Alex Ovechkin logged just 12:46 Friday night, and Spencer Carbery's Washington Capitals still walked out of Carolina with a 5-2 win.
BarDown, crediting Sammi Silber, said on X that it was the least ice time of his career, excluding games he left injured or was ejected.
He still chipped in an assist, one shot on goal and a +1 rating.
Four Capitals skaters played less than he did, while Matt Roy led the team at 22:29.
This is the right way to handle a 41-year-old captain. Saving his legs for the moments that matter beats grinding him down in the first week of October.
It's the classic car that only comes out on sunny Sundays. The engine still purrs, and the owner wants it to keep purring.
Will it stick? The Capitals visit Tampa Bay tonight on the second half of a back-to-back.
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Alex Ovechkin plays fewer than 13 minutes as Washington spreads the workload
It was the Capitals' season opener, so Carbery's first lineup card already told a story.
Alex Tuch led the way with two goals and three shots.
Jakob Chychrun added a power-play goal and an assist, while Cole Hutson and Ryan Leonard also scored.
Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois had two assists apiece, and Tom Wilson logged 16:37 with an assist of his own.
The Capitals leaned on their blue line, with three defensemen over 19 minutes.
Logan Thompson stopped 31 of 33 shots in the win.
Ovechkin carries a $4,250,000 cap hit, while Tuch is at $10,500,000.
Rod Brind'Amour's Hurricanes fell to 0-1-1, with Sebastian Aho and Logan Stankoven scoring. Their other loss came 1-0 in overtime to Florida in the opener.
Brandon Bussi made 22 saves on 27 shots.
After Tampa Bay, the Capitals' home opener comes Wednesday against Pittsburgh.
The Hurricanes visit Philadelphia tonight and Montreal on Tuesday, so their schedule doesn't ease up.
Carbery has a lineup that won without leaning on the captain. How he splits the minutes on a back-to-back will say a lot about whether Friday's number was a one-night thing.
Should the Capitals keep limiting Alex Ovechkin's ice time this season?
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