Capitals expecting massive Alex Ovechkin boost vs. Leafs
12/27/2024 03:37 PM
The Washington Capitals have been one of the most impressive stories so far in the 2024-25 NHL season, racing out to second place in the Metropolitan Division thanks to an even mix of veteran and youth talent.
And while the Capitals are getting plenty of contributions from their younger players, future Hall of Fame captain Alex Ovechkin was easily on pace to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record of 894 before he suffered a broken fibula last month.
But as the incredible physical specimen that he is, Ovechkin has been working his way toward a return to action and participated in his first full practice on Friday. Could he play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday? That’s up in the air but isn’t impossible, according to head coach Spencer Carbery via NHL.com.
"We will see,” Carbery said. “Things are trending in the right direction … Another step for 'O.' I cannot say that he's in the lineup tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see how he responds to practice today and then we'll know tomorrow morning.
"We had this circled coming out of the break. Once we knew he wasn't going to play the L.A. [Kings] game (on Sunday) and the Boston [Bruins] game (on Monday), this practice was circled for a full-contact, drills where there's nine, 10 players moving around. So him taking part in that, we knew that this was going to be a big box for him check on his way back."
The Capitals are scheduled to take on the Maple Leafs from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday night.
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is on the verge of becoming the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer
Ovechkin is just 27 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 NHL goals. And his imminent return to the lineup will be a major boost to the Capitals, according to longtime teammate and fellow 2018 Stanley Cup champion Tom Wilson.
"Obviously, he was playing some of his best hockey right before the injury and he's worked really hard every day since to get back as quick as possible," Wilson said. Whenever we get him back, it's going to be a good day for the Caps. It's always nice to have that firepower in your lineup and just brings a ton to the table. He's our captain, so we wanted to try to pick up some slack while he was out, but it's always better to have in the lineup."
In the 18 games he’s played in so far this season, Ovechkin has 15 goals with 10 assists, giving him a total of 868 goals in his Hall of Fame career.
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