Alex Ovechkin was absent from Washington’s Monday practice with a lower-body injury, leaving his preseason availability unsettled as the Capitals work through the final stretch of camp.
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Ovechkin is listed day to day, and Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said the club will use the coming practices to determine whether the 41-year-old left wing gets into any exhibition action. The veteran is heading into his 22nd NHL season.
Before the injury concern, Ovechkin had been skating alongside Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard in camp. Carbery said Washington’s day off, followed by two practice sessions, should provide a clearer picture of when — and how often — Ovechkin could play.
Washington’s preseason slate includes a Monday meeting with the Philadelphia Flyers in Hershey, Pennsylvania, at 7 p.m. ET. The Capitals then host the Boston Bruins on Friday before visiting Philadelphia on Saturday.
In Toronto, Morgan Rielly returned to the Maple Leafs’ main practice group after a virus kept him out of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
Rielly said he had felt well, but testing revealed the virus and led him to avoid contact around the team. He expects to be an option for Toronto’s split-squad games against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, though he acknowledged that missing the first exhibition game has shortened his camp runway.
The defenseman worked beside Darren Raddysh, the former Tampa Bay Lightning blue-liner acquired by Toronto in an offseason sign-and-trade before signing an eight-year deal. Rielly said he had hoped to get a look with Raddysh and praised the new partner’s strengths.
Dallas remains cautious with Matt Duchene, who has not yet joined the Stars on the ice in training camp. Coach Glen Gulutzan expects the 35-year-old forward to begin skating this week.
Duchene did skate during the offseason, but the Stars have held him out of camp for maintenance. He was limited to 57 games last season because of injuries.
Stars forward Colin Blackwell will miss Monday’s preseason game against the St. Louis Blues with a lower-body injury. Gulutzan said the expectation is that Blackwell’s absence will last only a few days rather than becoming a longer-term issue.
