Ovechkin has been dealing with a lower-body injury he suffered last week when the Capitals played the Hurricanes.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals managed to find a way to get the job done against the New York Rangers without their captain on Saturday, but there's a possibility that he could return on Sunday.
Head coach Spencer Carbery said postgame that there is an "outside chance" that Ovechkin will play for the Capitals to close out their home-and-home with the Rangers.
"It's an outside chance, but there is a chance," Carbery said, adding, "To my knowledge, (he is making the trip)."
Ovechkin did not play after being listed as a game-time decision due to a lower-body injury.
The 38-year-old was hurt back on Jan. 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes when he collided with Jordan Staal and appeared to injure his left leg late in the third period. He had finished that game but would miss four of the next five practices while being a game-time decision for the following three games. Saturday marked the first game he missed.
Washington was left without their top scorer in Ovechkin, who is also enjoying a six-game points streak, on Saturday, but still managed a 3-2 victory over a struggling New York team.
For the Capitals, not having Ovechkin was difficult, but it was a wake-up call that forced them to put in an extra effort, and it paid off with Nic Dowd and T.J. Oshie powering a third-period comeback for two crucial points.
"Yeah, I think everybody's got no excuses. We all gotta pick up the slack somewhere," John Carlson said after the victory. "And I think sometimes that can galvanize a group a little bit just to fight for each other even that much more."
Washington faces New York at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. Carbery will have a clearer update on Ovechkin's status at 10:45 a.m. ET.