Washington Capitals: Top 5 expectations for opening week

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 03: Nicklas Backstrom #19 of the Washington Capitals signs autographs on the red carpet before raising their 2018 Stanley Cup Championship banner prior to playing the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena on October 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

OK now we can say it. Washington Capitals hockey is back. And we’ve got your guide for opening week.

There are many storylines, burning questions, and lots of intrigue as the Washington Capitals open up the 2019-20 season. Opening week starts on Wednesday night in St. Louis against the Blues in what is sure to be an exciting matchup featuring the last two Stanley Cup champions.

Following that, the team heads to New York to take on the Islanders and the very next night will come home to host the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Capitals will have a challenging first month of the season ahead of them. The first three games are epic battles in themselves. After that, they’ll face the Dallas Stars twice in the same week and go to Nashville.

washington capitals — WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 04: Fans watch warm-ups prior to Game Four of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights at Capital One Arena on June 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Avi Gerver/Getty Images)

Right in the middle of the month on Columbus Day, we all welcome back Andre Burakovsky. What follows is home games against the always tough Toronto Maple Leafs as well as Kaapo Kakko and the New York Rangers.

Then comes a different beast, a five-game western conference road trip to end the month of October.

The Capitals will trim their roster to 23 players and take the ice in St. Louis on Wednesday night. For now, here are the five expectations for opening week.