The National Hockey League today announced the 2026-27 regular-season schedule for the Washington Capitals, presented by Ticketmaster. The Capitals will open the season on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center before heading to Tampa to face the Lightning on Oct. 3 at Benchmark International Arena. Washington will return to Capital One Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 7, to host the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. in the home opener. 

The Capitals have five homestands of at least three games on the schedule, the longest being two five-game homestands at Capital One Arena from Oct. 14-28 and Feb. 14-23. Washington also has five stretches of at least three consecutive road games, including a season-long six-game road trip from Dec. 3-15. In addition, the Capitals will have 14 sets of back-to-back games. 

Nineteen of the Capitals’ 42 home games at Capital One Arena fall on weekends, which include five games on Friday, nine on Saturday and five on Sunday. Washington will once again have home games on the day before (Nov. 25 vs. Philadelphia) and the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27 vs. Florida), as well as the day after Christmas (Dec. 26 vs. Columbus). In addition, the Capitals will take on the Utah Mammoth on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 14) at 1 p.m. 

The Capitals’ schedule will pause for a nine-day break from Feb. 4-12, which overlaps with the 2027 NHL All-Star Weekend, set to take place Feb. 5-6 at UBS Arena on Long Island, New York. 

Last season, the Capitals posted the sixth-best home record (25-11-5) in the NHL. 

Television broadcast plans will be released at a later date. All Capitals games can be heard on the Capitals Radio Network, 106.7 The Fan, WashingtonCaps.com and on the Washington Caps mobile app. 

Capitals fans can download the schedule or sync it to their devices by visiting https://www.nhl.com/capitals/fans/schedule-downloads.

Washington Capitals full season ticket memberships and partial plans for the 2026-27 season are currently available for purchase. Capitals fans are encouraged to make their ticket purchases directly from the team by calling 202-266-CAPS or emailing ticketsales@washcaps.com. Information on single-game tickets will be announced at a later date. 

Home dates to remember: 

• Oct. 7 – Home opener at Capital One Arena vs. Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins 

• Oct. 9 – The New York Rangers make their first of two visits to Capital One Arena for a Friday night showdown 

• Oct. 17 – The Capitals face Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils for a Saturday afternoon divisional contest 

• Oct. 24 – The Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night 

• Nov. 1 – Washington hosts the Minnesota Wild at 3:30 p.m. the day after Halloween 

• Nov. 25 – The Capitals face off with division rival Philadelphia the night before Thanksgiving  

• Nov. 27 – The Florida Panthers visit Capital One Arena the day after Thanksgiving 

• Dec. 26 – The Capitals face the Columbus Blue Jackets the day after Christmas 

• Dec. 28 – Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers make their lone visit to Capital One Arena 

• Jan. 14 – The Capitals face the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes 

• Jan. 16 – Washington takes on Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night 

• Jan. 22 – The Capitals host the New York Islanders on Friday night 

• Feb. 14 – Washington hosts the Utah Mammoth on Super Bowl Sunday  

• Feb. 19 – Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks make their lone visit to Capital One Arena for a Friday night showdown 

• March 3 – The Carolina Hurricanes return for their second trip to D.C.  

• March 15 – The Capitals take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Monday afternoon matinee  

• March 30 – The Capitals face Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks 

• April 3 – The Capitals host division rival Columbus on Saturday in the penultimate home game of the 2026-27 regular season 

• April 4 – Washington completes its 2026-27 home regular-season schedule against the Pittsburgh Penguins

Note: The complete Washington Capitals 2026-27 schedule can be found below.