Washington Capitals: Power Ranking The NBC Matchups

4 of 7

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals will be featured on NBC a total of eleven times during the 2015-2016 season. Being on NBC is a great chance for the Washington Capitals to prove that they are ready to contend for a Stanley Cup. It’s also a sign that the Caps continue to be one of the most popular teams in the NHL. If they weren’t, why would NBC put them on national television eleven times? Just like a business wouldn’t stock up on something that doesn’t sell, if the Washington Capitals didn’t attract viewers, NBC wouldn’t put them on national television.

#6: Washington Capitals Vs. Florida Panthers

The Washington Capitals play the Florida Panthers at the Verizon Center on Tuesday, February 2nd 2016. The game will start at 7:30 PM. The Caps and Panthers have a bit of history together as they were Southeastern Division rivals for several seasons. The Panthers played the Caps tough most of the time. Combine that with the extremely young talent that the Panthers have and this should be an exciting match up.

Adding a bit of drama to the Caps-Panthers match up is that the Panthers currently employ Jaromir Jagr, who is a polarizing figure among Caps fans to say the least. Jagr is a former Capitals forward who the Caps gave a huge contract after trading for him. To make a long story short, Jagr did not live up to it at all and the Caps wound up beginning their fire sale because of him.

The Panthers have a great young team. Nick Bjugstad is one of the most underrated players in the league and should be an excellent scoring line center for years to come. Aleksander Barkov has all the traits to be a poor man’s Patrice Bergeron as he is already excellent defensively and has only just begun to tap into his potential on offense. He might never be as good as Bergeron, but Barkov has a very similar playing style.

Brandon Pirri has had concussion issues, but when he’s healthy, he is a very good goal scorer. Jonathan Huberdeau meshed very well with Jagr and Barkov last season and looks to play with Bjugstad next season after rebounding from his sophomore slump. Aaron Ekblad is one of the best young blue liners in the NHL. Sound kind of like the Washington Capitals right before they got good, doesn’t it?

This will also be the only time that the Panthers will be on NBC during the 2015-2016 season, so you know the Panthers will be motivated to look good on the national stage as they continue to grow as a team.

Next: #5: Detroit Rock City

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#5: Washington Capitals Vs. Detroit Red Wings

The Caps play the Detroit Red Wings twice on NBCSN in 2015-2016. They play them at home on November 18 and in Detroit on December 8th. This is an intriguing match up because former Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green signed with Detroit Red Wings this off-season in free agency.

MUST READ: Green Departs Washington For Detroit

The Caps and Red Wings have a bit of history together. The only time that the Washington Capitals made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Red Wings swept them in four games. I don’t know about the rest of the Caps fanbase, but that series still gives me nightmares.

Green will be returning to the Verizon Center on November 18th. Green is one of the best Caps blue liners of all time so he should got an excellent reception in his return to his second home. The Red Wings are in a bit of a period of transition, as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are beginning to decline, though they are both still good players. Stepping up to try to replace that dynamic duo are youngsters Gustav Nyquist (25 years old) and Tomas Tatar (24 years old).

The Caps and Wings always have great games, and next season shouldn’t be any different.

Next: #4: Stanley Cup Champs

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

#4: Washington Capitals Vs. Blackhawks

On February 28th, the Caps travel to Chicago to take on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks on NBC at 12:30 PM. This will be the second time that the 2015 Winter Classic participants will be facing off in the 2015-2016 season, as they will also square off at the Verizon Center on October 15th. This is an intriguing match up because these two teams played two very close games in 2014-2015, as the Caps won both of the games between the two by a combined two goals.

Barry Trotz and Joel Quenneville are two of the best head coaches in the NHL. Whenever those two square off against each other, it’s a chess match. The smartest man usually wins. Though that has been Q in the past, last season, Trotz got the best of Quenneville twice. Coach Q will surely be out for revenge.

Another reason to get hyped for this match up is because of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane taking on Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. They are four of the best forwards in the NHL. They’ll see quite a bit of each other next season as Trotz and Quenneville both like to match their best lines against their opponent’s best lines.

Chicago sure will look different when the Washington Capitals play them in February. The following players won’t be there.

Despite that, I think the Caps and Hawks will play each other close.

Next: #3: First Round Rematch

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

#3: Washington Capitals Vs. New York Islanders

This one should be a doozy. It takes place on Thursday February 4th at the Verizon Center. Yes, the Washington Capitals have back to back home games on NBCSN. I’m honestly surprised that only one Caps-Islanders game will be shown on national television, especially considering how close their first round series was during the playoffs.

The Caps and Islanders fought hard in a seven game series that ended with Evgeny Kuznetsov scoring the game winning goal in game seven.

I’m sure the Islanders would love to get revenge on the Capitals by beating them in their house on February 4th. Likewise, I’m sure the Caps would love to remind the Islanders who’s boss. Should be an excellent game as John Tavares and Alex Ovechkin both try to lead their teams to a huge win.

Next: #2: Philadelphia

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

#2: Washington Capitals Vs. Philadelphia Flyers

This matchup will happen twice on NBCSN (January 27th at the Verizon Center and March 30th in Philly) and once on NBC (Sunday February 7th at the Verizon Center). The reason this is so high on the list isn’t because the Flyers are good (because they aren’t). It’s because the Washington Capitals and Flyers absolutely HATE each other.

MORE FROM STARS AND STICKS: Washington Capitals Five Biggest Rivals

Last season, the Caps struggled mightily against the Flyers. The Flyers didn’t make the playoffs, but they did win three out of their four games against the Caps. The Flyers actually did quite well against good teams in 2014-2015. They just stunk against the bad teams.

The Flyers haven’t really improved at all this off-season unless you count addition by subtraction (which I do). They traded virtually worthless goon Zac Rinaldo to the Boston Bruins for a third round pick. Any time you can dump a goon onto someone else for a third round pick, that’s an excellent trade. They also traded declining defenseman Nicklas Grossman and the contract of Chris Pronger to the Arizona Coyotes. They had to take Sam Gagner back from Arizona, but I think he could be a change of scenery guy. They also added Michal Neuvirth as a backup plan for Steve Mason. Neuvirth is much better than Ray Emery.

All three games of this match up should be good because no matter how bad one of the two teams are, they always seem to play each other close.

Next: #1: Black And Gold Affair

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

#1: Washington Capitals Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

This rivalry was already number one on my list even before Eric Fehr signed with the Penguins. Now, it’s even more personal than it was before. The Caps and Penguins have one of the best, if not the best, rivalries in the NHL. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been rivals since before either of the two put on their respective team’s sweater.

View image | gettyimages.com

This heated rivalry should become even more heated with the improvements that both teams have made over the off-season. The Caps and Penguins are expected to battle it out to win the Metropolitan Division. Each of their three games against the Penguins (October 28th at home, January 24th at home and March 20th in Pittsburgh) on national television should be extremely important to both teams as they battle for first place.

Next: Metropolitan Division Power Rankings

More from Stars and Sticks

Home / Capitals News