The NHL world is still soaked in the record-breaking feat of Alex Ovechkin. The legendary Capitals star broke Wayne Gretzky’s record of the most goals scored in the league by scoring his 895th goal. The entire stadium erupted in celebration as Ovechkin hit the puck past the goal line against the Islanders. Subsequently, Ovechkin was also honored on the ice in a special ceremony. Days after that memorable incident, there was a big update surrounding his participation in the upcoming games.
The Capitals sit comfortably at the top of the Metropolitan Division and have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, they would look to build on the positive momentum going into the next round. They would have to do that without their star player, as Ovechkin is set to miss the upcoming game against the Blue Jackets today.
However, there are no injury concerns for Alex Ovechkin, and he has just taken a game off after achieving the record-breaking feat. Ethen Frank will replace him in the lineup, while Dylan McIlrath will come out for Alex Alexeyev to draw in. Apart from Ovechkin, Jakob Chychrun will also miss the game against the Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, in the goalkeeping department, Hunter Shepard is set to start.
Alex Ovechkin will NOT play for the Caps today in Columbus. Just taking a game off, no concerns. Ethen Frank draws in. Jakob Chychrun remains out, but Dylan McIlrath will come out for Alex Alexeyev to draw in. Hunter Shepard starts in net
— Bailey Johnson (@BaileyAJohnson_) April 12, 2025
Meanwhile, Ovechkin has already started his preparations for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Recently, he made a bold comment regarding this, saying, “This is the time of year when you have to prepare yourself before big games. I tried to set the tone and I think the boys followed.” With the mood positive in the Capitals camp, their coach, Spencer Carbery, sounded confident about the team’s Stanley Cup chances.
Beyond Alex Ovechkin, Capitals coach impressed by the team’s comeback skills
In their recent game against the Hurricanes, the Capitals narrowly won 5-4. It was a seesaw battle, with the Capitals coming back from 2-1 down to prevail in the dying stages of the game. As a result, their coach, Carbery, was impressed by the team’s comeback skills ahead of the playoffs.
He said, “Yeah, that’s as good a period as we’ve had in a while since I can remember. So that was good. Gets us back in the game. The power-play goal in the first was huge because we were searching for it a bit. We started to play a little bit better at the end, but we needed something to get that game tightened up, and that goal to get it to 2-1 was a big moment in the game.”
With Alex Ovechkin absent from today’s game against the Blue Jackets, the Capitals are 2-0 down in the first period. However, with Carbery highlighting the team’s comeback skills, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team coming from behind to win games and continue the winning momentum ahead of the playoffs.
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