two draft pick Kaapo Kakko and the New York Rangers. Following that homestand is another tough late-October road trip that begins in Chicago and continues with stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto.
November highlights include a 2018 Stanley Cup rematch between the Caps and Vegas Golden Knights which will take place on the ninth. On the 13th new Capital Radko Gudas returns to Philadelphia to take on Matt Niskanen’s new team, the Flyers.
November rounds out with three games on Thanksgiving week. First is a Saturday matinee with Jay Beagle and Vancouver on the 23rd at 12:30 p.m. On Thanksgiving Eve, they’ll host the Florida Panthers before the homestand concludes with a Black Friday matchup on the 29th against Nikita Kucherov and the Presidents Trophy winning Tampa Bay Lightning.
December features home dates against the Metropolitan Division rival Columbus Blue Jackets on the ninth and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins. The Capitals finish this month with five of their remaining eight games on the road.
This includes a stop at the Prudential Center on the 20th against the newly revamped New Jersey Devils, who made a lot of noise last weekend with not only their top pick of Jack Hughes but their trade for P.K. Subban. December ends with a New Years Eve matchup against the New York Islanders.
The month of January features six Metropolitan Division matchups and a Jan. 5 matinee against the Western Conference powerhouse San Jose Sharks. During this stretch, the Capitals will be back in Philly, have a road-and-home date with Carolina, two home games vs. New Jersey, and a road stop back in the Island.
But we can’t talk about Metro Division matchups without mentioning that team from Pittsburgh and the first matchup of the season is fittingly on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 2) at Capital One. The Capitals will also host the Flyers on Saturday the 8th in what will surely be an emotional night for Niskanen. Bring your tissues for the tribute video!
The Capitals get two Sunday matinees with the Penguins that month with the latter coming on the 23rd. The Islanders come back to Capital One on the 10th. Washington will also travel back to Vegas (Feb. 17) where they had the most luck over anybody at the slot machines on June 7, 2018.
They’ll be back at “The Rock” on Saturday the 22nd for a 1:00 matinee against New Jersey and round out the month of February with a home-and-home against the Winnipeg Jets.
In March, it’s Pittsburgh’s turn to host the Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby duel with matinee dates on Saturday March 7th at 1 p.m. and Sunday the 22nd at noon. They’ll also have home and road dates with the Blueshirts on March 5 (Madison Square Garden) and the 26th in D.C. The Cup champion Blues come to the District on Tuesday the 24th and March finishes up with a back-to-back affair in Buffalo against the Sabres and a home date with Toronto on the 30-31.
This is also the final week of the NHL regular season with just two games left to begin the month of April on the 2nd vs. Minnesota and the finale on the 4th in Sunrise, Florida.
These stretches of games will be worth watching as the Capitals look to get back to their ultimate goal this upcoming season. Mark your calendars now Capitals fans!