2019–20 Washington Capitals season
The 2019–20 Washington Capitals season was the 46th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974. The Capitals entered the season as the 4-time defending Metropolitan Division champions. They would go on to win the division for the fifth year in a row. The season was suspended by the league officials on March 12, 2020, after several other professional and collegiate sports organizations followed suit as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On May 26, the NHL regular season was officially declared over with the remaining games being  cancelled. The Capitals advanced to the playoffs, but were eliminated by the New York Islanders in the first round in five games. Schedule and results. Preseason. The preseason schedule was published on June 17, 2019. Regular season. The regular season schedule was published on June 25, 2019. Playoffs. The Capitals played in a round-robin tournament to determine their seed for the playoffs. Washington finished with a 1–1–1 record to clinch the third seed for the playoffs. The Capitals were defeated by the New York Islanders in the first round in five games. Player statistics. Goaltenders. Denotes player spent time  with another team before joining the Capitals. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only. Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only. Bold/italics denotes franchise record. Transactions. The Capitals have been involved in the following transactions during the 2019–20 season. Draft picks. Below are the Washington Capitals' selections at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 21 and 22, 2019, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Notes: