Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins

· National Hockey League

Washington Capitals

51-22-9

Final
2 - 5

Pittsburgh Penguins

34-36-12

Ovechkin adds to record goal total, Crosby dazzles as Penguins top Capitals 5-2 in season finale

Pens fans erupt after 2 goals in 15 seconds

Ovechkin finished his record-breaking season by netting his 897th career goal in the second period. Crosby, meanwhile, finished his 20th season in the NHL with a goal and an assist to push him past the 90-point barrier for the ninth time.

The Capitals begin the quest for the franchise’s second Stanley Cup on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens.

The 73rd regular-season meeting between two of the game's biggest stars was the rare one without stakes. The Capitals clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs weeks ago. The rebuilding Penguins missed the postseason.

Bryan Rust scored twice to finish the season with a career-best 31 goals. His second goal came on a ridiculous whip-around backhand feed from Crosby that gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 18 shots for the Penguins.

Ovechkin's 44th goal of the season moved him three clear of Wayne Gretzky, whose career record Ovechkin smashed earlier this month. Clay Stevenson made 33 saves in his NHL debut.

Takeaways Capitals: Washington assured itself of a playoff spot weeks ago. The last time Washington faced the Canadiens in the playoffs, eighth-seeded Montreal upset the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals in the opening round in 2010.

Penguins: Crosby will turn 38 over the summer, yet shows no signs of slowing down. Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas will spend the offseason trying to upgrade the roster in hopes of returning the Penguins to contention before Crosby retires, though that might not be anytime soon.

Key moment Pittsburgh paid tribute to Ovechkin with a video congratulating him on becoming the NHL's goal king. Ovechkin skated to center ice to acknowledge the crowd, which briefly broke out an “Ovi” chant, a sign of respect for one of the franchise's biggest rivals.

Key stat Two — the number of players in NHL history who have scored 44 goals at 39 or older: Ovechkin and Hall of Famer Gordie Howe.

Regular Season Series

Series tied 2-2

Scoring Summary

Goal	1st Period 4:08	Connor McMichael Goal (26) Wrist Shot, assists: Tom Wilson (32)
Goal	1st Period 4:54	Bryan Rust Goal (30) Wrist Shot, assists: Ville Koivunen (6), Matt Grzelcyk (38)
Goal	2nd Period 7:19	Bryan Rust Goal (31) Wrist Shot, assists: Sidney Crosby (58), Ville Koivunen (7)
Goal	2nd Period 11:56	Sidney Crosby Goal (33) Snap Shot, assists: Philip Tomasino (13), Connor Dewar (6)
Goal	2nd Period 16:56	Alex Ovechkin Goal (44) Slap Shot, assists: Dylan Strome (53), Pierre-Luc Dubois (46)
Goal	3rd Period 8:46	Danton Heinen Goal (9) Wrist Shot, assists: none
Goal	3rd Period 9:01	Philip Tomasino Goal (11) Wrist Shot, assists: Rickard Rakell (35), Matt Grzelcyk (39)

Statistics

WSH		PIT
20	Blocked Shots	8
16	Hits	24
2	Takeaways	6
20	Shots	38
1	Power Play Goals	1
2	Power Play Opportunities	2
50.0	Power Play Percentage	50.0
0	Short Handed Goals	1
0	Shootout Goals	0
29	Faceoffs Won	29
50.0	Faceoff Win Percent	50.0
15	Giveaways	14
2	Total Penalties	2
4	Penalty Minutes	4

Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

NAME, POS	STATUS	DATE
Evgeni Malkin, C	Day-To-Day	Mar 27
Sidney Crosby, C	Day-To-Day	Mar 26
Blake Lizotte, C	Out	Mar 17
Filip Hallander, C	Injured Reserve	Feb 27
Caleb Jones, D	Injured Reserve	Feb 4