Today, the Caps and the other 31 member clubs of the NHL added to the anticipation of the upcoming season by releasing their entire 82-game regular season schedules for 2023-24. The Caps will open at home on Friday the 13th – October 13 – against Metropolitan Division rival Pittsburgh. That season-opening contest will be played precisely six months after the Caps concluded the ’22-23 season at home against the New Jersey Devils.

Washington will play its 82-game slate over a span of 187 days, and the Caps’ schedule will feature a nine-day gap from Jan. 28 through Feb. 5 to accomodate the 2023 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto and a “bye week.” After the Caps finish up a four-game road trip in Dallas on Jan. 27, they will be idle until they host Montreal on Feb. 6.

The Capitals’ longest homestand of the season is a pair of five-game runs in the District. From Oct. 27 to Nov. 8, Washington will entertain Minnesota, San Jose, the New York islanders, Columbus and Florida, respectively. Washington is also at Capital One Arena for five straight games from Jan. 3-13, hosting New Jersey, Carolina, Los Angeles, Seattle and the New York Rangers.

The Caps’ longest stretch of consecutive road games is a pair of five-game journeys out west. The first of those five-game trips will begin soon after Thanksgiving, on Nov 27 in San Jose. The team will also travel to Los Angeles, Anaheim, Vegas and Arizona before returning home. In mid-March, the Caps undertake another five-game trip, visiting Winnipeg, Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver and Calgary from March 11-18.

• The Caps will maintain their tradition of hosting games on Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 22 vs. Buffalo), Black Friday (Nov. 24 vs. Edmonton), and Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 11 vs. Vancouver).
• The Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights make their lone visit to D.C. on Tue. Nov. 14 in the opener of a four-game homestand.
• Columbus and Philadelphia are the two Metropolitan Division clubs the Caps will face only three times this season. They’ll visit Columbus just once (Dec. 21) this season and will host Philadelphia only once (March 1).
• The Caps will play 15 sets of back-to-back games, with six of those back-to-backs played over a span of 36 days from Nov. 29-Jan. 3. Seven of Washington’s 15 sets of back-to-backs will start at home and finish on the road, five are entirely on the road, and three start on the road and finish at home.
• Washington will reach the midway point of the season following a Jan. 14 road game against the Rangers in New York.
• The Caps are home heavy early in the season, playing 12 of their first 17 games at Capital One Arena, from Oct. 13-Nov. 24. They will then play 13 of their next 18 games on the road from Nov. 27-Jan. 2.
• Washington will play a home-and-home set of games with the New York Rangers on Jan. 13-14, hosting the Rangers on Saturday afternoon before visiting Madison Square Garden the following afternoon. Less than a week later, the Caps have a home-and-home set with St. Louis, hosting the Blues on Thu., Jan. 18 and visiting St. Louis on Jan. 20.
• The Caps will host Atlantic Division opponents Boston, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Toronto twice each and they’ll visit Atlantic foes Buffalo, Detroit, Florida and Montreal twice each.

By the day:

Sunday: Six at home, three on the road

Monday: Three at home, four on the road

Tuesday: Seven at home, six on the road

Wednesday: Five at home, six on the road

Thursday: Five at home, nine on the road

Friday: Six at home, three on the road

Saturday: Nine at home, 10 on the road

By the month:

October: Five at home, three on the road

November: Seven at home, five on the road

December: Five at home, nine on the road

January: Seven at home, six on the road

February: Five at home, six on the road

March: Eight at home, seven on the road

April: Four at home, five on the road