2 – Number of times the Capitals have faced a Metropolitan Division opponent so far this season, with the team having only played the Hurricanes and Devils to this point. They are 1-0-1 in those two games.
That’s tied for the fewest division opponents faced through 14 games going back to 2005-06 (and excluding the bubble year, when the Caps only played division opponents all season). The only other time they’ve been this deep into a season and had no more than two meetings with division rivals was way back in 2009, when their only division games through their first 14 were two against the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Caps will be able to check a third Metro team off their list tonight when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins – but it’s still going to be a while until they get a steady diet of Metro opponents, as they’ll only face division teams five times (including tonight) in the 25 games between now and the end of 2022.