Washington Capitals gear up for 2024 preseason slate

The Washington Capitals schedule has gotten busier because now instead of practices there will be game action as early as tomorrow, this Sunday, at 2 p.m. from Capital One Arena against the Philadelphia Flyers. Sunday's preseason opener is the first of four games in six nights.

After the Caps take on the Flyers Monday will be an off day and then the Caps game group will skate on Tuesday morning at MedStar Capitals Iceplex before flying off to Boston. Then the Caps fly home and a similar thing happens the next night in New Jersey.

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery admitted to Mike Vogel of WashCaps.com that the preseason start to the schedule isn't ideal:

"Yeah, that's not ideal. We tried to - as best we can - plan for it accordingly, but the four (games) in six (nights), it doesn't give us a lot of time as a staff. The players are fine, because they're not going to play in the back to back (Tuesday in Boston and Wednesday in New Jersey).

Carbery would add in the same story, "So for the guys who do't play in Boston, it will be business as usual. But for us, it will be a little more challenging to turn around from that Boston game: 'Okay, what did we like?' and then to convey those messages and also get ready for Jersey. That's definitely the con of it; the pro is you get some games in early, right away, and you can evaluate and make some decisions based on that."

The Caps will also have to shuffle a roster that includes 70 players heading into tomorrow's preseason opener. Out of the 70 that doesn't include currently injured Nicklas Backstrom nor T.J. Oshie.

With those two out there were also six players who got nicked up during the first two days but even with 64 players potentially available there are still three groups at camp for a reason and the first few days the roster does get trimmed down as some players have to wait on their NHL dreams.

But for a veteran laden team like Washington that's OK. They have good prospects in the system. They have the Hershey Bears who are back to back reigning Calder Cup champions. And a team that made the playoffs last season what they need now for these next few weeks is to find the right chemistry.