{"id":195854,"date":"2025-10-01T23:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T23:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/195854\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T23:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T23:25:10","slug":"alex-ovechkin-included-on-capitals-game-roster-could-make-preseason-debut-against-boston-bruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/195854\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Ovechkin included on Capitals game roster, could make preseason debut against Boston Bruins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Ovechkin looks primed to make his Capitals preseason debut on Thursday night against the Boston Bruins.<\/p>\n

Ovechkin was included in a group of 13 forwards preparing for Boston\u2019s visit to Capital One Arena. He\u2019s joined by several of the players on the Capitals\u2019 roster still battling for the very few open roster spots at this year\u2019s training camp.<\/p>\n

\"Washington\ud83d\udcf8: @capitals\/X<\/a><\/p>\n

Ovechkin, 40, has sat out of all four previous exhibition games this fall after missing the beginning of camp due to a lower-body injury<\/a>. Head coach Spencer Carbery has said he\u2019d prefer his captain get into two games ahead of Opening Night on October 8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it the end-all, be-all for him to play two exhibition games? No,\u201d Carbery said last week. \u201cBut the ideal world is he gets two games before the start of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ovechkin played in three preseason games last year, notching two points (1g, 1a). He went on to record 73 points (44g, 29a) in 65 games during his age-39 season, breaking Wayne Gretzky\u2019s all-time goals record along the way. He\u2019ll come into this season just three goals shy of becoming the first player in NHL history to score 900 career goals.<\/p>\n

The home matchup with the Bruins may also be a last chance for players on the fringe of the roster to impress Carbery and the rest of the Capitals\u2019 top brass. Included in that group, among others, are Sonny Milano, Sheldon Rempal, Andrew Cristall, Hendrix Lapierre, Ethen Frank, Ilya Protas, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Eriks Mateiko, and Vincent Iorio.<\/p>\n

Milano\u2019s inclusion is particularly encouraging after he missed some practice time this week with an upper-body injury<\/a>. The 29-year-old winger is tied with Calgary\u2019s Morgan Frost for the NHL lead in preseason scoring with six points (4g, 2a).<\/p>\n

The Capitals did not skate on Wednesday, so the line combinations and defense pairings that Carbery deploys will not be known until Thursday, potentially at the team\u2019s morning skate. The Caps are undefeated in this year\u2019s preseason, having gone 4-0 and outscoring their opponents 17-8.<\/p>\n

Ahead of Thursday\u2019s contest, the Capitals made five more cuts to their roster. First, they loaned prospect goaltender Garin Bjorklund to the AHL\u2019s Hershey Bears<\/a>. Later, they waived Bogdan Trineyev, Henrik Rybinski, Graeme Clarke, and Louie Belpedio<\/a> with the intention of also adding them to Hershey\u2019s roster.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t