Ovechkin could return to the Capitals at the Maple Leafs on Saturday

ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin could continue his hunt for Wayne Gretzky’s NHL scoring record when the Washington Capitals visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday (7:00 p.m. ET; CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, NHLN, MNMT2).

It would be Ovechkin’s first game since the Capitals forward broke his left fibula in a collision with Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain during a 6-2 win on Nov. 18.

On Friday, the 39-year-old took part in his first full practice with Washington since his injury.

“We’ll see,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said of Ovechkin’s status Saturday. “Things are going in the right direction… Another step for ‘O.'” I can’t say he’ll be in the squad tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see how he reacts to training today and then we’ll know tomorrow morning.

“We had this problem coming out of the break. When we knew he wouldn’t play the LA (Kings) game (on Sunday) and the Boston (Bruins) game (on Monday), that practice was zoned for a full-contact drill with nine or ten players moving around . Since he took part in it, we knew this would be a big task for him on the way back.”

Washington (23-9-2) is 10-5-1 in 16 games without Ovechkin. He led the NHL with 15 goals in 18 games before getting injured, increasing his career tally to 868, putting him just 27 goals away from Gretzky’s league record of 894.

“It’s unbelievable the magnitude of what’s coming, and then you see him rolling around and having fun, just like a kid going to recess,” Capitals defenseman John Carlson said. “It’s a funny feeling.” I enjoy it. I’m sure the young guys who haven’t been in the NHL too long will have their heads spinning when he’s in the room, and that’s great. It’s great to be here. It is a great success that he is aiming for and he has his biggest fans by his side.

“You can’t replace him. You can’t replace his personality, you can’t replace his presence, all that stuff. His skills on the ice, his points, there is no one like him. I played with a lot of boys. There is no one like him.”

Washington announced on November 20 that Ovechkin was expected to be out for four to six weeks and resumed skating on December 2. Ovechkin returned to the Capitals in a non-contact jersey for morning skates before a 4-2 win against the Buffalo Sabers on December 14th and received one before a 3-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 20th Contact release for her morning skate.

With no full practices scheduled between that point and the NHL’s three-day holiday break that began Tuesday, Washington decided to wait so he could practice Friday before determining whether he will play against the Maple Leafs.

Ovechkin skated in his previous spot leading the Capitals on Friday with Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome and worked with the first power play unit.

This was the longest absence of Ovechkin’s 20-year NHL career. His longest break to date lasted six games from November 4th to 14th, 2009 due to an upper body injury.

“Obviously he was playing his best hockey right before the injury and has worked hard every day since then to get back as quickly as possible,” Washington forward Tom Wilson said. “Whenever we get him back, it will be a good day for the Caps. It’s always nice to have that firepower in the lineup and just brings a lot to the table. He’s our captain so we wanted to try and get some loose while he was out, but it’s always better to have him in the lineup.”

Although the Capitals lead the Eastern Conference with a .706 points percentage, their offensive production has slowed without Ovechkin. Washington led the NHL with 4.33 goals per game and was first in the league with 59 goals at 5-on-5 in 18 games before Ovechkin was injured. In 16 games without Ovechkin, the Capitals are tied for 18th in the NHL with the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights, averaging 2.94 goals per game and a league-low 25 goals at 5-on-5.

“I’ve talked about it a couple of times that in various places where he wasn’t in our lineup, the points scored, and sometimes the lack of them, was noticeable,” Carbery said. That means we got off to the hot start, which we had, but I also think there’s always some potential when he’s on the ice and sitting on our bench and taking shifts with the puck in the back of the net.

Ovechkin has scored 44 goals in 60 career games against Toronto, including 24 in 29 games at Scotiabank Arena. If Ovechkin plays on Saturday, Carlson wouldn’t be surprised to see Ovechkin score again against the Maple Leafs.

“With these big games throughout the year, it doesn’t seem to matter when it’s happening, whether it’s the first game of the year, the 42nd game or the 35th game tomorrow,” Carlson said. “Whatever it is, he always seems to have a knack for scoring goals. He will score in a big game.”