- Alex Ovechkin logged 12:46 in Washington’s 5-2 win over Carolina
- It’s the lowest ice time of his career in a game he finished healthy
- Read below for why the Capitals kept their captain’s minutes down and watch the goal he set up
Alex Ovechkin opened his 22nd NHL season with a career low.
The Capitals captain played just 12:46 in Friday’s 5-2 win over the Hurricanes in Raleigh. That’s the least ice time of his career in a game he finished without getting hurt or ejected.
We put the number out on X with the obvious question attached: is this the new normal for Ovi at 41?
Back in November 2023, a 13:49 night against the Kings set what was then his career low. Before that, the mark had stood since his rookie season, when he skated 13:53 against Carolina in his fifth NHL game.
There’s plenty of context behind Friday’s number. Ovechkin didn’t play a single preseason game after a lower-body injury in training camp, and he was only cleared in time for the opener this week.
He was asked before the game about jumping into the regular season without any exhibition reps.
“You don’t get used to it,” Ovechkin said. “Usually you still have a week or 10 days before the games start and you have more time to prepare yourself, more workouts, more ice time. But it is what it is. Nothing you can do.”
Special teams ate into his night too. Carolina drew six straight power plays in the middle of the game, and Ovechkin doesn’t kill penalties. Washington only got two power-play chances of its own.
Nothing on the scoreboard demanded much from him either. Washington scored 6:33 into the game and never trailed, with a back-to-back against Tampa Bay waiting on Saturday. Every Capitals skater logged at least 11:31, so Spencer Carbery rolled four lines all night.
Ovechkin still found the scoresheet. He picked up an assist on Alex Tuch’s opening goal, the first of two Tuch scored in his Capitals debut.
Watch the goal video:
Carbery talked earlier in the week about how he plans to handle his captain’s workload this season.
“It’s a hard thing to answer, because I expect O to be O, but I also understand where he’s at in his career, and it’s my job to help him along, whether it’s deployment, minutes, power play deployment, all that stuff,” Carbery said. “And especially early in the year, because he hasn’t played any preseason games, of making sure that I’m watching early and trying to set him up for success.”
Last season, Ovechkin averaged 17:27 a night, the lowest full-season mark of his career. He finished Friday with one assist, one shot on goal, one hit and one blocked shot.
His next chance to push those minutes back up comes Saturday night against the Lightning.
