Alex Ovechkin opens his last season at Capital One Arena on Wednesday night, and the opponent fits the moment. The Washington Capitals host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the game on TNT and HBO Max, NHL.com reported.

Ovechkin, 41, told his teammates Monday that the 2026-27 season will be his last after 22 years, all with Washington, The Washington Post reported. He holds the NHL record with 929 goals. Coach Spencer Carbery said the Capitals "have to" start him at left wing in his final home opener.

The game will be the 101st meeting between Ovechkin and Crosby, counting the playoffs, NHL.com said. No two No. 1 draft picks have faced each other more. Crosby, 39, leads their regular-season meetings with 97 points to Ovechkin's 71, and Pittsburgh is 43-28-4 in those games. In the playoffs, the Penguins won three of their four series, and each series winner went on to lift the Stanley Cup.

The two stars arrived together in the fall of 2005, after a lockout wiped out the 2004-05 season. Their rivalry has since turned into a friendship. "It's all about lots of respect for each other," Ovechkin said. After Wednesday, they have three more meetings left: Jan. 18 and March 13 in Pittsburgh, and April 4 in Washington's last home game.

Pittsburgh has started fast. It is 2-1-0 after a 7-0 win in Philadelphia and a 6-5 win over Montreal, followed by a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg on Monday. Washington is 1-1-0 after beating Carolina and losing at Tampa Bay, the Capitals' team site said.

Defenseman Matt Roy, hurt Saturday, did not practice Monday or Tuesday and is day-to-day. Dylan McIlrath would take his place. Carbery also moved Anthony Beauvillier back onto the line with Ovechkin and Dylan Strome, the team's most-used trio last season. The opener starts a stretch in which Washington plays 11 of 13 games at home.

What we know: Ovechkin's final home opener is against Crosby, on TNT and HBO Max.
What we don't: Whether Roy is healthy enough to play.