Penguins win season finale, beat Capitals 5-2
Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin put on a show in the regular-season finale on Thursday night, showcasing their greatness in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
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.
