The Washington Capitals didn’t leave Alex Ovechkin at home for their two-game road trip against the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks this week. Ovechkin joined his teammates on their flight west and continued his participation in practice on Monday.
Ovechkin, still wearing a light blue no-contact jersey, participated in the team’s skating drills during their morning skate. According to head coach Spencer Carbery, the next step in Ovechkin’s recovery process will be skating in a regular practice sweater.
“So now he’s back integrated in the group, he’s on the road,” Carbery said pregame. “The next step would be him taking off that non-contact jersey and practicing full, which should get him into contact drills.”
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— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 16, 2024
Monday marks exactly four weeks since the Capitals captain fractured his left fibula against Utah HC. Washington initially provided a return timeline of four to six weeks, meaning Ovechkin seems on target to return to the club’s lineup before the end of December.
The Capitals have not struggled with Ovechkin on the sidelines, improving to 8-2-1 without him after defeating the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 last week. Despite missing those 11 games, Ovechkin is still tied for the team lead in goal scoring with Connor McMichael (15).
After this week’s road trip, Washington will return home for two games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings. They’ll then fly to Boston to play the Bruins before taking four days off over the Christmas holiday period.
If Ovechkin needs the full six weeks of recovery, he’d be in line to return for the team’s New Year’s Eve matinee matchup against the Bruins. Washington’s first game in 2025 is on January 2 against the Minnesota Wild.
