Since Alex Ovechkin debuted in the 2005-06 NHL season, he has played in 1,504 regular-season games, scored a record 900 goals and won one Stanley Cup.

Since Sidney Crosby debuted in the 2005-06 NHL season, he has played in 1,366 regular-season games, scored 1,704 points (ninth all time), and won three Stanley Cups.

Both are first-ballot, elite-tier Hall of Famers when they stop playing. Thursday’s game between Ovi’s Washington Capitals and Sid’s Pittsburgh Penguins will be their 74th regular-season matchup and 99th overall — and could be one of the hockey world’s last chances to catch them against one another.

To help get you ready for the showdown (7:30 p.m. ET, exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu), here’s a guide on the key players to watch for each team, including in-depth statistical insights from ESPN Research, along with broadcast information.

Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+/Hulu
PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh)

Capitals

Record: 7-5-1
Power ranking: 10
Leading scorer: Tom Wilson (8 G, 7 A)

Notes from ESPN Research

• Ovechkin has 266 goals more than any other active player; Crosby is second on that list, with 634.

• Including playoffs, Ovechkin has scored 977 goals, 23 away from joining Wayne Gretzky (1,016) as the only members of the 1,000-goal club including postseason.

• Wilson’s 15 points this season lead the team, and are tied for his most through his first 13 games in a season (2018-19). Since his debut in the league in 2013-14, he has the sixth-most hits (2,536).

• Dylan Strome has 225 points since joining the Capitals in 2022-23, which is the most on the team in that span.

• John Carlson has 158 assists on Ovechkin’s goals, the most by a defenseman on a teammate’s goals all-time. Bobby Orr is second — 130 with Phil Esposito — while Penguins blueliner Kris Letang is third, with 125 to Sidney Crosby.

• Logan Thompson has allowed two or fewer goals in all nine of his starts to begin the season. With one goal allowed on Wednesday, he became the fifth goaltender over the past 20 years to allow two or fewer goals against in nine consecutive appearances to begin his season. The others: Andrew Hammond (13 games played in 2014-15), Brian Elliott (12 GP in 2011-12), Josh Harding (nine GP in 2013-14) and Nikolai Khabibulin (nine GP in 2011-12).

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Alex Ovechkin: I still love the game and have a passion for it

As he closes in on his 900th goal, Alex Ovechkin sits down with Emily Kaplan to discuss his career accomplishments and future.

Penguins

Record: 8-4-2
Power ranking: 7
Leading scorer: Evgeni Malkin (3 G, 16 A)

Notes from ESPN Research

• Crosby’s nine goals are tied for his third most over the first 14 games of a season in his career. It also happened in 2007-08 and 2009-10, and this trails the 14 he scored in 14 games in 2016-17 and 10 in 2023-24.

• His 1,704 career points are ninth all time and 20 away from passing Mario Lemieux (1,723) not only for eighth all time but for the most in Penguins franchise history.

• Malkin’s 19 points are the second most through 14 games among players age 39 or older in NHL history, trailing Gordie Howe’s 23 through 14 games at age 40 in 1968-69.

• Erik Karlsson has 11 points in his past 10 games. That’s tied for second among defensemen (Lane Hutson) since the span began Oct. 16, trailing Cale Makar‘s 13.

• Letang has played 1,009 games with Crosby, the sixth-most by a forward-defenseman duo in NHL history; they just broke a tie with Mark Messier and Kevin Lowe on Monday.

• Based on shot quality and quantity, Arturs Silovs has the third-best goals saved above expected in the NHL this season at +5.3, behind only Connor Hellebuyck (+6.3) and Elvis Merzlikins (+5.9), per Stathletes.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington said he fully intended to give Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin his 900th goal puck back after hiding it down his pants during Wednesday night’s game.

“Yeah, I figured I basically had an assist on the goal there, turning the puck over. [I] didn’t think he’d mind sharing it,” Binnington joked after the Blues’ practice Thursday ahead of their game at the Buffalo Sabres. “I had full intention to give it back to him.”

Ovechkin, already the NHL’s leading career goal scorer, became the first player to score 900 goals with a second-period tally against Binnington.

As the Capitals celebrated with their captain, Binnington collected the puck from the crease, used his bare hand to pluck it from his goalie glove and slid it down the back of his pants as he skated toward the boards, in full view of television cameras.

Later, linesperson Michel Cormier was seen having a discussion with Binnington in his crease, after which the Blues goalie reached back into his pants and handed the puck to the official. Ovechkin posed for photos with the milestone puck in the Capitals’ locker room after the game.

Binnington gave up four goals on 15 shots against Washington and was pulled at 9:28 of the second period. He said he was impressed by the way Ovechkin scored No. 900, forcing a Binnington turnover and then eventually backhanding the puck into the net.

“Incredible play by him to catch that, spin around and get that on net from a bad angle. Obviously, he’s such a legendary player. Seeing a play like that still happening at his age, it’s next level. He continues to impress,” Binnington said.

Ovechkin said he was aware that Binnington put the puck in his pants Wednesday night.

“Yeah, I just saw it. I’m not going to comment,” he said.

After the game, Capitals goalie Logan Thompson said he was willing to give Binnington the benefit of the doubt.

“I was just so happy that O got it. I don’t know, maybe he was trying to grab it to give it to him. Who knows?” said Thompson, who made 23 saves in the win.

According to Binnington, Thompson was correct in his assessment.

“Full intention to give it back,” said Binnington, who backstopped Team Canada to gold in the 4 Nations Face-Off last season. “He’s a legendary, inspirational player for the game and for the league. It’s a good moment for him and their team.”

Georgia Tech‘s Brent Key has seen his name mentioned for several vacant coaching jobs, but Thursday he shot down any rumors he’d be departing his alma mater in emphatic fashion.

“Slice me open and see what colors I bleed,” Key said at a Georgia Tech news conference in response to a question about other coaching jobs.

Key is a 2000 graduate of Georgia Tech, where he was an All-ACC offensive lineman. He returned to the school in 2019 to serve on Geoff Collins’ staff. When Collins was fired midway through the 2022 season, Key was elevated to interim head coach, then landed the full time job after a strong finish to the year.

Key is 26-17 overall since taking over at Georgia Tech, though he’s won seven games over ranked ACC opponents and has led the Yellow Jackets to an 8-1 record so far this season.

Georgia Tech had been ranked as high as seventh in the AP poll but checked in at No. 17 in the first College Football Playoff rankings after a stunning Week 10 loss to NC State.

Key said his work at Georgia Tech is about building a long-term infrastructure that means the program where losses like last week’s don’t impact the narrative of a regular playoff contender.

“Other than when I’m with my family, every waking second of my life has gone toward building this program to get to the point that it is right now,” Key said, “So we can continue, three years from now, five years from now, 10 years from now, to continue to elevate this place. Not to be in there two or three weeks. Not when you lose one game for people to say the storybook’s over. Nah. It’s just beginning.”

Key served as an assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2016 to 2018, and his name had been mentioned in connection to several SEC vacancies, including at Florida and Auburn.

Georgia Tech has an open date this week before finishing the regular season with a trip to Boston College and home dates with Pitt and rival Georgia.