Penguins release 2018-19 schedule

The Penguins released their 2018-19 regular season schedule on Thursday, and there’s no shortage of marquee matchups to look forward to.

The Pens kick the season off in a big way, hosting the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals on Oct. 4 at PPG Paints Arena. It will be the second game for the Capitals after they raise their banner at home on Oct. 3 against the Boston Bruins.

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The Capitals eliminated the Penguins from the playoffs this past spring. The winner of the Penguins-Capitals second-round playoff series has won the last three Stanley Cups.

A week later, there will be another big matchup as the Pens host Marc-Andre Fleury and the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights are the defending Western Conference champions.

Another intriguing matchup, a visit from two-time defending NHL scoring champion Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, takes place on Feb. 13.

After hosting the Flyers a couple of seasons ago at Heinz Field in the Stadium Series, the script will be flipped in 2018-19. The Pens will travel to Philadelphia for a Stadium Series showdown on Feb. 23.

The Penguins will close their season with four of their last five games at home, including a March 29 battle with the Nashville Predators. And after having a league-high 19 back-to-back game situations last season, the Penguins only have eight such scenarios in the coming season.

In addition, there’s more money on the table this season. The NHL raised the salary cap to $79.5 million for next season, an increase of $4.5 million.

READ MORE: Full Pittsburgh Penguins schedule on NHL.com

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