Washington Capitals: Top 5 expectations for opening week

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals signs autographs for fans on the Rock the Red Carpet prior to the start of a game against the Montreal Canadiens at Capital One Arena on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 03: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals signs autographs on the red carpet before raising their 2018 Stanley Cup Championship banner prior to playing the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena on October 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

#2 Alex Ovechkin on a mission

If the last two opening weeks were any indication, Alex Ovechkin will play like a man on a mission. What does that look like for one who just turned 34?

Last season in the first three games, Ovechkin scored four goals and added an assist. That includes a goal on Banner Night in a 7-1 thrashing of the Boston Bruins, a goal in Pittsburgh and two against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The year before? Well two games as a sample size does it justice. Ovechkin had back-to-back hat tricks with three goals in Ottawa and four in Washington’s home opener against the Montreal Canadiens that year.

Ovechkin has shown how much he loves the big stage and the entire hockey world will be watching the Capitals take on the Blues Wednesday night to open the season with the game being nationally televised on the NBC Sports Network.

One burning question is whether or not Ovechkin can score 50 goals for the second season in a row. Even if he doesn’t he’s just 42 goals away from 700 career goals and it’ll be a milestone we’ll be watching him chase all season long.

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