TORONTO – Alex Ovechkin continued his hunt for the NHL career goals record when he returned to the Washington Capitals’ lineup Saturday night against the Maple Leafs.

The Capitals winger has been sidelined since breaking his fibula in a collision with Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain on Nov. 18. Ovechkin led the NHL at the time with 15 goals in 18 games – with a total of 868 goals, he was on the hunt for Wayne Gretzky’s career goalscoring mark of 894.

This search is now underway again on a large scale. But Ovechkin’s return means more than just that for Washington.

“The obvious thing (Ovechkin brings) is scoring,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “But I do think that the threat of him scoring a goal gives our whole group a boost. “He’s in the lineup, his presence, his infectious personality, his demeanor and he’s on the ice…everyone in the.” Building, along with our 19 other players, believes he can score and that elevates our entire group .”

Ovechkin said it was a “tough month” as he sat on the sidelines and focused mostly on training in the gym. He didn’t think about going after Gretzky again until he got the green light to go back in.

“At that point you don’t think about all the things that are happening around (the chase),” he said. “You just focus on your recovery, your injury and (trying) to make yourself feel better when you get back.”

Many of Ovechkin’s teammates have been invested in his title shot for years, not just because of what it means for Ovechkin individually, but for the group as a whole.

“When you’re in the moment, you’re excited when he scores,” Carbery said. “But I honestly don’t think the guys are paying that much attention (to the total) other than we’re just waiting for him to help us win another hockey game. I think that’s one of the reasons why (Ovechkin) was so successful; he’s so focused on helping us win tonight.”

The 39-year-old, who had never missed more than six games in his career due to illness, had to miss four to six weeks after the injury. He resumed skating on December 2 and made steady progress until the NHL’s recent holiday break.

Ovechkin was back at practice Friday at his top spot with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas and on the Capitals’ best power-play unit, a strong indication that the plan was to play Saturday.

Washington went 10-5-1 without Ovechkin, and Carbery expects a significant “boost” for the Capitals as they look to maintain their position at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

“He is our captain; he’s the all-time leading goalscorer,” Carbery said. “You could feel it like you were just waiting for the day when he would get back in the lineup. You could feel his presence and he got involved a little bit more and now the day has come.”