2 – Number of times, including this year, in which the Capitals have opened the season against the same team that vanquished them earlier that spring.
Tonight the Caps will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (the sixth time they’ve faced the Pens in the season opener, narrowly edging out Atlanta/Winnipeg for the most in team history) almost five months to the day that they were defeated in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The only other time that’s happened was back in 1989, when the Caps took on the Flyers months after Philadelphia bounced the Caps in the first round (also in Game 6). That season-opening game ended in victory for the Caps, as they exacted at least a bit of revenge in a feisty 5-3 win over the visiting Flyers.
Tonight will also be just the second time the Caps have opened the season against the Stanley Cup Champions, having previously faced Chicago back in 2013.