WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin didn't want a send-off, but he got it anyway.

Every time Ovechkin took the ice, chants and ovations broke out at Capital One Arena for what could be his final game in D.C.

Fittingly, it came against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, in what marked the 100th matchup between Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, while also being a must-win game for the Capitals in their playoff push. And, ultimately, Washington was able to secure two points thanks to some needed heroes.

Trevor van Riemsdyk and Connor McMichael scored while the defense and Logan Thompson stepped up again en route 3-0 victory.

Here are the takeaways as D.C. remains within one point of a playoff spot.

From the moment Ovechkin took the ice for warm-ups to being announced in the starting lineup, alongside four of the other longest-tenured players on the Capitals' roster, fans were on their feet, giving the generational talent a round of applause.

Dylan Strome also took it upon himself to make it even more special for the captain, getting himself kicked out of the face-off dot so that Ovechkin could take the opening draw against Crosby.

That drew more cheers and Ovi chants, and then 30 seconds later, fans sang to a chorus of "One more year! One more year!"

In what could be his last hurrah, Ovechkin played the classic Ovi way; it was business as usual for the 40-year-old, blasting one-timers from the circle, throwing big hits, including a huge one on Kris Letang in the first and, of course, drinking coke on the bench.

The 40-year-old finished the game with an assist, the 757th of his career, three shots and a team-leading five hits through 16:11 minutes. He was named first star and saluted the crowd as he left the ice, while also declining farewell handshakes with the Penguins.

Ovechkin will take the time to consult with family, friends and the Capitals and make the decision on his NHL future at some point this summer. So, it's not clear if this is indeed goodbye, but if it is, what a way form to go out.

With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and more top stars back in the lineup for Sunday's showdown, the Capitals had a tall task of shutting down the Penguins to keep their season alive. They did just that, with Logan Thompson and more stepping up to shut things down.

Starting his second game in as many days, Thompson was strong in the net, making several key stops, including a couple of backdoor and grade-A looks en route to the shutout, his second over the last three games. He had 24 saves in the victory.

Meanwhile, the penalty kill also came up big, going 2-for-2 while sacrificing the body, throwing big hits and doing what it could to secure the win. Tom Wilson himself stepped up for a big shot block that sent him to the room near the end of the second, but he returned for the third.

Needing a goal, the Capitals turned up the pressure however they could, and ultimately, it was Trevor van Riemsdyk who stepped up to provide a key goal and the eventual game-winner after Justin Sourdif's game-opening, power-play goal was waived off for offside.

Van Riemsdyk got to the front after a nice play in front by Pierre-Luc Dubois, who played after leaving Saturday's game with injury. After a couple of whacks at the loose puck, he jammed it past a sprawled out Stuart Skinner to make it a 1-0 game.

With the primary assist, Dubois now has 10 points in his last seven games overall. Connor McMichael picked up the secondary helper and now has points in four of his last five games. He also set a single-season career high in assists.

McMichael wasn’t done there. Late in the third on a 2-on-1 with Ryan Leonard, Leonard fed McMichael for a breakaway, where he backhanded it home to make it 2-0.

Leonard has points in seven of the last eight.

McMichael then capped off the night with an empty-netter for the 3-0 win.