The Caps remained in the New York City metro area this weekend after Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Devils in Newark. They take on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night and held practice this morning across the river at Prudential Center. The big news? Forward Alex Ovechkin was wearing his red – i.e. contact – practice jersey. So is he playing for the first time since Nov. 1?
“We’ll see tomorrow,” Ovechkin told reporters in New Jersey on Monday. “I feel good, excited. Again, we’ll see tomorrow how I’m going to feel.”
Ovechkin was on the top line with center Nicklas Backstrom and right wing Chris Clark – who replaced the injured Mike Knuble, out three-to-four weeks with a broken finger. Neither defenseman Milan Jurcina (hamstring) nor forward Boyd Gordon (back) practiced on Monday. Forward Tomas Fleischmann – seven goals in nine games – dropped to the third line with Mathieu Perreault and Matt Bradley. The fourth line was David Steckel, Eric Fehr and Quintin Laing.
“I think he’s fine,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau about Ovechkin. “I haven’t got the 100-percent word yet [from trainer Greg Smith]. But he practiced today and there’s a good probablity of it happening.”
