Capitals will 'support' Ovechkin as he weighs future

COLUMBUS -- Alex Ovechkin and Washington Capitals hoped they'd still be playing for a Stanley Cup Playoff berth when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets in their regular-season finale at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN, SN360).

The Blue Jackets hoped the same for themselves.

That possibility was eliminated for each team when the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout on Monday to clinch third place in the Metropolitan Division. That put the spotlight even more on Ovechkin, the Capitals captain and the NHL's all-time leader with 929 goals, for what could be his last game in the League. 

The 40-year-old left wing is in the final season of a five-year, $47.5 million contract and plans to decide in the offseason whether he will return for a 22nd NHL season. 

Capitals center Dylan Strome was unsure if Ovechkin's future would be addressed in the locker room prior to the game.

"If he doesn't want to talk about it, we're not going to bring it up to him," Strome said, "I think at the end of the day, he's going to make a decision, like he said, in the summer and we're going to be there to support him whatever that may be. 

"So, just treat this like any other game and we're going to try to have fun."

It would've undoubtedly been more fun for the Capitals (42-30-9) and the Blue Jackets (40-29-12) if they were still alive in the playoff race.

The Capitals have qualified for the playoffs in 16 of Ovechkin's 21 seasons, but will miss the postseason for the second time in four seasons. Washington was sellers before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, sending defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks on March 6 (for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft) after dealing center Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights on March 5 (for a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in the 2027 draft and goalie prospect Jesper Vikman). 

The Capitals still made a late push, though, going 7-2-0 in their past nine games, including wins in their past three. They did not control their own fate, and watched their postseason hopes disappear on television Monday night when the Flyers came back from a 2-0 deficit to win. 

"It's definitely a crappy way to go out," Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. "It's a long season and the fact that it comes down to one or two games is pretty crazy, but there's not much we can say now. We're missing out. 

"It's kind of a brutal feel and kind of a brutal way to watch it go down, but it is what it is." 

The Bue Jackets experience was similar watching the game Monday. They needed the Flyers to lose in regulation to stay alive, but they didn't get the help they needed from the Hurricanes either.

"It's tough," Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner said. "Obviously, you feel like you're in it and still have a crack at it tonight, and it's pretty devastating."

Columbus hasn't qualified for the playoffs since 2020 but surged into contention after Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason as coach on Jan 12, going 18-2-4 in his first 24 games and moved into second in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-2 shootout win at Philadelphia on March 24. The Blue Jackets are 3-7-1 since then, though, including a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday when they could've tied the Flyers in points for third in the division with a victory.

"We got hot and we got into the playoff spot, and we got into a position that we needed to be in," Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli said. "But at the end of the day, we didn't do enough. We let it slip out of our hands and we're devastated about it. We're devastated for each other, devastated for our fans. 

"And it couldn't be a worse feeling. We know we let them all down."

There will be little at stake for either team Tuesday, but it could still turn out to be a significant night for Ovechkin, who leads the Capitals with 32 goals and 63 points this season. He will play in all 82 games for the fifth time in his career and, including the 48-game 2012-13 season, it will be the sixth time he will not miss a game.

According to NHL Stats, Ovechkin will be the fifth player to play 82 regular-season games at age 40 or older, joining Jaromir Jagr (2013-14, 2016-17), Teemu Selanne (2011-12), Nicklas Lidstrom (2010-11) and Dave Andreychuk (2003-04).

"We've talked about it before, his durability through his career," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "And when it's all said and done and you dissect how he was able to be so successful of a goal scorer and NHL player, that is a big part of it. The longevity and the durability and him being able to consistently be in the lineup every single night is big part of why he's been able to reach the goal record and be so consistent for so many years."

NHL.com independent correspondent Craig Merz contributed to this report