Washington Capitals: Five Most Difficult Homestands

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