The Capitals captain was back in the lineup following a three-game absence due to a lingering lower-body injury.
WASHINGTON — For Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, missing the last three games led to a little rust as he made his return to play on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues.
The 38-year-old said that he felt decent in his first game back, but that it took some time to get back into the swing of things.
"I feel pretty good," Ovechkin said postgame. "Obviously first couple touches was kind of weird, but I kind of dust it off my shoulders."
Ovechkin had been a game-time decision for the sixth consecutive game but was healthy enough to make his return from a lower-body injury.
He picked up an assist en route to a 5-2 win over St. Louis, marking his seventh consecutive contest with a point.
"Feel the puck, feel the game, feel the rhythm," Ovechkin added.
The Russian has been dealing with an ongoing lower-body injury. It was unrelated to the collision he had with Jordan Staal back on Jan. 5. Without Ovechkin, D.C. picked up four of six possible points, going 2-1-0.
It was encouraging for Ovecdhkin to see his team come up big without him, and the Capitals continued the trend in the right direction with a big offensive showing on Thursday. It marked the first time since Nov. 30 (22 games) that the team had scored five goals in a game.
"Finally," Ovechkin said with a grin. "It's way more fun to play that way than you're losing or tie game."
Washington was momentarily tied for a Wild Card spot after the win, but remains two points out of playoff position.