Ovechkin's Last Dance Rolls Into a Four-Game Friday: Rangers at Capitals Leads the Night

LAS VEGAS — Friday night's NHL slate is only four games, but the league put its best story in the headliner. Alex Ovechkin's farewell tour — he told his teammates himself that this is the final season of his 22-year run — gets its first real divisional test when the streaking New York Rangers roll into Capital One Arena for a 7 PM ET puck drop on NHL Network.

On Monday, Ovechkin, 41, released a statement announcing he will retire at the end of the 2026-27 season. He told his teammates before the Capitals made it public. "My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL," Ovechkin said in the statement released by the team. "I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it's the right decision." He's the all-time goals leader in NHL history with 929, and he's still looking for his first goal of this season, per Forever Blueshirts. Every one of his remaining home games is now an event.

Washington is 2-1-0 on the goodbye run. The Caps opened their home schedule Wednesday with a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh — cashing as -155 favorites — behind Tom Wilson's goal and two assists, with Anthony Beauvillier, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Tuch and Ryan Leonard also scoring, and a penalty kill that went 3-for-3, per SportsbookWire. It followed a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay, and defenseman Matt Roy left that game with a lower-body injury and was considered unlikely to suit up, per Inside The Rink.

The Rangers, meanwhile, are the early surprise of the East. New York missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons — and finished dead last in 2025-26, per Forever Blueshirts — but under coach Mike Sullivan, they've won four straight since a 3-0 season-opening shutout loss at Boston. They've outscored opponents 16-5 during the streak, haven't allowed a first-period goal in five games — tying the franchise's best start since 1939-40, per Forever Blueshirts — and owned third periods 7-1. They've trailed for fewer than four minutes all season.

Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Islanders was the blueprint: Alexis Lafrenière's hat trick — two of them empty-netters — plus an assist, Oliver Bjorkstrand's first two goals as a Ranger, and three assists from Mika Zibanejad, who is tied with Lafrenière for the team lead at five points, per SportsbookWire. Igor Shesterkin has been the wall behind it all: 3-1-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and .927 save percentage. The roster churn is real, too — Joe Veleno hit injured reserve this week, Cole Beaudoin was recalled from Hartford for his NHL debut, and Dylan Garand stopped all 22 shots in a 2-0 win at Detroit last week, per Inside The Rink.

"We're playing hard. I feel like we're on the same page. It's obviously early, but that's a good sign."— Mika Zibanejad, via NHL.com (The Sports Leader)

Lafrenière, after the hat trick, kept it simple: "I feel like we're playing winning hockey, especially with the lead, and it helps us a lot." They're not wrong, but Friday is the first night the schedule punches back.

The market thinks the farewell tour has juice. SportsbookWire's lines, last updated 6:32 AM Friday via BetMGM Sportsbook, have the Capitals at -145 with the Rangers at +118 and the total at 5.5 — the over juiced to -120. The puck line is Rangers +1.5 (-210). The projected goalies are Shesterkin against Logan Thompson (2-0-0, 2.50 GAA, .921 save percentage), and SportsbookWire's own call is Rangers +118 and Under 5.5 — two hot goalies, tight divisional game, one side of that building about to explode with emotion.

The other three games are worth your time, too. Pittsburgh (2-2-0) heads to Columbus (1-1-0) at 7 PM ET on ESPN+, where the Blue Jackets are -122 favorites per FanDuel Sportsbook research and the total sits at 6.5 per PickDawgz. The Penguins are on the back end of a rough 48 hours: they lost 5-3 in Washington on Wednesday, outshooting the Caps 30-27 but going 0-for-3 on the power play, with Arturs Silovs allowing five goals on 27 shots, per PickDawgz. Tommy Novak has been the bright spot, leading the Pens with three goals and two assists.

Seattle (2-2) visits Detroit (1-2) at 7 PM ET on ESPN+ at Little Caesars Arena, where the Red Wings are -138 favorites with a 5.5 total, per FanDuel Sportsbook research. The Kraken were routed 6-2 by Vegas on Tuesday, while Detroit grabbed its first win with a 5-3 decision over Ottawa, per Picks and Parlays. And the late window is Anaheim at Winnipeg, 8 PM ET on ESPN+ at Canada Life Centre, per Sportradar. Bleacher Nation's anytime-goal board has Kyle Connor at +120 to score for the Jets, with Ducks youngsters Beckett Sennecke (+190) and Leo Carlsson (+170) right behind him — the next era of that matchup is already here.

If Thursday was any indication, keep the remote handy: Jake Oettinger's second straight shutout carried the Stars past the Sharks, and the Predators ripped off five straight goals to stun Montreal — catch up on Thursday night's NHL action here. And hat tricks are having a week: Logan Stankoven lit up Vancouver for three on Wednesday in the Hurricanes' win over the Canucks.

What to watch tonight: Ovechkin hunting his first goal of the season in front of a home crowd that knows the clock is ticking. The Rangers' first-period wall against a Caps team that needed Wednesday's emotional night to find its legs. And Shesterkin against Logan Thompson in a goaltending matchup that should keep 5.5 looking very low.