Ovechkin is 'getting closer' to his return

While Alex Ovechkin still can't say exactly when he'll return to the Washington Capitals' lineup, this much is no longer up for debate: The franchise winger will be back soon. Ovechkin practiced with his teammates Thursday for the first time since suffering a left shoulder strain on Nov. 1 and did not look encumbered at all by the injury. He raced up and down the ice, swinging his arms comfortably and carrying his stick in his left hand. He effortlessly zipped passes across the ice to teammates in drills. And, most important, Ovechkin fully wound up on slap shots, sending pucks pinging off goal posts and crackling off the glass behind the net.