Ovechkin to return for Capitals against Maple Leafs

TORONTO -- Alex Ovechkin resumed his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record for the Washington Capitals against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

It was Ovechkin's first game since he fractured his left fibula in a collision with Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain during a 6-2 win on Nov. 18.

"I just want to come back and play hockey," Ovechkin said after the morning skate Saturday. "It was a hard month, work out, watch the games and you always want to help your teammates to win and now it's my time. Spending lots of time in the gym, bikes. All the staff have done a great job helping me recover... It was hard, but thanks to my family for the support."

The 39-year-old forward and Capitals captain participated in his first full practice since he was injured on Friday.

Washington (23-9-2) was 10-5-1 in 16 games without Ovechkin.

"The boys did a great job without me," Ovechkin said. "I don't know, they're playing well right now, so I don't know what kind of game I'm going to represent right now. Practice is one thing, but in the games it's a different speed, a different intensity, so you just have to be smart and play the right way."

Ovechkin led the NHL with 15 goals in 18 games before he ws injured, increasing his career total to 868 to move within 27 goals from breaking Gretzky’s record of 894.

“It’s incredible that magnitude of what’s going on us, and then you just see him rolling in himself and having fun just like a kid going out for recess," Capitals defenseman John Carlson said Friday. "It’s a fun feeling. It’s fun for me. I’m sure the young guys who haven’t been in the NHL too long, their heads are spinning when he’s in the room and it’s great. It’s great to have around. It’s a great achievement he’s chasing, and he’s got his biggest fans next to him.

"You can’t replace him. You can’t replace his personality, you can’t replace his presence, all that stuff. His on-ice abilities, his scoring, there’s no one like him. I’ve played with a lot of guys. There’s not one person like him.”

Washington announced Nov. 20 that Ovechkin was expected to miss 4-6 weeks, and he resumed skating lightly Dec. 2. Ovechkin rejoined the Capitals in a noncontact jersey for their morning skate prior to a 4-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 14 and was cleared for contact for their morning skate prior to a 3-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 20.

With no full practices scheduled between then and the NHL’s three-day holiday break that began Tuesday, Washington decided to wait so he could practice Friday before determining that he would play against the Maple Leafs.

Ovechkin skated Friday on the top line with Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome and worked with the first power-play unit, where he is expected to play Saturday.

"The obvious one is the goal scoring, but I even just think the threat of him be able to score, I think it lifts up our entire group," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "Him being in the lineup, his presence, his infectious personality, demeanor and him being on the ice whether it's power play, a face-off, 5-on-5, at any moment, everybody in the building along with our 19 other players believe that he can score, so I think that lifts our entire group up and just him being back in the lineup is going to be a welcomed addition."

This was the longest absence of Ovechkin’s 20-season NHL career. His longest previous layoff was six games because of an upper-body injury from Nov. 4-14, 2009.

"He's a huge piece of our team not just on the ice, but off the ice as well," Washington defenseman Rasmus Sandin said. "He's our captain and our leader, so it means a lot to have him back. He's been a great presence around the room even if he hasn't been in the lineup the past few weeks. He's still been spreading good energy and cheering guys on."

Though the Capitals lead the Eastern Conference with a .706 points percentage, their offensive production has slowed without Ovechkin. Washington led the NHL in scoring with 4.33 goals per game and was first in the League with 59 goals 5-on-5 in 18 games before Ovechkin was injured. In 16 games without Ovechkin, the Capitals are tied with the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights for 18th in the NHL with 2.94 goals per game and scored a League-low 25 goals 5-on-5.

"I felt like when he first went out, there was a little bit of a dip from our group and then we were able to recover pretty quickly and get on a good little run," Carbery said. "It felt like the slack was being picked up by not just a couple players, it was a group effort... I think it was a shared responsibility, but you could feel it and know you are just sort of waiting for the day and the game when he's going to come back in the lineup. He's our captain, he's the greatest goal-scorer of all-time, so for him to come back into our lineup, it will be a good boost."

Ovechkin has 44 goals in 60 career games against Toronto, including 24 in 29 games at Scotiabank Arena.

"Watching him from afar whether I'm coaching or just watching, he really loves the game and loves to score goals and he can score goals in a lot of different ways," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said of Ovechkin. "You could be right on him and he gets his stick on that puck, it could go in. He's obviously one of the best goal-scorers of all-time, we all know that. We're going to have to be on him, be tight to him. You can be this far away and he can shoot it in the net."

NHL.com senior writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report