Watch: Injured Alex Ovechkin ramps up skating as comeback Capitals top NHL

According to insider Tarik El-Bashir, Ovechkin skated for more than 20 minutes and appeared to put significant pressure on his left leg while making a turn around the goal. It marks the third time he has hit the ice since his injury.

That's an important development for Washington, given it has been just three weeks since the injury, and Ovechkin was initially expected to miss four to six weeks.

Now, that timeline is still very realistic as the team cannot afford to rush him back and potentially lose him again later in the year if he isn't fully ready to return.

Washington tops the NHL standings with 40 points and one more win than the second-place Minnesota Wild.

That's mostly thanks to the team's 11 come-from-behind victories this year, the most in the league, and its nine consecutive road wins, a franchise record.

Without Ovechkin, Washington has had to rely on younger stars like Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome in the scoring department to keep up its momentum.

At the time of his injury, Ovechkin led the league in goals (15) and was on one of the hottest scoring streaks in his career.

With 868 career goals, he was forced to pause his campaign just 27 short of passing Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky for most all time (894).

If Washington continues to be a come-from-behind buzzsaw as the season continues, teams should be very fearful of what the team will be able to do once Ovechkin returns.