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Alex Ovechkin hasn't played a game for the Washington Capitals since breaking his left fibula in a game against the Utah Hockey Club on November 18 — but The Great Eight is getting close to a return.
Ovechkin joined his teammates for practice on Saturday, The Hockey News' Sammi Silber confirmed. The 39-year-old began Saturday's morning skate working on skills with coach Kenny McCudden in a non-contact jersey before joining his teammates later on.
The Russian superstar didn't stay out for the entire practice, but it is still a massive step in No. 8's recovery. Although head coach Spencer Carbery said Ovechkin's timeline hasn't changed — his original diagnosis was four-to-six weeks — him being on the ice for practice means a return is at least getting close.
Carbery confirmed the team isn't targeting any specific date for a return, and it's unclear whether Ovechkin will travel with the Capitals on their two-game road trip through Dallas and Chicago early next week.
If the timeline holds true, Ovechkin should return to the lineup at some point near the end of December or early January. Since he's already joined the team, it'll likely be closer to the former.
Despite Ovechkin's absence, the Caps have been continuing to surge. They're up to a sparkling 20-6-2, good enough for first place in the Eastern Conference and just one point back of the Winnipeg Jets in the President's Trophy race.
Capitals continue to excel even without Alex Ovechkin
Washington remains one of the premier teams in the National Hockey League in 2024-25; the Capitals have won three games in a row and seven of eight dating back to November 25.
The squad swept a three-game road trip this week, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 at Scotiabank Arena before doubling up the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 at the Bell Centre the next night. Most recently, the Capitals edged out the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in overtime, with Aliaksei Protas scoring both goals in the tight victory.
With that, the Capitals have won 10 consecutive road games, and just look unbeatable away from Capital One Arena. The 10 straight wins is a franchise record and tied for the seventh longest streak in NHL history; Washington has outscored its opponents 48-21 in that span, per NHL.com's Craig Merz.
“It’s been fun so far,” Protas said after Thursday's triumph. “We’ve got a great group of guys who compete for each other, fight for each other. We don't give up, even when we’re down by two or by one. We just continue to play our game and we know in the end of the day, we’ve got to be patient and we'll find a way to win the game, so that's what we're doing so far, and we’ve got to keep it rolling.”
The Capitals will look to keep the good times rolling on Saturday against a Buffalo Sabres team that has lost eight straight games. Puck drops in the nation's capital just past 7:00 p.m. ET.
