Wednesday’s three-game NHL slate carries a little bit of everything: a farewell season moment in Washington, a high-octane Colorado club taking its first trip of the year, and an Edmonton-Anaheim rematch with last spring still fresh in both rooms.
The emotional center of the night is Washington, where Alex Ovechkin will skate in his last home opener as Capitals captain when Pittsburgh visits at 7:30 p.m. ET. Ovechkin said Monday that his 22nd NHL campaign will be his final one, putting added weight on a familiar matchup with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. It will be the first of four remaining meetings between the longtime rivals this season.
The Capitals enter at 1-1-0 and have received an early lift from Alex Tuch, who has scored twice in two games since arriving from the Buffalo Sabres in a June 24 sign-and-trade. Washington could be missing defenseman Matt Roy, who did not take part in Tuesday’s practice after exiting Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period with a lower-body injury.
Pittsburgh comes to town after its first defeat, a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg on Monday. Bryan Rust has a chance to make his season debut after an upper-body injury kept him out of the Penguins’ first three games. The 34-year-old winger finished last season with 65 points, matching his personal NHL high, on 29 goals and 36 assists over 72 games.
Out in Winnipeg, the Avalanche bring a 2-0-0 record and an attack that has filled the net early. Colorado has scored 14 times through two games, a franchise mark matched from the 1992-93 Quebec Nordiques season. Among reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, only the 1989-90 Calgary Flames had scored more at that stage, with 16 goals.
Artturi Lehkonen has three goals for Colorado, while Nathan MacKinnon has posted two goals and three assists to lead the club with five points. Martin Necas has also picked up exactly where he left off after his 100-point season a year ago. He scored twice and added an assist in Saturday’s 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues, reaching 50 and 51 goals with the Avalanche in his 110th game for the organization.
That makes Necas the seventh player in Avalanche/Nordiques history to reach 50 goals in 110 games or fewer. Jacques Richard did it in 86 games, followed by Real Cloutier in 88, Marian Stastny and Peter Stastny in 92, Anton Stastny in 104 and Marc Tardif in 106. Necas has two goals in four games against Winnipeg since joining Colorado on Jan. 24, 2025.
The Jets are 2-0-1 and return home after collecting matching 3-2 road wins over Detroit on Sunday and Pittsburgh on Monday. Kyle Connor, with three goals and two assists, and Cole Perfetti, with two goals and three assists, have each piled up five points. Colorado and Winnipeg meet at Canada Life Centre at 7:30 p.m. ET in the Prime Wednesday night window.
Later, Edmonton heads to Anaheim in the first regular-season meeting since the Ducks eliminated the Oilers in six games during last season’s Western Conference First Round. Anaheim then fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in Round 2, but the Ducks have opened this season 2-0-0 and will chase a third straight victory.
Connor McDavid has driven Edmonton’s 2-0-1 start with nine points in three games, including two goals and seven assists. Evan Bouchard has been just as dangerous from the blue line, leading NHL defensemen with eight points and sitting tied for second in the League with four goals.
For Anaheim, Leo Carlsson has a goal and four assists in three games. He recorded three assists in Sunday’s 3-2 overtime victory against the Florida Panthers, and his early production has reinforced the Ducks’ decision to match the five-year, $90 million offer sheet he received from Philadelphia in July. The deal carries an $18 million average annual value.
The 21-year-old center became the fifth player in Ducks history to record five points over the club’s first two games of a season. Saku Koivu, who had one goal and four assists, and Daniel Winnik, with four goals and one assist, were among the previous players to do so in 2012-13. Anaheim has now started with consecutive wins for the fifth time in franchise history and for the first time since 2019-20.
Wednesday schedule
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals — 7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, TNT
Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets — 7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, ALT
Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks — 10 p.m. ET; Prime Video, KCOP-13, SNW
