NBC Sports Washington, the official sports network of the Washington Capitals and the region’s leading source for multiplatform sports coverage, announced it will provide comprehensive coverage, including pre-and post-game coverage during the 2023 NHL Stadium Series. Coverage will begin on Friday, Feb. 17 with Friday Night Live at the Stadium Series from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Hosted by NBC Sports Washington Caps pre-and post-game show host Alexa Landestoy and analysts Alan May and Al Koken, the show will provide an all-access preview of the Capitals’ matchup against the Hurricanes and feature interviews with coaches, players and their families.

Immediately following Friday Night Live at the Stadium Series, NBC Sports Washington will air the premiere of The Gr8 Chase: Passing Mr. Hockey, an hour-long special looking back at Alex Ovechkin‘s historic 800th and 802nd career goals. The show will feature an exclusive interview between Ovechkin and Caps television play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati and color analyst Craig Laughlin and an exclusive interview with Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder and chairman Ted Leonsis. In addition, long-time Caps reporters Mike Vogel and Tarik El-Bashir will provide commentary on Ovechkin’s career and legacy.

NBC Sports Washington’s coverage will continue on Saturday, Feb. 18 with Capitals Pregame Live from 7 to 8 p.m. The hour-long pregame show will include an in-depth preview of the game, player interviews, special guests and a look back at the Capitals’ previous performances during the 2011 Winter Classic® at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, 2015 NHL Winter Classic® at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and 2018 NHL Stadium Series™ at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Capitals Postgame Live will air following the game with post-game analysis and exclusive interviews with Capitals players and coaches.

The 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ will be the fourth regular-season outdoor game for the Capitals, who are 3-0-0 in their previous appearances. Washington’s three outdoor game wins are the third-most in NHL history (New York Rangers and Boston Bruins: 4 wins). With a victory over Carolina, the Capitals would join the New York Rangers as the only two franchises to win each of its first four outdoor game appearances.

The Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic® at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, powered by two goals from forward Eric Fehr and a 32-save performance by goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Four years later, the Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in the 2015 NHL Winter Classic® at Nationals Park in Washington. Troy Brouwer scored the game-winning goal with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, marking the first time in Winter Classic® history that the home team won in regulation.

Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov each recorded three points (1g, 2a) in Washington’s 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 NHL Stadium Series™ at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The Capitals scored the opening two goals of the contest in the game’s first 379 seconds (6:18), which stands as the fastest two goals from the start of an outdoor game in NHL history.

Nicklas Backstrom has recorded a franchise-record four points (1g, 3a) in three career outdoor games. Backstrom, who recorded a goal and two assists in the first period of the 2018 Stadium Series™, is one of three players in NHL history to register three or more points in a single period of an outdoor game (Jordan Kyrou: 2g-2a-4p in P2 of 2022 Winter Classic®; Martin Havlat: 1g-2a-3p in P1 of 2009 Winter Classic®).

Alex Ovechkin has scored 47 career goals against the Hurricanes, which is tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for the third-most goals against a single opponent. Ovechkin has recorded three points (2g, 1a) in three career outdoor games, including goals in the 2015 Winter Classic® and 2018 Stadium Series™. Should Ovechkin score against Carolina on Saturday, he will become the first player in NHL history to score in three consecutive outdoor games.

Seventeen members of the Capitals roster have played in at least one NHL outdoor game, including nine players who have appeared in a previous game for the Capitals and eight with another club. Of those 17 players, 11 have recorded at least one point in an outdoor game.

Head coach Peter Laviolette will be coaching in his fourth outdoor game on Saturday, becoming the fifth head coach in League history to lead a team into at least four outdoor games (Joel Quenneville: 5 GC; Mike Babcock, Claude Julien and Alain Vigneault: 4 GC).

CAPITALS STADIUM SERIES SCHEDULE

Thursday, Feb. 16

7 p.m.: Capitals vs. Florida Panthers, Capital One Arena
Postgame: Team departs for Raleigh

Friday, Feb. 17

6 p.m.: Practice, Carter-Finley Stadium
6:45 p.m.: Family Skate, Carter-Finley Stadium
Post-skate: Media availability

Saturday, Feb. 18

11:30 a.m.: Team meetings and off-ice warm-ups, Carter-Finley Stadium
TBD: Select players and head coach Peter Laviolette will be available at the podium pregame
8 p.m. Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes, Carter-Finley Stadium