Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) meets with Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) during warmups before an NHL hockey game, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Logan Thompson stopped 24 shots, and the Washington Capitals kept their slim playoff hopes alive by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 Sunday in perhaps the final home of Alex Ovechkin’s brilliant career.

To reach the postseason, the Capitals must defeat Columbus in the season finale Tuesday night and hope Philadelphia fails to win either of its last two games.

The 40-year-old Ovechkin intends to wait until the offseason to decide whether to retire or return for a 22nd season. The all-time NHL leader in goals with 929, Ovechkin has played in every game this season and leads the Capitals in goals (32) and points (63).

The spirited, sellout crowd saluted Ovechkin during the game with chants of “One more year!” and “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!”

Ovechkin helped seal the victory by picking up an assist on an empty-net goal by Connor McMichael, who scored earlier in the third period.

Pittsburgh last week clinched a postseason berth and home-ice advantage in the opening round. But the rivalry between these teams runs deep, and the Penguins tried hard to throw a wet blanket on the Capitals’ playoff hopes and Ovechkin’s big day.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was back on the ice after he and several teammates received a day off Saturday when Washington won in Pittsburgh 6-3. This was the 100th — and perhaps final — matchup between Ovechkin and Crosby, two of the game’s biggest names.

To mark the occasion, the two stars lined up at center ice for the opening faceoff. It was only the 175th career faceoff for Ovechkin, counting playoffs, compared to No. 32,131 for Crosby.

The game was scoreless until Trevor van Riemsdyk jammed the puck under Pittsburgh goalie Stuart Skinner’s right leg at 12:22 of the second period.

That was enough offense for Thompson, who notched his fourth shutout of the season.

Up next

Penguins: Close the regular season at St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Capitals: At Columbus on Tuesday night.

SATURDAY

Ilya Protas scores first NHL goal, Capitals defeat Penguins, 6-3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ilya Protas scored his first NHL goal and added two assists as the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Saturday.

The 100th career matchup between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin didn’t materialized. The Penguins opted to sit Crosby and several other regulars after clinching a playoff berth for the first time since the 2021-22 season and home ice advantage throughout the first round.

Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel, Parker Wotherspoon, Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar also missed Saturday’s game against Washington, which kept its faint playoff hopes alive.

Ovechkin scored a late empty-net goal to pass Ron Francis for the fifth-most road points in NHL history.

Ryan Leonard scored twice for Washington and became the eighth rookie in team history with 20 goals in a season, Aliaksei Protas scored and Tom Wilson continued a six-game point streak with a goal and an assist, giving him back-to-back 30-goal and 60-point seasons.

Logan Thompson stopped nine shots for the Capitals, who have won six of their last eight games.

Anthony Mantha scored his team-best 32nd goal, while Noel Acciari and Kevin Hayes also scored for Pittsburgh.

Arturs Silovs made 25 saves for the Penguins, whose three-game win streak ended. Pittsburgh has wins in six of its last nine games overall.

Ilya Protas, playing in his second game, scored his first NHL goal on the power play to give the Capitals a 5-3 lead.

The Penguins showed a video tribute honoring Ovechkin and his longstanding rivalry with Crosby during a television timeout in the second period. Ovechkin received a standing ovation from the visiting crowd, as he stood up from the bench and waved while players tapped their sticks on the ice in appreciation.

The teams combined for seven goals in the second period, as Pittsburgh scored its three goals on seven shots.