Ovechkin skates briefly before Caps practice

Alex Ovechkin skated for about 15 minutes ahead of practice Thursday morning for the Washington Capitals, according to Katie Carrera of the Washington Post.

Ovechkin did not play Wednesday night in a critical 4-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. He left the previous game, a 5-0 loss to Carolina, but later returned and the absence was deemed an equipment issue. Before the game Wednesday in Ottawa, Ovechkin told reporters he was not feeling well, but coach Dale Hunter said he had a lower-body injury.

The Capitals lost the three games of a four-game road trip and remain in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Despite their struggles, they are just two points out of eighth place in the East and two behind the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Southeast Division.

Carrera noted that Ovechkin twice tried to skate at full speed, but quickly pulled up and spent of the time on the ice skating at half-speed. The Capitals play Montreal at Verizon Center on Friday before a trip Saturday to Toronto. They are also still without top center Nicklas Backstrom, who has not skated in weeks because of a concussion.

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