Chants of '1 more year' follow Ovechkin off the ice as retirement decision looms

Alex Ovechkin hasn't decided if his final NHL game was Tuesday night.

If it was, the Russian superstar made sure he got on the scoresheet.

Ovechkin assisted on Jakob Chychrun's go-ahead goal during the third period of the Washington Capitals' 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"It's pretty cool. We tried to win, and we tried to finish the season on a good note," he said.

Ovechkin — who led the Capitals to the Stanley Cup in 2018 — is in the final season of his contract. He has continued to reiterate that he will take some time to ponder if he will retire after 21 seasons and 1,573 regular-season games.

“OVI” chants rain down as Ovechkin leaves the ice. Is this the last NHL game will witness from The Great 8?! <a href="https://t.co/3st1kta0JY">pic.twitter.com/3st1kta0JY</a>

"I'm going to stay a little bit in D.C. I don't know when we're going to fly (back to Russia). I'll talk with Carbs (coach Spencer Carbery), CP (general manager Chris Patrick), my family and go from there," Ovechkin said during his three-minute post-game remarks.

A large contingent of Capitals fans made the trip to Columbus and chanted "One more year" and "Ovi! Ovi!" during the final minute. He also got a standing ovation as he left the ice.

"I don't know what's going to happen. The fans who came here from D.C. and different spots to watch the game which was very nice," Ovechkin said. "I could hear them cheering for me and screaming one more year."

Ovechkin was on the ice for final 1:49 after the Blue Jackets pulled their goalie. His teammates tried to get him the puck for one final goal, but he was unable to control the puck when he had a clean look at the empty net.

"I wanted him maybe if this is it, to ice it with one more empty net. He had