10 must-see games in Alex Ovechkin’s final NHL regular season
If the end goes as Alex Ovechkin plans, his final NHL game will occur in the postseason in pursuit of another Stanley Cup title. But the end is near for the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, regardless of how the 2026-27 season plays out for the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin announced on Monday, Oct. 5, this will be his final NHL campaign after 22 years in the league. It means, after 1,575 career games, limited opportunities remain to watch the “Great 8” skate against the world’s best hockey players. Only 82 games are left in the regular season.
So what are the matchups you can’t miss? Here are the 10 most significant games left during Ovechkin’s final regular season with the Capitals:
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Wednesday, Oct. 7 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Ovechkin’s first game after announcing this would be his last season will be against the rival he’s been linked to since the beginning of his NHL career. The enduring debate and classic games between Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby helped define a generation of the league.
Monday, Dec. 28 vs. Edmonton Oilers
This is the last of two games Ovechkin will play this season against the NHL’s best all-around player, Connor McDavid, who has matched Ovechkin with three Hart Trophy wins. McDavid’s career has mirrored Ovechkin’s in that the remarkable individual accomplishments during the first decade of his career have not yet resulted in a Stanley Cup title. Ovechkin won in his 13th season.
Saturday, Jan. 16 vs. Colorado Avalanche
Ovechkin faces the NHL’s leading goal scorer from last season (Nathan MacKinnon) for the final time. Ovechkin recently named MacKinnon as the current player best suited to carry on his signature style of yellow skate laces and a dark, tinted visor on the ice. MacKinnon, Ovechkin and Mario Lemieux are the only players in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup, Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, Calder Trophy and lead the league in goals.
Friday, Feb. 19 vs. San Jose Sharks
This will be Ovechkin’s final game against the NHL team he grew up rooting for in Russia. The Sharks also feature Macklin Celebrini, who recently signed a five-year contract extension that, at the time, made him the highest-paid player in the league based on average annual value. Ovechkin signed the league’s first $100 million contract when he was a rising superstar in 2008.
Wednesday, March 3 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
This is the final meeting between the Capitals and defending Stanley Cup champions, and the two teams have been division rivals throughout Ovechkin’s NHL career. He has faced the Hurricanes more than any other team in the NHL (97), and has scored his second-most goals against them (53).
Monday, March 15 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
This is Ovechkin’s final game against Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, who has supplanted Ovechkin as the best Russian hockey player in the NHL in recent years.
Sunday, March 21 at New York Rangers
This will be Ovechkin’s last game at Madison Square Garden against a team that eliminated him from the playoffs four different times.
Sunday, March 28 at Toronto Maple Leafs
This is Ovechkin’s final scheduled game in the hockey-mad confines of Toronto, which also has the active player with the best shot to eventually break Ovechkin’s goals record in Auston Matthews.
Sunday, April 4 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Ovechkin’s final meeting with Crosby and the Penguins will also be the final home regular-season game of Ovechkin’s career. The two famously had dueling hat tricks when they met in Washington D.C. during a 2009 Stanley Cup playoff series for the first time.
Saturday, April 10 at Philadelphia Flyers
Should Ovechkin remain healthy and available through the end of the regular season, his final scheduled game at the moment will occur on the road against another familiar foe. The Flyers were the first team Ovechkin faced in the Stanley Cup playoffs back in 2008.
