Washington Capitals release full 2026-27 regular-season schedule

The Washington Capitals officially released their 84-game schedule for the 2026-27 season on Thursday.

The Capitals will open up the new season with a back-to-back on the road, taking on the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Friday, October 2, and then traveling down to Benchmark International Arena on Saturday, October 3, to face the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Capitals will host their own home opener four days later on Wednesday, October 7, against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Capital One Arena.

The Capitals’ longest homestands of the 2026-27 season are two five-game stints at Capital One Arena from October 14 through 28 and February 14 through 23. Washington also has five stretches of at least three consecutive road games, including a season-long six-game road trip from December 3 through 15. In addition, the Capitals will have 14 sets of back-to-back games, matching last year’s total.

The NHL schedule will pause for a nine-day break from February 4 through 12, which overlaps with the 2027 NHL All-Star Weekend, set for February 5 and 6 at UBS Arena in New York.

The Capitals will also play two Monday matinee games, with puck drop at 1 pm (EST), as the league tries to build its international fanbase.

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Important home games (per the Capitals):

• October 7 – Home opener at Capital One Arena vs. Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins
• October 9 – The New York Rangers make their first of two visits to Capital One Arena for a Friday night showdown
• October 17 – The Capitals face Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils for a Saturday afternoon divisional contest
• October 24 – The Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night
• November 1 – Washington hosts the Minnesota Wild at 3:30 p.m. the day after Halloween
• November 25 – The Capitals face off with division rival Philadelphia the night before Thanksgiving
• November 27 – The Florida Panthers visit Capital One Arena the day after Thanksgiving
• December 26 – The Capitals face the Columbus Blue Jackets the day after Christmas
• December 28 – Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers make their lone visit to Capital One Arena
• January 14 – The Capitals face the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes
• January 16 – Washington takes on Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night
• January 22 – The Capitals host the New York Islanders on Friday night
• February 14 – Washington hosts the Utah Mammoth on Super Bowl Sunday
• February 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

The 84-game regular season will be the NHL’s first since the 1993-94 campaign, following an agreement with the NHLPA to axe two preseason games in the league’s new CBA.

The Capitals will play each Metropolitan Division team twice at home and on the road. In addition, the Caps will play all other Eastern Conference teams three times. They will play four of those teams twice at home and once on the road, and vice versa for the other four teams. They will play all 16 Western Conference teams twice — once at home and once on the road.

The Capitals announced the schedule with a video of captain Alex Ovechkin scoring goals against each of the other 31 NHL teams. Ovechkin signed a one-year contract extension on July 2.

The 2026-27 campaign will mark his 22nd season in the NHL and could be his last, with his potential final home game at Capital One Arena against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, April 4. He then could play the final game of his NHL career against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday, April 10.

Washington Capitals schedule announcement video

Capitals’ 2026-27 regular-season schedule

Scheduling Matrix

Games Within Division

7 teams x 2 home / 2 away (Subtotal 14 home / 14 away)

Games Within Conference (Non-Division)

4 teams x 2 home / 1 away (Subtotal 8 home / 4 away)

4 teams x 1 home / 2 away (Subtotal 4 home / 8 away)

Non-Conference Games

16 teams x 1 home / 1 away (Subtotal 16 home / 16 away)

Grand Total – 84 Games

42 home / 42 away

Schedule graphic

🗓️📲 https://t.co/MKKS7YXKtN pic.twitter.com/vWTdEFZd9X

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 16, 2026