Photo: NHL.com

The NHL released the full regular-season schedule for all 31 teams on Tuesday afternoon. The Washington Capitals will open their season on Wednesday, October 2 at the St. Louis Blues at 8 PM ET. The Blues will raise their first Stanley Cup Championship banner in franchise history prior to the game. The Capitals will visit the New York Islanders on Friday, October 4 at NYCB Live at 7 PM ET a night before hosting the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, October 5 for their home opener at 7 PM ET.

Notable Home Games

vs. Blues (Tues 3/24) – The defending Stanley Cup Champions will visit the nation’s capital for the lone time this season.

vs. Boston Bruins (Weds 12/11) – The reigning Eastern Conference Champions will come to Capital One Arena for the only time in 2018-19.

vs. Hurricanes (Sat 10/5) – The Hurricanes come to town for the Capitals’ home opener. This will be the first game between the two teams since Carolina eliminated the Capitals in Game 7 of the First Round. They will also visit Washington on Monday, January 13.

vs. New York Islanders (Tues. 12/31) – Former Head Coach Barry Trotz will return to Washington for the first time since winning the Jack Adams Award Trophy, which is given to the league’s coach of the year, on New Year’s Eve. The Islanders finished a point behind the Capitals for the Metropolitan Division crown in 2018-19. They will also come to town on Monday, February 10.

vs. Vegas Golden Knights (Sat. 11/9) – The Golden Knights make their lone stop in Washington for a rematch of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, which the Capitals won in five games.

vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Sun. 2/2) – The archrival Penguins make their first stop at Capital One Arena this season on Super Bowl Sunday. They will also visit the Capitals on Sunday, February 23.

vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (Fri. 11/29) – The 2018-19 Presidents’ Trophy winners will visit Washington for the first time this season. They will also come to town on Saturday, December 21.

vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Weds 10/16) – One of the league’s most exciting young and top teams will come to Washington for the first time this season. They will also visit the DMV on Tuesday, March 31.

vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Sat. 2/8) – Former Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen, who played the past five years with the club, and the rival Flyers will visit Capital One Arena for the first time since Niskanen was traded to the Flyers in exchange for defenseman Radko Gudas on June 14. They will also visit town on Wednesday, March 4.

vs. New Jersey Devils (Sat. 1/11) – The first overall pick in this summer’s draft, center Jack Hughes, will play his first career NHL game at Capital One Arena. The Devils play in Washington again on Thursday, January 16.

Additional Schedule Notes

• The Capitals will visit the Golden Knights for the second time since winning their first Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history on Presidents’ Day, February 17
• The bye-week will take place from January 19-26
• The longest homestand of the season will span over four games from February 3-10 (Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Flyers, Islanders)
• The longest road trip of the season will span over five games from October 20-29 (at Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Maple Leafs)
• NHL All-Star Weekend will take place from January 25-26 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri
• The Capitals will end their regular-season at the Florida Panthers on Saturday, April 4

By Harrison Brown