The Washington Capitals find themselves in the middle of a five-game losing streak right now, and it's not exactly surprising to see that their losing streak has coincided with the absence of Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin took an absence from the Capitals last Tuesday after the tragic passing of his father, and has not been with the team since.
That changed on Wednesday, though, as Ovechkin returned to Washington and took the ice with his teammates for practice. After suffering another tough loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, Ovechkin's return will be a welcome sight for the Capitals, and it sounds like he is preparing to return to game action as soon as Thursday night when Washington takes on the Anaheim Ducks.
“Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has returned to D.C. and joined practice Wednesday. Ovechkin has been away from the team since Feb 14, going home to Russia after the death of his father, Mikhail Ovechkin. The Capitals have told Ovechkin to take all the time he needs — especially after a long and emotional trip — but the winger is expected to return to the lineup either Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks or Saturday against the New York Rangers, sources told ESPN. Both are home games for Washington.” – Emily Kaplan, ESPN
Ovechkin's well-being after his father's passing obviously is more important, but it sounds like he is ready to go for Washington, and they obviously won't object to getting their top goalscorer on the season back. The Capitals have some work to do moving forward as a result of this untimely losing streak, but with Ovechkin set to return, they will have a decent shot at going on a run over the next few weeks.
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