ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals’ 82-game regular-season schedule for 2009-10 begins on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Boston Bruins, a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference from last season. The Capitals will make their Verizon Center debut on Saturday, Oct. 3, when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second game of the season. The 2009-10 NHL schedule format, similar to last season’s, has the Capitals facing the other teams in the Southeast Division six times each and the remaining Eastern Conference opponents four times each. Washington plays each team in the Western Conference at least once, with two games each against Columbus, Detroit and San Jose. Nine Western Conference teams will visit Verizon Center.- via Capitals website (click through for full schedule)