Ovechkin–Crosby: 100th meeting

Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby finally reached 100 head-to-head meetings on Sunday, when Washington hosted Pittsburgh at Capital One Arena. (nhl.com) The milestone game came one day later than expected after Pittsburgh scratched Crosby on Saturday, postponing the centennial matchup until the rematch on April 12. Washington then beat Pittsburgh 3-0 in the game that counted as No. 100. (apnews.com) (espn.com) Washington staged the opening faceoff as a tribute. Dylan Strome intentionally got tossed from the draw so Ovechkin could line up directly across from Crosby to start the game. (nhl.com) The weekend had been set up as Meetings 100 and 101 in a rivalry that started with their first National Hockey League game against each other on November 22, 2005. Ovechkin, the No. 1 pick in 2004, and Crosby, the No. 1 pick in 2005, entered the league as the faces of a post-lockout era. (nhl.com) Their 100-game total includes regular season and playoffs. Before Sunday, they had met 74 times in the regular season and 25 times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) Crosby held the edge in regular-season production entering the weekend, with 97 points in those 74 games, while Ovechkin had 70. Ovechkin led the playoff scoring in their meetings, with 33 points to Crosby’s 30 in 25 postseason games. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) The timing gave the matchup extra weight because Ovechkin said this week he will decide in the offseason whether he will play again next year. He is 40 and in the final season of the five-year, $47.5 million contract he signed with Washington in 2021. (nhl.com) The standings also sharpened the stakes. Pittsburgh had already clinched a playoff berth and locked up second place in the Metropolitan Division, while Washington entered the weekend still trying to stay alive in the Eastern Conference race. (nhl.com) Sunday’s result kept Washington’s hopes going. Logan Thompson made 24 saves, Trevor van Riemsdyk scored in the second period, and Connor McMichael added two third-period goals, with Ovechkin picking up an assist on the empty-netter. (espn.com) Ovechkin called the rivalry “history” on Friday, and Crosby said he wanted to “embrace” the weekend if it turned out to be their last meetings. After 20 years, the league treated Game 100 as a marker for two careers that have run side by side since 2005. (nhl.com)