Capitals 5, Penguins 3: Wilson's Three Points on Ovechkin's Last Home Opener

October 7, 2026 - Washington - Twenty-three seconds. Anthony Beauvillier was already in alone, backhand, glove side, and Capital One Arena had a 1-0 lead before the Penguins had a shift they wanted. The building had just saved Alex Ovechkin for last in the introductions. His kids handled the announcement. The Associated Press wrote the standing ovation down. Then the hockey started, and it did not wait.

The Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3. Washington is 2-1-0. Pittsburgh is 2-2-0. Shots were 30-27 Pittsburgh. Attendance was 18,347. This is Ovechkin's last NHL season. He said so earlier in the week. Wednesday was the last home opener.

Tom Wilson had a goal and two assists. Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and an assist. Alex Tuch scored the 4-1 goal. Logan Thompson stopped 27 of 30. Bryan Rust scored in his season debut. Tommy Novak and Nick Robertson pulled Pittsburgh back to 4-3 before the third.

1-0 in 23 seconds, 2-1 before the period was old

Beauvillier's breakaway was his 300th NHL point, the NHL recap notes: 147 goals, 153 assists. Dylan Strome got the assist. Rust needed 56 more seconds to tie it. He muscled around Ilya Protas along the goal line, per the NHL recap, and lifted a shot that went in off Thompson's blocker and pad. Protas is not seeded on AthX player pages, so the name stays unlinked. Rust had missed the first three games with an upper-body injury from Pittsburgh's preseason finale against Buffalo on Sept. 26.

Penguins coach Dan Muse told NHL.com it was a big goal to get it back to even after the first shift, and that he still did not like the chances Washington was getting.

Wilson made it 2-1 at 11:51. Dubois, right corner, no-look pass. Wilson, slot, wrist shot. Sidney Crosby was on the ice for every Washington even-strength goal, the Associated Press recap said. He finished minus-4. His only career minus-5 was March 6, 2014, at San Jose.

Ovechkin, to NHL.com: "Dubie's line, I thought, today was flying and we have a good start. Huge goal by 'Beau,' and 'LT' was outstanding today as well."

4-1, then Pittsburgh in 47 seconds and again at 18:01

Silovs went behind the net in the second. Wilson was there. Dubois was in front. Snap. 3-1 at 4:42. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery told NHL.com that Dubois's line with Tuch and Wilson created turnovers on the forecheck and won the matchup against Crosby.

Tuch intercepted a pass from Declan Carlile at the Penguins blue line. Carlile is not seeded. Tuch and Wilson went in 2-on-0. Return pass. 4-1 at 13:14. Wilson, on Tuch, to NHL.com: "He's really smart. Obviously, he's got a ton of skill, but he puts himself in the right spots to create offense."

Evgeni Malkin hit the left post on a 2-on-1. Novak knocked in the rebound at 14:05. Unassisted on the NHL landing. 4-2. Robertson tipped Kaedan Korczak's point shot at 18:01. Korczak is not seeded. Blake Lizotte had the other assist. 4-3 after two.

Ben Kindel told NHL.com Pittsburgh maybe did not have its legs at the start and that he wanted to look at the pushback in the second. Rust was blunter: first half, not the team they wanted to be. Second half, they played hard.

Leonard from the left circle, Thompson on the breakaway

Trevor van Riemsdyk hooked Beauvillier at 1:58 of the third. Ryan Leonard scored from the top of the left circle at 3:55. Jordan Kyrou and Cole Hutson on the play. Hutson is not seeded. Kyrou's first point as a Capital, the NHL recap notes, after the June trade from St. Louis. 5-3.

Lizotte came out of the box later in the third. Thompson stopped him on the breakaway. The Associated Press recap had that save as the one that kept the lead at two. Dubois took a boarding minor at 10:38 after Carlile was shaken up. Jakob Chychrun took slashing at the final horn. Neither changed the score.

Ovechkin had two shots in 14:05 and no points. Crosby had two shots in 19:07 and none either. This is the 22nd straight season those two have played each other. Only Mark Messier and Ron Francis went longer among forward pairs, the AP recap said: 23.

Pittsburgh visits Columbus on Friday. The Rangers visit Washington that night.

AthX Engine on a 5-3 home opener

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Wilson at 11.20 (a goal, two assists, two shots, two blocks). Tuch is 8.60. Dubois is 7.80. Leonard is 5.20 with the power-play bonus. Beauvillier is 4.60. Rust and Novak are 6.80 each. Robertson is 4.10. Thompson's win, 27 saves, and three goals against land at 10.20. Arturs Silovs is 2.80.

Washington's team line is 20.00. Pittsburgh keeps 1.60 on three goals.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Capitals group that won Ovechkin's last home opener and for a Penguins club that got back to 4-3 and still left down two. They are not the same number.

Track Wilson, Thompson, Crosby, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020053. Information only; not financial advice.*