📸: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
Alex Ovechkin missed the 76th game of his career and 17th of the 2024-25 season on Saturday. The Washington Capitals captain did not travel with the club to suit up against the Blue Jackets in Columbus.
Though, the 39-year-old winger didn’t take the full day off. Per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Ovechkin skated with injured goaltender Logan Thompson back home at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
“It’s been a lot for [Ovechkin], a lot of people in town staying at his house from Russia for the festivities,” Kaplan said during the ESPN telecast on ABC. “So, he is actually going to get on the ice today with Logan Thompson – there’s a bit of news: [Thompson’s] making a step in his recovery. The expectation is that Ovechkin will play tomorrow at home, and then after that, for the last two games, both on the road, I think they’re going to take it on a game-by-game basis.
“If he’s not feeling 100 percent, they’re not going to push their captain because they want him to be fully rested for the playoffs. Remember, this team has already locked up the number-one seed in the East.”
The Capitals will host the Blue Jackets in the second half of a home-and-home back-to-back on Sunday. They’ll then finish their regular season with two games away from Capital One Arena against the New York Islanders on Tuesday and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
After breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record last Sunday, Ovechkin and the Caps seem to have chosen rest over trying to pursue another 50-goal season or the 900-goal mark this year. Ovechkin, who was present at “The Gr8 City Celebration” in DC on Friday, is second on the team in scoring this season with 70 points (42g, 28a) in 62 games.
Ovechkin’s skating partner, Thompson, is skating for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 2. He has missed the past four games after being pulled from that game to start the second period.
The Calgary native has posted a 31-6-6 record this season with a 2.49 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and two shutouts. Thompson had been poor in recent games before going down injured, losing 6 of his last 15 appearances and posting a 3.05 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage.
Hunter Shepard, recalled from the AHL’s Hershey Bears after Thompson’s injury, started in place of him on Saturday in Columbus, giving up six goals on just 16 shots through two periods.
