COLUMBUS, OHIO — Alex Ovechkin assisted on Jakob Chychrun's go-ahead goal in the third period as the Washington Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Tuesday night, but the 40-year-old forward has not decided whether the game was his last in the NHL. Ovechkin, who is in the final season of his contract, said he will take some time to ponder whether to retire after 21 seasons and 1,573 regular-season games.

"I hope it's not my last game. I don't know how exactly it's going to happen, so we'll see," Ovechkin said. "We tried to win, and we tried to finish the season on a good note."

Chychrun's goal from the slot came with 4:07 remaining in the third period after Miles Wood was assessed a high-sticking penalty at 14:06, giving the Capitals their third power play. Ovechkin had a couple of opportunities for shots from inside the left faceoff circle before recording his 32nd assist of the season on the go-ahead goal. Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves made a save on Ovechkin's first shot attempt.

After the Blue Jackets pulled their goalie, Ovechkin was on the ice for the final 1:49. His teammates tried to pass him the puck for a final goal attempt, but he was unable to control the puck with a clean look at the empty net. "He had a good look at it," Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. "The puck just was rolling."

A large contingent of Capitals fans made the trip to Columbus and chanted "One more year!" and "Ovi! Ovi!" during the final minute. Ovechkin received a standing ovation as he left the ice. "I could hear them cheering for me and screaming one more year," he said. "It's pretty cool."

"It's an honor. I think we all are trying to soak up everything we can all the time we have with him. We don't know what's in store, but it's special to have these memories with him," Chychrun said.

Ovechkin made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, against Columbus, scoring the first two of his record-setting 929 career goals. He led the Capitals to the Stanley Cup in 2018. This season, he led Washington with 32 goals and 64 points, ending the year with a point in three straight games, including one goal and two assists. It was the fifth time in his 21-season career that he played every regular-season game, making him the fifth player age 40 or older in NHL history to appear in all 82 regular-season games.

Washington missed the playoffs by two points this season, the fifth time the Capitals failed to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs since Ovechkin was drafted first overall in 2004. He said he plans to remain in Washington for the time being. "I'm going to stay a little bit in D.C.," he said. "I don't know when we're going to fly [back to Russia]. I don't know what's going to happen."