According to The Athletic‘s Pierre LeBrun, the Washington Capitals will reportedly have their captain and legend Alex Ovechkin back with them. He is traveling with the team and skating before practices. However, he is expected to return to action later this month. The exact date is unknown but is believed to be right before or after the holiday break.
Ovechkin broke his leg less than a month ago and was expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. This is the longest injury layoff of his career. Ovechkin did not need crutches with the injury and was skating two weeks afterward.
If LeBrun is correct, Ovechkin could be back for the December 23 game in Boston against the Bruins, or on December 28 in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. He has yet to participate in a regular practice and will require one or more non-contact practices before playing a game.
Spencer Carbery said that Ovechkin will need at least one non-contact practice and “probably multiple” before they put him back in the game.#ALLCAPS
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) December 17, 2024
The Washington Capitals Are Doing Well Without Alex Ovechkin
Of course, the team is eager to get Ovechkin back. However, they have managed well in his absence of 15-16 games. In the last 12 games, the Capitals are 8-3-1.
It has not been an easy stretch for the team. Comebacks were necessary, and seven of the games were on the road.
The Capitals are in first place in the Metropolitan Division with a 21-7-2 record (44 points). The New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes are immediately behind them with 20-10-3 (43 points) and 19-10-1 records (39 points), respectively.
Through the NHL’s odd scheduling model, the Capitals do not face the Devils again during the 2024-2025 regular season. They have two games left with the Hurricanes, one on Friday, December 20, that Ovechkin will most likely not play in, and another on April 10, seven days before the end of the regular season.
