The wait is finally over—Washington Capitals are back in action, and the anticipation couldn’t be higher! After an agonizing 146-day break, the Capitals are back on the ice ready to kick off the new season with a bang. Honestly, who decided to make us wait that long? The patience was mighty, but the excitement is even greater now.
Tonight marks the start of the 2025-26 NHL season with the Capitals facing off against the Boston Bruins. The lineup looks strikingly similar to the one that fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025 playoffs’ second round, losing in five games. But there are a few fresh faces and changes that could shake things up.
One new addition to the Capitals is Justin Sourdif, a hardworking minor-leaguer who was picked up in a trade from the Florida Panthers in exchange for two draft picks—a move that Capitals management clearly favored. Then there’s Hendrix Lapierre, who comes back on as the third-line center after showing some seriously impressive skills during the preseason. Kudos to Hendrix for that. Also new to the scene, though less known to fans, is defenseman Declan Chisholm. He’s been brought in as a depth player from the Minnesota Wild and will be watching the game from the press box tonight.
Tonight could be historic, too, especially because Alex Ovechkin is on the cusp of yet another major milestone. Playing in his 21st NHL season, Ovechkin is just three goals away from reaching the monumental 900-goal mark—remarkably, this is the same number of goals he needed to hit the 800 milestone. Watching history unfold live will be thrilling.
If you’ve been a bit out of touch with the Capitals or this blog over the summer, don’t worry—we noticed the dip in engagement. But hey, no judgment here! To bring everyone up to speed on everything you might have missed during the off-season and training camp, we’ve put together a handy season opener primer. It’s packed with the must-know insights and updates to get you fully prepped. You’ll definitely want to check that out.
Game time for Capitals vs. Bruins is set at 7:30 pm on TNT. Sadly, beloved commentators Joe B. and Locker won’t be calling the game, but we Fans will keep the energy high and stay committed. By the way, we’re in this together—come join the buzz!
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Today's Lines
Washington Capitals
- Protas - Strome - Ovechkin
- McMichael - Dubois - Wilson
- Beauvillier - Lapierre - Leonard
- Duhaime - Dowd - Sourdif
- Fehervary - Carlson
- Sandin - Roy
- Chychrun - TVR
- Thompson - Lindgren
Boston Bruins
- Geekie - E. Lindholm - Pastrnak
- Zacha - Mittelstadt - Arvidsson
- Jeannot - Minten - Eyssimont
- Khusnutdinov - Kuraly - Kastelic
- Lohrei
- McAvoy - H. Lindholm
- Peeke - Zadorov
- Jokiharju
- Goalies: Swayman, Korpisalo
First Period Highlights
To set the tone, Bob McDonald and Caleb Green delivered a stunning rendition of the national anthem that truly fired up the crowd.
The puck dropped, and the Capitals started with their top line of Protas, Strome, and Ovechkin, alongside Chychrun and TVR on defense. But within just seven seconds, we saw an unexpected whistle—Ovechkin accidentally chipped the puck right into the Bruins’ bench, nearly hitting head coach Marco Sturm, who happens to be Ovechkin’s former teammate from their Capitals days. Ovi laughed it off and appeared to offer an apology, showing his sportsmanship.
Early tension surfaced when David Pastrnak was penalized at 1:51 for hooking Tom Wilson, giving the Capitals their first power play. Unfortunately, they couldn't capitalize, and notably, Ovechkin didn’t remain on the ice for the full duration of that advantage.
Briefly afterwards, the Bruins almost scored an own goal at 5:10 when Jeremy Swayman stopped a tricky redirect shot from Hampus Lindholm that actually slipped through his pads.
Following that, Trevor van Riemsdyk received a penalty for interference at 6:46, handing the Bruins their first power play opportunity.
The first 13 minutes felt like a chess match, with both teams cautiously feeling each other out—only six shots on goal combined, a balanced three each. Then, Nic Dowd drew a tripping penalty on Sean Kuraly at 13:06, giving the Capitals another power play chance. Ovechkin unleashed a 92 MPH one-timer that was close but missed the target. The Caps ended the period still searching for their first goal.
What do you think about how both teams are starting off? Are the Capitals poised for a comeback this year, or is there a bigger challenge ahead? Jump into the comments and share your thoughts. Refresh the page to catch live updates as the game pushes forward. Remember, the discussion will close shortly after the final buzzer—so don’t hold back your opinions!
