The Washington Capitals should have a successful 2015-2016 season after improving their team. They re-signed franchise goaltender Braden Holtby to a five year deal and center Evgeny Kuznetsov to a two year deal. Not only that, they added three-time Stanley Cup champion Justin Williams to a two year deal and traded for former St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie. Even when one takes into consideration the loss of long-time blue liner Mike Green, the Washington Capitals should be able to match up well against virtually any team.
However, that doesn’t mean that things will come easily for them. They will still have some tough home stands that they will have to fight through. Every game in the NHL is difficult and the Caps can’t afford to take any of their opponents lightly, especially not in what promises to be an extremely competitive Metropolitan Division. The Metropolitan Division figures to have five playoff teams, so they must win as many home games as they can.
Here’s a look at the five toughest ones that the Washington Capitals will have to endure if they want to succeed next season.
Next: #5: West Goes East
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Number Five: Stars, Avalanche, Oilers, Jets and Lightning Vs. Washington Capitals
WHEN: November 19th through November 27th, 2015 (19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th and 27th)
WHO: Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning
WHY: The Washington Capitals will get an early test from two playoff teams from last season, including the Eastern Conference champions. The Winnipeg Jets made the playoffs as well. The Caps can’t take the Dallas Stars or the Edmonton Oilers lightly because they have both improved quite a bit over the off-season. The Stars have added Patrick Sharp to their already impressive arsenal of forwards. They have also added Johnny Oduya to their blue line. The Oilers drafted Connor McDavid and signed Andrej Sekera. They also traded for Cam Talbot. The Washington Capitals are well familiar with the latter two.
The Washington Capitals did not do well against the Stars or the Oilers last season. The Capitals went 0-2-0 against the Dallas Stars. They lost to Dallas 5-4 and 4-2. They also went 0-1-1 against the Oilers. They lost to them 3-2 and 5-4 (in overtime).
They will also be facing the Colorado Avalanche. The Capitals went 2-0-0 against the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-2015. However, just like the Stars and the Oilers, they have drastically improved their team. They signed veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin and versatile forward Blake Comeau. They also got Nikita Zadorov, who should add some much needed offensive punch to their blue line.
Next: #4: A Tough Start
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Number Four: Devils, Sharks, Blackhawks and Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals
WHEN: October 10th through October 17th, 2015 (10th, 13th, 15th, 17th)
WHO: New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes
WHY: The Washington Capitals will be tested right off the bat, as they start their 2015-2016 season with a four game home stand. They will have to face the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-5Penguins News: Carl Hagelin is now retiring from the NHL /
The Caps will open against The New Jersey Devils aren’t a very good team, but they do have an excellent goaltender in Cory Schneider. They are going to be a Devils team that the Capitals won’t be familiar with. The Devils have traditionally had their veterans. Save for Patrik Elias, Andy Greene and Mike Cammalleri, that’s no longer true. These certainly aren’t the Devils of old.
The Washington Capitals will have to face the San Jose Sharks, until 2014, gave the Caps fits. However, the Caps have won two of their last three meetings with the Sharks. When these two teams face off, it tends to be a high scoring affair. This game will also be Joel Ward‘s first game back in the Verizon Center after spending four years with the Caps.
Though the Blackhawks sure are different from the team that won the Stanley Cup, they’re still an extremely good team. They still have Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane (at least for now), Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford. As long as they have those five guys, they’re going to contend. Kane’s alleged rape allegations are something to keep an eye on.
The Carolina Hurricanes are a better team than people think. Their blue line is actually pretty good. Justin Faulk leads a young and rebuilt blue line that is definitely good enough for the Canes to contend. However, their forward group does not begin to match their blue line, so they won’t contend. However, they are no longer a last place team. The Hurricanes always play the Washington Capitals tough.
Next: #3: Let's Get Wild
Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Number Three: Devils, Coyotes, Canadiens, and Wild vs. Washington Capitals
WHEN: February 20th through February 26th, 2016 (20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th)
WHO: New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild
WHY: The Washington Capitals will face two playoff hopefuls during their four game home stand. While the Caps also face two likely last place teams in the Devils and Coyotes, they can’t afford to take them lightly.
The Coyotes and Capitals split their two game series last season. The Caps will look to beat a team that will likely be in contention for the number one overall pick come April. The Coyotes do have Oliver Ekman-Larsonn, one of the best blue liners in the NHL. They also have Mikkel Boedker, who scored the game winning goal in their first meeting last season.
The Caps did not do well against Montreal last season, as they only won one of their three match ups. The two games that the Capitals lost against the Canadiens were both low scoring affairs. They lost the first game 2-1 in overtime and the second game 1-0 in overtime. However, the third game was a high scoring affair, with the Capitals winning 5-4 in a shootout.
The Washington Capitals and the Wild split their two game series in 2014. The Caps lost the first game 2-1, but won the second game 3-2. The Wild haven’t really improved their team this off-season, but they should still be an excellent team.
Next: #2: Finishing Strong
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Number Two: Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals
WHEN: April 5th through April 7th, 2016
WHO: Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders
WHY: The Washington Capitals will close the season with a two game home stand. Though they do have a game after this home stand, it is extremely important for the Capitals because they will most likely be fighting with the Pens and Islanders for playoff positioning.
The Caps got the best of the Penguins in 2014-2015, beating them in three of their four match ups and outscoring them 13-5. However, just like the Capitals improved this off-season, the Penguins have improved as well. They traded for Phil Kessel, which gives either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin an elite goal scoring wing. Neither of the two have ever played with an elite goal scoring wing, so Kessel should obviously have a great season. They made it personal by signing former Caps forward Eric Fehr.
The Capitals and the Islanders know each other quite well, as the two teams had an epic seven game series in the first round of the playoffs. The first round saw the Washington Capitals come out on top, but the Islanders are an extremely good team that should get even better. The Caps also improved, which should make for an excellent game.
Next: #1: A Tough Five Game Stand
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Number One: Ducks, Penguins, Flyers, Panthers and Islanders vs. Washington Capitals
WHEN: January 22nd through February 4th, 2016 (January 22nd, January 24th, January 27th, February 2nd, February 4th)
WHO: Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers and New York Islanders
WHY: This home stand will be extremely tough for the Washington Capitals. They’ll face four playoff contenders and a team that they struggled against last season in the Philadelphia Flyers. Even when you factor in the All-Star Break halfway through this home stand, it’s still a very tough one.
The Ducks are shaping up to be the favorite to win the Western Conference, so the match up on January 22nd could be a Stanley Cup preview. This will also be a return to the Verizon Center for Bruce Boudreau, the former Capitals head coach.
The Capitals went 1-2-1 against the Flyers last season. However, the Capitals have improved quite a bit from last season. They should do better against the Flyers this season.
The Panthers should contend for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. This is also a primetime game for the Capitals. Last year, the Capitals went 2-0-1 against the Panthers.
