Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin out week-to-week with lower-leg injury
On Tuesday, the Washington Capitals announced that captain Alex Ovechkin is week-to-week with a lower-leg injury.
The team also confirmed that Ovechkin will be further evaluated by team physicians in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
Alex Ovechkin has been officially listed as “week to week” by #ALLCAPS after sustaining what they’re calling a “lower leg injury.”
Suppose good news there is no knee injury, which some surmised based on contact.
Ovechkin was injured during Monday night’s game against the Utah Hockey Club. Early in the third period, Ovechkin was chasing after a loose puck inside the Capitals’ blue line when collided with Utah forward Jack McBain. It looked like the two players hit knee-on-knee, with Ovechkin limping off the ice with assistance from the training staff.
He would later leave the bench and didn’t return to the game.
The injury comes as the Russian superstar is on a path toward history. He scored two goals in the game, which saw Washington come out on top, 6-2, putting him in the league lead in goals so far with 15 in 18 games. The 39-year-old also tied Jaromir Jagr’s all-time record for most goalies scored on during their NHL career with No. 178, as he beat Connor Ingram.
With 868 goals in his illustrious career, Ovechkin is 26 away from Wayne Gretzky’s previously untouchable record of 894. The pace at which the GR8 has been scoring this season put him on the path to not only break Gretzky’s record this season but also achieve the milestone in less time than The Great One.
In over 19 NHL seasons, Ovechkin has appeared in 1,444 games, notching 707 assists for 1,575 points. He has also scored 141 points in 151 postseason games, including 27 on his to help the Capitals win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, being awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in the process.
The Capitals (13-4-1) sit first in the Metropolitan in points, one ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils. Washington is scheduled to host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.