Stars and Sticks
Fansided

Washington Capitals: Top 5 home games to look forward to in 2019-20

By Michael Marzzacco

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 03: Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) signs autographs for fans on October 3, 2018, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. prior to the opening night game against the Boston Bruins. The Washington Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins, 7-0. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 03: Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) signs autographs for fans on October 3, 2018, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. prior to the opening night game against the Boston Bruins. The Washington Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins, 7-0. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next

#4 Oct. 14, 2019 vs. Colorado Avalanche

LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 27: Andre Burakovsky #65 of the Washington Capitals answers questions during Media Day for the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on May 27, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 27: Andre Burakovsky #65 of the Washington Capitals answers questions during Media Day for the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on May 27, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

In just the third home game of the season Capitals fans will say hello to two old friends. Andre Burakovsky was traded to the Colorado Avalanche just days before free agency and he joins an Avalanche team poised to make a deep Western Conference playoff run.

Fans will also see Philipp Grubauer, who established himself in Washington as one of the top backup goaltenders in the NHL. During his final season in D.C., Grubauer went 15-10-3 in with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage, both career-bests. He beat out Braden Holtby for the starter’s job to begin the playoffs but Holtby regained his Vezina-winning form.

After winning the Stanley Cup, the Capitals traded Grubauer, along with Brooks Orpik to the Avalanche. While Orpik became the Avalanche legend that never played a game, Grubauer went from backup in the regular season to a starter in net by the time Game 1 of the playoffs begun this past spring thanks to a hot stretch of going 7-0-2 in his final nine starts.

Sound familiar? It was quite a turnaround of where he was a prior. Grubauer won the starting job for the Capitals with his “hot hand” but then lost it entering the third period of Game 2 of Washington’s first round series after allowing three straight goals in the second period, squandering a Capitals 3-1 lead against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Grubauer backstopped the Avalanche to a first round victory over the Calgary Flames in five games before falling to the San Jose Sharks in a seven-game second round joust. Grubauer had a 2.30 GAA in the spring and a .925 save percentage.

The Capitals won both games against the Avalanche in overtime last season with Evgeny Kuznetsov as the home hero at Capital One Arena on Feb. 7.

Home/Editorials