- Alex Ovechkin was a full participant at Capitals practice Thursday, his first complete session since the injury flared up
- Coach Spencer Carbery called it “a good step” but wouldn’t guarantee Ovechkin for Friday’s game against Boston
- Read below for where Ovechkin stands ahead of the Oct. 2 opener
Alex Ovechkin took a real step forward on Thursday.
The Capitals captain was a full participant in practice for the first time since leaving early Wednesday, a real sign for a franchise trying to have him ready for the Oct. 2 opener at Carolina. Ovechkin took every rep with his regular line alongside Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard, missing no portions of the workout.
Spencer Carbery was asked what he made of the session.
“It was a good sign,” the coach said. “Participated fully, didn’t have to take any portions off, so that’s a good step.”
Watch Ovechkin get to work Thursday morning:
Capitals beat writer Tarik El-Bashir was tracking the same practice and caught the turnaround from Wednesday, when Ovechkin barely lasted a few minutes before heading off:
Friday’s game against the Bruins is still up in the air.
“I’m not going to definitively say one way or another,” Carbery said. “There’s a chance, but I’ll talk to (athletic trainer Jason Serbus).”
Ovechkin hasn’t played a preseason game yet this fall. He dealt with something similar a year ago, missing most of training camp with a lower-body issue before returning to play all 82 regular-season games and leading Washington with 32 goals.
Getting him reps before opening night isn’t a must for Carbery.
“I’m not worried,” he said. “At this point in his career, I’m pretty sure he knows what he needs to do to get up to speed for a season opener.”
Washington wraps up its preseason Saturday in Philadelphia, then opens the regular season at Carolina on Oct. 2. Ovechkin enters the year with 929 career goals, still the most in NHL history.
