Caps Open Season vs. Devils

Oct. 12 against the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena

Time: 7 p.m

TV: MNMT

Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7

New Jersey Devils (2-1-0)

Washington Capitals (0-0-0)

The Capitals finally drop the puck on their 50th anniversary season Saturday night at Capital One Arena when they take on the franchise formerly known as the Kansas City Scouts and now known as the New Jersey Devils.

It's the first of four Saturday nights the Caps and Devils will share this month and next. The two teams meet in Washington a week in Newark in the first road game of the season and also play on consecutive Saturdays in November, at District on November 23 and at New Jersey on November 30.

50 years ago this week, the Capitals and Scouts entered the NHL as the last two teams from the Original 18. But the Scouts' stay in KC was short-lived; They moved to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies in 1976-77. That rocky mountain high lasted six seasons before moving to the swamps of northern New Jersey in 1982, when the Caps happened to be emerging from their own eight-year expansion cocoon.

Eight seasons into their existence, the Caps had a record of 163-375-102 and zero playoff appearances. Since then, they have missed the postseason a total of eight times in the last 42 years.

(Coincidentally, “42” is also the number of goals needed by Caps captain Alex Ovechkin – who will start in his 20th NHL opener on Saturday – to tie Wayne Gretzky (894) for the league's all-time lead get ledger.)

Last season, Washington managed to clinch the final Eastern Conference playoff spot in the final minutes of the final regular season game in Philadelphia. This season, the Caps have greater hopes and ambitions after a busy offseason that gave the team a fresh look on the ice. And they're eager to get started; The Caps' last preseason game was a week ago. Since then, they've had a few days off and several days of practice, and on Saturday they finally join the Anaheim Ducks as the final two teams to break the seal for the 2024-25 season.

“I think our team is ready for the most part and we’re excited,” Caps forward Connor McMichael said. “When you wait that long you get hungrier and we can watch a few more regular season games before we start. I think we’re all hungry, we’re all excited and we’re all motivated, for sure.”

The Caps spent Thursday evening attending the Caps 50 Fest, a large and festive celebration of the team's golden anniversary at Capital One Arena, attended by a variety of alumni from day one – Oct. 9, 1974 – through more modern times participated. The Stanley Cup and the legendary Phil Pritchard performed, as did Third Eye Blind – live in concert – providing a great ending to a major event.

After Thursday morning's practice at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex, Caps coach Spencer Carbery spoke about the value of the current Caps being present at the Caps 50 Fest. The Caps of the past also met for an alumni game at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Friday and will be there on Saturday when their modern counterparts take the ice against the Devils.

“I definitely do, yes,” Carbery says. “I always think it's a good reminder of the players who laid the foundation and came before you. So there's an appreciation component to seeing all these guys come back and seeing how much the organization has meant to them, their careers and their families.

“And then maybe a little reminder, because sometimes you forget how lucky you are to play in great organizations that the players love – and there were so many great moments before you – and then you kind of have an 'Aha!' moment of, “I play in an incredible organization where there are so many incredible players who have done all these certain things,” and (you can tell) it’s pretty cool.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to play for the Washington Capitals and be in the 50th year and have all these alumni come out to be part of the festivities and then also play in their own game and then watch us on Saturday night.”

This year's model – the 24-25 caps – was also presented to the appreciative audience on Thursday evening. A full third of Washington's roster is new this season; The Caps have managed to drive a youth movement over the last two years. And over the last decade, they have done a good job of attracting and retaining staff.

“The culture that the guys before me built and that we've maintained over the last decade,” begins right wing Tom Wilson, “is a culture where when you come in here, you're accepted for who you are is.” And as long as you belong and contribute something, you will be accepted by this group. A lot of people come here, hone their groove and have a lot of fun doing it.

“It starts with Ovi. I think anyone who has played with him will say it starts with him. He makes you feel comfortable and from there you go as a group and hopefully get some wins. A lot of people love playing here now and that's a testament to the culture, the fans and everything this organization has built. It’s been a fun journey for me and I can tell the guys coming here are looking forward to this year.”

While Saturday night's game is the first for the Caps this season, it will be the fourth for the Devils. New Jersey opened the season with a back-to-back home-and-home game against Buffalo last weekend in Prague, defeating the Sabers 2-0 to return to the United States (US and Garden). But the Toronto Maple Leafs spoiled the Devils' home opener 4-2 in Newark on Thursday when the former employer of Devils bench boss Sheldon Keefe defeated his current one.

The Caps got a look at the Devils in Jersey early in preseason before embarking on their European adventure. New Jersey has fielded a reasonably representative lineup for its Sept. 25 game against Washington, but footage from the three previous regular-season outings could prove more fruitful for advance scouting purposes.

“Hopefully it’s an advantage,” Caps coach Spencer Carbery said. “With the new coach we will at least know what they look like based on the line combinations, the (defensive) pairs and their structure. And it's a small part, but it helps us as we go through the pre-scout. We’ll have a pretty good idea of ​​what we’re doing as a team.”

The Devils also experienced an influx of new personnel in the offseason, shedding about a third of their roster. Former Caps defenseman Brenden Dillon is one of the new Devils, playing the left side of the team's top blueline pairing along with Dougie Hamilton.