The Ottawa Senators played the Washington Capitals close on Thursday night. However, the Senators fell to the Capitals in overtime thanks to an Alex Ovechkin overtime goal. The game was more notable for Ottawa than the opponent or result,

OTTAWA -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 874th NHL goal at 3:07 of overtime, giving the Washington Capitals a 1-0 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Alex Ovechkin scored with 1:53 left in overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 1-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

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.

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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 by a score of 1-0 in overtime.

After a scoreless 60 minutes, of course it was Alex Ovechkin to lift the Capitals in the three-on-three extra period.

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The Senators have started climbing up the Eastern Conference standings again with three straight victories ahead of Thursday's encounter with the Washington Capitals. As much as Travis Green's team would love to win its fourth outing in a row, victory will be easier said than done if Thomas Chabot isn't in the lineup.

“I’ve definitely seen that time and time again,” said Ottawa defenceman Nick Jensen, dealt to the Senators by the Caps in the off-season. “He’s been able to produce like this year after year so it’s no surprise that he can still do it.”

Both the Senators and the Capitals have been stingy on defense across the last month-plus, and our NHL betting picks see no signs of regression in that department for either side on Thursday night.

Is there a genuine debate about who should back up Linus Ullmark when he's healthy enough to play again? Could the Senators lean on both?