Overview
- With the opening faceoff, Ovechkin became the 24th player to reach 1,500 regular-season games and the eighth to do so with a single franchise.
- He entered the night at 899 career goals after scoring in Columbus, leaving him one away from becoming the first to reach 900.
- Capitals players arrived in outfits mirroring Ovechkin’s 2012 Russian rap video, with arena video boards playing clips under the league’s relaxed dress code.
- Charlie Lindgren started for Washington opposite Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark, while Senators captain Brady Tkachuk remained out following thumb surgery.
- The 40-year-old’s durability stands out, having missed only 76 of Washington’s 1,575 games since his 2005 debut, including just 51 due to injury.