The Washington Capitals’ regular season comes to an end tonight in Columbus, which means it might be the last time hockey fans get to see Caps legend and all-time NHL goals king Alex Ovechkin take the ice. The 40-year-old has not committed to returning next season, and his team will not be in the Stanley Cup playoffs for only the third time since 2008.
Capitals-Jackets prop picks (bet365)
- Alex Ovechkin Anytime Goal (+170)
- Zach Werenski Anytime Assist (-180)
It was a fun scene in D.C. on Sunday for Washington’s final home game of the regular season. The Caps beat the Penguins 3-0 to keep their playoff hopes alive temporarily. Ovechkin had an assist and was given No. 1 star of the game honors for perhaps the last time. In incredibly gracious fashion after the loss, the Penguins guys all lingered on the ice for a farewell handshake with Ovechkin, but he waved them off.
“I [haven’t] decided yet. Thanks to them for waiting out there,” Ovechkin said of retirement. The fans were chanting “one more year!” throughout the game, but Ovi’s only reaction was: “I will think about it.”
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Ovechkin is still playing at a high level, with 32 goals and 31 assists and has played all 81 games. His average ice time is a career-low 17:25, which is to be expected for a guy who will be 41 in September. Ovi is +170 to score a goal tonight, +1000 for two, set at Over/Under 3.5 shots and -150 simply for a point.
He needs a goal to tie another future Hall of Famer in Patrick Kane (29) for the most in NHL history against the Blue Jackets and two to make Columbus the 15th different franchise he has tallied 30 against, which would pass Phil Esposito (14) for the second most in league history behind Wayne Gretzky (16).
The Russian’s 929 regular-season goals are a league record (he’s the only player with at least 900), as are his 331 power-play goals, while his 1,686 total points are 10th. He’s in the last year of a five-year, $47.5 million contract signed in 2021.
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The Sidney Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry was so good for the league since both entered the NHL as rookies in the 2005-26 season – they both debuted on Oct. 5, 2005. Sunday was their 100th meeting, and they met more than any No. 1 picks in league history and more than any players who currently occupy a top 10 spot on the all-time points list. They took the opening face-off against one another Sunday, which was really cool. Ovi doesn’t do many of those.
And the Penguins would have been Washington’s playoff opponent should it have gotten in, and I was certainly rooting for one more Crosby-Ovechkin playoff series. But to get in, the Capitals had to get help from the Philadelphia Flyers twice. The first was Monday night by losing in any fashion at home to Carolina.
But the Flyers rallied from down two and won in a shootout to clinch the East’s last spot. Washington was hoping to become the second team in NHL history to overcome a three-point standing deficit in their final two games of the regular season to make the playoffs. The only other to achieve the feat was the 1989-90 New York Islanders.
The Hurricanes clinched the East’s top seed with that point, incidentally. There’s not much around the NHL to play for other than some individual numbers and such in the final few days of the regular season with all 16 playoff spots clinched.Â
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Columbus also had a shot, but Sunday’s 3-2 home loss to Boston was devastating and then it was eliminated thanks to Philly on Monday. The Blue Jackets are 0-3 vs. the Capitals this season, losing each by multiple goals. Ovechkin has a goal and two assists.
Regarding the Jackets, there are only a few awards odds futures active at the various sportsbooks at this point of the season and Norris Trophy as league’s top defenseman is one of them. But it appears the race is largely over with Columbus star Zach Werenski as the -250 favorite and Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard the only one within shouting distance at +300.
Werenski is one assist shy of becoming the first Blue Jackets player ever with 60 assists in a season and can become the fourth defenseman with 60 assists this season, which would tie 2021-22 and 1990-01 for the sixth-most in a campaign in NHL history. The record is six in 2023-24. Werenski finished with 59 assists last year. He’s a whopping -265 for a point tonight but a more reasonable -180 for an assist.
Bouchard leads all blue-liners with 92 points, 11 up on Werenski. If he holds that lead, which clearly is a done deal, Bouchard would join Tyson Barrie (2020-21) and Hall of Famer Paul Coffey (five times) as the third Oilers blue-liner to finish a season leading all defensemen in scoring. Check out other expert picks in the daily newsletter.Â
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