Alex Ovechkin set to return from broken leg, will play vs. Maple Leafs

The Washington Capitals will be welcoming back Alex Ovechkin with open arms on Saturday night, when the sniper makes his return to the lineup against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

Ovechkin has been out since Nov.18, after suffering a broken leg, and while the Capitals have managed just fine without him, their excited for a huge boost to their lineup.

“We had this circled coming out of the break. Once we knew he wasn’t going to play the L.A. [Kings] game (on Sunday) and the Boston [Bruins] game (on Monday), this practice was circled for a full-contact, drills where there’s nine, 10 players moving around. So him taking part in that, we knew that this was going to be a big box for him check on his way back.” - Capitals coach Spencer Carbery to NHL.com

The Capitals went 10-5-1 in 16 games (23-9-2) without Ovechkin. He led the NHL with 15 goals in 18 games before he was injured, increasing his career total to 868 to move within 27 goals from breaking Gretzky’s League record of 894.

“It’s incredible that magnitude of what’s going on us and then you just see him rolling in himself and having fun just like a kid going out for recess," Capitals defenseman John Carlson said via NHL.com. "It’s a fun feeling. It’s fun for me. I’m sure the young guys who haven’t been in the NHL too long, their heads are spinning when he’s in the room and it’s great. It’s great to have around. It’s a great achievement he’s chasing, and he’s got his biggest fans next to him.

"You can’t replace him. You can’t replace his personality, you can’t replace his presence, all that stuff. His on-ice abilities, his scoring, there’s no one like him. I’ve played with a lot of guys. There’s not one person like him.”

Ovechkin has lit up the Maple Leafs throughout his career, scoring 44 goals in 60 career games against Toronto, including 24 in 29 games at Scotiabank Arena.

The Gr8 Chase continues tonight! 🦅

Catch Alex Ovechkin's return to the @Capitals' lineup TONIGHT at 7p ET on @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+! pic.twitter.com/dGzUqRm9zS
— NHL (@NHL) December 28, 2024