Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin: The key stats you need to know in NHL rivalry history

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are set to renew one of the greatest individual rivalries the history of the NHL.

The Penguins and Capitals face off at 3 p.m. ET Saturday in what will be the 72nd meeting in the regular season between the former No. 1 overall picks. This is the third game between the teams in the 2024-25 regular season.

Ovechkin and Crosby both entered the league in 2005, sparking an immediate competition between the two phenoms. They were seen as the future superstars of the league at the time and have more than lived up to the billing, with Ovechkin now closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s all time goal’s record.

Here’s an updated look at the matchup between Crosby and Ovechkin.

(All stats current as of Feb. 22, 2025)

MORE: How close is Alex Ovechkin to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record?

Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin: Head-to-head stats

Crosby has bested Ovechkin in the regular season by a wide margin in terms of head-to-head wins.

The Penguins have 11 more wins than the Capitals in these games, and their superstar has 25 more points than his rival in these games, largely because he has 31 more assists. But Ovechkin has the advantage in goals, with 37 to Crosby’s 31.

Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin: Head-to-head playoff stats

The Penguins and Capitals have met four times in the playoffs since Crosby and Ovechkin entered the NHL in 2005. 

Pittsburgh won the first three playoff series, in 2009, 2016 and 2017, and went on to win the Stanley Cup in each of those seasons.

The Capitals finally knocked off the Penguins in the postseason in 2018 on their way to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, ensuring Ovechkin would never become known as the greatest player to have never won a championship.

SN RUSHMORE: Ovechkin among Washington icons

Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin: Regular-season stats

Looking at the careers of Crosby and Ovechkin, they are nearly even on career points. The latter has scored 270 more goals, while the former has 340 more assists.

Ovechkin, however, has been much more durable than Crosby. The Washington star has played nearly two full seasons of games more than his counterpart in Pittsburgh, who has fought through injuries for most of his career.

Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin: Playoff stats

Overall, Crosby has played in 29 more playoff games than Ovechkin and has a 70-point advantage over him in the postseason. Ovechkin still has a slight advantage in postseason goals, but the Penguins captain has dished out 61 more assists.

Crosby and the Penguins had made the playoffs in every season since 2006-07 before missing the postseason in 2022-23. The Capitals missed the postseason in Ovechkin’s first two seasons in the league but have appeared in almost every one since, with the exception of the 2013-14 season. 

Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin: Accolades and awards

When it comes to accolades and awards, both Crosby and Ovechkin have filled their trophy cases.  

Crosby has more Conn Smythe trophies and Art Ross trophies, but Ovechkin holds the edge in Hart trophies and Rocket Richard trophies. The Capitals star also won the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL Rookie of the Year, when the two were battling for it in 2005.