Alex Ovechkin will miss final two Capitals preseason games, expected to be ready for Oct. 2 opener vs. Carolina

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery confirmed that Alex Ovechkin will not play in the team’s final two preseason games as the forward recovers from a lower-body injury. The announcement comes as Washington prepares for its regular-season start in Carolina, where Ovechkin is expected to be available for the Oct. 2 opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, beginning at 7 p.m. ET, according to NHL game and broadcast information listed by the league.

Carbery’s comments were framed as a precautionary measure rather than a change in expectations for the season opener. He said, “I expect him to be ready,” adding that Washington would require a setback for Ovechkin not to play in the team’s opening game in Carolina, and that no such change is currently expected.

The league reported that Ovechkin had been held out of skating for three straight days before returning briefly to practice on Wednesday. He then went through a full practice on Thursday and participated in the morning skate on Friday. Despite that participation, Washington decided to be cautious and keep him out of exhibition games in the final stretch of the preseason.

Per the NHL’s report, Ovechkin will miss Washington’s home exhibition game against the Boston Bruins on Friday, as well as the Capitals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Carbery said the decision was about being careful with the recovery timeline.

The NHL also noted that Ovechkin dealt with a lower-body injury at the start of training camp last season, a situation that led him to miss the Capitals’ first four preseason games before returning for the final two. In that later regular season, he played in all 82 games and led Washington with 32 goals, bringing his NHL all-time total to 929 goals, as outlined by the league in the same update.

In addressing the balance between exhibition-game work and readiness for the regular season, Carbery acknowledged that the situation is not ideal because Ovechkin will not play at all in this preseason. However, he emphasized that the priority is ensuring Ovechkin is healthy for the start of the regular season and that rushing into an exhibition game would not be appropriate if he is not fully ready. Carbery said they would provide an additional amount of time, “whatever the exact amount of days,” to get him to 100 percent health rather than aiming for game action that would not outweigh the health consideration.

With the next confirmed step for Ovechkin being the Oct. 2 regular-season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington’s preseason schedule concludes with the Flyers game on Saturday. The league’s information listed the Oct. 2 start time as 7 p.m. ET, with regional and national broadcast designations noted by NHL.com for the opener.

For fans looking toward the first game, the key confirmation in this update is that Ovechkin’s status is expected to be ready for Washington’s regular-season debut, while his preseason participation will be limited to practice activity rather than game action in the final two exhibition contests.