The Washington Capitals will be on the national stage plenty this season, and the NHL’s schedule makes that impossible to miss. Washington has 17 nationally broadcast games in 2026-27, putting the club behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins at 20, the Philadelphia Flyers at 19, and the New York Rangers at 18.
The league’s rollout gives fans across the country a steady dose of the Capitals, with eight games on TNT, four on ESPN, and two on ABC. Three more will stream on ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+. The broadcast mix will also bring a long list of familiar voices along for the ride, including Wayne Gretzky, Chris Chelios, Paul Bissonnette, and others.
For a team that has spent the offseason in the spotlight because of its big-ticket additions and the roster it has assembled, the national attention fits. Washington enters the year with Tom Wilson, Alex Tuch and Alex Ovechkin providing the scoring punch, while Aliaksei Protas, Ilya Protas, Vincent Desharnais and others add size and physicality. In goal, the Capitals are backed by Logan Thompson and steady backup Charlie Lindgren.
The schedule is packed with games that should draw plenty of eyeballs, starting right away. Washington opens its national slate on Wednesday, Oct. 7 against the Penguins on TNT, then gets another showcase against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Oct. 28, also on TNT. The Capitals will also be on TNT for games at Dallas on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at Pittsburgh on Monday, Jan. 18, at Chicago on Wednesday, March 10, at the Rangers on Sunday, March 21, at Detroit on Wednesday, March 24, and at Flyers on Thursday, April 1.
ESPN will carry Washington’s game at Seattle on Thursday, Dec. 10, its matchup at Boston on Thursday, Feb. 25, and the April 4 home game against Pittsburgh. ABC gets two Capitals games: Saturday, March 13 at Pittsburgh and Saturday, April 10 at Philadelphia. The streaming-only national windows include Tuesday, Nov. 17 at Tampa Bay, Thursday, March 18 at Buffalo, and Tuesday, March 23 against Detroit.
A few details stand out beyond the sheer volume. Every Capitals game against the Penguins is on national television, and all of Washington’s matchups with Pittsburgh are in that group. The team’s first and last home games, along with its final game of the regular season, will also be nationally televised.
That means the Capitals will spend a lot of time in front of a bigger audience, especially in division games. Ten of their national broadcasts are against Metropolitan Division opponents, a slate that should sharpen the focus on every point, every shift, and every result.
The season begins on Oct. 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes, and with less than a month to go before puck drop, Washington is already positioned as one of the league’s most visible teams.
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