Pens Points: Crosby meets Ovechkin for first of final battles

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will face off in the first of four final regular-season matchups on Wednesday night in Washington. The contest follows Ovechkin's recent announcement that the 2026-27 season will be his last in the NHL. Following a 3-2 defeat to Winnipeg, the Pittsburgh Penguins shifted Hendrix Lapierre to Crosby's line, while Nick Robertson moved to the fourth line, and Bryan Rust practiced with full contact.

Around the NHL, the league concluded its brief "Hot for Hockey" audio marketing campaign on Spotify after one week. Elsewhere, 38-year-old New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov made his first start in nearly two years following knee surgeries, 2026 top draft pick Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal against Nashville, and Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss six to eight weeks due to a lower-body injury.