With Ovie Back In The Lineup, The Capitals Are Looking Like A Wagon

After Alex Ovechkin's clear-cut empty-net goal to cap a 5-2 victory for the Washington Capitals, I asked him if it was the easiest goal of the now 869 he has scored in his career. "Every goal is hard to score in this league," Ovechkin replied. "If you want to try, take some skates and go play 6-on-5."

Ovechkin was obviously in a great mood, since Saturday night's victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs was the first time he'd played since Nov. 18. The 16 games he missed with a broken fibula represented by far the longest layoff of his career.

But he also had to be pretty pleased when he looked around the room and saw that these Capitals are for real. This is a team that has been outstanding since Day 1 of the season and their body of work suggests they are indeed for real. In fact, with the additions they've made and the way they're playing, would anyone be surprised if the Capitals had a long 2025 playoff run in them?

Few people saw this coming. But, these Capitals have served notice that they're a force to be reckoned with in 2024-25.

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