The Washington Capitals have officially announced their 2025-26 schedule.
The Caps will kick off their season on October 8 at home against the Boston Bruins before hitting the road to face the New York Islanders and New York Rangers.
The Capitals will play three four-game homestands in 2025-26 from October 14-21, November 22-28, and March 14-22. Their longest road trip will see them go west for a six-game stretch between January 19 and 29.
Capitals’ 2025-26 regular-season schedule
| Game | Day | Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed | October 8 | Boston | Washington | 7:30 PM |
| 2 | Sat | October 11 | Washington | N.Y. Islanders | 7:00 PM |
| 3 | Sun | October 12 | Washington | N.Y. Rangers | 7:00 PM |
| 4 | Tue | October 14 | Tampa Bay | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 5 | Fri | October 17 | Minnesota | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 6 | Sun | October 19 | Vancouver | Washington | 12:30 PM |
| 7 | Tue | October 21 | Seattle | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 8 | Fri | October 24 | Washington | Columbus | 7:00 PM |
| 9 | Sat | October 25 | Ottawa | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 10 | Tue | October 28 | Washington | Dallas | 8:30 PM |
| 11 | Fri | October 31 | N.Y. Islanders | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 12 | Sat | November 1 | Washington | Buffalo | 7:00 PM |
| 13 | Wed | November 5 | St. Louis | Washington | 7:30 PM |
| 14 | Thu | November 6 | Washington | Pittsburgh | 7:00 PM |
| 15 | Sat | November 8 | Washington | Tampa Bay | 7:00 PM |
| 16 | Tue | November 11 | Washington | Carolina | 7:00 PM |
| 17 | Thu | November 13 | Washington | Florida | 7:00 PM |
| 18 | Sat | November 15 | New Jersey | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 19 | Mon | November 17 | Los Angeles | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 20 | Wed | November 19 | Edmonton | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 21 | Thu | November 20 | Washington | Montreal | 7:00 PM |
| 22 | Sat | November 22 | Tampa Bay | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 23 | Mon | November 24 | Columbus | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 24 | Wed | November 26 | Winnipeg | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 25 | Fri | November 28 | Toronto | Washington | 5:00 PM |
| 26 | Sun | November 30 | Washington | N.Y. Islanders | 1:00 PM |
| 27 | Tue | December 2 | Washington | Los Angeles | 10:30 PM |
| 28 | Wed | December 3 | Washington | San Jose | 10:00 PM |
| 29 | Fri | December 5 | Washington | Anaheim | 10:00 PM |
| 30 | Sun | December 7 | Columbus | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 31 | Thu | December 11 | Carolina | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 32 | Sat | December 13 | Washington | Winnipeg | 7:00 PM |
| 33 | Tue | December 16 | Washington | Minnesota | 8:00 PM |
| 34 | Thu | December 18 | Toronto | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 35 | Sat | December 20 | Detroit | Washington | 12:30 PM |
| 36 | Sun | December 21 | Washington | Detroit | 1:00 PM |
| 37 | Tue | December 23 | N.Y. Rangers | Washington | 6:30 PM |
| 38 | Sat | December 27 | Washington | New Jersey | 7:00 PM |
| 39 | Mon | December 29 | Washington | Florida | 7:00 PM |
| 40 | Wed | December 31 | N.Y. Rangers | Washington | 12:30 PM |
| 41 | Thu | January 1 | Washington | Ottawa | 1:00 PM |
| 42 | Sat | January 3 | Chicago | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 43 | Mon | January 5 | Anaheim | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 44 | Wed | January 7 | Dallas | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 45 | Fri | January 9 | Washington | Chicago | 8:00 PM |
| 46 | Sun | January 11 | Washington | Nashville | 7:00 PM |
| 47 | Tue | January 13 | Montreal | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 48 | Thu | January 15 | San Jose | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 49 | Sat | January 17 | Florida | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 50 | Mon | January 19 | Washington | Colorado | 4:00 PM |
| 51 | Wed | January 21 | Washington | Vancouver | 10:00 PM |
| 52 | Fri | January 23 | Washington | Calgary | 9:00 PM |
| 53 | Sat | January 24 | Washington | Edmonton | 10:00 PM |
| 54 | Tue | January 27 | Washington | Seattle | 10:00 PM |
| 55 | Thu | January 29 | Washington | Detroit | 7:00 PM |
| 56 | Sat | January 31 | Carolina | Washington | 5:00 PM |
| 57 | Mon | February 2 | N.Y. Islanders | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 58 | Tue | February 3 | Washington | Philadelphia | 7:00 PM |
| 59 | Thu | February 5 | Nashville | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 60 | Wed | February 25 | Philadelphia | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 61 | Fri | February 27 | Vegas | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 62 | Sat | February 28 | Washington | Montreal | 7:00 PM |
| 63 | Tue | March 3 | Utah | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 64 | Sat | March 7 | Washington | Boston | 12:30 PM |
