- Ovechkin’s potential final home game lands April 4 against the Penguins
- His last regular-season game would come April 10 in Philadelphia
- Read below for how the schedule frames Ovechkin’s possible farewell
The NHL just handed Capitals fans a date they’d probably rather not think about.
Washington’s 2026-27 schedule dropped Thursday, and buried in the 84-game slate is the game that could be Alex Ovechkin’s last at Capital One Arena. If the Capitals miss the playoffs, his final home game would come Sunday, April 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Washington then closes the year with a three-game road trip, ending Saturday, April 10 in Philadelphia against the Flyers. That would be Ovechkin’s last regular-season game, win or lose.
There’s some symmetry to April 4. With Sidney Crosby on the other bench, that Penguins game could double as the final regular-season meeting between the two players who have defined a generation of hockey.
Ovechkin signed a one-year deal earlier this month to come back for a 22nd season, one he has admitted could be his last. He already owns the all-time goals record and has said he wants to chase 1,000 for his career before he’s done.
Pittsburgh bookends the whole year for the Caps. The Penguins also open the season at Capital One Arena, so it’s Crosby’s crew for the home opener and, maybe, Crosby’s crew for the home finale.
Here’s the full 84-game slate the team unveiled:
The Caps leaned into the Ovechkin flavor when the calendar went public:
None of it is set in stone. If Washington makes the playoffs, April 4 turns into just another Caps-Pens Sunday and the goodbye waits a little longer. But the dates are out now, and Ovechkin’s 22nd season, whatever it turns into, already has a finish line penciled in.
