The Washington Capitals won their preseason finale 5-3 over the Philadelphia Flyers. However, the win was marred with its captain Alex Ovechkin going down with an apparent lower-body injury.
Ovechkin fell to the ice after an awkward hit on Flyers forward Travis Konecny in the first period. Ovechkin was crouched over on his knees before trainers attended to him.
He was on the ice for several moments before skating off to the tunnel. He noticeably was favoring his left leg. The Capitals announced shortly after the first period, Ovechkin had been ruled out of the remainder of the game.
Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said Ovechkin will be re-evaluated Saturday.
“Any time a player leaves the ice you’re concerned,” Laviolette said per Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic. “They’re going to re-evaluate him tomorrow and assess him for practice (Sunday). I think that’s where it’s at right now.”
That evaluation will go a long way to determine Ovechkin’s availability for the Capitals’ regular season opener. They open the season against the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
The 36-year old Ovechkin was durable for much of his first 15 years in the NHL. However, he missed 11 games last season largely due to a leg injury. A back injury also affected him during the Capitals’ first-round exit in the playoffs.
Alex Ovechkin signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract this offseason to remain with the Capitals. A three-time Hart Trophy winner, and the 2018 Conn Smythe, Ovechkin has his sights set on the NHL’s all-time goals record. He trailed Wayne Gretzky by 164 goals.