| 65 | Mon | March 9 | Calgary | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 66 | Wed | March 11 | Washington | Philadelphia | 7:30 PM |
| 67 | Thu | March 12 | Washington | Buffalo | 7:00 PM |
| 68 | Sat | March 14 | Boston | Washington | 3:00 PM |
| 69 | Wed | March 18 | Ottawa | Washington | 7:30 PM |
| 70 | Fri | March 20 | New Jersey | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 71 | Sun | March 22 | Colorado | Washington | 12:30 PM |
| 72 | Tue | March 24 | Washington | St. Louis | 8:00 PM |
| 73 | Thu | March 26 | Washington | Utah | 9:00 PM |
| 74 | Sat | March 28 | Washington | Vegas | 10:30 PM |
| 75 | Tue | March 31 | Philadelphia | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 76 | Thu | April 2 | Washington | New Jersey | 7:00 PM |
| 77 | Sat | April 4 | Buffalo | Washington | 7:00 PM |
| 78 | Sun | April 5 | Washington | N.Y. Rangers | 7:00 PM |
| 79 | Wed | April 8 | Washington | Toronto | 7:30 PM |
| 80 | Sat | April 11 | Washington | Pittsburgh | 3:00 PM |
| 81 | Sun | April 12 | Pittsburgh | Washington | 3:00 PM |
| 82 | Tue | April 14 | Washington | Columbus | 7:00 PM |
Washington will look to repeat a strong regular-season showing from 2024-25 that saw it lead the Eastern Conference with a 111-point (51-22-9) record, besting the team’s 2023-24 performance by 20 points. Captain Alex Ovechkin also sits just three goals away from 900 as he enters what could be his final NHL season.
The Caps will hit the ice for several holiday games over the season, including on Halloween (October 31 vs New York Islanders), Black Friday (November 28 vs Toronto), and New Year’s Eve (December 31 vs New York Rangers).
With NHL players returning to the Olympics in February 2026 for the first time since 2014, the league will pause from February 6 to 24. Martin Fehervary became the first Capitals player named to an 2026 Olympic roster and will represent his native Slovakia at the Games.
Important home games (per the Capitals):
- Oct. 8 – Home opener at Capital One Arena versus the Boston Bruins
- Oct. 14 – The Capitals face the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Oct. 31 – Washington hosts the New York Islanders on Halloween
- Nov. 19 – Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers make their lone visit to Capital One Arena
- Nov. 28 – The Capitals host Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs the day after Thanksgiving
- Dec. 11 – The Capitals face the Carolina Hurricanes in a Metropolitan Division clash
- Dec. 23 – The New York Rangers make their first of two visits to Capital One Arena for the Capitals’ final game before the holiday break
- Dec. 31 – The New York Rangers return to D.C. for a New Year’s Eve matinee
- Jan. 3 – The Capitals face Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks
- Jan. 13 – The Capitals host the Montreal Canadiens in a rematch of last season’s First Round series
- Jan. 17 – The Capitals face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
- Jan. 31 – The Carolina Hurricanes make their second of two trips to D.C.
- Feb. 27 – The Capitals face the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night
- March 20 – The Capitals host the New Jersey Devils for a Friday night divisional contest
- March 31 – The Capitals face Metropolitan Division rival Philadelphia
- April 12 – Washington completes its 2025-26 home regular-season schedule against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Caps will begin their preseason on September 21 and will play six exhibition games before Opening Night, including a game at the Hershey’s Giant Center on September 25 against the Philadelphia Flyers. See the full preseason schedule here.
Here’s the press release from the Capitals:
Capitals Announce 2025-26 Regular-Season Schedule
Washington hosts the Boston Bruins in season opener on Oct. 8 at Capital One Arena
ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Hockey League today announced the 2025-26 regular-season schedule for its 32 member clubs. The Washington Capitals will open the season at home against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Arena.
The Capitals have six homestands of at least three games on the schedule, the longest being three four-game homestands at Capital One Arena from Oct. 14-21, Nov. 22-28 and March 14-22. Washington also has five stretches of at least three consecutive road games, including a season-long six-game road trip from Jan. 19-29. In addition, the Capitals will have 14 sets of back-to-back games.
Eighteen of the Capitals’ 41 home games at Capital One Arena fall on weekends, which include five games on Friday, nine on Saturday and four on Sunday. The schedule features holiday home games on Halloween (Oct. 31 vs. NY Islanders) and New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31 vs. NY Rangers). Last season, the Capitals posted the seventh best home record in the NHL (26-9-6) and ranked fourth in the League in goals per game at home (3.68).
The Capitals’ schedule will pause for a 17-day break from Feb. 6-22 for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which will take place on Feb. 6-22.
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.
