On Saturday, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin spoke to the media following morning skate ahead of their tilt against the Ottawa Senators at Capital One Arena (7 PM ET, NBC Sports Washington). He discussed how he feels heading into the middle point of the season with the playoffs on the horizon and son Sergei’s growing love for hockey.

“I still have fun. I still love the game,” the 36-year-old said on his successful longevity. “I’m enjoying being on the ice, off the ice…spending time with those group of guys.”

Ovechkin said that “right now I feel much better” regarding the start of the month when he was dealing with a slight upper-body issue.  “Obviously, those days [when] we have [optional practices] and days off, it kind of helps not only me…you can see how many injuries we have…the COVID situation…guys always know how they have to control their body and that’s [the] most important thing.”

The Capitals’ revised schedule contains only ten games in the month of February. Ovechkin noted that “this is the time of the year [when] you have to prepare yourself for the playoff run and the playoffs,” adding, “You have to get your body ready for the big run.”

Graphic: @Capitals

“It was important for us to have him back,” Ovechkin said on the return of center Nicklas Backstrom. “He didn’t play lots of months and right now he’s trying to find his shape..hope he’s going to be much better in the future.”

On a lighter note, Ovechkin said his oldest son Sergei’s skating is getting “much better.” “He loves hockey…it’s 24/7. Obviously, it’s fun to watch how he likes it.” According to The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, Ovechkin stayed several hours after Friday’s practice giving Sergei a private skating lesson. The oldest Ovechkin son donned full hockey gear and wore a red No. 8 jersey. “I hope Ilya’s going to love hockey as well,” Ovechkin added.

By Della Young