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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) /
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#1 vs. Carolina Hurricanes Oct. 5

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 24: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals and Justin Williams #14 of the Carolina Hurricanes shake hands after the Hurricanes defeated the Capitals 4-3 in the second overtime period in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 24, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 24: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals and Justin Williams #14 of the Carolina Hurricanes shake hands after the Hurricanes defeated the Capitals 4-3 in the second overtime period in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 24, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

As silly as it sounds having the home opener as the number one game to look forward to, it makes perfect sense. When the Capitals return to D.C. after road stops in St. Louis and New York for two games, a familiar foe awaits them. The same opponent that ended Washington’s season on their ice.

The Carolina Hurricanes were the biggest story of the NHL, from the storm surge, to  a midseason turnaround, to playoff upsets over both the Capitals and Islanders. Carolina rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to stun the Caps in double overtime in Game 7 thanks to Brock McGinn‘s goal.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 24: Washington Capitals fans react after losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in double overtime during game seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 24: Washington Capitals fans react after losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in double overtime during game seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images) /

The Hurricanes look to make noise in a competitive Metropolitan Division after their offseason signings of Patrick Marleau from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Erik Haula from the Vegas Golden Knights. They additionally re-signed Sebastian Aho, matching the Montreal Canadiens offer sheet, to a five-year, $42,270,000 deal. His AAV will be $8,454,000 each season.

Capitals home openers always have a special buzz around the city with the return of hockey. Players will likely arrive to the arena to greet fans outside in their annual “Rock the Red carpet” tradition. Once everyone’s inside, the fun truly begins.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 03: Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) 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 right wing T.J. Oshie (77) 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) /

No matter what happens in the first two games of the season, there’s no doubt the Capitals will get up for this game. Being on the road in two different cities and coming home to a fanbase that’s waited since late April for hockey, the Capitals look for payback against those “Bunch of jerks.”

Examining the new-look Capitals defense. dark. Next

And with that there’s our top five home games to look forward to. Start making your plans now! If you missed the top five road games, you can catch up here. Agree with our list and rankings? Did we miss anybody? Let us know in the comments.

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