Yahoo Sports Alex Ovechkin Injury Update: Captain Could Return For Capitals Against Maple Leafs
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Just a handful of weeks after breaking his leg, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is closing in on making a rreturn.
Ovechkin is a possibility Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, as coach Spencer Carbery said "things are trending in the right direction" for him but at the same time, won't confirm until morning skate if he will play.
"We'll have to see how he responds to practice," Carbery said.
At Friday's skate, Ovechkin was back on the top line with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas, who he had good chemistry with before his injury. He also slotted back in on the left point on the first power-play unit.
The 39-year-old fractured his left fibula in a leg-on-leg collision with Jack McBain back on Nov. 18 against Utah Hockey Club. He worked his way back little by little, skating on his own before eventually joining the group and upgrading to contact drills.
Getting the captain back would be a huge boost for Washington, who was able to navigate well without him but has seen its offense waver of late.
"Nice boost... obviously, our 5-on-5 scoring has not been what it was when he was in the lineup," Dylan Strome said, adding, "I still feel like we played pretty good hockey and amnaged to keep our record at a good number. Nice to have him back and incorporate him back into teh power play, obviously, and figure out a way to start scoring some more."
Through 18 games this season, Ovechkin has 15 goals — which were the most in the league at the time of his injury — and 10 assists for 25 points, along with a plus/minus of plus-15. He's still one of the NHL leaders in high-danger shots per 60.
In the grand scheme of things, he is also making progress in his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky, and sits just 27 goals away from breaking the NHL's all-time goals record.
