ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin skated by himself before Washington Capitals practice on Monday as he works to return from a broken leg.
Ovechkin wore a tracksuit and a helmet with stick in hand but no hockey gear during his light workout. It was not immediately clear if it was his first time back on the ice since the injury.
Coach Spencer Carbery is expected to address Ovechkin's progress following practice.
The 39-year-old longtime captain broke his left fibula in a shin-on-shin collision with Utah’s Jack McBain on Nov. 18. After initially being listed as week to week with a lower left leg injury, Ovechkin after further examination was ruled out for four to six weeks, with the team saying surgery would not be required.
That timeline would put Ovechkin in line to play again sometime in late December or early January.
Ovechkin scored 15 goals in his first 18 games before getting injured to move 27 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record. His next against a different goaltender will be his 179th, also setting a league record and breaking a tie with Jaromir Jagr.
The Capitals have won four in a row since losing their first two without Ovechkin. They are first in the Eastern Conference about a quarter of the way through the season.
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