Capitals 'love the target on our backs' as Stanley Cup champions

CHICAGO --The Washington Capitals will raise their Stanley Cup banner before their home opener against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 3. They'll visit the Pittsburgh Penguins the next night.

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If it were up to forward T.J. Oshie, the Capitals would host the Penguins first.
"We had to open up in their barn [in 2016] when they raised the banner," he said. "So it would have been nice for us to raise it while they're sitting in our locker room hearing all the cheers."
Oh, it's on.
Oshie and forward Evgeny Kuznetsov oozed confidence at the NHL Player Media Tour on Friday, embracing the role of defending champions, having fun with the Pittsburgh-Washington rivalry.
NHL.com asked players around the League to name the Stanley Cup favorite, stipulating that it had to be other than their team. Kuznetsov was the only one not to cooperate.
"I think we're going to win," he said with a smile.
Asked to name someone else, he said, "Nobody."
Oshie agreed.
"It's got to be the Washington Capitals," he said, though he named the Winnipeg Jets when pressed. "I mean, we've got our whole team back almost."
The Capitals finally defeated the Penguins in the Eastern Conference Second Round last season, after losing to them in the second round and watching them go on to win the Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017.

NHL.com read Oshie and Kuznetsov comments made by Penguins centers Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby on Thursday.
"We need it back," Malkin said of the Cup. "It's like, who wins? Washington wins. The most hated team in Pittsburgh. Of course we want it back."
Crosby said: "I think that'll definitely light a fire for us. That's on your mind when you play that team again. It's just the way it is. That's the way it is when you lose. You've always kind of got that feeling of something to prove."
Oshie and Kuznetsov said the Capitals were ready to get everyone's best, particularly the Penguins'.
"Except for the first Malkin part, it sounds just like our interviews when they won," Oshie said. "So they've already got their … well, three [championships], right? Maybe they can hold off for a couple more years, let us catch up."
Oshie laughed.
"I'm excited," he said. "I hope they come at us, too. That's awesome. I love the target on our backs. …
"I mean, it's a great rivalry. I think we both conduct ourselves with a lot of respect when the playoff series have ended, of shaking the other guys' hand and looking them in the eye. So it's the real deal. I think it's a great and very healthy rivalry, as healthy as it can get when there's a lot of hatred involved."

Kuznetsov said: "It's cool. Everyone is going to play hundred percent every game. That's why you win Stanley Cup, to see where you are."
Asked if it was a fun challenge, he said: "For me personally, for sure."
The Capitals had an epic summer with the Stanley Cup, celebrating with it all over the world, sharing the experience with fans in person and on social media. But the party's over.
"Yeah," Kuznetsov said. "For sure. It's too much."
Oshie said he wasn't worried about the Stanley Cup hangover.
"The hangover means we've still got a little bit of that great play left in our system," Oshie said. "We can kind of keep the momentum from that. I'm not concerned really about our conditioning or really anything like that."
Oshie said the Capitals learned how to win last season, suffocating opponents with team defense, scoring on the power play, and should carry that into this season.
"A lot of it's just kind of ingrained in us now," Oshie said. "From last year, we played at a level that I hope guys remember and they remember what it took to play that way and how we played. ...
"I don't think we're going to need to refocus as much as maybe people would assume. And maybe we will. I could be wrong. But for me personally, I'm ready to roll."