Washington Capitals fans should keep their expectations of Alex Ovechkin's availability for Wednesday's season-opening game against the New York Rangers in check. The Russian sniper is considered questionable as of the moment, with Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette not giving much about the potential of Ovechkin's real status.

Asked about Ovechkin's availability against the Rangers, coach Peter Laviolette said, “Anything's possible,” but was awaiting further evaluation.

“Certainly a positive sign that he's out there,” Laviolette said while Ovechkin was skating. “We'll do what's best for the player and make sure that they're healthy and we won't put them in any situations where they might be jeopardized out there. But obviously it's great to see him out there.”

The Capitals superstar suffered a lower-body injury during the preseason finale against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 8 when he got hit by Travis Konecny.

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Although the injury is not considered a serious one, an absence by Ovechkin would mean that the Capitals won't have the familiar duo of Ovi and Nicklas Backstrom on the ice for the team's first game of the 2021-22 NHL season. Backstrom had just been placed on the long-term injured reserve by the Caps, so he'll be out of action for at least the initial 10 games of Washington this season.

If Ovechkin gets ultimately ruled out for the Rangers game, the Capitals might elevate Anthony Mantha to the top line alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. Ovi's next chance to make his season debut will be on Oct. 16 at home against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, Tampa Bay Lightning.