In addition to the reporters who regularly cover the Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild, the media scrum surrounding star goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin had an extra layer on Thursday morning at Xcel Energy Center. In the last day or two, Capitals media relations officials have welcomed national repo rters from ESPN, NHL.com, Canadian television network Sports Net and elsewhere, and they expect more to join the throng in the coming days as Ovechkin’s pursuit of the game’s all-time goals record gets down to numbers that can be counted on one hand. Ovechkin, who needed six goals to tie Wayne Gretzky as he prepped for Thursday’s game in Minnesota, joked that the questions and the media hype started to get old about two years ago. “You just get used to it,” he said. Some players pursue milestones late in their careers when their effectiveness has waned and their teams are well out of the playoff race. That’s far from the case for Ovechkin, the on-ice leader for the top team in the NHL, with solid designs on bringing the Stanley Cup to the nation’s capital for the second time in a decade. Add a crush of national media to a team that is already getting lots of attention, and it could get to be too much for some players. But the Capitals are enjoying the ride on the Ovechkin hype train. “It’s been really fun to be a part of for sure. Obviously what he’s done this year has been absolutely insane,” said Charlie Lindgren, the former Lakeville North and St. Cloud State goalie that has made 31 appearances in the Washington crease this season. “Just his production and the way he’s scoring goals. … He’s just scoring at an elite clip and it just shows what a special player he is.” Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek resume skating A few hours before the Wild took to the TRIA Rink ice for their morning skate, injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek were out there with a skating instructor, taking their official first strides on the road to returning to the Wild lineup — although Wild coach John Hynes acknowledged that they had both been on the ice before Thursday, doing what he termed “rehab skates” without pucks. Both players will accompany the Wild on the team’s three-game trip to New York City next week, and while their return to the lineup would have all of the hype and drama of a Broadway premiere, Hynes said it won’t happen that soon, classifying both players as week to week. The regular season ends April 15 against Anaheim at Xcel Energy Center. “Kirill is going to go back and see his doctor. Ekky’s gonna come (on the trip) but they will not play,” Hynes said. “When I (say) ‘week to week,’ and I’ll be up front with you guys if it looks like they’re progressing to go, this is truly the first step of getting back on. It’s nothing imminent.” Ovechkin acknowledged being disappointed that Kaprizov has been injured for the two head-to-head meetings between the Wild and Capitals this season. “He’s a tough player, obviously, when he’s healthy,” Ovechkin said. “It’s always fun to watch highlights on him. He’s great.” Related Articles March malaise sets off Wild alarm bells as playoff race tightens No luck when Vegas visits as Wild drop second in a row Injured Wild forwards could be skating in the “very, very near future” Winning streak ends with a thud, as Wild are blanked in Dallas Wild being cautious, gradual with Jonas Brodin’s return ...read more read less