Alex Ovechkin missed practice on Thursday with an upper-body injury. Ovechkin has not skated with the team since the Capitals played the Bruins on Monday night.

Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette spoke about Ovechkin’s injury after the team’s skate on Thursday. Laviolette was both optimistic and non-committal that Ovechkin would play in the Capitals’ back-to-back games over the weekend.

“Yeah, I mean, [Ovechkin] had his gear on,” Laviolette said. “He went out. He came back off so I think we’re just trying to make sure everything’s good for the weekend. So, I’m sure he would have liked to be out there today but it’s probably best to try and make sure he’s good for the weekend.”

Laviolette was asked when the injury happened. Ovechkin landed a big hit on Trent Frederic, but has seemingly not been himself over the last two weeks, notching only two assists in the last four games.

“I don’t know if it happened in Monday’s game or not,” Laviolette said. “It could be just fatigue or a wear-and-tear thing. Hopefully, it’s not major.”

Laviolette also shared that he had positive vibes that Ovi would play Saturday against the New York Islanders.

“I am. He hardly ever misses,” Laviolette said. “He had a day off yesterday so he didn’t like missing today. This is the guy in COVID protocol and played five hours later. He wants to play games.”

Not only is Ovechkin trying to maximize himself for the betterment of the team, but he’s also chasing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record of 894. Ovi currently has 754 tallies, which is 140 behind The Great One’s record total.

Ovechkin and John Carlson are the only two players on the team who have played all 37 games this season.

Screenshot: @Capitals