Washington Capitals: Top 5 toughest games of 2021
The Washington Capitals 2021-22 season begins on Oct. 13 when they host the New York Rangers. I wouldn’t say that matchup is a tough game but it certainly won’t be easy either. There will be fights.
The Caps will open with three home games with the second game being against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the third game against the Colorado Avalanche. Six of the eight October games are at home.
Which games are worth circling on your calendar and will be challenging contests for the Caps? Let’s dive in.
#5 Jan. 10 vs. Boston Bruins
For the first time since Game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Boston Bruins make their return to the district for a Monday night playoff rematch. During the regular season, the Caps held a 4-4 record as both teams were pretty much evenly matched. Perhaps adding fuel to the rivalry last year was Washington’s addition of Zdeno Chara.
In the playoffs, the Caps won the first game thanks to an overtime goal from Nic Dowd but dropped the next four. In that series, Vitek Vanecek suffered an injury in Game 1 then Craig Anderson had to start Game 2 before Ilya Samsonov finally came off the COVID list for Game 3.
#4 Nov. 21 at Seattle Kraken
Anytime you take on a brand new team in a brand new arena, it creates a challenge in and of itself as you don’t know exactly what this new team will bring. That is the case with the Seattle Kraken.
After preparing for an expansion draft where we were for sure going to lose somebody, the Kraken signed goaltender Philipp Grubauer at the opening of free agency. This allowed the Caps to trade back for Vitek Vanecek. Now their only loss this offseason has only been Brenden Dillon who got traded to the Winnipeg Jets.
This game will mark the first time the Caps not only play in Seattle but play in the brand new Climate Pledge Arena that is scheduled for completion this October. Some other players to watch on the Kraken are Yanni Gourde taken in the expansion draft from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brandon Tanev a left wing from the Winnipeg Jets and Jordan Eberle a right winger from the New York Islanders.
The best part about this matchup is we won’t have to worry about any revenge games from former Capitals. The team did their part in protecting T.J. Oshie and bringing back Vanecek.
#3 April 16 at Montreal Canadiens
Late in the season the Caps will embark on their longest road trip which will take them to Canada and out west. It starts on the 14th in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. The Caps will also make stops in Colorado, Vegas, and Arizona. Sandwiched in that five game road trip, the Caps will have to travel to the house of horrors in the Bell Centre to take on the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens are coming off a phenomenal season. I almost picked the Vegas Golden Knights on this road trip but I didn’t for a couple reasons. One is Marc-Andre Fleury is now on the Chicago Blackhawks while the Rangers added Tom Wilson‘s rival Ryan Reaves. Vegas is a cool spot and a likely destination if I do a road trip this season, but doesn’t have the history like Montreal.
Last season the Canadiens had to play their entire country in the Canadien Division. They then went on a remarkable run to the Stanley Cup Final before falling short to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nick Suzuki led the Habs in the postseason with seven goals and nine assists for 16 points. 33 year old netminder Carey Price backstopped the Canadiens to a 13-9 record in the playoffs with a 2.28 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.
#2 Nov. 14 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
On November 14th the rivalry between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins renews at Capital One Arena. Alex Ovechkin signing on for five more years means we’re on the last legs of the rivalry between him and Sidney Crosby. Boy have we been lucky to have seen the best and worst of times in these games. It won’t be the same when these two retire.
The Penguins are coming off winning the MassMutual East Division last season before getting bounced in the first round by the New York Islanders. Crosby led the team in the regular season with 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points. Jake Guentzel was right behind him with 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 points.
Last season the Caps went 2-2-4 against the Penguins. Even though they won just two games both were memorable. The first one was a complete game effort in Pittsburgh with no fans in the stands. Conor Sheary, Jakub Vrana, and Lars Eller scored while Vitek Vanecek made 26 stops on 27 shots with a .963 save percentage.
The second win came at home, again with no fans sadly, in a game that saw T.J. Oshie score the goal of the year. Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Carl Hagelin, and Lars Eller also scored. Vanecek once again made 26 saves on 28 shots for a .929 save percentage.
#1 Oct. 16 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
The number one toughest game of the season comes in just the second game. It is a big test for the Capitals as they’ll host the defending back to back Stanley Cup champions on a Saturday night. Looking at tickets, they’re more expensive than the first game!
The Lightning will be the second opponent the Caps see in a three game homestand to open the season that also includes the Rangers and Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are defending Presidents’ Trophy winners.
The Lightning won the Stanley Cup Final in five games over the Canadiens. Nikita Kucherov led the Bolts in the playoffs with 24 assists and 32 points to go along with eight goals. Brayden Point led the Lightning in goals with 14 while Steven Stamkos added eight.
Expect a lot of offense when these two teams go head to head. Caps vs. Bolts games tend to produce a lot of goal scoring a games that have a flair for the dramatic. Expect this game to be no different. It really is a shame these teams didn’t see each other at all last season or in the playoffs.
More. Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin and the Core Will Continue to Compete. light
Which game are you looking forward to this season? Which game do you think will be the most challenging for the Caps?