Ovechkin, Capitals keep postseason hopes alive with 3-0 victory over Penguins

WASHINGTON (AP) — Logan Thompson stopped 24 shots, and the Washington Capitals kept their slim playoff hopes alive by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 Sunday in perhaps the final home of Alex Ovechkin's brilliant career.

To reach the postseason, the Capitals must defeat Columbus in the season finale Tuesday night and hope Philadelphia fails to win either of its last two games.

The 40-year-old Ovechkin intends to wait until the offseason to decide whether to retire or return for a 22nd season. The all-time NHL leader in goals with 929, Ovechkin has played in every game this season and leads the Capitals in goals (32) and points (63).

The spirited, sellout crowd saluted Ovechkin during the game with chants of “One more year!” and “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!”

Ovechkin helped seal the victory by picking up an assist on an empty-net goal by Connor McMichael, who scored earlier in the third period.

Pittsburgh last week clinched a postseason berth and home-ice advantage in the opening round. But the rivalry between these teams runs deep, and the Penguins tried hard to throw a wet blanket on the Capitals' playoff hopes and Ovechkin's big day.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was back on the ice after he and several teammates received a day off Saturday when Washington won in Pittsburgh 6-3. This was the 100th — and perhaps final — matchup between Ovechkin and Crosby, two of the game's biggest names.

To mark the occasion, the two stars lined up at center ice for the opening faceoff. It was only the 175th career faceoff for Ovechkin, counting playoffs, compared to No. 32,131 for Crosby.

The game was scoreless until Trevor van Riemsdyk jammed the puck under Pittsburgh goalie Stuart Skinner's right leg at 12:22 of the second period.

That was enough offense for Thompson, who notched his fourth shutout of the season.

Penguins: Close the regular season at St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Capitals: At Columbus on Tuesday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) meets with Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) during warmups before an NHL hockey game, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) hits Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Joona Koppanen, right, during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) looks on after he faced off with Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

MADRID (AP) — Vedat Muriqi moved closer to Kylian Mbappé at the top of La Liga's scoring charts this season with a brace on Sunday as relegation-threatened Mallorca beat Rayo Vallecano 3-0.

The Kosovo striker scored four minutes apart near the end of the first half for his 20th and 21st goals of the season in the league, and within two of Mbappé's 23 goals. The Real Madrid forward was held scoreless in the team's 1-1 draw against Girona on Friday and hasn't scored in the competition since February.

Muriqi has scored three goals in his last two matches with Mallorca. He also scored in the team's 2-1 win over Madrid last weekend.

“I'm very proud,” the 31-year-old Muriqi said. “We’ve done a very good job and now we’re out of the relegation zone.”

Jan Virgili was the other scorer Sunday for Mallorca, which has won three of its last four matches to move to 15th place, two points from the drop zone.

Rayo, which has one win in five matches, stayed a point ahead in 13th place.

Oviedo won 3-0 at sixth-placed Celta Vigo to leave last place with its third win in four matches.

Federico Viñas scored twice for the visitors, which hadn't won on the road since September at Valencia.

Alberto Reina also scored for Oviedo, which was promoted this season after a 24-year absence from the top tier.

Last-but-one Oviedo is six points from safety.

Villarreal strengthened its hold on third place with a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao. Sergi Cardona and Alfon scored first-half goals for the visitors.

Gorka Guruzeta scored late for midtable Athletic. The Basque Country club has only one win in its last seven matches across all competitions.

The result left Villarreal with 61 points, four more than fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, which lost 2-1 at Sevilla on Saturday.

Fifth-placed Real Betis was held 1-1 at midtable Osasuna.

Abde Ezzalzouli put Betis ahead in the seventh minute and Ante Budimir equalized for the hosts by converting a 40th-minute penalty. Betis hasn't won in seven league matches, while Osasuna has one victory in six games.

On Saturday, Barcelona beat Espanyol 4-1 at home to increase its lead over second-placed Real Madrid to nine points after 31 rounds.

The referees and some teams wore throwback shirts as part of a “La Liga Retro” promotion this round.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe looks on during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Girona in Madrid, Spain, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)