Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is ‘trending in the right direction’ toward a return from a fractured left fibula, but coach Spencer Carbery wasn’t ready to commit to him playing in Saturday’s game.
‘We’ll have to wait and see how he responds to practice today,’ Carbery told reporters after Friday’s practice, ‘and we’ll know tomorrow morning.’
The Capitals are visiting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday in the start of a two-game trip.
Ovechkin, who’s chasing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goal record, took part in a full practice Friday at the Capitals’ facility, skating on his regular line with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas.
He hasn’t played since he was injured on Nov. 18.
Here’s what to know about Alex Ovechkin’s injury:
When will Alex Ovechkin return?
The Capitals are waiting until Saturday’s morning skate to decide whether he’ll return that night. They want to see how he feels after Friday’s full practice. The Capitals play Saturday at Toronto and Sunday at Detroit.
When was Alex Ovechkin injured?
Ovechkin was felled by an inadvertent leg-on-leg hit from Utah Hockey Club defenseman Jack McBain during a Nov. 18 game. He was unable to return and was diagnosed with a fractured leg three days later. The Capitals said he would be out four to six weeks, so a return this weekend would place him just past the middle of that timeline.
Where does Alex Ovechkin stand in his rehab?
He had been working his way back to the lineup since Dec. 2, first doing a light skate in a track suit, then adding intensity to his on-ice work and eventually joining the team in practice for non-contact drills. He accompanied the team on a two-game road trip before the break and was cleared for contact last week.
How many games has Alex Ovechkin missed?
Ovechkin has missed 16 games. The Capitals lost the first two games without him then went on a 8-0-1 run before losing the next two. Their record without Ovechkin is 10-5-1. They entered Friday’s games in second place in the Metropolitan Division and three points out of the league lead.
How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have?
He has 868 career goals, leaving him 27 goals shy of breaking Gretzky’s record of 894, which has stood since 1999.
Ovechkin had been the NHL’s hottest player at the time of his injury. He had 15 goals in 18 games and five in two games before he was hurt.
If he returns in Toronto, he would have 48 games left in the regular season. If he misses getting the record this season, he has another year left on his contract.
This story has been updated with new information.