Maple Leafs react to Alex Ovechkin’s return to Capitals’ lineup

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to host the Washington Capitals Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, and all signs are pointing to Alex Ovechkin making his return to the Capitals’ lineup.

Ovechkin has been out of the lineup since Nov.18 after suffering a broken leg. He’s appeared in 18 games this season, scoring an impressive 15 goals, recording 25 points. Ovechkin has lit up the Maple Leafs throughout his decorated career, scoring 44 goals in 60 career games against Toronto, including 24 in 29 games at Scotiabank Arena.

The Maple Leafs are coming off a dominant 5-2 win in Detroit on Friday night, and they know that anytime Ovechkin is in the lineup, you must be aware when, and where he is on the ice.

“Don’t let him shoot, right?” stated David Kampf during media availability after Saturday’s morning skate. “I mean, he’s a special player, right. Hopefully he can break the record, and it’s always fun to play against him.”

Maple Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev will be tasked with shutting down Ovechkin’s line. Tanev won’t be able to contain the Capitals sniper alone, he knows it’s going to take a team effort to commit to keeping things simple against one of the best goal scorers in NHL history.

“I mean, obviously, the second best shooter ever right now, and potentially in the future will have the most goals,” Tanev mentioned to reporters. “Obviously, you don’t want to give him shots, and opportunity in the scoring areas, so it takes all five guys to help out and have good sticks, and know where he is all the time on the ice.”

In 16 games without Ovechkin in the lineup, the Capitals went 10-5-1, and enter Saturday’s matchup 23-9-2 on the year, good for second in the Metropolitan Division. This will be the Leafs’ and Capitals’ third game of the 2024-25 season, with the Leafs posting a 4-3 overtime win Nov.13, and the Caps pulling off a 3-1 win most recently Dec.6.