Capitals coach Alex Ovechkin could return against the Maple Leafs

ARLINGTON, Va. – Alex Ovechkin’s hunt for Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career scoring record should resume very soon.

Signs point to Ovechkin returning to the Washington Capitals’ lineup Saturday night at the Toronto Maple Leafs after missing five weeks with a broken left leg. Ovechkin skated with starters Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas and took part in power play drills at practice on Friday.

Coach Spencer Carbery said things were moving in the right direction for Ovechkin but wanted to see how the 39-year-old emerged from a full workout before making a decision on Saturday.

Ovechkin led the league with 15 goals in 18 games before getting injured last month. He is now just 27 away from breaking Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals, once considered unapproachable.

The veteran winger and longtime Capitals captain could make it before the end of this season if he resumes the pace he was at before a Nov. 18 collision with Utah’s Jack McBain resulted in a broken fibula.

Washington won 10 of the 15 games Ovechkin missed and is in second place in the Eastern Conference after the Christmas break.

“There’s the colossal void, but there’s also a lot of opportunity for people who otherwise wouldn’t be there when he’s on this team,” longtime teammate and fellow 2018 Stanley Cup champion John Carlson said earlier this month. “Of course, when someone is out, it’s always a bit of a catch-up game where the boys have to step up, the boys have to step in and play bigger roles and more minutes. But I think there’s depth in the way our team is built, and it’s been that way. Our strength this year is the contributions of everyone involved.”

Ovechkin has missed just 50 games due to injury in his 20 seasons in the NHL, tremendous stamina for a physical player that allowed him to break Gretzky’s record.

“He doesn’t go out and just walk around,” winger Tom Wilson said recently. “He played every shift for 20 years, rushing guys and skating. He’s a power forward, maybe the leading scorer of all time, and he’s a power forward who plays the game really hard.”

After playing the Leafs, the Capitals visit the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday for the second half of their back-to-back game before returning home to face the Boston Bruins on New Year’s Eve.