Alex Ovechkin to appear for the Washington Capitals despite dealing with a lower-body injury during training camp

Alex Ovechkin is expected to be ready for the Washington Capitals' regular season opener despite dealing with an unexpected lower-body injury during training camp. Reports suggest that the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer is on track to play in the Capitals' regular-season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on October 2, 2026.Ovechkin remained absent for three straight days before returning to practice briefly on Wednesday and going through a full practice on Thursday. However, the veteran forward participated in the morning skate on Friday. According to the NHL, Ovechkin had a commendable season as he recorded 32 goals, 32 assists, and 64 points in 82 games played for the Washington Capitals during the 2025–26 NHL regular season.Alex Ovechkin on track for Capitals’ season opener with Carolina Hurricanes despite lower-body injuryNHL captain Alex Ovechkin will appear for the Washington Capitals’ season opener despite a lower-body injury during training camp. The Capitals announced on Friday that Ovechkin will sit out their final two preseason games against the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers as a precaution, and the decision came after the 41-year-old returned to practice this week, including a full session Thursday and the morning skate Friday.As per early reports, Ovechkin had missed three consecutive days of skating before briefly returning to practice Wednesday. Although he was able to participate fully Thursday, Washington coach Spencer Carbery said the team wanted to avoid taking unnecessary risks with its captain before the regular season. But, to everyone’s surprise, the leading goal scorer is on track to play in their regular-season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes.As per the NHL, “I expect him to be ready,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Friday. “We would need a setback for him not to be ready for our opening game of the season in Carolina. We would need something to change. But I expect him to be ready.”This is not the first time Ovechkin has suffered a lower-body injury. The leading scorer suffered a similar incident at the start of training camp last season and missed the Capitals’ first four preseason games before playing in the last two. He then played in all 82 regular-season games and led Washington with 32 goals, increasing his NHL record total to 929.Apart from this, Carbery further stated, “I’m not going to sit here and say that it’s the best scenario possible for him not playing any exhibition games, but we’re making sure, without a doubt. Even if he’s 90-95, if he is not 100 percent there, what’s the sense in rushing him to play? No disrespect, we’d like to get him into a game, but it’s an exhibition game at the same time.“So we’ll give him an extra whatever the exact number of days to get himself 100 percent healthy, which is more of a priority than him getting into a little bit of game action.”It is important to note that Ovechkin signed a one-year contract extension with the club and will be entering his 22nd NHL season this year.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.