The Ottawa Senators came close as a strong team effort saw them hold the Washington Capitals scoreless through three periods but were unable to secure the win as they fell to the Washington Capitals by a score of 1-0 in overtime.

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Opening faceoff is at 7 p.m. ET and you can watch it on ESPN+ ( plans start at $11.99/month). Washington (29-10-5, in the Metropolitan Division) last played on Tuesday night and beat visiting Anaheim 3-0 as Logan Thompson stopped all 19 shots. The Capitals are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games.

Alex Ovechkin scored at 3:07 of overtime to lift the visiting Washington Capitals over the Ottawa Senators 1-0 on Thursday night.

The 39-year-old winger took a pass from Rasmus Sandin on a 2-on-1 breakaway and fired it past rookie Leevi Merilainen, the record 179th goaltender he's scored on.

The Ottawa Senators' season looked to be in danger of spiralling, but rookie goalie Leevi Merilainen has given them a new lease on life, says Adam Proteau.

The defenceman, who grew up near Ottawa, was called up to play Thursday against the Washington Capitals. While the Sens lost in overtime, it was a win for mom Kim Sebrango who was in the stands watching her son play.

Alex Ovechkin made no secret of his feelings when reacting to his historic goal in the Washington Capitals' win over the Ottawa Senators in the 2024-25 NHL season.

When Donovan Sebrango hit the ice at Canadian Tire Centre to take a solo "rookie lap" before his NHL debut Thursday, he had three things on his mind: "Don't fall and don't miss the puck ... and look up and find your mom.

Kicking off a busy end-of-January stretch for both teams, the Ottawa Senators host the Boston Bruins in a key Saturday afternoon clash of clubs on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble.

Which brings us to today's quiz. Thursday's game-winning goal was Ovi's 20th of the season, tying him with Ron Francis for second-all time with 20 seasons with at least 20-goals. With that being said, how many of the NHL players with 15 or more 20-goal seasons can you name in five minutes?