The Washington Capitals enter Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Kings with uncertainty surrounding the availability of their captain, Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin missed Saturday's practice for a maintenance day after sustaining an injury in Friday night's loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. His status for the upcoming game remains in question.

Head coach Spencer Carbery revealed in his pregame media availability that Ovechkin will be a game-time decision. The team's star forward will participate in warmups, and a decision will be made based on his performance and condition.

In the previous game against the Hurricanes, Ovechkin played for 15 minutes and 17 seconds before his injury. If he is able to play against the Kings, he will aim to extend his point streak to five games. Ovechkin currently leads the Capitals in scoring, with 25 points (8 goals, 17 assists) in 37 games this season. Impressively, he is one of only six skaters who have not missed a game for the team so far.

The incident that potentially led to Ovechkin's injury occurred during the third period. After an offensive-zone faceoff, a scramble for the puck resulted in a collision between Ovechkin and Jordan Staal. Ovechkin remained on the ice briefly before slowly making his way back to the bench with assistance from head athletic trainer Jason Serbus.

Throughout his nearly two-decade-long career, Ovechkin has missed a total of 56 games, with 32 of those absences due to injuries. In the previous season, he missed five games.

In the event that Ovechkin is unable to play, defenseman Alex Alexeyev will take his place. Alexeyev will participate in warmups, and if needed, the Capitals will dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. Alexeyev has not played since November 24 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Carbery also confirmed that goaltender Darcy Kuemper will start once again, despite allowing five goals against the Hurricanes. Backup goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who has been practicing with the team, remains on injured reserve. Hunter Shepard will continue to serve as Kuemper's backup.

Both the Capitals and the Kings are hoping to end losing streaks in Sunday's matchup. The Capitals aim to avoid their third consecutive loss, while the Kings enter the game with four straight losses. The Kings' road trip begins with this game, which marks the start of a six-game stretch away from home.