WASHINGTON — Dylan Strome is one of the best faceoff men in the league. But the Washington Capitals center made sure the referee had no choice but to kick him out of the opening draw Sunday.

Strome stepped out, and Alex Ovechkin skated in to take the first faceoff against Sidney Crosby in their 100th — and perhaps final — meeting.

While Ovechkin has said he’ll make a decision about his future in the offseason, the Capitals celebrated as if Sunday’s game could be the last at Capital One Arena for the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer.

And Washington honored Ovechkin with a 3-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins that kept the Capitals’ slim playoff hopes alive.

Pittsburgh has clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs and is locked into the second seed in the Metropolitan Division.

Several regulars in the Penguins’ lineup missed Sunday’s game and are listed as day to day. They’re presumably recovering from minor injuries with Pittsburgh’s postseason status secured.

But after Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang were among a large group of Penguins to miss Saturday’s loss to the Capitals with day-to-day designations, the Penguins’ “Big Three” returned Sunday.

They took photos with Ovechkin at center ice before the game. The crowd gave Ovechkin a lengthy and loud standing ovation when he was introduced as a starter. They chanted, “One more year!” after the opening faceoff.

The action on the ice wasn’t so cordial. Ovechkin drilled Letang in the corner early in the game. Tom Wilson shouldered Malkin into the boards. The Capitals were credited with 11 hits in the first period.

Washington appeared to take the lead on a power play shortly before the first intermission. But Penguins coach Dan Muse challenged for offside on the play, and the goal was overturned.

Stuart Skinner and Logan Thompson each made eight saves as both teams generated good looks in the opening period.

Washington scored the game’s first goal 12:22 into the second period. Connor McMichael fired a pass into traffic in front of the net, and Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trevor van Riemsdyk hammered away at the loose puck. Skinner appeared to trap it with his pad, but van Riemsdyk kept pushing until it finally slipped past the line.

The Penguins had several glorious chances that they either bungled or Thompson saved. Pittsburgh dominated possession through the first two periods but was unable to pay it off on the scoreboard.

Crosby was particularly spry throughout the game. His lines were consistently dominant.

McMichael put the Capitals in front by two with about four minutes to play. He and Ryan Leonard raced out for a 2-on-1, and McMichael beat Skinner with a backhand.

McMichael added an empty-netter with a little less than three minutes remaining, scoring off a pass from Ovechkin.

It was over when …

McMichael gave Washington a late multi-goal lead and then extended it not long after.

Stat of the game

231: Career points for Crosby and Ovechkin in their 100 all-time meetings (127 from Crosby).

Around the boards

— Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Erik Karlsson, Parker Wotherspoon and Bryan Rust returned to the lineup Sunday after they all missed Saturday’s home loss to the Capitals and were listed as “day to day.”

— Ben Kindel, Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar remained out. Kindel is day to day with an upper-body injury. Lizotte hasn’t played since March 14 with an upper-body injury but has been skating recently. Dewar is week to week with a lower-body injury.

— Anthony Mantha (lower body), Noel Acciari (upper body), Ryan Shea (upper body) and Connor Clifton (upper body) did not play Sunday and were given “day-to-day” designations. All four took the ice Saturday.

Up next

The Penguins conclude the regular season with a road game against the St. Louis Blues at 9:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.