Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin put on show in second period to remember: Yohe’s 10 observations

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PITTSBURGH — It was a meaningless hockey game, but in the second period, it was beautiful.

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin put on a show for a national television audience, trading goals in the middle period on a night that saw Pittsburgh Penguins fans give Ovechkin a standing ovation.

Crosby and the Penguins emerged the winner in this one, finishing out a disappointing season with a 5-2 win against the playoff-bound Washington Capitals.

Mike Sullivan, who has been behind the bench for nearly a decade of the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry, acknowledged appreciating what he was watching during that second period.

“They’re two of the greatest players of all time,” Sullivan said. “How fortunate are we that we get to see it up close, and have for so many years now?”

Crosby notched his 90th point of the season in the second period when he set up Bryan Rust, who scored twice to finish with a career-high 31 goals.

Sidney Crosby is good at hockey. https://t.co/hSdbqWiGAL pic.twitter.com/vTUDfmS8f5

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 18, 2025

Later in the period, Crosby notched his 33rd goal of the season, which is also the 625th of his career, matching Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla.

Forever impressed by #87. pic.twitter.com/hOzWLE7ORE

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 18, 2025

Not to be outdone, Ovechkin delivered his 44th goal of the season and the 897th of his career from his office later in the period.

It was a classic Ovechkin goal.

THREE AWAY FROM 900#ALLCAPS | @BlueHalo pic.twitter.com/kE0aiwmjOk

— z – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 18, 2025

On some level, I suppose we have entered the generation of Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, among many other great stars. In some ways, though, it’s as though the Crosby and Ovechkin era has never ended. They remain arguably the two biggest names in the sport, and their excellence very much remains.

In the second period of a game that meant absolutely nothing in the standings, one saw the other and decided to put on a show for old time’s sake. Or maybe they’re both still so great they put on a show simply because that’s what they do. Either way, it sure wasn’t boring.

No, the Penguins aren’t going to reach the playoffs. It’s a third consecutive season without the postseason in Pittsburgh, and this one stings Crosby, who continues to play at a remarkable level. But for a night, at least, it was a fun hockey game, and the two greatest players of the 21st century did their thing.

Ten postgame observations

• It was quite a scene at the first TV timeout when Ovechkin, the longtime adversary of Penguins fans, drew a lengthy and boisterous standing ovation after a video congratulated him for breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal mark.

Penguins fans honoring Ovi: pic.twitter.com/qbyMSIsBaz

— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) April 17, 2025

There will always be Penguins fans who don’t like Ovechkin, and there will always be Capitals fans who don’t like Crosby. I’ll go out on a limb and assume there are people in Boston who don’t like Magic Johnson and people in Los Angeles who don’t like Larry Bird. So it goes in the world of iconic rivalries.

But Penguins fans made it clear they have the utmost respect for Ovechkin and what he has accomplished, and it was a shining moment for the Great 8 and Pittsburgh fans (and the many Washington fans who made the drive). I have no doubt Washington fans share a similar respect for Crosby.

Watching these two go at it for two decades has been a true treat. Ovechkin confirmed he’s not retiring after this season earlier in the day Thursday. Crosby might play forever the way he is going.

Here’s hoping these two titans of the game meet one more time in the postseason before they’re done. As I always say, there’s something different in the air when those two meet on the same sheet of ice. Even in a meaningless game, it still felt special.

• Crosby finished the season with 91 points and a 1.14 points per game average. It’s the ninth time in his career he’s produced 90 or more points in a season. His numbers the past three seasons are almost freakishly identical.

Sidney Crosby points per game, per season:

1.26
1.52
1.36
1.34
1.35
1.61
1.68
1.56
1.30
1.09
1.06
1.19
1.09
1.27
1.15
1.13
1.22
1.13
1.15
1.14

— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) April 18, 2025

I don’t know how much longer he can keep playing at this level, but I’m not betting against him doing this for a couple of more seasons. Enjoy it. There’s never been anyone quite like him.

• Rust earned every one of those career-high 31 goals. He’s one of the most honest hockey players in Penguins history and one of the most important players of this era in Pittsburgh.

You could see by how he celebrated that scoring No. 30 meant a little something extra to him. This wasn’t a player who entered the NHL with any hype or a particular amount of skill. He worked his way to this point.

30 GOALS IS #EasyToCelebrate 🙌 pic.twitter.com/IapyIvlwgo

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 18, 2025

• On nights like this, it’s fair to wonder how many of these Penguins were playing their final games for the franchise.

Erik Karlsson? Ryan Graves? Tristan Jarry? Those aren’t easy contracts to get rid of, but it can be done. Given what a disaster the Penguins have been this season in goal prevention, you can expect big changes next season, especially on the blue line.

• The Penguins kept trying all night to get Ville Koivunen his first NHL goal. He appeared to score early in the third off a feed from Crosby, but the goal was correctly overruled because the rookie knocked the puck in with his glove.

I give him credit for thinking outside the box. The goals will come. I think he’s a keeper.

•  One skill of Ovechkin’s that isn’t discussed enough occurred on his goal. Yes, he can shoot the puck harder than anyone else. And he almost never misses the net. Those facets of his repertoire are a given.

But one thing I’ve always marveled at his his ability to one-time passes that are released from a significant distance. That’s incredibly difficult to pull off. It’s one thing when the player sending the pass is 20 feet away. Ovechkin has the ability to generate full explosiveness into his shot no matter where and how far away the pass is sent from. It’s something to see in person.

• The Capitals, not even taking into account what Ovechkin did this season, enjoyed a magical campaign. Needless to say, they’re capable of emerging from the Eastern Conference. They’ll have home ice advantage against every Eastern opponent.

While I respect what Washington has done and think they should be viewed as a legitimate Cup threat, I have my concerns for them. The Capitals haven’t been playing good hockey in the last month.

Maybe they’ve been bored. Maybe they’ve been far more interested in Ovechkin’s goal quest than in finishing off the regular season the right way. Whatever the case may be, it’s a concern. What made the Capitals so remarkably good in the season’s first half was their air-tight defensive work. They’ve gotten away from that in the past month and they better get it back quickly. Playing in Montreal in the postseason is a tricky thing. I can’t explain it properly. It just is. The Capitals are in for a fight.

• The crowd was electric all night, which has been the norm in games during the second half of the season. This is because tickets are going for relatively cheap on the secondary market and some real fans who typically couldn’t afford to attend Penguins games regularly are in the building.

It’s been a pleasure sitting in the press box, enjoying the energy being produced by these fans. I know hockey is a business, but I hope the Penguins lower ticket prices moving forward, even if just by a bit. Energy doesn’t pay the bills, but the atmosphere has really been great. Kudos to the fans.

• Best wishes to Kris Letang, who underwent a heart procedure earlier in the week. He’s been through so much medically. He’s hoping this clears the way for a peaceful, healthy time in his life. He deserves it.

• I want to thank all of the Penguins fans who have continued to read our coverage at The Athletic this season. It wasn’t a boring season by any stretch, but it certainly was a frustrating one for the fan base. Thank you for still subscribing and reading with such passion. It does not go unnoticed.

We are approaching a truly fascinating off-season for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins. I’ll have you covered.

(Photo of Sidney Crosby and Tom Wilson: Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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