Alex Ovechkin’s preseason didn’t go as anticipated, making his readiness for the start of the 2025-26 regular season unclear. The 40-year-old Ovechkin suffered a lower-body injury on the first day of training camp, missing the team’s first four preseason games.
Ovechkin’s first exhibition game came on October 2 against the Boston Bruins, skating on a line with Ivan Miroshnichenko and Ilya Protas. He then suited up for the team’s preseason finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, taking the ice with his most familiar linemates last season, Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome.
Ovechkin did not register a point in his two appearances, spending most of his time as a playmaker trying to set up his teammates. Individually, Ovechkin had five shots on goal, registered 10 shot attempts, and threw four hits. When he was on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals were out-attempted 23 to 20 and outscored 1-0, with the team’s expected goals percentage at 42.39 percent.
When asked if Ovechkin was up to speed ahead of the Capitals’ season opener against the Bruins on Wednesday, Caps head coach Spencer Carbery seemed positive he would, but also downplayed his expectations.
“It’s a little bit of a TBD because it’s really hard to evaluate, O, in preseason games,” Carbery said after Monday’s final training camp practice. “He’s just trying to get through those games and get some game touches, to be honest with you. Try not to get hurt and just play at a competitive level and get some shifts and reps in. So, it’s hard to evaluate.”
Throughout Ovechkin’s career, Opening Night has typically been an electrifying evening, seeing him put up huge points in victories. But since turning 37, Ovechkin has come out of the gates slow, posting no goals and only 1 assist in three games.
Alex Ovechkin’s points in the Capitals’ last 3 season openers
- 1 assist – 10/12/24 vs NJD
- 0 points – 10/13/23 vs PIT
- 0 points – 10/12/22 vs BOS
“We’ll see how it looks to begin the year, but I have the utmost confidence that he’ll be ready to go,” Carbery said. “Hopefully, his conditioning and his foot speed and all the different stuff, his puck touches, are as close to mid-season form, or he has had enough time to get him in a good spot for Opening Night.”
Ovechkin heads into his 21st career NHL season just three goals shy of becoming the first player in league history to hit the 900 mark. He is also just nine games away from playing 1,500 in his career.
