Jose Theodore On Alex Ovechkin ARLINGTON, V.A. — When it comes to Alex Ovechin's play of late for the Washington Capitals, coach Spencer Carbery is cutting the captain some slack. Ovechkin has five goals in 10 games — two on the empty net — since making his return from a broken fibula [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-alex-ovechkin-recovery-broken-leg] just 40 days after the initial injury, but he and the top-6 have struggled to generate much in the way of 5-on-5 offense. For Carbery, though, Ovechkin's still getting back in the full swing of things, and also has to get back to the pace of the rest of the league, which is now past the halfway point. "It's been solid, okay," Carbery said of Ovechkin's play. "I think we really have to be careful to judge just coming back from the injury and it's harder than I think people may realize just because the rest of the league, the rest of the players are in midseason form and to miss a month and then to try to get back up and running at 39 is a lot easier said than done." Ovechkin is now skating with Pierre-Luc Dubois [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-pierre-luc-dubois-feeling-at-home-perfect-fit] on the top-6 with him and Dylan Strome lacking the same spark they started the year with. Carbery will keep Ovechkin and Dubois together as the team heads up to Ottawa to take on the Senators, as he wants to see them continue to form a connection. At the end of the day, though, Carbery is confident that Ovechkin will get back to his game and the production he started the season with, as he sits just 22 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's record. That said, it won't happen overnight. "If you look into the numbers and that stuff, that's probably what you're seeing is him getting back up to speed," Carbery said. "It's going to take some time, we know that. He probably wants that to be rushed as we do as well, but it's going to take some time."
