Top 5 most exciting Capitals games for 2022
Washington Capitals hockey will be here before we know it. So to look ahead to the season we will break down the five most exciting games to watch.
These games include the best player matchups, some rivalry games, and even a contest in the great outdoors. Here’s the full schedule so you can start planning your fall and winter.
#5 Opening Night vs. Bruins
On Wednesday Oct. 12 the Caps will open the season at Capital One Arena against the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. There’s nothing like opening night hockey in the Nation’s Capital.
With the pandemic dying down and arenas at full capacity again, look for the Caps to bring back their traditional Rock the Red Carpet prior to the game. It is a special time where your favorite Caps players show up in their nice suits and if you’re lucky you could meet one or slap hands with another on their way into the arena.
Last year Rock the Red Carpet was a fan fest while players arrived privately on a virtual broadcast. Obviously that was due to the COVID protocols taking place.
Last season the Caps lost two out of three to the Bruins but they also won the most recent matchup on April 10 by a final of 4-2. That game was on home ice and it was a much better result than the home game in January where the Caps allowed seven unanswered goals after leading 3-0.
#4 Nov. 7 vs. Edmonton Oilers
I’m a little biased here because it’s my birthday that day but I’m definitely looking forward to celebrating it at this game. If it goes as good as the last one, we’ll be good.
On this Monday night with an 8 p.m. puck drop it is the first of several big games that week. They also got home matchups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning as well as a road contest against the Bolts and a road contest in Sunrise against the Florida Panthers.
The Caps dropped both games against the Oilers last season. That included a 5-3 loss at home on Feb. 2 and a 4-3 overtime loss on March 9 in Edmonton.
The Oilers are led by Connor McDavid who recorded 123 points with 44 goals and 79 assists. They also got Leon Draisaitl who led the Oilers with 55 goals and 55 assists for 110 points.
These games are always fun. Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov vs. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. We didn’t get to see Ovechkin in that home contest last year as he entered COVID protocol prior to the game. Maybe the result would’ve been different if he played or maybe there would have been a lot of goals.
#3 at Florida Panthers Nov. 15
On Tuesday Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. the Caps will head to Sunrise, Florida to take on the Florida Panthers in a rematch of last year’s first round playoff series.
In the regular season the Caps dropped two out of three games. That cinldued a game where they had a 4-1 lead but couldn’t hang on as the Panthers took the NHL by storm en route to their first Presidents Trophy with the league’s best record.
The Caps lone win against the Panthers that regular season was a 4-3 victory behind an Alex Ovechkin hat trick on Black Friday at Capital One Arena.
In the playoffs the Caps shocked the NHL by taking them down in the first game by a final of 4-2. They sadly weren’t able to seize control of that series.
They had two chances to do exactly that, after Game 1 and after Game 3’s dominating 6-1 win. In Game 4 Garnet Hathaway missed an empty netter by a mere inches that would’ve put the Caps up 3-1 in the series.
In Game 6 the Caps nearly pulled off the comeback. They got a late goal from T.J. Oshie to force overtime. But alas it wasn’t enough. The Panthers are the fourth consecutive team to knock off the Caps in the playoffs after they won the Cup in 2018.
#2 Jan. 26 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Caps will play the Penguins four times. Their first matchup takes place on Nov. 9 at Capital One Arena. I didn’t want to include that one because we already had the last two games we looked at fall in November so I didn’t want to cut things too close.
The Caps will also go to Pittsburgh on March 25 but that second meeting will be interesting because usually the Caps like to turn things on in the month of January and that contest is easily the biggest game that month. It always is when Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin go head to head.
Last season the Caps won three out of four games against the Penguins. That included both games in Pittsburgh and one home game back in November on Hockey Fights Cancer night. That was a 6-1 domination.
The two wins in Pittsburgh included a 4-3 overtime win with the game winner coming from Dmitry Orlov and a 6-3 win that many thought was the Caps best game of the season.
Jake Guentzel led the Penguins last season with 40 goals and 44 assists for 84 points while Crosby added 84 points of his own with 31 goals and 53 assists. They’re going for it too like the Caps as they re-signed Evgeni Malkin.
#1 Stadium Series at Carolina Hurricanes
The number one game to look forward to this season is this year’s Stadium Series featuring your Washington Capitals against the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s the Hurricanes first time outside. For the Caps it’s their fourth time and they look to continue their undefeated record in the great outdoors.
The Caps won their first outdoor game at Heinz Field and I refuse to call that stadium anything else. They got a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 Winter Classic.
Then in 2015 it was the Caps turn to host the game at Nationals Park. Much to the delight of team owner Ted Leonsis. In 2015 they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a final of 3-2 with the game winner coming from Troy Brouwer in the final seconds.
In 2018 the Caps hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at the U.S. Naval Academy in the Stadium Series. That contest saw the Caps come away with a 5-2 win.
Related Story. Predicting Capitals breakout players for 2022. light
Last season the Caps won three out of the four contests against the Carolina Hurricanes including both games on the road. Those teams looked different as the first win came in November after Thanksgiving while the second came in March. This will be the first time they take this “rivalry” outside.