The Washington Capitals will play their first game since the All-Star break on Tuesday, and it’s likely they’ll also get back their best player.
Alex Ovechkin, who missed the team’s final game before the All-Star break and then couldn’t make the trip to Las Vegas due to COVID-19, has tested out of the NHL’s protocols. Ovechkin appeared at the team’s morning skate Tuesday and could make his return Tuesday against Columbus.
“I think it depends on how he feels,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said on Monday about Ovechkin playing Tuesday. “I would imagine only being out for six days, he’d want to jump back in there.”
However, “The Great 8” will have to miss at least one more game due to COVID-19, as Ovechkin can’t travel to Montreal for the Capitals’ tilt against the Canadiens due to Canada’s travel restrictions.
The Capitals (25-13-9) enter the second half of the season in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. With 59 points, the Capitals trail the Hurricanes (65), Rangers (64) and Penguins (62) in the division.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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