Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin to miss Saturday’s game with injury

The Washington Capitals will go without forward Alex Ovechkin on Saturday as they take on the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., per a club release.

Ovechkin, 37, is officially listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The Russian winger has 42 goals and 74 points in 72 games with the Capitals this season.

The Capitals and Panthers are set to go head-to-head in D.C. at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday evening.

#Caps captain Alex Ovechkin (upper body) will not play tonight versus Florida. Ovechkin is listed as day-to-day.

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) April 8, 2023

Ovechkin ranks second in National Hockey League history with 822 goals in 1,346 career games, all of which he’s played with the Capitals over parts of 18 regular seasons.

The Capitals originally selected Ovechkin with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. The six-foot-three left wing, who shoots right, won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.

Ovechkin is 72 goals back of tying Wayne Gretzky (894) for the most in NHL history. He should have plenty of time to reach that plateau: Ovechkin is under contract with the Capitals at a $9.5 million cap hit through 2026.

The Capitals are set to miss the playoffs this year, failing to qualify as a team for the first time since 2014 (and only the third time in Ovechkin’s tenure). Washington currently ranks sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 34–35–9 record and 77 points through 78 games this season.