Alex Ovechkin’s return to game action is coming soon according to a report from The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.
Lebrun says that Ovechkin “will potentially return either for one game just before the holiday break or should be ready to go for games coming out of the break.”
That timeline would put Ovechkin back on the ice December 23 against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden — the second game of a back-to-back that sees Washington play the Los Angeles Kings at home the night before. The first Capitals’ game after the holiday break is against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on December 28. If true, Ovechkin would miss 15 or 16 games in a row due to injury — the most in his career consecutively.
The Capitals have remained hot despite Ovechkin exiting the lineup going 8-3-1 in the last 12 games. The winning has come despite needing multiple comebacks and being on the road for seven of those games.
Ovechkin was originally hurt on November 18 against the Utah Hockey Club, fracturing his fibula after leg-to-leg contact with Jack McBain.
Ovechkin, who never needed crutches for the injury, first returned to the ice on December 2, only two weeks after the bone break. He re-joined his teammates for practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Saturday, wearing a light blue non-contact jersey. He’s currently traveling with the team on their two-game road trip, which concludes tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks.
At the time of his injury, Ovechkin scored a league-leading 15 goals in 18 games, registering the highest goals-per-game mark of his career in a single season. Despite being out the last month, Ovechkin still leads the Capitals in goals, sitting tied in the top spot with Connor McMichael.
