ARLINGTON, VA — The Capitals have gone without the services of captain Alex Ovechkin through most of training camp, but they’re optimistic he could soon make a return. Ovechkin continued his recovery from a lower-body injury on Tuesday, skating as a full participant in practice for the second day in a row.
Ovechkin won’t be in the lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, but head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t rule out the possibility that he’d be ready for the team’s next tilt, a home game against the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
“Let’s put that at hopeful,” Carbery said of Ovechkin’s status.
After leaving his first on-ice session of camp early on September 18, Ovechkin began skating on his own again on September 23. He practiced with the team in a no-contact jersey on Saturday, donned a regular jersey for a skills session on Sunday, and fully rejoined practice as a full participant on Monday.
“It feels good,” Ovechkin said Monday. “Obviously I need more practice, more ice time with the boys, because obviously what I missed is hitting me a little bit, but overall I’ll take it.”
Spencer Carbery has indicated his desire to get Ovechkin into two exhibition games before Opening Night on October 8. After Tuesday’s contest in Columbus, the team will have just a pair of games left in its preseason schedule, facing the Bruins on Thursday and the Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Nic Dowd also took part in Tuesday morning’s practice, skating with his teammates for the first time since taking time away from camp for personal/family reasons on September 23. He previously returned on Monday for an individual session with skills coach Kenny McCudden.
Sonny Milano, who was absent with an upper-body injury on Monday, was back on the ice Tuesday ahead of the non-game group practice. While Carbery indicated that, since Milano was back in a regular jersey, he “looks good to me,” Milano did not fully return to practice. Instead, he skated briefly with the team’s goaltenders but left before the session began, which the Capitals indicated was a normal part of his progression back.
Milano’s current ailment is not related to the upper-body injury that limited him to just three games in 2024-25.
With just over a week remaining before Opening Night, the Capitals will play their last away game of the preseason on Thursday in Columbus at 7 pm.
