Alex Ovechkin was back on the Washington Capitals’ top line at practice on Friday morning in the legendary forward’s latest major step forward to active duty.
Per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, the Capitals captain participated fully in the team’s skate and was reunited with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas. The three had been playing together before Ovechkin fractured his left fibula against Utah HC on November 18.
Before leaving the lineup five weeks and four days ago, Ovechkin, Strome, and Protas formed one of the top trios in the NHL. During their five-on-five minutes, the Capitals saw 55.6 percent of the shot attempts, 53.6 percent of the expected goals, 54.6 percent of the scoring chances, and 56.2 percent of the high-danger chances. They also outscored their opposition 16-5.
Gulitti also reported that the Great Eight took his usual reps with the club’s top power-play unit. Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in power-play goals, has four markers with the Capitals up a man this season. Washington has seen success on their power play, even without Ovechkin, ranking 10th in the league with a 27.7 percent conversion rate since he left the lineup.
Jakob Chychrun’s involvement with the first unit has fueled much of that success. Since Ovechkin’s departure, he’s tied with Connor McMichael for the team lead in power-play scoring (6 points). Chychrun looks like he’ll remain with the top group, as he, Ovechkin, John Carlson, Dylan Strome, and Tom Wilson were assembled on Friday.
Ovechkin fully taking line rushes on Friday comes after he shed his no-contact jersey at the morning skate ahead of Washington’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 20.
Starting Saturday night in Toronto, the Capitals play three games in four nights, beginning against the Maple Leafs on the road. The Capitals then travel to play the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday before returning home to DC for a New Year’s Eve tilt against the Boston Bruins.
Once he re-takes the ice in a game, Ovechkin will restart his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894. The 39-year-old forward currently has 868 goals, 26 shy of The Great One’s mark. Overall, Ovechkin has 25 points (15g, 10a) in 18 games this season.
