Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin, the king of NHL goals, said Monday that this is the 41-year-old’s last season. The news did not come as a surprise, but the timing would have been a little unusual. After all, the plan adds a lot of importance to Wednesday’s home opener against Pittsburgh. That’s because you’ll never know if the ultimate heroics will be Sidney Crosby vs. Ovechkin matchup, when either player misses future games due to injury or other reasons. Bet $5+ on any of tonight’s NHL games to get $150 in bonus bets at the DraftKings Sportsbook:
The puck drop is set for 7:30 pm ET at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, and the game will be broadcast on TNT. At about -162 on the money line at DraftKings, Washington gets 64% of the handle and 75% of the bets. There is also solid action in Plus 6.5 goals. As long as there are no more than seven fouls, I’m good.
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The Russian said he decided this summer that the 2026-27 campaign would be his last, but deliberately waited until before the home opener: “It was important for me to announce before our first home game, to give me the opportunity to thank all the people around the game, everyone who was so important to me and my family and helped me through good times and difficult losses,” wrote Ovechkin. “I couldn’t have achieved everything I have in my life without them. I’m excited for this season with my teammates, and everything we can do this year is special.”
In July, Ovechkin signed a one-year cap deal worth $4.25 million — he gets a whopping $4.75 million performance bonus when he plays in his 10th game — after playing in all 82 of the past year and yet another 30-goal season with 32. The set was his NHL-record 20th 30-goal season. But his average ice time was a career-low 17:27. Through two games this year, Ovechkin is averaging just 13:10 of ice time and has an assist.
Ovi ranks No. 1 in league history in regular-season goals (929), power-play goals (331), game-winning goals (141), empty-net goals (72) and overtime goals (27). But if we include the playoffs, Ovechkin’s 1,006 goals are second only to Wayne Gretzky’s 1,016. You know Ovechkin wants to bring that brand too far and wrong. If he loses 20 goals this season, Gordie Vam will tie more than 22 goals for 20 campaigns.
Here is one night as 225. Ovechkin has scored 189 different goals in his NHL career, but not yet against Pittsburgh’s 25-year-old Arturs Silovs (2-0-1, 2.46 GAA). Silov was Vancouver’s backup in his first three NHL seasons and only got a regular season last season with Pittsburgh, so Ovechkin only moved twice. Silovs allowed eight goals in two starts last year vs. Washington, splitting them. I scored in one of them, but it was an empty net.
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Silovs started both of Pittsburgh’s first two wins this year, but backup Sergei Murashov was in net for Tuesday’s 3-2 loss at home to Winnipeg. Crosby was held without a place. He has 1,109 career assists, two shy of tying Ray Bourque (1,111 with Boston) for most with a single franchise in NHL history. Crosby needs one assist to move past Joe Thornton (1,109) for seventh place on the league’s all-time list and is +105 for assists.
The NHL wouldn’t be what it is today without Ovechkin and Crosby, and they entered the league in 2005. They have returned 100 times in the NHL, including 25 games in the playoffs. In those 100, they combined for 231 points. A total of 90 players saw or found the score sheet and 49 had both points in the same game.
They met in a four-season series in the second round. Crosby and the Penguins won the previous three series and won the Cup each time. The Capitals won in 2018 and won their first and only Stanley Cup. In the regular season 75 games were played. Crosby leads 43-28-4 and has 35 goals and 62 assists in them. Ovechkin has 38 goals and 33 assists.
Crosby, 39, is in the final year of his contract but has said he has no plans to retire. He and Ovechkin joined Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Stan Mikita and Steve Yzerman as the only players in NHL history to play 22 seasons with a single franchise.
“Obviously, over the years, I’ve developed a friendship with him and I have a ton of respect for him,” Crosby said on Monday with Ovechkin’s news. “It’s a tough, 18-year-old league, and before we even met, we were built against each other.”
It should be Logan Thompson in net for Washington, and he was the best in his season debut allowing two goals in a win over defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina next Friday. Last season at home he was 19-9-5 with a 2.18 GAA and three shutouts. Thompson’s two starts vs. Pittsburgh made the final campaign overall and won both with a 1.50 GAA.
The Penguins and Capitals have three meetings left, including at home to Washington last April. That will be clear on Sunday night if both Crosby and Ovechkin are strong then. Tickets on the secondary market north of $800 to enter.
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We’re looking forward to any edges in the slog that is the first NHL season, and you’d think the Caps would want to send Ovechkin the winner in the final home opener. And I prefer teams betting on their home openers anyway, simply riding the wave of excitement. I hope both Ovi and Crosby end up scoring, but that’s not what I want to talk about. Check out other financial experts read on SportsLine daily.