Washington Capitals superstar captain Alex Ovechkin will return to the lineup against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, head coach Peter Laviolette announced.
Ovechkin, 37, had been away from the team since Feb. 14 following the passing of his father Mikhail Ovechkin, whose funeral was held Saturday in Moscow.
The Capitals lost all four games in Ovechkin’s absence and were outscored 16-7.
Alex Ovechkin returns for Caps
“I think Alex wants to come back and help our team be successful, whatever that means, whether it’s him scoring three goals or one goal or just playing a great game and our team winning the hockey game,” Laviolette said Thursday.