Alex Ovechkin was on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for the third day of Training Camp on Saturday. After some early injury concerns, he appears to be ramping up his preseason preparations.
Ovechkin took the Washington Capitals’ annual skate test after previously sitting it out because he was a little “nicked up.” The rest of his teammates took the typically grueling test on Thursday, the first on-ice day of camp.
“Yeah, he’s [feeling better],” head coach Spencer Carbery said Saturday. “That was a box that we needed to check. We wanted to wait until he was physically in a spot where he felt like he was confident to be able to do it so it was good to check that box.”
Skate test video
RMNB reader Charlie, who took the video, said it was from the middle part of the skate test where both players began tiring.
Ovechkin then remained fully on the ice with the rest of Group A for their practice. The group appears to be set to make up much of the Capitals’ roster in their first preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.
Per lines provided by NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, Ovechkin was prepared to be the extra forward in the group’s line rushes, indicating Washington likely doesn’t plan for him to play against Philadelphia. However, Ovechkin was forced into more regular duty after Mike Sgarbossa left practice before it started after taking a puck to the face while warming up.
With Sgarbossa out, Sonny Milano covered for him down the middle while Ovechkin took Milano’s spot on the left wing of the second line. Jakob Chychrun, who retook his skate test on Saturday after being ill on Thursday, and John Carlson made up the extra defense pairing.
Carbery didn’t have much news regarding Sgarbossa’s status after the skate. “He needed some work,” Carbery said. “I’ll get an update on the extent of if he’s gonna miss time or not but definitely some repairs needed.”
Washington will face off against the Flyers at 3 pm inside Capital One Arena on Sunday. The game will be each team’s preseason opener.
