Alex Ovechkin and Washington Capitals’ fans are holding their breath on Friday after the star sniper left the first period of the Capitals’ final game of the preseason. He went for a hit on Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny in the offensive zone but fell to the ice in pain favoring his left leg.
Related: Canadiens Rat Out Hurricanes for Breaking a Preseason NHL Rule
In some angles, it looked like Ovechkin might have had the wind knocked out of him. Other reports suggest he was favoring his leg as he skated off the ice. While the Capitals haven’t offered an update beyond that he will not return to tonight’s game and are calling a lower-body injury, they could be keeping him out as a precautionary measure. Ovechkin left the game at the 10:18 mark of the first period and did not see the ice again.
The Capitals will open the regular season against the New York Rangers on Wednesday and will likely already be without center Nicklas Backstrom, who has yet to skate since the team’s first-round series exit in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs due to a hip injury.
It’s far too early to tell if this is anything serious and we’ll keep you apprised of the story as it develops. That said, if it’s determined Ovechkin will be out any significant length of time, this has to be seen as a disaster for the Capitals who are a competitive team but there are questions about how competitive they’ll be this season.
Ovechkin is still the star on an aging team and he just so happens to be working towards setting the all-time goal-scoring record in the NHL. If he’s going to do it, he’ll likely need to play every possible game he can.
Next: Sabres and Interested Teams Agree to Eichel Trade Condition
