Sidney Crosby’s 20th campaign in the NHL ended just like his first.

And the previous two.

Out of the playoffs.

And while the Penguins were eliminated from contention for this upcoming postseason well before their regular season finale on Thursday — a 5-2 win against the rival Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena — they treated Game 82 of a lost regular season like it was Game 1 of a postseason series.

Their captain wouldn’t allow anything else.

“You have to have pride in what you do, no matter what it is,” Crosby said Tuesday in Cranberry. “We’re pretty fortunate to do what we do here. There’s frustrations, and it’s tough and difficult, (but) in the big scheme of things, we’re still fortunate to do what we do. You keep that in the back of your mind, but you also have pride in whatever you do, whatever your role is. Whether you’re just coming in or you’ve been here for a long time, there’s a standard that we try to have and that we bring every day.

“Hopefully, you can live up to that. That’s not anything that’s given. You’ve got to do it every single day.”

On this day, Crosby and his most enduring nemesis, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, offered a captivating display, even in a contest that carried no weight as it pertains to the standings, let alone postseason fortunes.

It felt like Penguins-Capitals should, especially since each team’s leader lived up to their lofty standards.

Crosby collected a goal and an assist, each striking in their precision. Meanwhile, Ovechkin, merely the most prolific goal-scorer in NHL history, blasted a signature one-timer to boost his outrageous career figure to 897.

“They’re two of the greatest players of all time,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I know how fortunate we are to get a chance to see it up close and have for how many years now.

“They’re generational talents.”

The talents of Capitals forward Connor McMichael led to his 26th goal of the season to open the scoring 4:08 into regulation.

Out of a puck battle in Washington’s left corner, Penguins forward Danton Heinen and defenseman Ryan Graves failed to connect on a pass along the boards, and the puck skidded out to the neutral zone. Capitals forward Tom Wilson chased it down and created a two-on-one rush with McMichael against Penguins defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok. Gaining the offensive blue line on the right wing, Wilson fired a wrister that was rejected by goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic’s blocker. As Kolyachonok leaned down in an attempt to impede the Capitals’ aspirations, McMichael was able to clean up the rebound with an easy forehand shot from the left of the crease. Wilson had the only assist.

Penguins forward Bryan Rust responded only 46 seconds later by reaching the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career.

A weak clearing attempt by Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin off Washington’s half-wall wound up sliding to the near point where Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk smacked a one-timer. After Penguins rookie forward Ville Koivunen, stationed in the left circle, deflected the puck on net with the forehand of his stick, goaltender Clay Stevenson, making his first career start, fought off the puck with his right skate. The rebound kicked out to the near circle where Rust alertly fired an immediate forehand shot by Stevenson’s stick. Koivunen and Grzelcyk generated assists.

Rust scored again during a power-play scenario at 7:19 of the second period.

Off some perimeter movement in Washington’s zone, Koivunen accepted a pass in the right circle then offloaded to the right of the cage for Crosby. Spinning to his left, Crosby fed an adroit backhand pass through the blue paint for Rust, who leaned down and elevated a wrister through a keyhole-narrow opening between the left post and Stevenson’s right shoulder. Crosby and Koivunen collected assists.

Former Erie Otters forward Dylan Strome appeared to tie the game with a wrister from the Penguins’ right circle at 10:25 of the second, but the hosts issued a coach’s challenge, claiming the sequence to be offside. Officials found evidence of malfeasance on the video review and euthanized the would-be goal.

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Crosby’s 33rd goal came at 11:56 of the second frame.

Claiming a loose puck on Washington’s left half-wall, Penguins forward Philip Tomasino maneuvered toward the cage on something of a two-on-one advance with Crosby against Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Tomasino made the logical choice to feed the puck to the lower right circle where Crosby pumped a one-timer by the glove of a sprawling Stevenson. Tomasino and forward Connor Dewar were deemed worthy of assists.

