- Alex Ovechkin missed all four preseason games with a lower-body injury
- The Capitals captain gave his status for Friday’s opener in Carolina
- Read below for the video and what Ovechkin said about the short camp
Alex Ovechkin will be in the lineup when the Capitals open their season Friday.
The 41-year-old confirmed Wednesday that he’s ready to face the Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes in Raleigh after sitting out the entire preseason with a lower-body injury. He also cleared up when it happened. Ovechkin said he got hurt during training camp, not over the summer.
Katie Adler of RMNB passed along the news right after practice:
Ovechkin was asked how he feels heading into Game 1. He admitted it might take a bit to find his legs.
“Of course, maybe it’s going to be hard the first couple of games because I didn’t play in preseason games and my training the last week was not what I expected and how I expected it,” Ovechkin said. “But overall, I feel fine.”
Catch Ovechkin’s full media availability video from Wednesday:
Washington kept him off the ice for three straight days last week. He’s been a full participant in practice since last Thursday, but the Caps held him out of their final two exhibition games as a precaution.
Sitting out wasn’t fun for him. He still understood the call.
“I feel okay, but it sucks that I miss games,” he said. “But it is always better to feel healthy during the year than to get some more injury in the preseason.”
A shorter camp didn’t help either. Training camp ran about a week shorter this fall and the preseason got cut to four games. Ovechkin said you never really get used to it, with less time for workouts and ice time before the games start counting.
Nothing changed at practice Wednesday. Ovechkin skated on the top line with Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard and stayed on the first power-play unit.
Sammi Silber of The Hockey News posted the full practice lines:
Head coach Spencer Carbery was asked what he expects from his captain without any preseason games under his belt. He plans to watch Ovechkin’s minutes early, but he isn’t worried.
“I expect O to be O,” Carbery said. “He’ll be flying out there and full of energy and jump and leading the charge.”
Last fall played out almost the same way. A lower-body injury cost Ovechkin the first four preseason games, and he went on to play all 82 regular-season games with a team-high 32 goals and 64 points.
There’s no easing in, either. The Caps play in Carolina on Friday and then visit John Carlson and the Lightning in Tampa on Saturday. Ovechkin talked about how much the first two games matter.
“If you ask any questions to anybody, the start is very important for us mentally-wise and we’re not going to have an easy schedule at the beginning,” he said.
He opens his 22nd NHL season sitting on 929 career goals.
