The Washington Capitals broke a 14-year stretch without a full-capacity home crowd in an NHL game, as reported by the Washington Post. The season opener brought a rare atmosphere at the Capital One Arena, which seats 18,506 fans, and marked the end of a long sellout streak that had lasted 588 straight home games. The last time the Capitals played before a sparsely filled home crowd was in March 2009, a matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On October 17, the Capitals hosted the Calgary Flames and the game finished regulation in a 2-2 tie. Washington struck first with goals from Matthew Phillips and Connor McMichael, while Calgary’s scorers were Adam Ruzicka and Dillon Dube. The night did not see a goal during the overtime period, leaving the score tied until Evgeny Kuznetsov found the back of the net for Washington in the deciding moment of the game. Alexander Ovechkin was unable to score in his first two appearances of the season, a notable start for the veteran captain as the team opened its campaign.
There was also a notable moment in the league’s opening weeks, with Kirill Kaprizov of Minnesota opening the season with the first goal for his team. This game highlighted the shift of momentum in early-season action and set the tone for a slate of competitive matchups across the league.