Ovechkin, who was celebrated via a video presentation during the first period for recently surpassing Wayne Gretzky as the league’s top goal collector, scored for the 44th time this season at 16:56 of the second period during a power-play opportunity.

Gaining the Penguins’ zone on the right wing, Strome gently pulled up above the circle, spun to his left and slid a pass to the top of the left circle where Ovechkin wound up and clapped a one-timer to the far side past Nedeljkovic’s glove. Assists went to Strome and forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Koivunen’s would-be first career goal at 4:14 of the third period was wiped out after officials determined he pushed the puck into the cage with his left hand while lying on the ice.

The rookie learned, through trial and error, that directing the puck into the cage in that fashion is not permissible.

“I didn’t know that at first,” Koivunen quipped. “But after (it went in), I knew.”

Undeterred, the Penguins added to their lead when Heinen (his ninth goal at the 8:46 mark) and Tomasino (his 11th at 9:01) found the back of the net legally.

Heinen struck on a short-handed breakaway as a power-play opportunity was about to expire for the Capitals. From the left point of the offensive zone, Ovechkin lobbed a wrister that was blocked by Heinen. The rebound kicked out to the neutral zone where Heinen chased it down and attacked. Approaching the cage, Heinen wired a wrister by Stevenson’s blocker. There were no assists.

Tomasino capped the scoring through transition. In the defensive zone, Grzelcyk intercepted a pass near the crease, took it behind the cage then rimmed it to the right corner. Penguins forward Rickard Rakell claimed the puck on the near half-wall and centered to the blue line, allowing Tomasino to handle the rest. Coasting through the neutral zone, Tomasino gained Washington’s blue line on a three-on-one rush. As Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev leaned down in passive resistance, Tomasino dragged the puck by him and lasered a wrister by Stevens’ charred blocker. Rakell and Grzelcyk had assists.

Nedeljkovic got the final start of the season. Stopping 18 of 20 shots, his record improved to 14-15-5.

The Penguins enter the offseason in dire need of improvement in no shortage of ways.

Three consecutive seasons without qualifying for the playoffs is largely unacceptable, especially for Crosby.

But for one night – the last night of the Penguins’ season – Crosby and his foil, Ovechkin, reinforced their nonpareil standards.

“Two guys who, from my point of view, almost saved the league,” Rust said. “It was not in the greatest spot 20 years ago, and these two guys came into the league and took it by storm.

“Two high-character guys who have only gotten better.”

Notes:

• Penguins rookie forward Sam Poulin was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Thursday afternoon under emergency roster conditions and opened the contest on the left wing of the fourth line. His promotion was prompted by veteran forward Kevin Hayes being scratched due to an undisclosed injury.

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• Rust served as an alternate captain in place of defenseman Kris Letang, who was scratched two days after undergoing a surgical procedure on his heart.

• Crosby’s goal was the 100th game-winning score of his career.

• Rakell (180 points) surpassed forward Rick Tocchet (179) for 47th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• Kolyachonok rejoined the lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous seven games. He opened the contest on the right side of the third pairing.

• In total, the Penguins’ scratches were:

Forward Noel Acciari (undisclosed injury)

Hayes (undisclosed injury)

Forward Boko Imama (right bicep)

Letang (heart)

Forward Blake Lizotte (undisclosed injury)

Defenseman Filip Kral (healthy)

Forward Rutger McGroarty (suspected left foot)

Forward Matt Nieto (undisclosed injury)

Forward Thomas Novak (undisclosed injury)

• Grzelcyk and defenseman Erik Karlsson were the only members of the Penguins to appear in all 82 games this season. Karlsson has not missed a game since joining the Penguins during the 2023 offseason.

• The Penguins’ power play finished sixth in the NHL with a conversion rate of 25.8%. Last season, that unit was 30th in the league at 15.3%.

• The Capitals dressed an irregular lineup of 13 forwards and five defensemen.