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Top 3 most important games of the 2024-25 Capitals schedule

Lets dissect the upcoming schedule a little bit more

By Michael Marzzacco |
Charlie Lindgren, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Charlie Lindgren, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
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The Washington Capitals begin their 50th anniversary season on Oct. 12 against the New Jersey Devils and will begin the season off with three home games. What a way to start a season that should be one to remember whether you're young or been there since that 1974-75 season when Washington finally got rewarded a hockey team.

We've already listed some important home dates in our schedule breakdown but what are the top 3 games exactly. I'm not going to cheat and do opening night this time. Whether the Caps win that game against the Devils or not it'll be more about celebrating than victory nor defeat.

Top 3 Caps games to look forward to this upcoming season

#3 Oct. 29 vs. New York Rangers

Playoff rematch. End of October around Halloween. In the District. Need we say more. While it falls on a Tuesday night this will be an important early test for the Caps to see if they can hang with teams like the Rangers. On paper these matchups were closer in the regular season than they were in the playoffs.

Yet a young Caps prospect laden team in that playoff series against the Rangers, some of them could be in the lineup that night. And yes we'll even include some potential Hershey Bears studs that could be in the lineup. After all they did just repeat their 13th Calder Cup.

Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

#2 Dec. 31 vs. Bruins

By the time New Years rolls around the Caps will have endured a rough stretch in November. By then we could know what this Caps team is and what direction they could be going in. Plus you always want to end topsy turvy years with fireworks and there will be plenty on the ice even though the game is at 3 p.m.

It was last season against the Bruins that the Caps would win two out of three games and both wins just being complete shutouts. One of those happened on a Saturday afternoon in Boston. That game saw T.J. Oshie score on the power play in the second then Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin added goals with Ovi's being an empty netter. Charlie Lindgren earned the shutout stopping 18 shots.

The rematch on March 30 at Capital One Arena had all the makings of a good game. The Caps would fall short in the shootout but get the point to keep their playoff hopes alive. Then two weeks later was a rematch in the same barn with the playoffs on the line and we all know what happeend from there.

The Caps would win 2-0 with Lindgren getting another shutout as the Caps defense and Lindgren held the Bruins to just 16 shots on the night. The Caps would get a goal from John Carlson while Nic Dowd sealed it with an empty netter.

Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals
Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals / Pamela Smith/GettyImages

#1 April 17 at Penguins

This will be an epic way to close out the regular season especially if both teams are in the thick of things for the playoff race kind of like how the season ended. We know what happened last season. The Caps got hot and the Penguins flamed out. It can happen again. We shall see.

That game will cap off a four game stretch where the Caps have a back to back affair in Columbus on Saturday April 12 and Sunday the 13th back in the District. Then it's off to New York against the Islanders two days later.

Will the playoffs be on the line or will this be a battle of the retirement homes. A little bit of both is the way too early prediction. What's really funny about last season's series is that the road team won each game so the Caps were able to split the four game set.

That included two big wins. One on Jan. 3 to ring in the New Year and then again on trade deadline eve of March 7. And yes, Tom Wilson was an impact player both games. So was Alex Ovechkin. And in the March 7 game, Ivan Miroshnichenko scored his first career NHL goal and Hendrix Lapierre continued to show why he deserves a spot on the Capitals this opening night. It was a touchdown 6-0 win over the Pens.

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