After Alex Ovechkin picked up an injury late into the regular season, there was some concern from the Washington Capitals that their team leader and superstar forward would be unavailable for the NHL Playoffs. With a big matchup against the regular-season champion Florida Panthers looming, getting Ovechkin back onto the ice is crucial for the Caps. Ahead of Game 1, Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette revealed Ovechkin has been cleared to return and will take the ice on Tuesday, via Tom Gulitti.

That's a huge relief for the Capitals, who are already major underdogs in the clash with Florida. If Ovechkin were unable to suit up, it'd be a brutal blow for Washington. Fortunately, it seems that the 36-year-old will be on the ice with his teammates Tuesday night, making his much-needed return from the upper-body injury that cost him the final three games of the regular season.

In 2021-22, Ovechkin recorded 90 points, scoring 50 goals and distributing 40 assists. It was the first time since 2018-19 that Ovi had reached the 50-goal marker, and the ninth time in his esteemed career that he managed the feat.

In addition to the return of Ovechkin, Laviolette revealed Washington will deploy Vitek Vanecek as the starting goaltender for Game 1. Laviolette had yet to decide whether he would elect to utilize Vanecek or Ilya Samsonov as the starting goalie for the playoffs, but his decision has come down on Tuesday. Both goalies started 39 games in the regular season, but neither did enough to truly emerge as the everyday starter between the sticks.

With Ovechkin back on the ice and Vanecek in net, the Capitals will look to stage a massive upset in Game 1 on the road against the Panthers.