Alex Ovechkin's return to game action appears imminent.
According to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti, the Washington Capitals captain skated on his regular line next to Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas for at least a portion of practice on Friday ahead of a Saturday tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet+).
“We will see," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said, according to Monumental Sports Network's Tarik El-Bashir, about Ovechkin playing against the Leafs. "Things are trending in the right direction. Cannot say he is in the lineup tomorrow. We’ll have to see how he responds to practice today. We’ll know tomorrow morning.”
Ovechkin suffered a fractured left fibula on Nov. 18 in a collision with Utah's Jack McBain. He was a full participant in practice on Dec. 20 after an initial return timeline of four to six weeks.
Ovechkin recorded 15 goals and 25 points in 18 games before the injury. He now has 868 career NHL goals as he draws near to Wayne Gretzky (894) for the all-time record.
The Capitals sit second in the Metropolitan Division at 23-9-2 despite playing nearly half their games without Ovechkin.
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