20 – Number of different teams the Caps have faced in their traditional Thanksgiving Eve game, something that has taken place 42 times since the franchise’s inaugural season. That includes Montreal, who the Caps have actually played three previous times ahead of Thanksgiving, the most recent back in 1997 (a 6-5 loss for the good guys).
Over the years, and particularly recently, the Caps have done pretty well in their lead-up to Turkey Day, with a 21-11-2 record (with 8 ties… remember ties?) and outscored opponents 144-134. That record improves dramatically when the game is played on home ice, with a 20-6-1 record in DC (plus 4 ties) compared to just 1-5-1 (and another 4 ties) on the road.
They’ll go for Home Win #21 when they host the Canadiens tonight… although they are undefeated when it comes to Thanksgiving Eve intermission entertainment: