Ovi a little rusty in return

Ovechkin came off a 12-day layoff in the Washington Capitals' 3-0 win in Montreal on Saturday afternoon by playing 19:57, dishing out three hits but registering only a single shot on goal for just the sixth time this season.

However, it was a golden opportunity for a shot he passed up that had Ovechkin laughing at himself after the game.

In the second period, having beaten Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban to a puck deep in the offensive zone, Ovechkin was in prime position to shoot when he inexplicably passed it across to Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges, who simply turned the puck back towards the Capitals' end.

An Ovechkin at the top of his game would simply have wired it on net even if he thought teammate Alexander Semin was open on the other side. But a 13-day layoff meant Ovechkin wasn't exactly himself.

The Capitals didn't particularly need their captain to be in top form to beat the struggling Canadiens on Saturday, but they certainly will Sunday afternoon when they host a matinee against the Boston Bruins. The defending Stanley Cup-champion will arrive in the nation's capital with a chip on their collective shoulder, having struggled to a 1-3-0 record since visiting the White House on Jan. 23. Boston lost 2-1 to the Penguins on Saturday.
We're going to have to play a very good hockey game to beat them."

This enforced rest after his three-game suspension for leaving his feet on a hit against Penguins defenseman Zbynek Michalek on Jan. 22 may in fact turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Ovechkin, who is heading towards a second-straight season of career-worst offensive numbers with 20 goals and 19 assists in 48 games. Aside from Ovechkin's production, his mere presence could help a Capitals power play that has not scored in its last 18 opportunities dating back to an Ovechkin goal with the man advantage Jan. 18 against the Canadiens, a span of six-plus games.

"I thought he played well. He was working, he threw some hits. It didn't work out Saturday, with the Capitals going 0-for-3 on the power play, but Ovechkin will need to assert himself offensively in all situations from here to the end if Washington wants to secure itself a playoff berth and a fifth straight Southeast Division championship.

"I can't wait to play tomorrow," he said.