The Capitals captain's injury does not involve his collision with Staal, per Carbery.
The Washington Capitals got some encouraging news on the Alex Ovechkin front on Wednesday, as the captain is expected to be back in the mix sooner rather than later.
Head coach Spencer Carbery said on the Sports Junkies that Ovechkin's return to the lineup is imminent and will be either Thursday when the Capitals close out their home stand against the St. Louis Blues, or Saturday in St. Louis to kick off a four-game road swing.
He also added that the ailment dates back further than Jan. 5, when he was hurt after colliding with Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal late in the third period.
"This is a different situation," Carbery said on the radio.
Ovechkin has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury and has been a game-time decision for the last five contests, having played through two of them. He took part in Tuesday's morning skate and got some work in on Wednesday as well.
Washington is one point out of a Wild Card spot with the All-Star break around the corner, and has won two of three games without the 38-year-old in the lineup.
Still, having Ovechkin back sooner rather than later will be a boost for the team. He has just eight goals this season, but has still found other ways to contribute and leads the team with 27 points in 39 games so far.
The Russian is in his 19th NHL season and has 828 career goals. He needs just 67 more to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time record. After this season, Ovechkin will have two years left on his contract.